Storybook Topic Research: Tolkien and the Greek Underworld

After research and consideration, I have decided to do my storybook on Tolkien's underworld. Tolkien very rarely mentions what happens to characters after they pass, especially men. There is an obvious afterlife as evidenced by Gandalf's journey into death before he comes back as Gandalf the White, the literal green and glowing ghost army, and more. That being said, we are unsure what the actual underworld is like. For my storybook project I will be researching the Greek Underworld and using it as inspiration for an underworld for Arda, the world Tolkien created. 

• Story 1: The Underworld
• The Greek underworld is wide and sprawling with several different sections that make up its geography. I think using a loose map of the Greek underworld will be extremely helpful in developing the Tolkien underworld. The six rivers that represent emotions are something that strike me as Tolkien-ish, and I think I will use them in my own creation story.  
• Story 2: Erebus
• Throughout The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit books/movies, there is a darkness throughout Middle Earth that is not necessarily a person or being. I think a good counterpart to this is the Greek deity of Erebus. He is described as not a person but a place and state of being, although he does physically appear as a man. I think using him as inspiration to describe the darkness of Middle Earth will be very helpful. 
• Story 3: Thanatos
• One thing I believe it is critical to recognize about Tolkien's view of death is that it is not necessarily negative. Like Gandalf says when comforting Pippin in The Lord of the Rings, "Death is just another path, one that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass, and then you see it."
• The thing I like about Thanatos, and something I will draw inspiration from when designing the Tolkien underworld, is that he is described as a gentle and non-violent god of death. His twin brother is Hypnos, the god of Sleep, which I think is very beautiful and a nice touch to add to the storybook. The story linked is a good depiction of the god. 

A gravestone depicting Thanatos.

(Wikimedia Commons)