From the London Underground to Hades

Anyone who has ever taken the subway anywhere, be it London, New York, or any other place on earth, is aware of the difficulties of managing the tangled web of tracks so it ends you up at your desired station. It seems someone at the Iris Project figured that navigating the Underworld would be just as hard, so they made a map for poor lost souls to follow. Anyone looking for the Blessed Isle? Just take the northbound Asphodelos line to the Grove of Persephone, switch to either the eastbound Tartarus Line or the Kokytos line for three stops to reach your switch to the Hades Line. Get off at Makaron.

The Iris Project is an educational charity introducing the languages and culture of the ancient world to UK state schools in order to enrich the curriculum. It was founded in the belief that the opportunity to learn about Classical languages, literature, histories and art should be made available to all, regardless of background, and that learning about these fascinating subjects can be a vital tool in promoting learning across the school curriculum in UK state schools. They run a wide range of initiatives in state schools across the country, focusing especially on children in socially excluded inner city regions, and we also run projects which introduce Classics to adults in city communities. The centre opened in October 2013, and is run in association with the University of Oxford.

The Independant reported on the map with quotes from an interview--it seems--with the Iris Project's director, Lorna Robinson:

"I'd seen other maps of the Underground which had been themed to various ideas, and it struck me that the Classical Underworld would work really well for this design. I wanted a really vivid way of bringing the Underworld 'to life' and placing it in a modern framework. The stories are endlessly appealing and we hope the event will reach out to the community using these ancient tales."

The map is being used to promote a community myth day event hosted by the charity at the East Oxford Community Classics Centre, at Cheney Comprehensive School, for school pupils and local members of the community.

(Thank you, Star, for sharing this with me!)