Hades
http://www.greekmythology.com/Olympians/Hades/hades.html
Hades is the brother of Zeus. After the overthow of their Father Cronus he drew lots with Zeus and Poseidon, another brother, for shares of the world. He had the worst draw and was made lord of the underworld, ruling over the dead. He is a greedy god who is greatly concerned with increasing his subjects. Those whose calling increase the number of dead are seen favorably. The Erinnyes are welcomed guests. He is exceedingly disinclined to allow any of his subjects leave.
He is also the god of wealth, due to the precious metals mined from the earth. He has a helmet that makes him invisable. He rarely leaves the underworld. He is unpitying and terrible, but not capricious. His wife is Persephone whom Hades abducted. He is the King of the dead but, death itself is another god, Thanatos.
http://messagenet.com/myths/bios/hades.html
Hades HAY deez
* Lord of the Underworld
* The Abduction of Persephone
* Hades in The Iliad (reference)
* Hades in The Odyssey (reference)
* How to Cite this Page
Lord of the Underworld
Hades is one of the six Olympians, i.e. one of the six children of Kronos (Cronos) and Rhea. He and his two brothers divided creation into thirds and each took a portion for their own. Hades chose, as his dominion, The Underworld.
When mortals kneel before the cold hearted Hades, he metes out somber justice and no one, once there, can ever leave his domain (except, of course, Herakles (Heracles), Odysseus, Orpheus and a few others).
The Abduction of Persephone
The story of the abduction of Persephone is a touching explanation for the harshness of Winter and the sweetness of Spring. Hades was so overwhelmed by Persephone’s sweet charms that, instead of wooing her, he abducted her against her will and dragged her to The Underworld.
Hades and Zeus had plotted to abduct the young girl away in secret but their plans were foiled when Helios (the Sun) saw the evil act and told Demeter the fate of her missing child. Persephone was helpless against the wiles of Zeus and remained the unwilling captive of Hades. After several years Demeter found a way to force Zeus’ hand and free her daughter.
Demeter sat in her new home at Eleusis and cursed the earth with famine. Seeds would not grow. Plowed fields remained empty. Zeus and the other immortals were worried that this would be the end of mortal life on earth and thus, their worshipers would die. One by one, the immortals begged her to forgive and forget but Demeter was unmoved.
Zeus sent Hermes to speak gentle words to Hades and persuade him to let Persephone return to her brooding mother. Hades was sympathetic but he was also intent on keeping his bride. He tricked Persephone into eating a pomegranate seed and by doing so she was forever bound to him. Persephone returned to the world of light to see her mother but her stay was only temporary.
Demeter was joyous when Persephone came to her and roused herslf from her destructive brooding. But her joy was tempered by the trickery of Hades and the honey-sweet pomegranate seed. The only one who could change Demeter’s heart was her mother. After pleas from Rhea, Demeter lifted her curse and allowed the earth to blossom and be fruitful again.
It was decreed by Zeus that Persephone would spend two thirds of the year with her mother and the remaining third with her husband, Hades. Each year when Persephone returns from the underworld, Demeter showers the earth with gentle rain and sweet breezes. Each time Persephone returns to Hades, Demeter hardens her heart and the earth is wracked with bitter cold and harsh winds.
Hades is often confused with the Roman god, Pluto.
Hades
(http://www.geocities.com/medea19777/hades.html)
Hades was one of the many children of Cronus and Rhea. Because an oracle once predicted to Cronus that one of his offspring would defeat him and steal his throne, the Titan decided to swallow all of his children alive the moment they came into the world. Rhea who yearned for a baby of her own, soon grew tired of this and decided to fool her husband. After giving birth to her youngest son Zeus she wrapped a stone in a baby's blanket and gave it to Cronus to devour. She then quickly hid the infant safely away on the isle of Crete. Just as the Priestess promised, Zeus grew to manhood and returned to overthrow his father but not before giving him a potion that caused him vomit up the other siblings.
Out popped Poseidon, Hades, Hestia, Demeter and Hera. The Universe was then divided among the three brothers; Zeus, Poseidon and Hades by the drawing of lots. Zeus was granted the sky, Poseidon the sea and Hades the Underworld.
Though Olympus and earth were considered neutral territory belonging to all, Hades preferred to spend most of his time residing in his own dark domain. He usually had no first hand knowledge of events happening in the world of the living. Hades would instead piece together bits of information provided by mortals who by striking the earth with their hands would take oaths and invoke curses in his name.
