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Older translations – such as the King James Bible – invariably translate it as “hell.” Hades Sources Hades in the BibleĪs the realm of the dead, Hades is mentioned ten times in the “New Testament” in its original Greek text. Macaria is also claimed to have been Hades’ daughter – but no mother is mentioned. However, some say that Zagreus may have been their son. It’s possible that Hades and Persephone didn’t have any children.

Every spring Persephone would be reunited with her mother Demeter marking the season of rebirth. And this is the part of the year which corresponds with the winter months: they say that Demeter retreats from Olympus to her temple at Eleusis to grieve the absence of Persephone. Now, both sides had no choice but to accept Zeus’ compromise: Persephone would spend two-thirds of the year with her mother, but one-third of it with Hades. This ensured that she would remain bound to his kingdom eternally. He complied, but only after making Persephone eat one pomegranate seed before leaving. So, Zeus had no choice but to send Hermes to Hades with the request that he return Persephone to Demeter. She wanted none the only thing she wanted was to see her daughter once again. So Zeus sent all the gods, one by one, to beg Demeter to come back, promising her all kinds of gifts and functions.

One year passed, and the gods started worrying that the famine would wipe out humanity. With her gone, the earth was as barren and infertile as a desert. After the All-Seeing Helios confirmed the event, Demeter left Olympus as an act of protest against the injustice done to her. Finally, after nine days, Hecate told her what happened. When Persephone reached out to pluck it, the ground under her opened and Hades appeared before her, all dreadful and majestic in his four-horse golden chariot and took her with him to the Underworld.ĭemeter, the goddess of fertility, was so distressed at the absence of her daughter, that she started fasting and wandering aimlessly. As Persephone was gathering flowers with her maidens at the Nysian plain, he caused an indescribably beautiful flower to suddenly bloom before her. However, Persephone didn’t want to give in easily, so Hades devised an ingenious ploy. The reason, naturally, was love: he fell for Persephone. That was one of the few times Hades traveled above ground. The Abduction of Persephoneīy far the most important myth is Hades’ abduction of Persephone, Demeter’s daughter. Since Hades was a fearsome deity who rarely left his kingdom, there are very few myths about him in Ancient Greek sources. Hades' EpithetsĪmong the Ancient Greeks, Hades was known as “the Other Zeus.” Homer even calls him “The Infernal Zeus,” in addition to “the grisly God.” He was also called “the host of many” or “the Attractor of Man” – since all men eventually went to serve him. As Plouton, he was sometimes shown with a cornucopia, the horn of plenty. At a later stage, he became associated with his weapon of choice, the bident, a two-pronged fork modeled after Poseidon’s trident. Every so often he carries a scepter or holds the key to his kingdom. Cerberus, the three-headed dog which guarded the entrance to the Underworld, is usually beside him. He frequently wears a helmet, named the Helm of Darkness or the Cap of Invisibility.

When he was, he was most commonly portrayed with a beard, and a solemn, mournful look. Consequently, he was rarely depicted in art. Hades' Portrayal and SymbolismĪs the ruler of the dead, Hades was a grim and ghastly figure, inspiring awe and terror in everybody. So, since minerals and precious metals are found underground, they often referred to Hades euphemistically as Plouton – namely, “The Wealth-Giver.” Unsurprisingly, Hades’ Roman equivalent is called Pluto as well. However, the Ancient Greeks rarely used this name – just like Christians rarely used the word “Hell” during the Middle Ages. Hades means “The Unseen One” – a suitable name since Hades is the ruler of the invisible world.