| Hades |  |
| Parents | Cronus and Rhea |
| Siblings | |
| Immortal children | |
| Mortal children | |
| Wife/husband | Persephone |
| Names | King of the Underworld |
| Titles | God of the dead and wealth |
| Weapons | Helmet of Darkness |
| Allies | Olympians |
| Enemies | Titans |
Hades was lord of the dead and the God of the Underworld. He was a son of the Titans Cronus and Rhea.
History[]
Birth and Imprisonment[]
Hades was the eldest son and fourth child of Kronos, King of the Titans and ruler of Mount Othrys, and his sister-wife Rhea. Before him, his three sisters Hestia, Demeter and Hera had been swallowed by their father Kronos, who feared one of his own children usurping him, as his own fathered had been to his own children. Rhea had held out hope that Kronos would spare Hades, his first son and heir.
However, this did nothing to calm Kronos' paranoia, and he proceeded to swallow him whole as well. Hades, thus, spent his childhood undigested in his father's stomach along with his sisters, and later, his younger brother Poseidon would join them after his own birth. Rhea would soon become pregnant with her and Kronos' sixth child and third son Zeus. Wishing to spare him from the same fate as his siblings, she secretly gave birth on Crete, raising Zeus on the island, far away from Kronos.
Saved by Zeus[]
After growing into adulthood himself, Zeus successfully infiltrated Mount Othrys, making his way into Kronos' Palace. Zeus convinced the Titans to join his great drinking competitions, where he poured powerful knockout potions for the other titans and an extremely powerful emetic (made from nectar mixed with mustard) into Kronos' own cup, which caused the Titan King to disgorge all of the contents inside his stomach, in reverse order of swallowing: first the boulder that Kronos had swallowed instead of Zeus, then Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Demeter and Hestia.
Zeus quickly introduced himself to his elder siblings, and all of them promptly escaped Mount Othrys before their Titan uncles and cousins came to their senses.
In Zeus' Cave, at the base of Mount Ida, Hades happily reunited with his beloved mother Rhea, who tearfully embraced him. Shortly thereafter, Hades and the other gods accepted Zeus as their leader, and reached a unanimous consensus on declaring war against their tyrannical father. However, with the Titans being armed with powers far beyond their own, the Gods decided to release the Elder Cyclopes and Hekatonkheire, the brothers of Kronos from Tartarus, knowing they would be able to craft weapons that would give them a winning chance.
Recruiting their allies []
Hades' and his siblings made their way under the Earth, to the Underworld where they sought the aid of the goddess Styx. Styx and her siblings, Lethe, Acheron, Phlegethon and Cocytus helped the gods make their way into Tartarus, through its collection of tunnels. There, guarded by the ferocious monster Kampe, they found the imprisoned Elder Cyclopes and the hundred-handed giants the Hekatonkheires. Zeus told Hera, Demeter and Hestia to distract Kampe, while he, Poseidon and Hades talked their imprisoned uncles. The makeshift weapons that that Cyclopes had created during their imprisonment were quickly given to three brothers. Who harnessed their power around them. Zeus and his brothers battled Kampe while their sisters aided the prisoners in their escape. Kampe held out against the brothers, however Zeus would strike the final blow, destroying Kampe. With his exhausted weapon, Poseidon shattered the chains of the Cyclopes and Hekatonkheires, releasing them fully. In return for their release, all six of their uncles agreed to fight on their side in the upcoming war with the Titans.
The Titanomachy[]
After escaping Tartarus and returning to the upper world, the gods took refuge on Mount Olympus, the mountain which rivalled that of Mount Othrys, taking it as their official base of operations. The Cyclopes forged three mighty weapons for the three brothers; the Lightning Bolt for Zeus, the Trident for Poseidon, and the Helm of Darkness for Hades. With these weapons and a fighting chance, Zeus and his siblings officially declared war on Kronos and the other Titans.
The Titans initially had the upper hand in the war, having been more experienced warriors and possessing absolutely raw strength. However, as their 10-year long war war continued on, the gods quickly became great warriors as well, and with the help of the Lightning Bolt, the Trident and Helm of Darkness, as well as the mighty crafting skill of the Cyclopes and the immense strength the Hekatonkheires possessed, the gods finally prevailed. Hades himself proved to be a formidable warrior in the war. The Titans Atlas, Hyperion, Iapetus, Krios, and Koios had held out the longest, and were the last to be overwhelmed, and were chained atop Mount Olympus, where they were forced to kneel before the gods and watch as Zeus defeated Kronos.
