![]() ![]() Interestingly enough, Hades was the first son of Cronus and Rhea. When he was of age, Zeus forced Cronus to disgorge his siblings. Cronus swallowed it instead, allowing Zeus to grow to maturity. Instead of giving Cronus the baby, Rhea swaddled a rock. This act of swallowing his children continued until Rhea gave birth to his brother Zeus. He ate them whole to prevent that prophecy from happening. The Titan god feared that one of his offspring would take his throne. But like his siblings before him, Hades was swallowed by Cronus upon birth. ![]() He was born after Hestia, Demeter, and Hera. Though he was born at the same time and shared the same lineage as the other Olympian guardians, his realm was far below Mount Olympus. The god was a brother to the Twelve Olympian gods. If they did, many were referring to his realm, which many called “Hades” as well. ![]() In ancient Greece, few dared to utter his name. Hades is the god of the Underworld and the dead. Either way, the realm was separate from the land of the living, and one god resided over it. In “The Iliad,” the Underworld dominion was between “Secret place on Earth.” However, the Homeric hymn, “The Odyssey,” described it as only accessible by crossing the ocean. Elysian Fields, also known as Elysium, was for heroes like Perseus and Achilles. Contrary to popular belief, humans didn’t go the Greek equivalent of heaven. The Underworld was a place where all human souls went after death. While they share similarities, most Greek portrayals of the afterlife involved a single place: The Underworld. He was a complex god, and one who plays in important role in many of the stories.Ancient Greek depictions of the afterlife are far different from modern ideologies. Hades is known as being the God of the Underworld in Greek mythology. The months spent with her mother became spring and summer, and the time spent with Hades, became autumn and winter. He ruled that Persephone would spend half the year with her mother and the other half with Hades. Once he kidnapped her to his realm, he tricked her into breaking one the rules of the underworld, eating something while she was there, which forced her to remain there.ĭemeter’s sorrow was so great that Zeus had to intervene as much as he could. He lured her away from her companions with the beauty of an unusual flower. He fell in love with his sister Demeter’s daughter, Persephone, who did not return his affections. One of the few times that Hades came above ground, he so disturbed the balance of nature that it still affects us to this day. Eventually, his name and his realm would become one and the same. He was also known as the grisly god, the Attractor of Man, the Host of Many, and the Other Zeus or the Infernal Zeus, since he reigned supreme below ground as Zeus did above it. Hades is usually portrayed as a sorrowful god with a beard and helmet and the three-headed guardian of the gate to the underworld, Cerebus. He traveled in a golden carriage drawn by four horses. His symbols changed over time and included a fork with two prongs, similar to Poseidon’s trident, a scepter that held the key to the underworld, and a cornucopia that represented his plentiful wealth. ![]() Because he rarely left his realm and he presided over the invisible, he was also called The Unseen One. He also became known as the wealth giver, Plouton, since precious gems, metals, and minerals were found underground where he lived. Hades acquired many nicknames as the god of the underworld, realm of the spirits of the dead. Zeus became ruler of the skies and the heavens, Poseidon ruled the seas and waterways, and Hades became ruler of the underworld. Hades and his two brothers, Zeus and Poseidon, drew lots to determine which realm they would rule. Zeus survived, released his brothers and sisters, and together they defeated their father and his minions, the other Titans. When the seventh child, Zeus, was born, Rhea wrapped a boulder in cloth and presented it to Cronus instead of the child, tricking him into eating the rock instead of his son. His mother Rhea and father Cronus had many children, but because of a prophecy that stated Cronus’ child would be the end of him, Cronus swallowed each of his children as soon as they were born. The dominion of Hades was a world all its own with its own set of rules. The other gods held dominion over everything above ground like love, war, water, and the sky. He was considered a god of Olympus, but was rarely ever there. Hades was known to the ancient Greeks as the God of the Underworld. ![]()
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