Ambrose Bierce, The Cynic's Dictionary (1906) republished as The Devil's Dictionary (1911).This ridiculous and mischievous fable was swept off the face of the earth by the early Christians - may their souls be happy in Heaven! An imaginary delightful country which the ancients foolishly believed to be inhabited by the spirits of the good. Later, it expanded to include those chosen by the gods, the righteous, and the heroic, where they would remain after death, to live a blessed and happy life, and indulging in whatever employment they had enjoyed in life. Initially separate from the realm of Hades, admission was reserved for mortals related to the gods and other heroes.
Who, as they sung, would take the prison'd soulĮlysium or the Elysian Fields (Ancient Greek: Ἠλύσιον πεδίον, Ēlýsion pedíon) is a conception of the afterlife that developed over time and was maintained by some Greek religious and philosophical sects and cults.
