Hades

Hades, God of the Underworld According to Greek mythology, Hades was the King of the Underworld, the god of death and the dead. Hades was also the god of the hidden wealth of the earth, such as the fertile soil with nourished the seed-grain and even the mined wealth of gold, silver and other metals. He was one of the twelve great Olympians, which included: Zeus, Poseidon, Hestia, Hera, Ares, Athena, Apollo, Aphrodite, Hermes, Artemis, and Hephaestus. The twelve Olympians lived in Olympus, even Hades. Hades was the third of six children of Cronus and Rhea. Hades and two of his brothers, Zeus and Poseidon, defeated the Titans and claimed ruler ship over the universe ruling the underworld, air, and sea; Hades claimed ownership of the underworld. He lies beneath the secret places of the earth which is over the edge of the world across Ocean (lord of the river). Hades and his queen lived in a great palace made of black rock. Once anyone ascended in to the underworld Hades wouldn’t let them got back, he was fiercely possessive and demanded a head count from Charon at the close of each day, just to make sure that no one escaped. He was well cast to rule the dead; he was violent, unmoved by prayer or sacrifice, and loathed change. It has been said that he has only left his kingdom twice, and when he did he was not seen because he wore a magic helmet that made him invisible. There is a myth that says that he kidnapped his queen. Hades desired a bride and petitioned his brother Zeus to grant him one of his daughters. The god offered him Persephone, the daughter of Demeter. Persephone was the maiden of the spring, However, knowing that the goddess would resist the marriage, he then resented to the forceful kidnapping of the girl. When Demeter learned of this, she was furious and caused a great scarcity of agriculture to fall upon the earth until her daughter was returned. Zeus was forced to get the girl from the underworld to help out mankind. However, since she had tasted the pomegranate seed which Hades had given her, she was forced to return to him for a portion of each year. This myth explains why the agriculture at different times of the year is different. Hades was depicted as a dark-bearded, regal god. There have been pictures and statues in which he has been depicted as either Adonis, enthroned in the underworld, holding a bird-tipped scepter, or as Pluto, the giver of wealth, pouring fertility from a cornucopia. The Romans named him Dis, or Pluto, the Latin form of his Greek title Pluto, "the Lord of Riches." In the Disney movie, Hercules, he is the bad character is the movie, however there are some that say that he wasn’t really an evil god, he was just a terrible one. I believe that Hades isn’t the most important God but he has a fascinating story. Works Cited Hamilton, Edith. Mythology. New York: Grand Central Publishing, 1999. Print Stewart, Michael. "Hades", Greek Mythology: From the Iliad to the Fall of the Last Tyrant. http://messagenetcommresearch.com/myths/bios/hades.html (November 14, 2005)