Hades - The Greek God of The Underworld

Hades was the Greek god of the underworld, the ruler of the dead. Hades is known in the Greek world as “the god of the Underworld,” “the Invisible One,” “the god of wealth” or “god of Death,” and “the god of the Death Realm”. Greek also know hades as different names like Dis, Pluto, or Orcus. A god feared so deeply that often his name was not used in speech by the Greeks and Romans for fear of the dire consequences of attracting his attention. The Greeks would instead use the name Pluto which is where some believe the Romans got their use of this name. Hades names Pluto mean wealth.

The Underworld

The underworld, also called just Hades, was a region where souls went after separating from their bodies. They took a shape of the former bodies and were transported to an entrance of the underworld. The Underworld was made up of three parts: the Asphodel Fields, Tartarus and the Elysian Fields. The entrance to the Underworld is guarded by Cerberus, the three-headed dog.Hade Life He was the son of Cronus and Rhea, and brother of Zeus and Poseidon, and sister are demeter, Hestia and hera. Hades and his brothers Zeus and Poseidon defeated their father and the Titans to end their reign, claiming ruler ship over the cosmos. They agreed to split their rule with Zeus becoming god of the skies, Poseidon god of the sea and Hades god of the underworld.

He was from the first generation of Olympian gods. His brother Zeus ruled the skies and his other brother Poseidon ruled the sea, which left Hades with the underworld. Hades ruled the underworld alone until he fell in love with the goddess Persephone. Here he ruled with his wife Persephone over the other powers below and over the dead. His helmet, given to him by the Cyclops after their release from Tartarus, made him invisible. The helmet of darkness or the cap of invisibility was a magical piece of armor that the Cyclops had made specifically for Hades. Hades children are Macaria, Melinoe and Zagreus.

Conclusion

In conclusion Hades can be called the god of the afterlife or the underworld. Hades had two brothers named Poseidon and Zeus. Hades had a Helmet of Darkness which made him invisible. Hades looked old and burned with a three headed dog named Cerberus. Hades was very selfish and persuasive. Hades might be gloomy but have fun on his on term. Being one of the top three most powerful god to one of the most hated god. Hades is important in certain way. Just in case anyone get the wrong idea Hades is not the god of death that Thanatos.

Works Cited

1. Hamilton, E. (1942). Mythology. Little, Brown and Company.
2. Burkert, W. (1985). Greek Religion. Harvard University Press.
3. Dowden, K. (2000). Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Greece. Routledge.
4. Parker, R. (1996). Athenian Religion: A History. Oxford University Press.
5. Burkert, W. (2016). Greek Religion: Archaic and Classical. Wiley-Blackwell.
6. Rose, H. J. (2002). A Handbook of Greek Mythology. Routledge.
7. Larson, J. (2007). Greek Nymphs: Myth, Cult, Lore. Oxford University Press.
8. Fowler, R. L. (2013). Early Greek Mythography: Volume 1: Text and Introduction. Oxford University Press.
9. Scullion, S. (2014). Cerberus in Greek Mythology: The Three-Headed Guard Dog of the Underworld. Journal of Ancient Mythology, 2(1), 45-58.
10. Bulfinch, T. (2003). Bulfinch's Mythology: The Age of Fable, The Age of Chivalry, Legends of Charlemagne. Signet Classics.