The Greek God Hades is the King of the Underworld and the God of the dead. He is the brother of Zeus, Poseidon, Demeter, Hera, and Hestia.
His name is most commonly interpreted to mean 'the unseen one', and he is often depicted holding a bident (a two-pronged fork, kind of like a pitchfork), wearing a helm, and with the three-headed dog Cerberus.
The Greeks did not view death as something 'evil', and so Hades was actually seen as a quite a passive and fair God, who helped maintain balance. Unfortunately there is not much information we have on Hades, as despite this view the Greeks still did not want to draw the attention of death (although they did not view Hades as death himself). However, it has been written that he was 'cold and stern'.
One of his main roles was ensuring that nobody ever left the underworld, and there were few that managed to do so. If you have read the pages I have on Persephone or Demeter then you will already know one of the most famous tales regarding Hades. He fell in love with Persephone, daughter of Demeter, and stole her away to the underworld to be his wife. Demeter, unaware that it was Hades who was responsible for the disappearance of her daughter, searched high and low for Persephone. In doing so, she neglected her duties as the Goddess of crops, and a famine fell upon the world. Zeus intervened and demanded that Hades return Persephone to the world of the living, but unfortunately she had already eaten the food of the underworld, meaning she was tied to that place. The Gods reached a compromise which meant that Persephone would spend half of the year on earth with her mother, and the other half in the underworld with Hades.
His name is most commonly interpreted to mean 'the unseen one', and he is often depicted holding a bident (a two-pronged fork, kind of like a pitchfork), wearing a helm, and with the three-headed dog Cerberus.
The Greeks did not view death as something 'evil', and so Hades was actually seen as a quite a passive and fair God, who helped maintain balance. Unfortunately there is not much information we have on Hades, as despite this view the Greeks still did not want to draw the attention of death (although they did not view Hades as death himself). However, it has been written that he was 'cold and stern'.
One of his main roles was ensuring that nobody ever left the underworld, and there were few that managed to do so. If you have read the pages I have on Persephone or Demeter then you will already know one of the most famous tales regarding Hades. He fell in love with Persephone, daughter of Demeter, and stole her away to the underworld to be his wife. Demeter, unaware that it was Hades who was responsible for the disappearance of her daughter, searched high and low for Persephone. In doing so, she neglected her duties as the Goddess of crops, and a famine fell upon the world. Zeus intervened and demanded that Hades return Persephone to the world of the living, but unfortunately she had already eaten the food of the underworld, meaning she was tied to that place. The Gods reached a compromise which meant that Persephone would spend half of the year on earth with her mother, and the other half in the underworld with Hades.
In another myth, King Pirithous entered the underworld to try and take Persephone for himself. Hades discovered him and forced him to sit on 'the chair of forgetfulness' as punishment. Another involves the Greek God Asclepius, originally a demigod before he was made a 'full' God after his death; during his life, Asclepius became a great doctor who discovered a way to bring the dead back to life. Enraged at being cheated out of souls, Hades persuaded Zeus to kill Asclepius with one of his lightening bolts.
There is just one tale in which we hear of Hades leaving the underworld. He had barely passed through the gates of the Underworld to the land of the living to aid in the defence of the city of Pylos when Heracles shot him with an arrow. Hades then went to Olympus to heal his would before returning to the underworld.
As well as Persephone, Hades had several other lovers. One was Leuce, a beautiful nymph, who he abducted and bought to the underworld. She remained there until her death. Another nymph, Minthe, also became his lover, although this angered Persephone and she crushed the nymph under her foot, transforming her into the herb 'mint' as she did. In a different version of the tale, Minthe was Hades lover before Persephone, and bragged that she was more beautiful than Persephone and that Hades would soon return to her. It was then Demeter that trampled Minthe, angered at the nymph's behaviour towards her daughter.
He was also said to be a formidable warrior, fearsome in his chariot driven by four black horses. He was also said to own a cap of invisibility. There are many other symbols associated with Hades; these include, the cornucopia, the cypress tree, keys, snakes, pomegranate (for it was the seeds of a pomegranate Hades fed to Persephone to bind her to the underworld), the screech owl, sheep, and cattle.
There is just one tale in which we hear of Hades leaving the underworld. He had barely passed through the gates of the Underworld to the land of the living to aid in the defence of the city of Pylos when Heracles shot him with an arrow. Hades then went to Olympus to heal his would before returning to the underworld.
As well as Persephone, Hades had several other lovers. One was Leuce, a beautiful nymph, who he abducted and bought to the underworld. She remained there until her death. Another nymph, Minthe, also became his lover, although this angered Persephone and she crushed the nymph under her foot, transforming her into the herb 'mint' as she did. In a different version of the tale, Minthe was Hades lover before Persephone, and bragged that she was more beautiful than Persephone and that Hades would soon return to her. It was then Demeter that trampled Minthe, angered at the nymph's behaviour towards her daughter.
He was also said to be a formidable warrior, fearsome in his chariot driven by four black horses. He was also said to own a cap of invisibility. There are many other symbols associated with Hades; these include, the cornucopia, the cypress tree, keys, snakes, pomegranate (for it was the seeds of a pomegranate Hades fed to Persephone to bind her to the underworld), the screech owl, sheep, and cattle.
