Hades

Ruler of the Underworld

Hades was a son of Cronus and Rhea and the brother of Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter and Hestia. Like most of his brothers and sisters, he was swallowed by Cronus as a baby and later released when Zeus challenged their father. After the Olympians defeated the Titans, Zeus, Poseidon and Hades divided the main parts of the universe. Zeus received the sky, Poseidon the sea and Hades the Underworld. Hades became ruler of the dead, but he was not actually the god who caused every death. His job was to rule the people who had already arrived in his kingdom.

The Underworld was a huge hidden realm with rivers, spirits and different areas for the dead. Cerberus, the terrifying many-headed guard dog, watched the entrance and made sure nobody escaped. Hades also owned a magical helmet or cap that made its wearer invisible. Other gods and heroes sometimes borrowed it, including Athena and Perseus. Hades was strict about the rules of his kingdom, but he could make agreements. When Heracles came to collect Cerberus for his final Labour, Hades allowed it as long as the hero could control the dog without ordinary weapons. When Orpheus came searching for his wife Eurydice, his music moved Hades and Persephone enough for them to offer him a chance to take her home.

Hades’s most famous story is his marriage to Persephone. He takes her into the Underworld, causing her mother Demeter to search desperately and stop crops growing. Eventually Persephone is allowed to spend part of the year above and part below as queen beside Hades. The beginning of the story is frightening and Persephone does not choose to be taken. Hades could also be called Plouton, meaning the wealthy one, because precious metals and fertile soil came from beneath the ground. The Romans called him Pluto. Modern stories often turn Hades into an evil villain, but that is not really how the Greeks imagined him. He was scary because death was scary, but he was a ruler with a job, not the Greek version of the Devil.

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