Like his other two brothers, Hades was a greedy god and took a keen interest in growing his kingdom. That was an honour that belongs to an entirely different god named Thanatos. Though he was traditionally depicted as one of the twelve Olympians, he only ever ventured to Mount Olympus to commune with the gods in matters of great concern.ĭespite the underworld being he’s territory, Hades was not considered to be the god of death. It was known that Hades preferred to spend his time in the underworld. The others were sentenced to be tormented for eternity. Those considered to have lived a good, honest life would be sent to the Elysium field. They would then appear before the three judges, Rhadamanthus, Minos, and Aeacus, who would decide their sentence’s severity based on their actions in their previous life. Once the ride had come to an end, the souls were allowed to pass through the gates by Cerberus, who would only ever enable souls to enter, never to leave. Those who could not afford the fare were trapped between the underworld and the realm of the living. In order to prepare for the payment, coins would be placed in the lips of the Dead when they were buried. He only took those across who could pay the fare. There was only one ferry run by the boatman known as Charon. Once there, there was a ferry that would carry them across the river Styx-in another variant of Greek mythology the river Acheron was said to be the passage for the ferry. Upon death, one soul would be led by Hermes to the entrance of the underworld. Those who are not welcome can walk an eternity without ever reaching it. One can only reach the palace if Hades wishes them to. Persephone described these chambers as a dazzling wealth of brilliance even to rival that of Mount Olympus. His palace was said to have rooms made entirely of silver and gold, decorated with all sorts of precious metals and jewels since Hades had access to all the riches under the earth. Deep within the underworld, there is a vast Palace that belongs to Hades. Past the five rivers is a diamond gate, guarded by the three-headed hound, Cerberus. The underworld is believed to be hidden deep beneath the earth and was considered to be surrounded by five rivers, Acheron, the river of woe Cocytus, the river of lamentation the Phlegethon, river of fire Styx, the river of unbreakable oath and Lethe, the river of forgetfulness. The domain that belongs to Hades is now what we’ve come to refer to as the underworld, but it was also commonly referred to as ‘Hades’ in the name of its ruler. Hades was the oldest of the three male Olympians, and he was the fourth born of the original six Olympians. We know that the Titan Cronus was Hades’ father, and his mother was a Titan Rhea. It is the ruler of the underworld, Hades, that we’ll be focusing on today. Hades and his brothers, Zeus and Poseidon, decided that they would divide their new kingdom’s control amongst each other, with Zeus ruling the sky, Poseidon the ocean, and Hades having the rule of the underworld. Shortly after the Olympians defeated their father, Cronus, the reign of the Titans came to an end ushering the new rule of the Olympians. Watch out for the king that lay underground.” “The collector of souls surrounded by screams, Cerberus, the three-headed dog, guarded the entrance to the underworld and prevented anyone from returning to the world of the living. The ghosts of the dead were escorted by HERMES, the messenger god, to the boatman Charon who ferried across the Styx, an underground river, on those ghosts who could pay the fare. Another name for Hades was Polydegmon (“receiver of many guests”) on account of the multitudes who had died and come to his kingdom. He forcibly married Persephone, Demeter’s daughter.Īt the division of the universe after the overthrow of their father, Zeus took the sky, Poseidon the sea, and Hades the underworld the earth was shared among them. He was the son of CRONUS and RHEA and the brother of Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter and Hestia. HADES (whose name means “the unseen”) was the Greek god of the underworld, the realm of the dead. Conclusion Who is Hades in Greek Mythology?.
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