![]() ![]() The abduction of PersephoneĪfter taking his place in the underworld, Hades had desired a bride and asked his brother Zeus to grant him one of his daughters. This was a place for the righteous and significant people and also those who were closely related to the gods, such as Cadmus and Achilles. ![]() Then there were Asphodel Meadows for souls of ordinary men who didn't commit any significant crime in their lives but also didn't achieve any greatness or recognition that would send them to a better place, also known as the Elysian fields. They were sentenced to eternal punishment which suited their crimes. Above Tartarus, at the lowest region of the underworld, there was a place called Fields of Punishment, for the souls of those who committed crimes against gods. It is also said that Sisyphus was imprisoned there for cheating death. It was a place far beneath the underworld, where the Titans were imprisoned. The Tartarus was the lowest region, also referred as never a part of Hades itself. ![]() Once reached the underworld, there were four main regions, where the souls could rest. The main five rivers, which led to the underworld, were Styx ( river of Hatred), Acheron (river of Pain), Lethe (river of Oblivion), Phlegethon (river of Fire) and Cocytus (river of Wailing). There were many entrances to Hades such as rivers, chasms and bottoms of the lakes. It was thought to be the subterranean region beneath the depths of the earth and waters. They took a shape of the former bodies and were transported to an entrance of the underworld. The underworld, also called just Hades, was a region where souls went after separating from their bodies. Hades, however, was not alone down there ruling the pits, he was accompanied by Cerberus, Fates and Furies (Erinyes) and it is said that they all served and answered to him. There is also an alternative story provided by Hyginus who claims that Hades was cast under the earth at birth by Cronus because he feared of being dethroned in the future so his faith was sealed from the start which would explain his anger, relentlessness and having no regard to any rules. He was considered stubborn, never kind and could not be persuaded by any means and, just to make things worse for the inhabitants of the underworld, their living conditions were just dreadful and even Hades himself feared of this chaos being exposed to other gods and mortals. Even so, Hades was rarely seen on earth because he had his hands full with the Underworld where he was dubbed as merciless ruler who would often go mad due to lack of moral discipline. The trio also agreed that they can intervene on earth at any time they want but on the condition that they would keep their true identity a secret because Zeus wanted for mankind to write their own destiny. From the world of the living he couldn't hear anything else but voices of those who called his name and the names of the dead. Zeus got the sky, Poseidon got the seas, and Hades received the unseen place of the underworld away from earth, seas and sky, where the souls of the dead went upon leaving the world. He was supposed to dwell on Mount Olympus with his brothers and sisters but, after the victory over titans, the trio of him, Zeus and Poseidon drew lots to divide the rulership of Cosmos. Hades was a son of titans Cronus and Rhea. Sometimes, he is depicted in company of his pet and sacred creature Cerberus, the three-headed dog. Later on, the Underworld itself became known as Hades.įiled under: Who's Who of the Greek Gods.Hades is often depicted as a grown man with longer curly hair and long beard. In the Odyssey we see that people worshiped Hades by sacrificing black sheep. His queen is Persephone, daughter of Demeter, whom he abducted in a story that explains the seasons. In the Odyssey, the shades of the underworld are shown to be insubstantial - so that Odysseus is unable to hug his mother. It is guarded by Cerberus the three-headed dog. The entrance to the Underworld is said to be along the River Styx in northern Greece. Afterwards Zeus became ruler of the skies, Poseidon took the sea, and Hades became ruler of the Underworld. Hades fought the Titans, together with his brothers, Zeus and Poseidon. He is also associated with wealth, hence the English word "plutocrat" meaning an extremely rich person. In later times, many people preferred to call him Pluto, as the name "Hades" was considered to bring bad luck. Hades is the Greek god of the Underworld where people go when they die (or so the ancient Greeks believed). ![]()
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