The god Hades, the first and oldest child of Rhea and Kronos, ruled the underworld and the kingdom of the dead in ancient Greek mythology. After the division of the world between the brothers Poseidon, Zeus and Hades, the latter received the kingdom of the shadows and began to rule in the underworld.
In the works of Homer, Hades is referred to as "a hospitable and generous god, guarding the gates of his own kingdom." The God of the underworld knew that death would befall everyone, so he behaved cheerfully and uninhibited. In the 5th century, when Hades absorbed the god of wealth Plutos, a new name, Pluto, was assigned to him. Since then, Hades began to be revered as giving crops from the bowels of the earth - this is also largely due to the fact that Hades's wife was the daughter of the goddess of fertility Persephone, which he had stolen.
Several photos and pictures of the god of the underworld, Hades.
In myths, Hades had a magic hat with him, thanks to which he could at any time become invisible to others, and a scepter with a tip in the form of three-headed dogs.
The most famous legend about Hades is associated with the abduction of Persephone's own niece, when she was serenely picking meadow flowers. The heartbroken mother of the girl, the goddess of fertility Demeter, forgot about her duties, as a result of which an unprecedented famine fell on Greece. Subsequently, Zeus himself, who was the father of the abducted, ordered to return Persephone back, but the cunning Hades gave her a few grains of pomegranate to swallow, which made it impossible to finally return to the surface. So, Hades agreed with Zeus that for a third of the year Persephone reigns under the earth, and in the rest of the time - rejoices in the sun on Olympus.
Pictured: Hades and Persephone.
Photo of Hades giving gifts from the bowels of the earth.
The Iliad says that Hades was wounded by Hercules and had to climb Olympus for treatment. The only one who escaped from the domain of the Underground God was Sisyphus, who cunningly deceived Hades. The god of the underworld is also mentioned in the story with the great physician Asclepius, who learned how to heal almost any disease and revive the dead. The offended Hades demanded that Zeus kill the healer with a lightning bolt.
The greatest and most powerful of the Greek gods, the thunderer, the son of Rhea (Earth) and Kronos (Time). Kronos mercilessly devoured all his children, fearing that they would rebel against him. Rhea saved Zeus, her sixth child, by letting Kronos swallow a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes instead of a baby. Matured Zeus forced his father to return the children he had swallowed and together with them entered into a struggle with Kronos and the titans for power over the world.
Apollo
The god of sunlight, the son of Zeus and Leto (Latona), was born on the island of Delos. The island was called luminous because of the golden flowers that covered it. According to legend, jealous Hera forbade her husband's beloved to step on solid ground. Leto, pursued by the dragon Python, who was sent by Hera, wandered around the world. At the request of Zeus, Poseidon raised Delos (then called Asteria) to the surface, stolen by Scylla and hidden in the waves. Leto took refuge on the floating island, here she was able to calmly give birth to twins - the golden-haired Apollo and his sister Artemis.
After that, huge pillars that rose from the depths of the sea stopped the island, and it firmly took its place in the Aegean Sea. The palm tree under which Leto gave birth to her divine children became sacred. Apollo's arrows always hit the target. Apollo travels a lot, but always returns to his home island of Delos (modern-day Delos). Near Delphi, he killed the dragon, the monster Python, who was pursuing his mother. In honor of this victory, the Delphic Temple was built, the main center for the worship of Apollo.
The Delphic oracles have had a tremendous influence on the course of Greek history. Apollo, who had the gift of foresight, endowed people with this property. He was also considered the god of harmony, spiritual activity and the arts, especially music and singing. He was often depicted with a lyre in his hands, received from Hermes. On Parnassus, he leads round dances with nine muses, the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne. Apollo was also revered as a deity guarding crops and herds, and was reputed to be a god - a repellent of troubles and a god of healing. The sacred tree of Apollo was laurel.
Artemis
The beautiful young virgin Artemis, daughter of Zeus and Leto (Latona), twin sister of Apollo, was born on the island of Delos. Artemis was born first and immediately began to help her mother, taking Apollo into her arms. With a bow and a quiver, with a spear in her hands, the hunter Artemis, accompanied by nymphs, spends time in the woods.
Artemis is the goddess of fertility, she takes care of everything that grows on earth. She patronizes pets and wild animals. She was believed to bless birth, wedding and marriage. However, this goddess had a decisive character, and grief was to the one who angered her. So, she sent a terrible boar to Calydon because King Oineus, having collected a rich harvest, sent gifts to all the gods except her. The goddess severely punished the hunter Actaeon, who accidentally spied on her ablution: she turned the young man into a deer, and he was torn apart by the dogs with which he and his friends hunted.