Hades & LeuceHowever there are a few instances when the beauty of a female caught the attention of the usually grim spirited god and caused him to venture into the light. One such woman was the nymph Minthe, whom he dazzled with the majestic appearance of his four black steeds combined with the beauty of his chariot of gold. Hades was having no problem attracting attention and would have succeeded in seducing the impressionable young girl had not Queen Persephone showed up to intervene. She immediately turned the unfortunate nymph into the fragrant plant that we know today as mint. On another lustful pursuit, Hades tried to take the nymph Leuce by force. When she resisted she was transformed into a white poplar and would forever be destined to stand beside the pool of memory.
http://www.timelessmyths.com/classical/hades.html
Hades (Pluto)
Lord of the Underworld. Hades was the son of the titans, Cronus and Rhea. Hades was the god of the dead, and ruled his world with more absolute power and authority than Zeus. Hades was a grim god, not an evil one.
His other name Aïdoneus (Aidoneus) means the "Unseen One". To the Romans, he was known as Pluto (wealth) and Dis Pater or Dis. Pluto is the name of the ninth planet in the solar system. Charon is Pluto's moon or satellite.
Hades was among the children of Cronus, to be swallowed by their father, and later disgorged. Hades was armed with the Cap of Darkness (invisibility), in which he used to aid Zeus in the war against the Titans.
After aiding brothers Zeus and Poseidon, in overthrowing Cronus and sending the other Titans to Tartarus, he received the world of the dead, known as Underworld, as his domain.
Hades rarely left the Underworld. He drove his chariot drawn by black horses, and abducted Persephone, daughter of Zeus and his sister, Demeter. He wanted Persephone as his wife and queen of the Underworld. He was forced to compromise with his sister, Demeter: he allowed Persephone to lived two-third of the year on earth with her mother and a third with him in the Underworld.
In the war between Heracles and the people of Pylus, for some reasons, Hades left his realm and took side of Neleus and the Pylians, so he received a wound from the hero.
The Underworld was a place where the souls of human find their resting places. In the deepest region called Tartarus, it was a place of punishment for mortal who committed the worse sins or crimes. Tartarus also served as a prison for the Titans and other gods. The Underworld was guarded by a three-headed hound, named Cerberus. Cerberus kept the living and the dead apart. Cerberus had only allowed few of the living to pass through the gate of Hades: Heracles, Theseus, Orpheus, Aeneas and Psyche.
In the last labour of Heracles, freed Theseus and dragged the Cerberus to the surface (see the Twelfth Labour of Heracles). Theseus was there because he was aiding his rash friend Peirithoüs, who wanted to abduct Hades' wife, Persephone, and marry her. Knowing of their plan, Hades trapped them in the Chairs of Forgetfulness. Heracles failed to free Peirithoüs. (See also Theseus.)
During the war between Heracles and Neleus, king of Pylos, Hades came to the surface, take the side of the Pylians, and Heracles wounded him with an arrow. Hades returned to his domain, suffering from his wound with the dead.
Hades and Persephone were charmed by the music and song of Orpheus, who had lost his wife Eurydice. Hades allowed Orpheus to bring his wife back to life, on the strict condition that Orpheus doesn't look at his wife until they reached the light on the surface. Orpheus looked back at his wife too soon, and her shade returned to the abode of the dead. Hades refused Orpheus entrance a second time. (See Orpheus and Eurydice.)
Psyche, wife of Cupid (Eros), was on an errand for her mother-in-law Venus (Aphrodite). She was told to fetch the make-up box from Persephone.
According to Ovid and the geographer Strabo, Hades took the nymph Menthe or Minthe as his mistress. Persephone jealously trampled the unfortunate girl, transforming her into a plant, known as mint.
Hades and Persephone weren't the only one to live in the Underworld. There were Thanatos (Death), the winged-brother Hypnos (Sleep), and Morpheus (Dream), who was the son of Hypnos. Styx was the river goddess of one of the Underworld rivers, and the goddess Hecate, had also dwelled in this domain.
Hades has cattle which he kept near the cattle of Geryon, near Erytheia. Hades' herdsman was named Menoetes. When Heracles (10th labour) arrived and stole Geryon's cattle, Menoetes went directly to the three-headed king with the news of cattle. Menoetes met Heracles again in the 12th labour, where he wrestled the hero.
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