Hades (Unseen One)
godThe ruler of the Underworld who received the dead, guarded by Cerberus and feared so deeply that Greeks avoided speaking his name.
The Myth
Hades received the Underworld as his kingdom when the three sons of Kronos divided the cosmos. Unlike the malevolent devil of later traditions, Hades was stern but just — he simply enforced the natural order that all mortals must eventually die and come to his realm. He was the wealthiest of the gods, for all the precious metals and gems buried in the earth belonged to him — hence his common epithet Plouton (wealthy one), which became the Roman Pluto. The Greeks feared him so deeply they avoided saying his name, using euphemisms instead. He rarely left the Underworld, his most famous departure being the abduction of Persephone — whom he seized through a crack in the earth while she gathered flowers in the meadow of Nysa. Demeter's grief caused universal famine until Zeus brokered a compromise: Persephone would spend part of the year below and part above, creating the seasons. Hades owned the Cap of Invisibility, which he lent to Perseus and Athena during their separate quests.
Fun Fact
Plutonium was named after Pluto (Hades) because it follows uranium and neptunium on the periodic table — Underworld after sea and sky.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth:
Explore Further
Demeter
godGoddess of grain, harvest, and the fertility of the earth. When her daughter Persephone was...
Demeter (Grain Mother)
godThe goddess of grain and agriculture whose grief at losing her daughter created winter and whose...
Demeter (Grain)
godDemeter was the goddess of grain, harvest, and fertility whose grief over Persephone's abduction...
Demeter Thesmophoros
godAn epithet of Demeter as bringer of divine law and civilised customs, honoured at the Thesmophoria,...
Hades
godRuler of the underworld and lord of the dead. Despite his fearsome reputation, Hades was not evil —...
Hades (God)
godHades was the lord of the underworld who received the dead — feared but not evil, wealthy from...
Persephone
godDaughter of Demeter and queen of the underworld. Her annual return from Hades brings spring; her...
Zeus
godSupreme ruler of the Olympian gods and lord of the sky. Zeus overthrew his father Kronos and...
Zeus (King)
godZeus was the king of the Olympian gods, ruler of the sky, wielder of the thunderbolt — the supreme...
Persephone (Queen Below)
godThe daughter of Demeter who became queen of the dead — the goddess who bridges the living world and...
Cerberus
creatureThe three-headed dog that guarded the gates of the underworld, preventing the dead from leaving and...
Kronos
titanKing of the Titans who ruled during the mythological Golden Age. Kronos overthrew his father...