| “ | If there's one thing that almost all of the Olympian gods agree on...it's to not pick a fight with Hades. And knowing how this guy is like, I find myself agreeing with them too. | „ |
| ~ Loki |
| “ | I am not an Olympian. My family has made that quite clear. | „ |
| ~ Hades' bitterness against the Olympians. |
Hades, also known as Pluton or Pluto, is the king and god of the Underworld (which his name became synonymous with) originating from the myths of ancient Greece along with being the God of the Dead, Riches and Wealth.
Overview
Born from the union of the titans Cronus and Rhea, he later participated in the war against the Titans and successfully won along their siblings.
Following their victory, Hades and his two brothers, Poseidon and Zeus, drew lots for realms to rule. While Zeus and Poseidon ruled the sky and the sea territory respectively, he claimed the darkest place, located inside the earth, where the light of the sun is not allowed to shine, which is the realm of the dead; although he's not the god of death himself, as the role would be taken by Thanatos who serves him.
Some myths suggest that Hades was dissatisfied with his turnout, but had no choice and moved to his new realm. He is also called the Silent One, the Gloomy One, the Rich One and the Unseen One. Hades had a cap or helmet that made its wearer invisible. Hades took pride in collecting “subjects” for his kingdom and was disinclined to let anyone leave.
History
Origins
Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea, although the last son regurgitated by his father. He and his brothers, Zeus and Poseidon, defeated their father's generation of gods, the Titans, and claimed 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. Hades was often portrayed with his three-headed guard dog Cerberus.
His duty subsequently made him often unable to leave his own world and therefore, he is not considered to be one of the Twelve Olympians, but is still referred as one of the principal gods. He has many assistants and servants, among others are the judges who judge the human soul (Minos, Rhadamanthus, and Aiacos), Cerberus the guardian of the underworld, and the Moirai, who control over fate. The only day, Hades was invited to Mount Olympus was during the Winter Solstice, which is the darkest day of the year, and when ancient and dark magic is at its strongest. Hades employed the Furies, who were responsible for torturing the guilty. Hades is described by some sources as the god of the earth’s fertility. The narcissus and the cypress are sacred to him. In his kingdom, Hades sat on a throne made of ebony and carried a scepter.
Former Flame
Before Hades met Persephone, he was involved in a healthy relationship with Leuce. Leuce was the most beautiful of the nymphs and a daughter of Oceanus. Hades fell in love with her and took her to the underworld. She lived out the span of her life in his realm, and when she died, the god sought consolation by creating a suitable memorial of their love: in the Elysian Fields where the pious spend their afterlife, he brought a white tree into existence. It was this tree with which Heracles crowned himself to celebrate his return from the underworld. Leuce's death was said to have affected Hades greatly and could be the reason why he grew so bitter before Persephone arrived.
Marriage to Persephone
Hades's most famous tale was his encounter with Persephone, the Goddess of Spring. While sources vary, it is generally agreed that Hades fell in love with Persephone, daughter of Zeus and Demeter, either through the machinations of Aphrodite and Eros or when Persephone wandered off into the forests until she came upon the entrance that leads to the Underworld where she encountered Hades himself.
The King of the Underworld was known to have never abused Persephone and was always respectful and caring towards her. When she needed space he gave her such space for as long as she needed. While at first Persephone was wary of Hades, she slowly began to see through his cold and stoic demeanor and reveal a side of him that was never before seen even by his own family. The two began to converse with one another for extended periods of time and found themselves in comfort with each other's presence. At one point, Hades even made a whole garden for Persephone which won her over to him.
When Hermes discovered that it was Hades who 'abducted' Persephone, he demanded that the goddess be returned to Demeter, however, Hades informed the messenger god that if she had not eaten any food from the Underworld, she could return to the upper world. While it is believed that Hades tricked Persephone, it is revealed that Persephone willingly ate the pomegranate seeds since she genuinely fell in love with Hades. As a result of eating the pomegranate seed she could only return to the living for half of the year. This myth was symbolic perhaps of the cycle of life and death, planting and harvest. Their children are Zagreus, Macaria and Melinoë.
