Hades

Hades (/ˈhdz/; Greek: ᾍδης, translit. Hā́idēs, Attic Greek: [háːi̯dεːs], later [háːdεːs]), in the ancient Greek religion and mythology, is the god of the dead and the king of the underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea, although this also made him the last son to be regurgitated by his father. He and his brothers, Zeus and Poseidon, defeated their father's generation of gods, the Titans, and claimed joint rulership over the cosmos. Hades received the underworld, Zeus the sky, and Poseidon the sea, with the solid earth (long the province of Gaia) available to all three concurrently. In artistic depictions, Hades is typically portrayed holding a bident and wearing his helm with Cerberus, the three-headed guard-dog of the underworld, standing at his side.

Hades
  • King of the underworld
  • God of the dead and riches
Hades/Serapis with Cerberus, mid-2nd century AD statute from the Sanctuary of the Egyptian Gods at Gortyna
AbodeGreek underworld
SymbolCornucopia, Cypress, Narcissus, keys, serpent, mint plant, white poplar, dog, pomegranate, sheep, cattle, screech owl, horse, chariot
Personal information
ParentsCronus and Rhea
SiblingsPoseidon, Demeter, Hestia, Hera, Zeus
ConsortPersephone
ChildrenMacaria, and in some cases Melinoë, Zagreus, and the Erinyes
Equivalents
Roman equivalentPluto, Dis Pater, Orcus

Roman-era mythographers eventually equated the Etruscan god Aita and the Roman gods Dis Pater and Orcus with Hades and merged all these figures into Pluto, a Latinisation of Plouton (Greek: Πλούτων, translit. Ploútōn), itself a euphemistic title (meaning "the rich one") often given to Hades.

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