HADES Eldest child of Kronos and Rhea During the war between the Olympians and the Titans, the Cyclops gave Hades the Helm of Darkness, which turned the wearer invisible Hades used the Helm of Darkness to sneak in and destroy the Titan’s weapons, which gave the Olympians a major upper hand After the war, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades drew for which dominion they would each rule (the female goddesses were left out) Hades ended up as ruler of the underworld, which suited him pretty well

THE UNDERWORLD Not necessarily “Hell” as we think of it today – it’s basically just a place people go when they die Cerberus – three-headed dog that guards the diamond gates of the underworld Several places made up the underworld: Tartarus (not everyone agreed that this was part of the underworld) – where the Titans were Elysian Fields – final resting place of the souls who were heroic and virtuous Fields of Punishment – where mortals were punished/tortured for horrible deeds Fields of Asphodel – where ordinary souls ended up; they weren’t good but they weren’t bad Vale of Mourning – souls of those consumed by unhappy love Isles of the Blessed – when a soul was sent to the Elysian Fields three times and was reborn three times, they were sent to the Isles of the Blessed, which was eternal paradise

THE RIVERS The underworld was surrounded by five rivers: The Acheron (the river of woe) The Cocytus (the river of lamentation) The Phlegethon (the river of fire) The Lethe (the river of forgetfulness) The Styx (the river of unbreakable oaths – the gods took vows by this river)

STYX Styx was the daughter of two Titans, but she fought on the side of the Olympians in the war Because of this, Zeus made her the goddess of the river in the underworld The gods and goddesses often swore oaths by the River Styx

PERSEPHONE Persephone was the daughter of Demeter and Zeus Hades fell in love with her and wanted to marry her Zeus consented, but warned Hades that Demeter would never agree to the arrangement Hades decided to kidnap Persephone while she was out picking flowers; he took her with him to the underworld Demeter looked everywhere for her daughter and couldn’t find her; finally, Helius, the god of the sun, told Demeter what happened Demeter sent Hermes to retrieve Persephone from the underworld; before he got there, Persephone ate six pomegranate seeds (all of the Greeks agreed that eating in the underworld trapped you there) It was agreed that Persephone would spend half of each year with Hades and half of each year with her mother, Demeter Demeter, the goddess of the harvest, mourned for her daughter during the months of the year that she was gone; this is how the Greeks explained the seasons