Every culture of the world has its own mythological stories. Greek mythology, on the other hand, is one of the most well-known with the influence of popular culture. Hades, whose name we hear most often in Greek mythology and always feared, is the god of the underworld and the dead, but he is not death itself. Although his name is always referred to as a very scary person, Hades is actually a Greek god who rules the underworld in his own right and does no harm to anyone.
Although we refer to it as mythology today, these stories once told the religious beliefs of the Greek people, and Hades was one of the gods most feared by the locals. Because Hades also owned the mines in the underworld, his name was associated with wealth. It was one of the other gods and it wasn’t bad at all, it was just a little dark in its place. Let’s take a closer look at Hades, one of the most well-known Greek gods, and see his role in mythology in all its details.
Who is Hades?
Hades is one of the 12 Greek gods, children of Cronus and Rhea. The name Hades means invisible in Greek. He is the god of the underworld and the dead, but not death itself. Hades is also known as Pluto, which means wealthy in Greek, because he has all the riches of the underworld. Persephone, daughter of Demeter and Zeus, is the wife of Hades.
It is the helmet that makes Hades invisible. With his helmet, he carries a double-edged spear, one end representing death and the other life. Hades is also the name of the land of the dead. Contrary to popular belief, Hades is not an evil god. He does not go out much from the underworld and does not attend meetings of the gods. Anyone who only wants to escape from the underworld or steal the souls of the underworld will get angry and their wrath will be great.
The appearance of Hades and other Greek gods:
All Greek gods are children of Cronus and Rhea. Cronus is a titan in the form of a serpent, and he devours all of his children, including Hades, for fear that his descendants will usurp the throne. When her last child, Zeus, was born, Rhea swaddled a rock instead, and Cronus thought it was a child and swallowed it. Thus, Zeus had a chance to grow.
When Zeus grew up, he confronted Cronus and asked him to remove his brothers. When Cronus refused to accept this, the war between the titans and the gods, called Titanomachy, began. After ten years of war, the gods won. Cronus had to pull out all the children he had swallowed. Although Hades was the firstborn, he was the last child to be hatched by Cronus.
With the retreat of the Titans, many areas to rule were left to the gods. Zeus, the hero of the war, was declared the king of the gods and settled on his throne on Mount Olympus. Zeus became the god of the sky, Poseidon became the god of the seas, Gaia became the god of the earth, and Hades became the god of the underworld. In other words, Hades is the god of the underworld and the dead, not because he is evil, but only because such a task is shared with his brothers.
What is Hades doing? When
dies in the underworld where Hades is the god, the good ones go to Elysium, neither good nor bad ones go to Asphodel, and those who are enemies of the gods and murderers go to Tartarus. Contrary to popular belief, Hades does not make this judgment because the underworld has its judges. Again, contrary to popular belief, Hades does not torture the wicked. Hades rules only the underworld.
Like Zeus, the king of the gods, Hades, the god of the underworld, can also send dreams to living people. Dreams coming out of the horn door of the underworld are beautiful, dreams coming out of the ivory door are bad, that is, nightmares. All living beings who enter the underworld die. Because of this, Hades would get angry and his wrath would be terrifying if anyone tried to escape from the underworld or try to steal the souls here.
A few heroes such as Odysseus, Orpheus, Theseus, Hercules and Evridiki entered the underworld and managed to come out alive. Hercules even fought the three-headed dog Cerberus, who guarded the underworld. Cerberus is one of the many names who worked with Hades in the underworld. Thanatos, the god of death itself, also works with Hades.
Hades is rarely seen outside of routine underworld affairs. He does not boast like other gods, does not roam the world, does not interfere with the living, does not speak much, and does not even go to the feasts held on Mount Olympus with the other gods. Hades loves the invisibility of the underworld. One day, his brother, the god of the sea, Poseidon, broke the ground and revealed the underworld to anger him. Hades was so angry that he destroyed Atlantis with his army of the dead.
The story of Hades’ abduction of his wife Persephone:
Demeter, the wife of Zeus, king of the gods, is the goddess of fertility and agriculture. Persephone, the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, is very beautiful and Hades falls in love with her. According to a rumor, the only reason for Hades to leave the underworld is to watch Persephone. In another rumor, he asks Zeus to sacrifice a daughter to be his bride. As a result in both stories, Hades somehow kidnaps Persephone and makes her the goddess of the underworld.
When Demeter, the goddess of fertility and agriculture, heard that her daughter was lost, she wandered all over the lands looking for Persephone. When she hears that he is with Hades, she quits her job and asks Zeus to talk to Hades to get her. But now Persephone is the goddess of the underworld and it is impossible to leave it completely.
Hades made a deal with Zeus and Demeter. According to this agreement, Persephone would spend certain times of the year with her family and other times in the underworld. It is said that when Demeter reunites with her daughter, the spring and summer seasons are experienced and the world becomes prosperous. When Persephone returns to the underworld, there are barren winter and autumn seasons, as Demeter becomes mourned.
Why is Hades notorious?
Other gods in Greek mythology were recognized for mingling with the common people, and were understood even if they were wrathed. However, Hades was feared because he rarely left the underworld. Considering that the underworld is a dark place and death is the greatest fear of the living, it is normal for Hades to be known as an evil and terrible person. However, as we see from the stories, he is only a humble god who is the ruler of an evil place.
We answered the question of who is Hades, the god of the underworld and the dead, and talked about his place in Greek mythology. Meaning both wealth, invisibility and death, Hades is undoubtedly one of the most interesting characters in Greek mythology. You can share your thoughts in the comments.
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