Kronos, knowing his defeat was imminent, called upon his mother Gaea to help him. In response, Gaea and Tartarus birthed a great and monstrous being, Typhon. The great beast arose from Mount Etna, and at first overwhelmed the gods and their allies, causing many to flee from battle and the Greek lands. Tartarus, along with Echidna, birthed untold numbers of monsters and giants across the lands; many who could aid the Titans and continue the war. Zeus refused to surrender however, telling his siblings that together, they could defeat Typhon. Together, with their weapons joined as one, they defeated Typhon and imprisoned him inside Mount Etna. Kronos, still consumed with pride, refused to flee, and even though he put up a worthy fight against his son Zeus, the latter defeated him. Knowing he could not imprison Kronos alongside his kin, Zeus took his father's scythe and sliced Kronos into a thousand pieces, casting him down into Tartarus, as Kronos had done to his own father Ouranos. Zeus enacted the final blow, hurling lightning as Mount Othrys, destroying Kronos' temple, along with Kronos' throne, reducing them to rubble
Back on Mount Olympus, Zeus declared their victory before the other Titans, and carried out his punishments for all of them; Atlas was banished to the northwest of the African continent, and was punished to hold up the weight of the sky for all eternity. The other Titans were casted down in Tartarus, where they would be imprisoned where the Cyclopes and Hekatonkheires had been. The Hekatonkheires agreed to return to Tartarus, this time to became the jailers of the Titans.
Becoming King[]
With the Palace on Mount Othrys in ruins, the gods chose Mount Olympus as their official residence and place of power. The Elder Cyclopes built a magnificent new palace on top of it. As a result, the gods started to call themselves the Olympians, and began the official council of the gods. Shortly thereafter, Zeus spoke with Poseidon and Hades, telling them that they should divide the three earthly domains, the Sky, the Sea, and the Underworld between themselves. At first, Hades told his brothers that as Kronos' eldest son, it was in fact his birthright to succeed their father, but nonetheless agreed to divide power between themselves.
On the ruins of Mount Othrys, the brothers drew from lots. Poseidon drew first, drawing the middle sized lot, and therefore gaining the Seas, Oceans and authority over all sea gods, spirits and animals. Zeus drew next, and to Hades' disbelief, Zeus drew the longest lot, gaining the Sky and Heavens, and authority over all gods, spirits and animals of his new domain. Hades, left with the shortest lot, gaining dominion of the Underworld, the realm of the dead and authority over all gods, spirits and creatures of his new domain. Shortly after this division, the three sons of Kronos came to be known as the "Big Three." However, Zeus' authority was recognised as superior to that of his brothers, with his realm encircling the entire world, and so he became King, not only of Olympus itself but of all Gods.
Days later, the goddess of love herself, Aphrodite, made her way to Mount Olympus, escorted by the Horae, the goddesses of the seasons. Struck by Aphrodite's beauty, offered her Hades' throne on Olympus.
The Bronze Age[]
Unfortunately for Hades, he was greatly feared by all of his siblings, nephews, and nieces, and hence, he was hardly ever invited to Olympus. Hades would become so feared by mortals and demigods, that they rarely even used his name, and instead referred to Hades as either "The Rich One" and "The Notorious One". By claiming the Underworld, not only had Hades gained dominion of the realm of the dead, but had also claimed control of all of the precious metals, minerals and riches the Earth contained. This way, Hades had become the wealthiest God of all. Mortals who knew this would sacrifice Black animals, such as sheep to gain his favour.
Kidnap and Marriage to Persephone[]
For centuries, Hades remained in the Underworld, distanced from his own family. After hearing of both Zeus' marriage to Hera, and Poseidon's marriage to Amphitrite, Hades decided to fill the void of loneliness he had by also taking a wife. One day, while journeying through the upper world, he spotted a young goddess named Persephone, the daughter of Demeter and Zeus. Her incredible beauty and tender countenance won his admiration. Hades began to fall madly in love with the young goddess, following her while wearing his Helm of Darkness. His infatuation with her however caused him to neglect his own duties as Lord of the Dead. Hades wished to make Persephone his wife, however, knowing Demeter was overprotective of her and would refuse to consider the marriage, Hades decided to speak with Zeus instead. Hades visited Olympus once again, to the surprise of all the gods, and there he asked his brother to consider and allow a marriage between him and Persephone. Zeus, having been in a joyous mood, advised his lovesick brother to kidnap Persephone, even going so far as to help him by growing several meadows of magnificent flowers. Hence, while Persephone was plucking flowers from these meadows, the Earth below her opened up, and Hades succeeded in kidnapping her, taking her to his palace in the Underworld.