Hermes, the son of Zeus and the nymph of the Maya mountains, was born in a mountain cave. Just three hours old, he killed a turtle and made a lyre out of its shell. After that, he stole a herd of cows from Apollo. Zeus ordered them back, but when Apollo drove the hidden herd out of the cave, Hermes played his lyre. The wonderful sounds made by this musical instrument captivated Apollo, and he gave his cows to Hermes in exchange for the lyre. From infancy, Hermes was distinguished by extraordinary cunning and dexterity, so that he was even considered the patron saint of trickery. Hermes is the messenger of the gods, the patron saint of travelers. He is the mediator between gods and people. Hermes was revered by a traveler, an orator, a merchant, and even a thief. The messenger of the gods, Hermes, was depicted wearing golden winged sandals, with a staff in his hand.
Dionysus
God of vegetation, viticulture, winemaking and fun. Dionysus is the son of Zeus and Semele, daughter of the Theban king. On the advice of the jealous Hera, Semele asked Zeus to appear to her in all his greatness. Zeus did so, but the thunderbolt's lightning incinerated Semele, and he barely had time to snatch the premature Dionysus born from the flame. Zeus sewed the baby into his thigh, and at the right time, he loosened the stitches, and Dionysus was born. He went through many trials before he achieved fame. Dionysus gave people strength and joy. He walked all over the world, from country to country, and was constantly accompanied by a crowd of dancing and singing maenads and satyrs.
Pan is the son of Hermes and the nymph Dryopa. He was born with goat legs, horns and a long beard. Pan did not want to live on Olympus, but went to the mountains. There, among the forests, he grazes the flocks and plays the sonorous pipe. Pan is the god of the forest, fields, the god of shepherds, who protects the flocks. He is an indispensable companion of the god of wine Dionysus.
Prometheus
Because he taught people to build houses and make fire, Zeus ordered the titan Prometheus to be chained to the top of the Caucasus with strong chains. Every day a huge eagle flew to him and pecked out the liver of the unfortunate. At the place of his torment, Prometheus met with Io, the daughter of the river god Ipach. Jealous Hera turned her into a cow, guarded by the staunch Argus. Prometheus predicted Io that she would give birth to Epaph.
The curse of Zeus from Prometheus was removed by Hercules, who killed the eagle. And Prometheus received the release by revealing to Zeus a great secret: the thunderer should not marry the sea nymph Thetis, since fate is predetermined that, whoever Thetis's husband is, she will have a son from him who will be more powerful than his father. On the advice of Prometheus, Thetis was given to wife Peleus, and she gave birth to Achilles, one of the greatest heroes of Greece.
In Greek mythology, the god of the kingdom of the dead, as well as the kingdom itself. Son of Kronos and Rhea, brother of Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter and Hestia. When the world was divided after the overthrow of his father, Zeus took the sky for himself, Poseidon - the sea, and Hades - the underworld; the brothers agreed to rule the land together. The second name of Hades was Polydegmon ("recipient of many gifts"), which is associated with the countless shadows of the dead living in his domain. The messenger of the gods, Hermes, conveyed the souls of the dead to the ferryman Charon, who transported only those who could pay for the crossing through the underground river Styx. The entrance to the underworld of the dead was guarded by the three-headed dog Cerberus (Cerberus), who did not allow anyone to return to the world of the living.
Like the ancient Egyptians, the Greeks believed that the kingdom of the dead was located in the bowels of the earth, and the entrance to it was in the far west (west, sunset - symbols of dying), across the Ocean River, which washes the earth. The most popular myth about Hades is associated with his abduction of Persephone, the daughter of Zeus and the goddess of fertility, Demeter. Zeus promised him his beautiful daughter, without asking her mother's consent. When Hades took the bride away by force, Demeter almost lost her mind from grief, forgot about her duties, and hunger seized the earth. The dispute between Hades and Demeter about the fate of Persephone was resolved by Zeus. She is obliged to spend two thirds of the year with her mother and one third with her husband. This is how the alternation of the seasons arose. One day Hades fell in love with the nymph Mintu, who was associated with water in the kingdom of the dead. Upon learning of this, Persephone, in a fit of jealousy, turned the nymph into a fragrant plant.
In hell: Charon transports the souls of the dead across the Styx; Kerber, guarding the exit from the underworld; Hades and Persephone, seated on the throne; Minos and Radamanth. Engraving.
The Olympic gods (Olympians) in ancient Greek mythology are the gods of the third generation (after the original gods and titans - the gods of the first and second generations), the highest beings who lived on Mount Olympus. Traditionally, the Olympics included twelve gods, the children of Kronos and Rhea. Hades and Poseidon are exactly them!
