Avernus (without birds?) In Greek and Roman mythology, a deep sulfurous lake northwest of Roman Puteoli (Pozzouli), believed by the ancients to be one of the entrances to the underworld, the land of the dead. No birds were ever seen in its area. Vergil’s Aeneid (book 6) tells how the hero Aeneas was told by the Sibyl of Cumae to enter the underworld through Avernus. It is still called Lago Averno today.
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Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend, Third Edition – Written by Anthony S. Mercatante & James R. Dow– Copyright © 2009 by Anthony S. Mercatante