The oceanic streams by Plato

In his dialogue “ Phaidon ”, Plato describes four streams that are the most prominent of all.

The Oceanus

“Now these streams are many and great and of all sorts, but among the many are four streams, the greatest and outermost of which is that called Oceanus, which flows round in a circle...” [ Phaedo 112e ]

As to the “outermost circle” in which the current of the Ocean flows, we will make the assumption that it refers to the globe disk which encircles the entire rim of the planet.

Acheron

“...and opposite this, flowing in the opposite direction, is Acheron, which flows through various desert places and, passing under the earth, comes to the Acherusian lake. To this lake the souls of most of the dead go and, after remaining there the appointed time, which is for some longer and for others shorter, are sent back to be born again into living beings.” [ Phaedo 113a ]

“Οpposite to the outer circular flow of the Ocean and in the opposite direction” can refer to virtually any place along the radius of the disk. The identification of Acheron with the Reindalselva river is compatible with both of the above characteristics. Furthermore, Acheron is, according to Plato’s description, the only one of the four streams that “comes to” Lake Acherousia , which is identified with Van Mijenfjordenfjord .

Pyriphlegethon

“The third river flows out between these two, and near the place whence it issues it falls into a vast region burning with a great fire and makes a lake larger than our [Mediterranean] sea, boiling with water and mud...” [ Phaedo 113a - b ]

This description closely matches the following geographic features:

The waters of the great Mississippi River (shown in cyan) empty into the Gulf of Mexico, picking up sediment all along the way and forming a large delta (shown in yellow), which has the muddy consistency described in the Plato’s text.
The water temperature of the Gulf of Mexico is high (on the average 24-30°C) because it receives part of the North Equatorial Current waters, which are very hot.
“...and makes a lake larger than our [Mediterranean] sea, boiling with water and mud...” [ Phaedo 113a ] The Gulf of Mexico, which is landlocked enough to justify its being designated as a “lake”, equals the area (in cyan) of the eastern Mediterranean Sea which, which is most likely the sea referred to by Plato.
“...Thence it flows in a circle, turbid and muddy, and comes in its winding course, among other places, to the edge of the Acherusian lake, but does not mingle with its water. Then, after winding about many times underground, it flows into Tartarus at a lower level...” [ Phaedo 113b ] The Gulf Stream (depicted as a rough outline in red) with its characteristic violet-blue, high temperature waters, starts from the area at the mouth of the Gulf of Mexico, meandering through the Atlantic Ocean from its source in the south up to the the presumed Lake Acherousia which is identified in the Van Mijenfjorden at Svalbard, Norway.
“...Then, after winding about many times underground, it flows into Tartarus at a lower level...” [ Phaedo 113b ] The Tartarus is presumably identified with the area of the North Pole where the Gulf Stream comes to an end.
“...This is the river which is called Pyriphlegethon, and the streams of lava which spout up at various places on earth are offshoots from it.” [ Phaedo 113b ] The name of this “river” in the description of Plato, “Pyriphlegethon”, which translates “the one that burns in flames” in Greek, fits well with the warm nature of the current. It is worth noting that in Plato's description, the Gulf Stream is considered as a continuation of the Mississippi. The term “river” is used to refer to both inland rivers and ocean currents. At this point, one cannot avoid to observe the similarities in the description of the Gulf Stream by Plato with that of M.F. Maury : “There is a river in the ocean. The Gulf of Mexico is its fountain, and its mouth is in the Arctic Seas”

Stygian

“Opposite this the fourth river issues, it is said, first into a wild and awful place, which is all of a dark blue color, like lapis lazuli. This is called the Stygian river, and the lake which it forms by flowing in is the Styx.” [ Phaedo 113b - c ]

The Stygian, which penetrates the sea in a wild and awful place of blue color, forming Lake Styx, fits well with the characteristics of active glaciers in the eastern Greenland, where the sea water takes on a lapis lazuli like color at the points where glaciers meet the ocean.

“...This is called the Stygian river, and the lake which it forms by flowing in is the Styx.” [ Phaedo 113c ]

Interestingly, Styggja in old-Norse, Styggya in old Icelandic and Styg in Danish, convey the meaning of the frightening, the ugly and the disgusting, a fact that links the name of this river with the linguistic traditions of the north and arctic regions.

A “magical, miraculous, horrible, scary thing” are the words used by J. Balog while describing the largest glacier calving ever filmed , justifying the characterization of the glaciers’ areas as “wild and awful places”.

Cocytus

“...And when the river has flowed in here and has received fearful powers into its waters, it passes under the earth and, circling round in the direction opposed to that of Pyriphlegethon, it meets it coming from the other way in the Acherusian lake. And the water of this river also mingles with no other water, but this also passes round in a circle and falls into Tartarus opposite Pyriphlegethon. And the name of this river, as the Poets say, is Cocytus.” [ Phaedo 113c ]

At the presumed location of Lake Styx where the waters of the Stygian River “pass under the earth”, starts a deep ocean current (shown in magenta) flows in a north-to-south direction (i.e. opposite to the flow of the Gulf Stream), then it bends to follow the circular path shown on the map, and finally reaches Lake Acherousia , without mingling with its waters.