Deity Deep Dives: Hades – Lord of the Underworld, Wealth, and Shadows

Welcome to Deity Deep Dives! Today is going to be the Hades edition!

So, Hades is only really in two main myths as an active participant. He’s mentioned in a few more, but it’s more as a passing thought. He’s the first son, but fourth child, of the titans Cronus(Kronos) and Rhea. If you know the Greek story of the Titanomancy you know that Cronus had a vision or a dream of one of his children overthrowing him, so he swallowed each of his children as soon as they were born, only Zeus escaped. When Zeus came back to deal with his father and rescue his siblings Hades was the last to be regurgitated. 

Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades each drew a lot to see which realm they’d rule after they threw the Titans into Tartarus. Hades drew the lot for the underworld. It’s alleged that he was displeased with his lot, but there’s no true way to prove that one way or another.

The other big myth about him is his abduction of Persephone. Some sources say Hades asked Zeus for a wife and he was given Persephone, whether she wanted it or not, and they didn’t tell her mother Demeter. Others say that on one of the rare occasions Hades came up to the land of the living he saw Persephone in the fields of Nysa and became smitten, and he just took her. Either way, one day Persephone was out in the fields of Nysa and Hades came to get her in his chariot (most things I read said it was black, but one said it was gold. Doesn’t really matter, but I found it intriguing). 

Demeter is heartbroken to be separated from her daughter and let earth fall into famine. After a year all the other gods begged her to return her fertility to humanity so they didn’t all die, and she’d only comply if she could have her daughter back. So, Zeus went to Hades and asked that he let Persephone go back to her mother, but before letting her go he allegedly (I’ll get into this later on) made her eat a single pomegranate seed, which for whatever reason bound her to the underworld. Zeus’s compromise was to let Persephone live above with her mother two thirds of the year, and with her husband the last third.

It’s up for debate whether Hades has any biological children. Some people believe that he’s as infertile as the dead he presides over. Persephone had two children none the less, but people speculate Zeus impregnated her in disguise. The furies, beings that inflict torture to the “evil” souls, are sometimes called the daughters of Hades, and Macaria (Makaria) is also called a daughter of Hades, but she could be a euphemism for the blessed dead, as the name means blessed.

As for Hades personality he is seen as stern and pitiless, but anything more distinct isn’t mentioned. The Roman aspect, Pluto, is a softer view of the same god, but there still isn’t much difference in the portrayals. Hades is said to be “unmoved by prayers”, and invoking him was rarely done.

Now, in mythology there’s a thing called epithets. Epithets are like nicknames for the gods, or names to invoke a specific power. It is speculated that the name “Hades” is an epithet, meaning “unseen one” or “invisible one”(this is in reference to his helmet that allows him to turn invisible). Because he is lord of the underworld many Greeks were afraid to say his name for fear of getting his attention, so Hades has an obscene amount of epithets. Plouton (where I think the Roman Pluto comes from) means “wealth”, or “giver of wealth”. This was a popular title for the underworld god because many believed he provided them with the fertile soil, precious metals, and sparkly jewels that come out of the Earth. Many people would call him the infernal Zeus, or the Zeus of the dead, things like that. They saw him as the “Zeus of the underworld” more or less and gave him multiple epithets saying so. Apparently the Gauls called him Dis, there’s so much. 

Now, in regards to the abduction of Persephone. I haven’t worked extensively with Hades, but from the contact I have had I really don’t see him as one to kidnap(or rape, cuz that’s in some of the myths too) someone. Zeus did promise Persephone as a bride to him, just because he did it behind Demeter’s back doesn’t mean Hades did anything wrong. I don’t know Persephone’s feelings on any of it, but she later becomes a jealous wife and turns the nymph Minthe into the mint plant when she attracted Hades’ attention.

What are your thoughts? Do you work with him? I’d love to hear all your experiences!