Where in the Underworld were heroes punished?

In Greek mythology, heroes who were deemed to have committed grave offenses or who acted unjustly were sent to Tartarus in the Underworld for punishment. Tartarus is specifically characterized as a place of torment and suffering for the wicked, contrasting sharply with regions such as the Fields of Elysium, where the virtuous enjoyed eternal bliss. In Tartarus, not only were there punishments for the most egregious offenders, such as Titans and other notable figures who rebelled against the gods, but it was also seen as a place of imprisonment.

Other regions like the Fields of Elysium served as rewards for the righteous, whereas the Asphodel Meadows were inhabited by the souls of those who lived neither particularly good nor particularly evil lives; they experienced a more neutral existence. Hyperborea, on the other hand, was associated with a blissful and idyllic land, often seen as a mythical paradise rather than a place of punishment. Thus, the association of Tartarus with the punishment of heroes reinforces its role as the most severe and forbidding area of the Underworld.