HADES: Who he is, history, characteristics, attributes and more

Hades is one of the important Gods in Greek Mythology, considered the master and lord of hell; In this article we will teach you everything related to him, do not stop reading it because we will teach you a series of relevant aspects of his life, which make him the most important representative within the underworld.

Introduction

Greek Mythology is full of fascinating stories of powerful gods who generally lived in their kingdom of Olympus, from where they used to manage the destiny and life of all other beings on earth, considered by them as mortal.

This mythology was full of legends and myths that developed primarily around the life of the gods; but where there were also beings considered demigods, titans and other creatures. All of them forming part of the creation of the world, man and nature, and to whom they were worshiped.

A mythology concentrated mainly on religious beliefs of Ancient Greece, which were initially told through poems by some literary artists, who existed at the time, and which were compiled and disseminated as part of all the literary knowledge that we have about the world today. Greek culture.

In these stories the gods are given life, as if they had really existed; An example of this is the famous works of Homer, such as the Iliad and the Odyssey; that today cannot be missing in any library, and that are also part of the educational preparation of many people, as symbols of general culture of universal literature.

On this occasion, our article is based on broadly knowing who the God Hades was, an important figure in Greek mythology, who stands out for being the guardian of the underworld and who generally controlled everything related to the dead.

For this reason, we invite you to continue reading, so that you can learn even the most minute details of this outstanding character, whose name means “The Invisible One”, but who did not like to be called that way, which is why he made them fall. all his fury upon them. (We recommend you read the article about the God Ares)

What God is Hades?

The god Hades, as initially indicated, is one of the gods that belong to Olympus; but in his case he lives in the underworld, where he guards all the dead, being therefore his highest authority. He ensures that all souls remain within his kingdom, without giving them the possibility of ever rising to the surface.

The bad thing about his world is that there he subjects these sad souls to torture and pain. He is also one of the gods who has at his disposal all the riches found on earth, especially all the precious stones.

It is considered that Hades was the male son of Cronus and Rhea, who were kings of the Titans; and where it is considered that he was swallowed by his own father as soon as he was born, as were his siblings Hestia, Demeter, Hera and Poseidon. This is a fact related through legends, where it is said that only Zeus was saved, thanks to a deception carried out by his mother Rhea, and he later demands that his father return all of his brothers.

Later, in the company of Zeus and Poseidon, Hades manages to defeat the titans and claims the government of the cosmos, where he dominated both the underworld, the sky and the sea. A territory that, when divided, gives Hades complete dominion of the Underworld, and leaves Zeus the sky and the earth, while Poseidon is responsible for the seas.

History in Greek mythology

As we have indicated, Hades was born to Cronus and Rhea, and was later devoured by his father along with his brothers, as he believed that he was going to be dethroned by them. Zeus is presented as the youngest son who is hidden by Rhea on some islands in Crete, where he grew up under the care of creatures who fed him and sang to him to prevent Cronus from hearing his cries.

As soon as Zeus grows up, they teach him the preparation of a poison that he will use on his father Cronus, in order to dominate him, so that he would bring all his brothers back to life. Which he did as soon as he saw Cronus and with that he began to return them, but they came out in the opposite way to how he had swallowed them.

It is said that in this process Zeus also frees the Hecantonchires, who were considered giants with many heads and arms, and also the cyclopes; beings created by the titans Uranus and Gaea, but that Cronus kept locked up out of fear.

Greek legends say that all these beings were also held captive in an abyss, used as a prison; but once they were freed, Zeus asks them to forge weapons so that he can identify each of these gods; for they will now reign over the earth, and will dominate the men present in it.

This is how they make a lightning bolt for Zeus, they create a helmet of invisibility for the god Hades and a wonderful trident that is destined for the god Poseidon. With all these elements, they manage to kill their father Cronus.

It is considered that this was not an easy battle, but on the contrary it took place for about ten long years, and this time was known as the Titanomachy, where all the deities that were considered titans, and that were led, faced each other. by Cronus, who faced the gods who reigned on Olympus, who in the end turned out to be the winners.

