Hades was the ruler of the underworld, which he ruled with his bride Persephone. Guarded by Cerberus, a three-headed dog, the underworld was either underground or in the far west and was separated from the land of the living by five rivers. One of these was the Styx, across which the dead were ferried. Three judges decided the fate of souls: heroes went to the Elysian Fields, evildoers to Tartarus. The Underworld itself was sometimes called Hades, and it still is today.

Hades was one of the children of Cronus and Rhea , and was swallowed by Cronus when he learned one of his children would usurp him. When Zeus tricked Cronus into expelling Hades from his body, Zeus and Hades joined with the other children to overthrow Cronus. Hades assisted in the wounding of Cronus by using his helmet of darkness given to him by the Cyclopes, that allowed him to be invisible. Hades was assigned the Underworld after the division of power among himself, Zeus, and Poseidon. Since Hades was always in the Underworld, he did not sit with the other gods in Olympus. He ruled the Underworld with Persephone and the goddess Hecate, the actual overseer of the dead. Hades represented the finality of death and, as a result, was little seen among mortals or other gods. In fact, Hades was not allowed to visit Olympus.

Hades was also called Pluto, the God of Wealth, because of the precious metals hidden in the earth. However, his name here was often translated into Dis, the Latin word for rich. He had a far-famed helmet that made whoever wore it invisible. He was only the King of the Dead, not Death itself (which the Greeks called Thanatos and the Romans, Orcus/Mors).

The best known legend concerning Hades is the story of his wife, Persephone. Hades greatly wanted Persephone as his wife, but her mother, Demeter, was extremely protective of her daughter and would not allow it. Hades kidnapped her when she was picking flowers in the fields accompanied by her maidens. She wandered aside noticing a new, glorious flower, the Narcissus. Hades took advantage of the separation and quickly came up from the Underworld, snatched her up into his chariot, and with his wild steeds quickly descended to his gloomy abode. There was only one tree in the Underworld that bore fruit sacred to Hades, the pomegranate. Persephone, sad and lonely, either picked the pomegranate or accepted the fruit offered by Hades, and ate either four or six seeds. Demeter, who is the goddess of the harvest, became so distraught that she ignored her duties, allowing the weather to turn cold and the crops and trees to die. When Demeter learned that Hades had kidnapped her daughter, she went to Zeus for justice. Zeus proclaimed that Persephone could stay with her mother for six/eight months, but the other four/six belonged to Hades. Winter came when Persephone was with Hades.

ACTIVITIES:
Hades activity

KEY TEST WORDS: (Know the material behind these items.)
Hades, Tartarus, Elysian Fields, Persephone, Styx, Cerberus, Dis, King of the Dead, pomegranate.

The Underworld

Creatures

FOOTNOTES:
The cypress tree, the narcissus flower, and the boxwood were sacred to him. In Rome a great festival was held in his honor in February at which sacrifices of black bulls and goats were offered. The Secular Games, which were held once in a century, were in his honor, and as a tribute to the dead.
Hades was similar in looks to his two brothers, Zeus and Poseidon. He had a grimness in expression, and his hair shaded his brows in heavy masses.
Hades carried a two pronged spear.
In German Mythology, Hades wore the cloud cap of Siegfried.
His attendent was the three-headed dog, Cerberus.

SOURCES:
Jane Smith
Edith Hamilton's Mythology
Bulfinch's Mythology
"Manual of Mythology" by Alexander S. Murray.