Hades
godRuler of the underworld and lord of the dead. Despite his fearsome reputation, Hades was not evil — he was stern, just, and rarely left his dark kingdom.
The Myth
Hades was one of the six children of Kronos and Rhea. After the Titanomachy, when the three brothers divided the cosmos by lot, Hades drew the underworld. He ruled it with his queen Persephone, presiding over the dead with stern but fair judgment.
Unlike the Christian devil, Hades was not a figure of evil. He was simply the ruler of an inevitable domain — everyone, hero or villain, came to him eventually. He rarely left the underworld, wearing his helm of invisibility when he did. His most famous venture was the abduction of Persephone, whom he seized from a meadow and carried below.
Hades was also associated with the earth's mineral wealth — gold, silver, and precious stones all lay within his realm. The Romans called him Pluto, from the Greek "Plouton" (the wealthy one), recognizing that the riches of the earth belonged to the lord of the underworld.
Parents
Kronos and Rhea
Children
Zagreus (in Orphic tradition)
Symbols
Fun Fact
The Hadean eon — Earth's earliest geological period — is named after Hades because conditions were thought to resemble his underworld: dark, hot, and hostile.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth: