| Hades was the king of the underworld. He was the | | | | drink the blood retrieve their memories and are able |
| brother of Zeus the king of the gods. Hades was | | | | to converse with Odysseus. Tartaros was the |
| the oldest son of the titan gods Kronos and Rhea. | | | | deepest section of the underworld and a place of |
| Kronos was the king of the gods and the god of | | | | punishment for impious mortals, titans and giants. |
| time. He heard a prophecy that foretold one of his | | | | The isles of the blessed (Elysium fields) is a later |
| children growing up to overthrow him as the king of | | | | optimistic view of the underworld where the sun |
| the gods. Kronos made sure this would not happen | | | | shone and the heroes lived in a sort of semi |
| and each time Rhea gave birth to one of his children | | | | immortality. The pool of memory is where the |
| he would eat the child. This was a metaphor for | | | | judges of the underworld resided. They were |
| time consuming everything. | | | | Rhadamanthos, Minos and Aeakos. |
| Hades along with his brothers and sisters were each | | | | The most famous story involving Hades was his |
| swallowed up by Kronos. Hades, Hera, Poseidon, | | | | theft of Persephone. Persephone was the daughter |
| Hestia and Demeter were all consumed by their | | | | of the goddess Demeter. She was out in a |
| father. Zeus was the youngest of the children and | | | | meadow with her friends when Hades appeared from |
| when he was born Rhea hid him from his father and | | | | the ground and snatched her away. Demeter |
| instead offered Kronos a stone wrapped up in | | | | searched for her daughter for many months and |
| swaddling. Kronos was deceived by this and ate the | | | | threatened to stop the spring months from coming |
| stone. Zeus grew up and finally challenged his | | | | to earth. Zeus intervened and told Hades to release |
| father. With the help of the goddess Metis | | | | Persephone. Hades knew that he could keep her if |
| (wisdom) he made Kronos disgorge all of the children | | | | he tricked her into eating something so he gave her |
| he had eaten. When Hades and his siblings were | | | | a pomegranate seed to eat. Finally a compromise |
| freed, they along with Zeus fought their father until | | | | was reached with Demeter and Hades. Persephone |
| finally they defeated Kronos and threw him out of | | | | would live with Demeter during the spring, summer |
| the heavens. At this point Hades was not the king | | | | and first months of autumn. She would then live |
| of the underworld. The poet Homer says that | | | | with Hades in the underworld during the latter |
| Zeus, Poseidon and Hades decided to draw lots to | | | | months of autumn and winter. This story was a |
| find out who should have authority over the sky, sea | | | | way of explaining why there were fruitful times of |
| and underworld. Hades drew the lot that gave him | | | | the year and times when little would grow. |
| kingship of the underworld. | | | | Another famous story involving Hades was when |
| The underworld was a place with different rivers and | | | | Pirithous and Theseus. Theseus decided to abduct |
| areas. There were five rivers, Kokyos | | | | Helen of Sparta and keep her until she was old |
| (lamentation), Phlegethon (fire), Acheron (woe), | | | | enough to marry. Pirithous decided to abduct |
| Lethe (oblivion) and Styx (hate). The main regions | | | | Persephone from the underworld. The two heroes |
| of the underworld were the fields of Asphodel, the | | | | descended in the kingdom of Hades and attempted |
| isles of the blessed, Tartaros and the pools of Lethe | | | | to take Persephone. Hades knew of their plan |
| and Mnemosyne (memory). In later Greek religion | | | | before they arrived and soon imprisoned the |
| the initiates of mystery cults such as the Elysium | | | | heroes. He tricked them by pretending to host a |
| mysteries and Orphic cults taught that they could | | | | great feast. The heroes were enjoying the |
| drink from the pool of memory in the underworld and | | | | entertainment when the food started to turn to |
| thus retain their sense of self in the afterlife. During | | | | snakes which coiled around them and acted like |
| the times of Homer (c.800-700BC) such beliefs were | | | | chains. Herakles would later rescue Theseus, |
| not prominent, with a pessimistic view of witless | | | | however Pirithous would remain a prisoner in the |
| shades the outcome for most mortals. Hermes | | | | underworld. |
| would usher the psyche of the dead person into the | | | | Hades is rarely depicted in art, however it is safe to |
| underworld where it would lose all memory of the | | | | assume that his appearance would be similar to |
| person it once was. Odysseus met the shades of | | | | Zeus. He did not have temples dedicated to him like |
| the dead in Homer’s Odyssey (book 11). He | | | | the other gods, however he was remembered in |
| visits the fields of Asphodel and performs a ritual | | | | prayer. Although Hades is a very important god he |
| sacrifice of a black goat. The blood from this | | | | has not ranked as one of the 12 Olympian gods. |
| sacrifice is mixed with barley and poured into a | | | | Special honours known as the secular games were |
| circular ditch. The shades approach and when they | | | | held every hundred years in honour of Hades. |