Talk:Lethe

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Comments

I just had to include a line from Swinburne, but it doesn't really belong in the article, so here it is: "We have drunken of things Lethean / And fed on the fulness of death" (Hymn to Proserpine) -- Simon J Kissane

And Catullus said "namque mei nuper lethaeo in gurgite fratris/ Pallidulum manans alluit unda pedem"

Anyway, I have heard that either Morpheus or Thanatos (I don't remember who) uses an olive bracnh dipped in Lethe to induce sleep. If someone remembers the details of this, please add it to the article.

I think Hypnos, the god of sleep, was sometimes depicted as holding a branch dripping with Lethean waters (according to Ovid, her river flowed through his realm). I'll need to check my sources, though. -Shoemoney2night (talk) 01:15, 11 May 2010 (UTC)

Why in "Real rivers" is there an image of the river Lima in Portugal? Doesn't seem to relate… at all.02:27, 23 February 2015 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.92.161.127 (talk)

Keats

In Ode to a Nightingale, Keats wrote 'Lethe-wards had sunk', using 'Lethe' in the sense of the river. Could someone add this to the article? It's about as significant, if not more than the Urban Arcana reference.

Also, I removed "Dav alongside the two beautiful guardians of Oblivion and Memory" from the article, as it was just a sentence fragment. If someone else knows what it's supposed to mean, it'd be nice if it was put back.

One more thing; the last section's getting messy. Perhaps it should be organized by category, such as popular culture, literature, and so on. Eirein 06:00, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Fire Emblem: Path Of Radiance

Probably offtopic but there is a character that is a female cat-beast named Lethe. Don't really think it is a reference to the river...however - it is an interesting fact/even possibly someone can prove it to being popular culture.

Reference to The Matrix

While this is a good example of the concept of Lethe, a reference to 'Lethe' (the term) in The Matrix isn't shown here. Since this article is on the term 'Lethe' and not just the concept, and as far as I know the term 'Lethe' isn't used in the movie, I'm removing it. If I'm wrong please restore the reference with additional detail. Gclinkscales 00:46, 29 January 2007 (UTC)gclinkscales

how is λήθη pronounced?

"lêthê" is not IPA —Preceding unsigned comment added by Njaard (talk • contribs) 08:51, 6 December 2007 (UTC)

Added "Orpheus"

Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld makes reference to Lethe, so I've added it. It's an operetta, not really a play, but I put it in plays rather than add yet another section. If there are enough other operas/operettas/musicals to justify a section, Orpheus can move there too.

Rosuav (talk) 00:21, 7 December 2007 (UTC)

Bullets

The game section needs to be organized and bulleted out. I'll do it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Six string brad (talk • contribs) 06:34, 12 February 2008 (UTC)

References in pop culture, novels, poetry, etc.

While many of the references made are valid and valuable entries (unlike in most other WP articles) the majority are too superficial to be right-fully included.

Note in particular that references to Greek mythology in the poetry and literature of "yore" were about as common as references to "Star Wars" in modern pop culture---listing them all would be both a futile undertaking and bring very little value.

Likely valid entries include "The Divine Comedy" and "Le Léthé".

Almost certainly invalid are e.g. "The Scarlet Woman" and "A Supermarket in California".

Note that to make a decision in each indiviual case, a greater familiarity with the work may be needed; further, that the significance of the work may play in. 88.77.181.139 (talk) 18:58, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Maybe it is not relevant, but in J.K. Rowling Pottermore.com , Lethe River Water is named as one of the ingredients of the Forgetfulness Potion. Might not be relevant, as I think it is not named in the Harry Potter books, only on the website. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.224.226.196 (talk) 13:12, 2 May 2012 (UTC)

Looks like someone moved it all to a separate page, but then more stuff got added here, mostly repeating stuff that was already there. I've consolidated it all to the separate page and retained only a link here, to keep things tidy and avoid repetition. (I'm ambivalent on the whole "in popular culture" lists thing, but they should at least be kept tidy.) -dmmaus (talk) 22:49, 21 August 2012 (UTC)

There are numerous Star Trek related Lethe references including:

• a character named Lethe in Star Trek: Dagger of the Mind (1966)
• a telepathic species called the Letheans in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Distant Voices (1995) and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Sword of Kahless (1995)
• an eponymous episode Lethe in Star Trek: Discovery (2017), season 1, episode 6 in which Sarek brings back memories from Burnham's past

Snark35 (talk) 03:38, 19 April 2020 (UTC)

Should Dante Alighieri be Listed as a Visitor?

In Dante's Purgatorio. Towards the end, when he reaches the summit of Mount Purgatory and finally reunites with Beatrice. He is made by her to confess his worldly sins. After which he is baptized in The River Lethe, causing him to forget all of his sinful ways. Then, is rebaptized in the River Eunoe, replacing his sinful memories with good ones.

I feel like unless there's some specific commonality to the visitors listed, like being from Greek mythos, this should count Dante as a visitor. VoidHalo (talk) 03:40, 22 March 2025 (UTC)

I see now that it is indeed specific to the Greek Underworld. So, I recant my prior statement. My apologies. VoidHalo (talk) 03:43, 22 March 2025 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: History of Ancient Greece

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 2 April 2025 and 9 June 2025. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Another51 (article contribs). Peer reviewers: User29442, WillowWisps.

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Arabic phrase Wadi lakath as “River of Forgetfulness” is a myth

The claim that “Guadalete” derives from Arabic Wādī Lakath, “River of Forgetfulness,” is not supported by Arabic linguistics. “Lakath” does not mean forgetfulness; the second element likely reflects a pre-Arabic toponym (Lakka). The supposed semantic connection to Lethe is a later folk etymology.

The idea that Guadalete means “River of Forgetfulness” comes from folk etymology connecting it with the Greek Lethe, the river of forgetfulness from mythology. Since Lethe sounds a bit like -lete, some storytellers or later writers (especially romantic or 19th-century historians) creatively linked the two.

But linguistically, there’s no evidence that Arabic Lakath or Lakka meant “forgetfulness,” or that it had any relation to the Greek Lethe.
It’s simply a phonetic coincidence.

• Corriente, Federico (1997). Dictionary of Arabic and Allied Loanwords in Spanish and Portuguese. Brill. (Lists Guadalete < Wādī Lakka, without any mention of “forgetfulness.”)
• Toponymic studies of Al-Andalus, e.g. Joaquín Vallvé Bermejo’s La división territorial de la España musulmana (1986).

• Real Academia Española’s Diccionario geográfico histórico de España, which traces Guadalete to Wādī Lakka.

2804:7F0:BC43:A3C2:8109:2C4F:C671:556A (talk) 20:47, 11 October 2025 (UTC)