What Dreams May Come in the book are derived from my wide range of reading." One of Matheson's influences was Harold W. Percival, an adherent of Theosophy, a belief system with a strong Eastern and Hindu influence. The story also shares the same theme of the ancient Greek myth Orpheus and Eurydice, in which the gifted musician makes a challenging journey to Hell to retrieve his wife. One character quotes from the writings of 18th century Christian mystic Emanuel Swedenborg. Matheson bases his descriptions of the death experience itself on studies by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and Raymond Moody. When reading these accounts, Matheson found that
Hades in popular culture Hades in popular culture The mythological Greek deity Hades often appears in popular culture. In 2010, Hades has been in the movies "" played by Steve Coogan, and the remake of "Clash of the Titans" and its sequel "Wrath of the Titans" played by Ralph Fiennes. He is depicted as an antagonist in all three, but is only the central antagonist in "Clash of the Titans". He becomes an ally in "Wrath of the Titans". In the three television series "", "" and "Young Hercules" Hades was a recurring character, most frequently played by Erik Thomson, although Mark Ferguson and