Plutus
The god of agricultural wealth and abundance, son of Demeter and Iasion, made blind by Zeus.
The Myth of Plutus
Plutus was the personification of agricultural wealth — the abundance that flows from fertile fields — born to Demeter and the mortal Iasion, who lay with the goddess in a thrice-ploughed field in Crete. Zeus struck Iasion dead with a thunderbolt for presuming to sleep with a goddess. Plutus himself was originally able to distinguish the worthy from the unworthy, rewarding good farmers and honest men. Zeus blinded him so that he would distribute wealth without discrimination — an act that reflects the arbitrary nature of fortune. He is often depicted as an infant held by Eirene (Peace) or Tykhe (Fortune), symbolizing wealth as the natural product of peace and luck.
Parents
{Demeter,Iasion}
Children
{}
Symbols
Fun Fact
Zeus deliberately blinded Plutus so wealth would flow without moral judgment — an ancient acknowledgment that economic fortune has no reliable relationship with personal virtue.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Opis
🏔 titanHarvest, Abundance
A Titaness of plenty associated with the earth's bounty, later merged with the Roman goddess Ops who presided over agricultural wealth.
Priapus
🏔 titanfertility, gardens, livestock
A fertility god of gardens and livestock, associated with physical potency and the protection of crops.
Ops
⚡ godAbundance, harvest, earth
Roman goddess of abundance and the harvest, wife of Saturn, equivalent to the Greek Rhea
Rhea
🏔 titanTitaness of fertility, motherhood, the mountain wilds
Mother of the Olympian gods and wife of Kronos. Rhea saved the infant Zeus from being devoured by his father, enabling the rise of the Olympians.
Saturn
⚡ godTime, agriculture, abundance, dissolution
Ancient Roman god of agriculture and time, identified with the Greek Kronos, ruler of a lost golden age
Perses
🏔 titanTitan of destruction
Perses was the Titan of destruction and ravaging — father of Hecate, the great goddess of crossroads and magic.
Prometheus
🏔 titanTitan champion of humanity
The Titan who stole fire from the gods and gave it to humanity, suffering eternal punishment for the gift.
Poros
🏔 titanresource, expediency, means
The personification of resourcefulness and the means to achieve ends, father of Eros by Penia in Plato's Symposium.
Lampetia
🏔 titansunlight, cattle-herding
A daughter of Helios who guarded her father's sacred cattle on the island of Thrinacia and reported the slaughter by Odysseus's men.
Ceres
⚡ godAgriculture, grain, harvest, fertility
Roman goddess of agriculture and grain, identified with the Greek Demeter
Phaethusa
🏔 titansunlight, cattle-herding
Sister of Lampetia and co-guardian of Helios's sacred herds on Thrinacia, whose vigilance could not prevent the fatal slaughter.
Golden Age
🏔 titanParadise, Primordial Innocence
The mythical era of peace and plenty under Cronus's rule, before Zeus and the Olympians brought the current order of toil and mortality.