It is at this moment when these gods decide to divide the territories, and therefore Zeus becomes the lord of the heavens, Poseidon the lord of the seas and Hades is in charge of the Underworld, with the peculiarity that his kingdom is taken to all the defeated titans, there to subject them to all kinds of suffering. (You may be interested in knowing The Trojan War)

Know your attributes

The god Hades is usually recognized, as he uses a symbol represented by a Scepter that has two points or horns, which are also a representation of abundance and all the riches that he had within his reach on earth.

He is usually seen accompanied by a fierce giant dog, which is equipped with three heads, and whose name is Cerberus. He also likes to travel in a black cart, which is pulled by four horses, also black.

Many regarding his appearance indicate that he is quite similar to his brother Zeus physically, as he is shown with long, rough hair and a long beard.

As we have indicated, he has a helmet that allows him to become invisible, and that according to some myths, he lent to demigods or mortals, when he needed them to fulfill a special mission for him.

Hades is a god who sits on an ebony throne, among all the dead, and has a number of attributes related to bones, skulls, skeletons and the like. For it, plants are offered such as mint, poplar, narcissus or cypress and animals such as wolves, dogs and even snakes are associated with it, which can be quite lethal.

When he is seen in the company of other gods, they are generally those of a vengeful type, especially women, as is the case of the Erinyes, considered winged female figures, with a very unpleasant appearance, whose sole purpose is to fulfill all the wishes of Hades.

In this sense we also find Harpies and Charon, who is the ferryman of Hades, who, according to the legends, used to guide all the souls along the Acheron River, with the purpose of entering the underworld by this means, from where they would not. They would come out again. (You can also see article about the Goddess Aphrodite)

Worship

Within Greek Mythology, the gods used to be worshiped in order to have their help, especially on the battlefield, or simply to solve some romantic problems. But because Hades was the representative of death and a symbol of darkness, he was not very revered.

However, he could always count on a small group of devotees, who dedicated rituals to him in order to ask him for some special favor, in which they sacrificed special animals because they were selected with black fur, as in the case of some sheep and goats.

To carry out this type of rituals, they looked for places that were considered the border between the earth and the underworld. All this always in search of causing some kind of harm to another person.

When they made their invocations to the god Hades, they used instruments made of lead, with which they uttered curses and spells, considering that this metal was related to the god, since it was considered one of the precious minerals present in the abode of Hades. .

Many sacrifices were made in their name, although they feared even saying it, which is why they used alternatives to call them, such as “The Celebrated”, “The Rich” or simply “The Counselor”; but they did not stop invoking him, and hitting their hands against the floor when they wanted to appease him, thereby preventing him from going into fury against them.

Its outstanding characteristics

Hades is a god whose name has become synonymous with his reign over time, as he rules in the underworld, where human souls go after they die.

When we want to know this important Olympic god, we must consider his characteristics, which we summarize below.

A god who was sometimes considered fair and compassionate. He was the one who dedicated himself to giving advice to all those souls who were temporarily between life and death. He did not maintain any direct contact with the souls he was suffering, since other beings took care of this in his name. However, on some occasions he made exceptions, and also made trips to the surface. He was a determined, persistent and easily angered being. He used to sit on his ebony throne, with his faithful dog accompanying him and wielding his two-horned staff.

Their skin was considered white, but could boil with the flames of hell. Her eyes were always an intense black color, but her face was angelic in appearance. Her lips were red and her hair was long and black. She had a muscular body, with long legs and also her nails. His power was centered in the underworld, where he dominated all the dead, with the help of subordinates such as the boatman named Charon or his three-headed dog Cerberus. A god who had countless riches that were always present underground and who was provided with invisibility, which was provided by the magic of his helmet. A helmet so important that he used to lend it to demigods or mortals to carry out missions for him; An example of this is when he lends it to Perseus, so that with his help he can kill Medusa. Some consider that Hades is a dark and unsociable god, who subjects all those damned who come to his kingdom to eternal torture. It is considered that because Hades represented death, he was not capable of generating life, and for this reason…