In ancient Greek religion, the paradise said to receive heroes and the virtuous after death was Elysium.
Elysium, also called the Elysian Fields, was an afterlife destination associated with the favor of the gods. Early Greek poetry connects it especially with favored heroes and figures descended from the gods. Later writers broadened the idea so that exceptionally virtuous people could also reach it.
Descriptions of Elysium vary across ancient sources. It could appear as a pleasant meadow or island where the blessed lived without the hardships of ordinary human life. In some accounts, the dead who reached Elysium could eventually be reborn, and repeated virtuous lives could lead to an especially blessed existence.
Elysium is not the same as Tartarus. Tartarus was a deep place of punishment and confinement, while Elysium represented reward. It is also different from Mount Olympus, the dwelling place of the gods, and from Arcadia, a real region of Greece later idealized in literature.