Hades - in ancient Greek mythology, the god of the underworld of the dead and the name of the kingdom of the dead itself, the entrance to which, according to Homer and other sources, is located somewhere "in the far west, across the Ocean River, washing the earth." Eldest son of Kronos and Rhea, brother of Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Hestia and Demeter. Consort of Persephone, revered and invoked with him.
Poseidon - God of the sea and earthquakes, in ancient Greek mythology. The second son of Kronos and Rhea, brother of Zeus, Hera, Demeter, Hestia and Hades. When the world was divided, he got the sea. Gradually Poseidon pushed aside the ancient local gods of the sea: Nereus, Oceanus, Proteus and others. Poseidon with his wife Amphitrite and son Triton lived in a luxurious palace at the bottom of the sea, surrounded by nereids, hippocampus and other inhabitants of the sea, raced across the sea in a chariot drawn by long-maned horses, with a trident, which caused storms, broke rocks, knocked out springs. It can help with everything related to intuition, dreams, psychic powers, addictions, the entertainment industry and secrets. Its scents are camphor, elm and willow. His colors are aqua and his symbols are a white horse or a trident.
From the point of view of ancient philosophy and astrology, the quaternary of the dominant Olympic gods forms the four world elements. Zeus is the element of air, Poseidon is the element of water, Hades is the element of fire, Demeter is the element of earth, which is identical to the astrological elements that form the system of signs of the zodiac. Namely, the number 6 in numerology symbolizes the world, which is formed of four elements, and, accordingly, the four supreme gods symbolize and form a world in which four elements operate.
Ancient Greece is an amazing country. Its highly developed culture has played a tremendous role in the development of world civilization. The mythological way of thinking inherent in people of that time gave rise to a religion in which paganism, totem beliefs, ancestor cult and the influence of the worldviews of other peoples with which the ancient Greeks came into contact were intertwined in the most bizarre way. The Odyssey and Iliad, the creations of Hesiod, numerous temples, statues of gods, drawings - these are the sources thanks to which we can learn a lot about the great Hellas.
Picture of the world and consciousness
The mythological consciousness of the ancient Greeks and their culture is based on the idea of the Cosmos as a kind of living world. In science, this is called animate-intelligent cosmologism. The universe with the planets, stars, constellations and the Earth itself with all that exists, seemed to them alive, endowed with reason and spiritual content. The laws and forces of nature were personified by the Greeks in the images of the ancient gods - great and small, in their servants and helpers, heroes and titans. The Hellenes perceived the whole world and everything that happens in it as a grandiose mystery, as a play played out on the stage of a scene of life. The actors in it are both the people themselves and the deities who control them. The gods were not too distant from humans. They resembled their appearance, habits, character traits, habits. Therefore, the ancient Greeks could challenge them, disobey and win! We no longer find such freedom in other religions.
Divine pantheon
The earliest, in particular the god Hades, are associated with the common Indo-European religions that existed at that time. Researchers find many parallels between Indian, for example, and Hellenic celestials. When myths and religion began to intertwine in the minds of the people more and more closely, the Greek pantheon was replenished with new "residents". They are the heroes of myths and legends. Thus, the primitive pagan cosmogony was combined with the religiosity of the later times. And the very Olympus, about which we know from the works of artistic creation, with all its inhabitants did not develop immediately.
Generations of gods
In the ancient Pantheon, it is customary to distinguish between the gods of the older and younger generations. The first includes Chaos - darkness and disorder, from which all the rest were then born. From chaos, the Earth was formed - its divine incarnation was called Gaia by the Greeks. The goddess of the night - Nikta - with her appearance announced the change of the time of day. Gloomy Tartarus became the personification of the word "abyss". Later, from some mythical creature, he will turn into a space of endless darkness, which is ruled by the god Hades. Eros was born out of chaos - the embodiment of love. The Greeks considered the children of Gaia and the titan Chronos to be the second generation of higher powers. They were Uranus - the ruler of the sky, Pontus - the lord of all internal Hades - the owner of the underworld, as well as Zeus, Poseidon, Hypnos and many other Olympians. Each of them had their own "sphere of influence", their own special relationship with each other and with people.
Names of god
God Hades has several names of his own. The Greeks also called him Hades, and in Roman mythology he is known as Pluto - a huge, lame, dark-skinned, terrible, frightening look. And, finally, Polydegmon (from "poly" - a lot, "degmon" - to contain), that is, "containing a lot", "accepting a lot." What did the ancients mean? Only that the Greek god Hades ruled over the kingdom of the dead. All souls who left this world fell into his "diocese". Therefore, it accommodates "many", and there are isolated cases when someone could return back. And the definition of "receiving many, recipient of gifts" is associated with such a myth: each soul, before moving to its new abode, must pay tribute to the carrier Charon. He is also ruled by the Greek god Hades. This means that those coins that give souls when crossing the Styx go to the treasury of the ruler of the kingdom of the dead. Therefore, by the way, there was a custom in Ancient Greece: to bury the dead with "money".
