Greek Mythology 101: Who is Hades?

Greek mythology as a whole would be nothing without its pantheon of gods and goddesses. Here, we help you understand these important figures better. Welcome to Greek Mythology 101! Today’s topic: the master of wealth and lord of the dead, Hades.

General Info

Hades is one of the six original gods born to the Titans Rhea and Kronos. After the war with the Titans to establish the power of the gods on Olympus, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades divided up the world amongst themselves. Zeus got the skies, Poseidon the seas, and Hades became the lord of the Underworld. 

In ruling the Underworld, Hades passed judgement on the souls of the dead, deciding their punishments if they were villains or their rewards if they were heroes. Since the Underworld was underground, Hades was also given mastery over all riches that can be found through mining, including gold and diamonds.

Symbols & Sacred Animals

There are two main symbols of Hades: his helm and Cerberus. 

The Helm of Hades, also known as the Cap of Invisibility or the Helm of Darkness, grants whoever wears it, as you may have figured out based on its second name, the power of invisibility. It also has the ability to radiate fear out to those nearby. Hades’ helm is said to represent the unseen forces in the world and the terror of the unknown.

Cerberus is Hades’ three-headed dog. He guards the gates to the Underworld, preventing the dead from leaving and the living from entering. The best boy around, how can anyone not like this dog?

Relationships

Hades is married to Persephone, the daughter of Demeter and goddess of spring turned queen of the Underworld. Their relationship had a rocky start, to say the least, given the fact that Hades’ courting of Persephone was actually a kidnapping.

Hades and Persephone don’t have any children together and neither does Hades have children with anyone else. Due to his status as the ruler of the dead, he is believed to be infertile as conceiving children would go against his very nature.

Final Thoughts

In modern times, Hades is often viewed as an evil figure, akin to the devil. However, just because he ruled over the Underworld and passed judgement on the souls of the dead doesn’t mean that Hades was a bad guy. It’s only natural to fear death, but Hades made one’s passing easy as only a fair and just leader of the dead can.

If you love Hades and appreciate the role he played in Greek mythology, here at Mythic Tees, we have a wide variety of t-shirts and mugs available that honor this god. You can find our full Hades collection here!