Theseus and Pirithous
Theseus and Pirithous pledged to kidnap and marry daughters of Zeus. Theseus chose Helen of Troy and together they kidnapped her and decided to hold onto her until she was old enough to marry. Pirithous chose Persephone. They left Helen with Theseus' mother, Aethra, and traveled to the Underworld. Hades knew of their plan to capture his wife, so he pretended to offer them hospitality and set a feast; as soon as the pair sat down, snakes coiled around their feet and held them there. Theseus was eventually rescued by Heracles but Pirithous remained trapped as punishment for daring to seek the wife of a god for his own.
Final Labour of Heracles
Heracles' final labour was to capture Cerberus. First, Heracles went to Eleusis to be initiated into the Eleusinian Mysteries. He did this to absolve himself of guilt for killing the centaurs and to learn how to enter and exit the underworld alive. He found the entrance to the underworld at Taenarum. Athena and Hermes helped him through and back from Hades. Heracles asked Hades for permission to take Cerberus. Hades agreed as long as Heracles didn't harm Cerberus. When Heracles dragged the dog out of the underworld, he passed through the cavern Acherusia.
Personality
Hades is stern, serious, and dedicated to his work. He was often portrayed as passive rather than evil; his role was often maintaining relative balance. That said, he was also depicted as cold and stern, and he held all of his subjects equally accountable to his laws. Hades ruled the dead, assisted by others over whom he had complete authority. The House of Hades was described as full of "guests," though he rarely left the Underworld. He cared little about what happened in the world above, as his primary attention was ensuring none of his subjects ever left.
He strictly forbade his subjects to leave his domain and would become quite enraged when anyone tried to leave, or if someone tried to steal the souls from his realm. His wrath was equally terrible for anyone who tried to cheat death or otherwise crossed him, as Sisyphus and Pirithous found out to their sorrow. While usually indifferent to his subjects, Hades was very focused on the punishment of these two people; particularly Pirithous, as he entered the underworld in an attempt to steal Persephone for himself, and consequently was forced onto the "Chair of Forgetfulness". The nymph Minthe, associated with the river Cocytus, loved by Hades, was turned into the mint plant, by a jealous Persephone.
Because of his status as the lord of the Underworld, Hades was greatly feared by the Greeks. So much so, that to merely utter his name would gain his attention, and even the Olympian gods would constantly be unnerved at the thought of Hades visiting their mountain when it came to matters concerning the balance. However, this means not that Hades is an evil deity, but in fact far from it. Hades was concerned with laws and order above almost all else and as such had a strong control over his temper with virtually no ego, especially compared to most of his siblings. Therefore, he is considered to be the most mature out of all his brothers and sisters. All Olympians were said to be unable to break a promises if sworn to it, but Hades was always honest, concerned mainly with remaining unbiased in light of the scope of his job.
Powers and Abilities
As the eldest brother of the Olympians and the god of the Underworld, Hades is an extremely powerful deity on par with his two younger brothers Poseidon and Zeus. It is safe to assume that he partook in the engagement against the Titans alongside his brethren, and given how powerful the Titans are and that Hades likely defeated some of them, he was also a powerful fighter evident in his quarrels with his son, Zagreus. According to Loki, the Olympians know better than to confront Hades with the trickster god himself in agreement with that statement. Beelzebub even stated that Hades would be capable of defeating Mundus himself when the Dark Emperor desired to expand his ruling over through Hades' domain.
Hades was called the god of wealth, and all of the gems and minerals of the underground were his. It is even said the very rocks obeyed his commands and the Underworld conformed to his will. Hades is noted mostly for the fear he inspired not only in mortals but in most other gods, the ancient Greeks so feared him they often used the term "Rich One" or "The Generous Host" to make reference to him for fear of inviting his attention upon them. After taking on the responsibilities of the Underworld, Hades does not display much power and simply assigns certain tasks to his subjects and other denizens of the Underworld. Despite this, none of his subjects or other chthonic gods that reside in his domain would dare challenge him.
As the god of the Underworld, Hades could summon any monster from his realm to do his bidding. His favorite was the three-headed hound, Cerberus, which he considered his pet. Hades also had absolute control over corpses, skeletons and spirits. Hades also demonstrated to have control over darkness, with the Helm of Invisibility only enhancing this ability to the point where it would fill any mortal or even a god with immense dread and fear. Hades mainly uses this Helm when traversing the mortal plane as the mere sight of him would drive a mortal to madness and death.