1. Hades
By: Chris Williams

2. Who was Hades?
In Greek Mythology, Hades was the god of the underworld. The Romans called him Pluto. Hades was the son of Cronus and Rhea, who were both Titans. Hades’ brothers and sisters include Zeus, Poseidon, Demeter, Hera and Hestia. These gods and goddesses rebelled against the Titans and took power from them. Zeus got control of the sky, Poseidon took control of the sea and Hades took control of the underworld.

3. The Underworld
Sometimes the name, Hades, is used to refer to The Underworld itself but it is actually just the god. It is sometimes referred to as the house of Hades and the kingdom of the dead. The Underworld was divided into two sections; Tartarus, which was a place of eternal torment for the wicked, this is where the Titans were imprisoned and they were guarded by giants with 100 arms. The other section was Elysium where good souls went after death.

4. The Underworld
The dead had to cross the river Styx to reach Hades’ kingdom. There are four other rivers in the Underworld; Acheron (river of woe), Lethe (river of forgetfulness), Cocytus (river of wailing), Phlegethon (river of fire). There was a three headed dog named Cerberus who guarded the entrance of The Underworld so no one could leave.

5. Hades
Hades job was to supervise and judge whether or not the dead were good during their lifetime. If they were good they go to Elysian and if they were bad they would go to Tartarus. Hades did not torture the dead that went to Tartarus himself, he had the Furies torture them. The ancient Greeks never thought Hades was evil such as he is seen now. Yet they didn’t worship him or even speak his name because it was seen as unlucky.

6. Hades and Persephone
This was the myth the Hades was mostly known for. Hades was riding a chariot on earth and he saw Persephone and immediately fell in love with her. He went to Zeus to ask for permission to marry her, Zeus said that her mother, Demeter, would never allow it but he did agree to help him seize her. One day while Persephone was picking flowers, Hades emerged in a chariot and took her to the Underworld.

7. Hades and Persephone
Once Demeter found out that Persephone was missing, she searched everywhere for her, which caused drought and destruction wherever she went. Once she found out that Hades had taken Persephone with Zeus’s help, she threatened to starve the mortals as punishment to them. Zeus became scared for what Demeter would do in her anger, he told Hades to return Persephone to Demeter.

8. Hades and Persephone
Before Hades let her go, he gave her a piece of fruit to eat and if someone eats food in the Underworld they have to stay there. Even though Persephone was supposed to stay in the Underworld, Zeus arranged for Persephone to be with her mother during the growing season and then go back to the Underworld in the winter to reign as queen of the Underworld.