Persephone begged to be let go, unappeased by the magnificent gifts that Hades presented to her. Demeter instantly discovered her daughter was gone. Distraught and grief-stricken by Persephone's disappearance, she wandered the world, neglecting her own duties, causing the Earth to become barren and infertile, and creating the first Winter. Humans began to fight over resourcing, causing wars across the lands. Thousands died because of Demeter's actions, while others were unable to give sacrifices to the gods. Pressured by mortal prayers and the other Olympians, Zeus admitted to Demeter that he had allowed Hades to court their daughter behind her back. Demeter, now furious, threatened to fully neglect her duties and leave the world in ruin if Persephone was not returned to her. Zeus finally demanded that the Lord of the Dead return his daughter, and sent Hermes to deliver the message.
Hades, though devastated at the prospect of losing Persephone, was forced to submit to the will of Zeus. However, while Hermes delivered the message, Hades had ordered his gardener Askalaphos to trick Persephone into eating three pomegranate seeds, so she had to stay with Hades for three months every year. When Persephone finally returned to the upper world, Demeter discovered Askalaphos' deed, noticing a ruby stain on her daughters lips, knowing that now by eating food belonging to the Underworld, she was now a part of the Underworld. Demeter, to punish the gods for their deception, swore upon the River Styx that every year, for those three months that Persephone lived in the Underworld, she would refuse her duties, and leave the world infertile and barren once again.
Persephone, while she loved her mother, began to enjoy the three months she stayed in the Underworld, free from the constant smothering and overprotectiveness her mother felt towards her. Over time though, she came to admire Hades' power and wealth, and gradually fell in love with him, and finally accepted his proposal of marriage. Hades ordered Askalaphos to grow a magnificent garden for Persephone, full of her favourite trees and flowers. Hence, it was Hades' empathy and kindness which eventually won Persephone's heart. Hades employed several Underworld nymphs, Lampades, to become Persephone's personal attendants.
Asclepius[]
Asclepius was a demigod son of Apollo, who eventually became the greatest healer in the world. In fact, Asclepius became as skilled in medicine as his father Apollo, devoting all of his time to the art. With the help of Gorgon Blood given to him by Athena, Asclepius could soon cure any illness, heal any injury, and even made an ultimate cure that could resurrect the dead themselves. Upon the death of her follower Hippolytus, the goddess Artemis sought out Asclepius, offering the demigod gold from Olympus in exchange for bringing Hippolytus back from the dead. Asclepius accomplished this task, which infuriated Hades. Hades stormed into Olympus, demanding that Asclepius pay the price for openly threatening the natural laws of life and death. Zeus chose to appease his brother, striking Asclepius down with a thunderbolt.
Angered and devastated by his son's death, Apollo retaliated, and destroyed the Elder Cyclopes, the giants who forged the weapons of the Big Three. Zeus punished Apollo by making him mortal and forcing him to serve King Admetus of Thessaly for a whole year. To prevent more feuds, Zeus placed Asclepius among the stars, creating the constellation of Ophiuchus. Later, on Apollo's request, Zeus brought Asclepius back from the stars, resurrecting him as a God. Asclepius promised the Lord of the Dead, on the River Styx that from that day on, he would never resurrect the dead again.
Sisyphus[]
King Sisyphus of Corinth had betrayed Zeus' trust, and so the latter ordered Sisyphus' death, and ordered Thanatos (Death itself) to chain King Sisyphus down below in Tartarus. Sisyphus was curious as to why Charon, whose job it was to guide souls to the Underworld, had not appeared on this occasion. King Sisyphus slyly asked Thanatos to demonstrate how the chains worked. As Thanatos was granting him his wish, Sisyphus seized the opportunity and trapped Thanatos in the chains instead, leaving him immobile. Once Thanatos was bound by the strong chains, no one died on Earth. This caused an uproar among the Gods, especially Ares (who was annoyed that his battles had lost their fun because his opponents would not die), and so he intervened. The exasperated Ares freed Thanatos and turned King Sisyphus over to him.
