HADES
God of the Underworld
Background Information on Hades
Hades (unseen, Sightless)
Provider of gifts to earth: fertility, life and cyclic order.
God of the Underworld and the place it's self
- Called “unmerciful and irreconcilable”
- Most hated of the gods
- No temples dedicated to him
- Cypress and Narcissus were sacred to him
- Had three- headed dog named, Cerberus
Son of Rhea and Cronos
Swallowed by father, Cronus
Brother of Zeus, Poseidon,Hera, and Demeter, and the lord of the dead
- Wife is Persephone (Kore), which he abducted
Love Life
Hades fell in Love with Persephone the moment he had seen her. He was so in love with her, that he wanted them to be together. The myth says that supposedly Hades rose from the underworld and kidnapped Persephone, while she was in the garden gathering flowers. Persephone's mother, Demeter, was furious. Demeter ,being the goddess of agriculture, made sure that whenever Persephone was with Hades in the underworld, life on Earth would be cold and crops wouldn't be able to grow and when Persephone returned to her mother life on earth would be pleasant and crops could then grow. This is what created the seasons.
Connection to The Odyssey
Hades in the odyssey is reached by ship at the western edge of the world beyond the ocean
The Underworld
"Geographically, the underworld is surrounded by a series of rivers: The Acheron (river of woe), The Cocytus (river of lamentation), The Phlegethon (river of fire), The Styx (river of unbreakable oath by which the gods swear), and The Lethe (river of forgetfulness). Once across the rivers an adamantine gate, guarded by Cerberus, forms the entrance to the kingdom. Deep within the kingdom is Hades vast palace, complete with many guests.
Upon death a soul is lead by Hermes to the entrance of the underworld and the ferry across the Acheron. There is a single ferry run by Charon to take the souls across the river. Only those who can pay the fare, with coins placed on their lips when buried, receive passage. The rest are trapped between two worlds. The souls then enter through the gates. Cerberus will allow all to enter but, none to leave. The souls then appear before a panel of three judges, Rhadamanthus, Minos, and Aeacus, who pass sentence. The very good go to the Elysian Fields. Others are singled out for special treatment. Sisyphus and Tantalus being prime examples of the later" (GreekMythologyUnderworld).
Citations
Astma, Aaron J., ed. "Haides." Theoi. Ed. Aaron J. Astma. Aaron J. Astma, 2000. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
Greek Mythology. Greek Mythology, 2010. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
"Hades." Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
"Hades Family Tree." All about Athena. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
Hercules-Gospel Truth II. Youtube. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
Mercatante, Anthony S. "Hades." The Facts on File Encyclopedia of World Greek Mythology and Legend. 1988 ed. N.p.: Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data, n.d. N. pag. Print.
"Persephone and Hades." greekmyths. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
Taylor, Richard P. "Hades." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.