Hades in Hades
Why is Hades the god of the dead? How did it happen that the celestial dweller chose such a gloomy abode for himself? Kronos, fearing competition, devoured his children. According to some sources, Aida suffered the same fate. According to other researchers of antiquity, the cruel parent threw his child into the abyss of Tartarus. When the younger gods rebelled against the older ones, a merciless struggle arose between them. For thousands of years, battles were fought, but Zeus, Poseidon and other children of Kronos won the long-awaited victory. Then they freed the prisoners, overthrew the father and put him, the Titans and the Cyclops in the place of the recent prisoners, and divided the whole world into "spheres of influence." as a result, Zeus is the ruler of the sky and all higher powers, Hades is the god of the underworld, which is also called. Poseidon took all the water elements into his hands. The brothers decided to rule amicably, without entering into conflicts and without harming one another.
The kingdom of the dead
What is the kingdom of the dead, which is ruled by the ancient Greek god Hades? When a person has to say goodbye to life, Hermes is sent to him - a messenger in winged sandals. He escorts souls to the shores of the border that separates the world of people from the world of shadows, and transfers them to Charon, a ferryman who delivers his victims to the underworld. Charon's assistant is Cerberus, a monster dog with three heads and snakes instead of a collar. He makes sure that no one leaves the land of souls and returns to earth. In the lowest, remote parts of Hades, Tartarus is hidden, the entrance to which is closed with iron doors. In general, a ray of the sun never penetrates into the "dark kingdom of Hades". It's sad, cold, lonely there. The souls of the dead roam it, filling the space with loud groans, crying, groans. Their suffering is intensified by the horror of encounters with ghosts and monsters that lie in wait in the dark. That is why people hate this place of sorrow!
Attributes of power
What are the identifying symbols of the god Hades? He sits in the middle of the main hall of his palace on a splendid throne of solid gold. Nearby is his wife - always sad, beautiful Persephone. According to legends, this throne was made by Hephaestus - the god of blacksmithing, the patron saint of crafts, a skilled craftsman. Aida is surrounded by viciously hissing Erinnias - the goddess of revenge, secret torment and suffering. No one can hide from them, they can easily torture any person to death! Since Hades is the god of the underworld (you see photos from ancient images in our article) of the dead, he was often depicted with his head backwards. With this detail, artists and sculptors emphasized that he does not look anyone in the eyes, they are empty, dead in the deity. Another must-have attribute of Hades is a magic helmet. It makes its owner invisible. The miraculous armor was presented to the Cyclops god when he rescued them from Tartarus. God never appears without his omnipotent weapon - the two-pronged pitchfork. His scepter is decorated with a figurine of a three-headed dog. God rides in a chariot, harnessed only by horses black as night. The element of the god of the dead is, naturally, the earth, dust, which takes human bodies into its bowels. And the flowers symbolizing Aida are wild tulips. The ancient Greeks sacrificed black bulls to him.
Entourage
But back to Hades's terrifying retinue. In addition to Erinnios, there are always tough, unforgiving judges next to him, whose names are Radamanth and Minos. Those dying tremble in advance, because they know that their every unrighteous step, every sin will be taken into account at the incorruptible court of Hades, and no prayers will save from retribution. Huge black wings, similar to those with which nature has endowed bats, a cloak and a sharp sword of the same color - this is what another inhabitant of Hades looks like - Thanatos.This weapon cuts off the thread of the life of a simple farmer, and a powerless slave, and a powerful king, owner countless treasures. Before death, all are equal - this is the philosophical meaning of this mythical image. Hypnos, the god of deep dreams, a pretty young man, is also nearby. He is the twin of Thanatos, therefore he sometimes sends heavy, deep dreams, about which “deaths like this” speak. And, of course, the very name of which makes people in awe.
Myths and legends
As with any celestial, many legends and myths are associated with the god Hades. The most famous is about Persephone, and the goddess of earth and fertility - Demeter. The story of Orpheus and Eurydice is unusually beautiful. A sad myth about a girl named Mint, who had the misfortune to like Hades, which caused a fit of anger and jealousy in Persephone. As a result, we can drink tea with fragrant herb, which, in fact, the goddess turned the girl into! Yes, that same garden mint. We also remember the catch phrase about which is directly related to Hades.