Sisyphus had no intention of dying a premature death. Before King Sisyphus died, he had told his wife to throw his naked body into the middle of the public square (purportedly as a test of his wife's love for him). This caused King Sisyphus to end up on the shores of the river Styx. Then, complaining to Persephone, goddess of the Underworld, that this was a sign of his wife's disrespect for him, King Sisyphus persuaded her to allow him to return to the upper world. Once back in Ephyra, the spirit of King Sisyphus scolded his wife for not burying his body and giving it a proper funeral (as a loving wife should). Sisyphus, now back in his own body and alive again, lived quietly for several years in his kingdom.
Eventually, however, Sisyphus would die from his old age, and Hades would be reminded of the treacherous king. Hence, in order to keep Sisyphus too occupied to scheme again against him, Hades took Sisyphus to Tartarus, where was ordered to roll a huge boulder up a hill for all eternity as his punishment, letting Sisyphus know that he would be set free as soon as the boulder reached the summit. Sisyphus tried, but it would imminently fall back when he got close to the top of the hill. He would try again, and again, and again forever, always in vain.
Orpheus and Eurydice[]
The famous demigod musician Orpheus, devastated by the untimely death of his wife Eurydice, creates a new entrance to the Underworld with his beautiful music and singing. He made his way all the way to Hades' palace, with ghosts, Charon, Cerberus, and even the Furies themselves being brought to tears by his ineffably lachrymose and beautiful music. Even Hades himself shed a few tears, feeling as though Orpheus had distilled Hades' life, with all its grief and disappointment, all its darkness and solitude, and turned it into music.
Impressed by the man's love, bravery and skill, Hades and Persephone allowed him to take Eurydice back, on the condition that he would walk in front and not look behind him as he led her back to the upper world along the borderland between the living and the dead. However, Orpheus could not resist the temptation the moment he crossed the border, and looked back just before his wife left the Underworld, losing her forever forever.
Twelfth Labor of Heracles[]
For Heracles' last labour, he was ordered by King Eurystheus to bring back Hades' mighty and ferocious guard dog Cerberus as proof of his strength and fearlessness. Hercules eventually found the entrance to the Underworld and entered, but rather than attack Cerberus on sight, Hercules, who had heard many stories of Hades and how the Lord of the Dead treated intruders, ignored the infernal monster (who let him pass) and continued straight onward to the Palace of Hades.
- [[1]]'s plan to pit Hercules against a furious Hades backfired, when the hero humbly knelt before the terrifying Lord of the Dead, and asked permission to take [[2]]. Hades was impressed by Hercules, who until then had an infamous reputation for acting without thinking, and while all heroes who had previously entered the Underworld did so to win fame, Hercules was the first to place respect for Hades above his own ambitions. Hades was so impressed with this, that he granted the demigod permission to take Cerberus on a few conditions. The first was that Hercules could not seriously injure Cerberus, and thus, could not use his weapons against him. The second condition was that Hercules had to bring Cerberus back as soon as the labour was completed. The third and final condition, was that the hero had to tell Hades who had asked him to bring back Cerberus as a trophy. Hercules promptly agreed to all of the terms, and told Hades, that it was King Eurystheus that had asked the labor of him.
Personality[]
Hades was known as a harsh god. His respect for the laws of the Underworld and the afterlife was great, being the supreme judge of the dead souls and of all creatures that traverse to the Underworld. He was also a dedicated and busy god, rather unlike many of the other gods who took their duties and responsibilities in a much lighter manner.
However there was a cruel and darker side to Hades. Although he was the one to make a compromise with Demeter, he was indeed the one to initially trick Persephone into staying in the Underworld (though he did it because he was in love and searching for a wife). He also carries grudges for an extremely long time, a trait he passes onto all of his children. His cruel traits mirror that of his father Kronos in terms of cunning, ruthlessness, and deviousness. His darker side stems from the bitterness he feels at being spurned and feared by his fellow Olympians, which in turn leads to his habit of holding grudges. His biggest grudge was towards Zeus, who tricked him out of power, power that was rightfully his before the three brothers drew their lots, leaving Hades to rule the Underworld and not the heavens.
Appearance[]
Hades was tall muscular and imposing with pale like skin, black hair and a black beard. He often wore black silk robes.