Throughout Greek mythology, Hades has been portrayed as a God with mighty powers and unquestionable authority in his realm of the Underworld. With that said, what exactly are the powers and authority of the King of the Underworld if he is as powerful as they say he is?
Hades, the King of the Underworld, has complete authority over the dead. He decided their fate and can freely control them to do his bidding as death is his domain. Not only that, but he also has powerful artifacts by his side that further increase his prowess.
The King of the Gods, Zeus, was the most powerful being during his time but that doesn’t mean his brother, Hades, was a pushover. Hades himself was a formidable being on his own and could easily be said to be one of the most powerful Gods in the Greek Pantheon.
Does Hades Control The Dead?
One of the many powers that Hades possesses is his absolute control over the dead. Not only does he have full authority over what they do and where they go, but he can also bring any being back from the dead under his control as well.
This doesn’t just apply to mortals which is one of the reasons why he was so feared as a God by many other beings. Demi-god, demons, monsters, beasts, were all under his control after their death no matter how powerful they were during their life.
The only ones spared from Hades’ grasps are the immortal Gods that ruled Mount Olympus as they can’t die at all. Some believe that the truth to their immortality lies within Hades as he dictated that the Gods shall not know the concept of death.
When a being is deceased, its soul must go to the Underworld to determine its fate in the afterlife. None of the dead are allowed to roam in the land of the living and Hades made sure of that.
The dead will then need to pass the river Styx by paying the ferryman, Charon, who will guide them to the three judges, Minos, Rhadamanthys, and Aeacus, who will determine their final destination. Unfortunately, Hades will still have the final say over the judges’ sentences.
One demonstration of his powers was during the battle in the city of Pylos. Pylos was one of the only cities in Greece that worshipped Hades and it was under attack by an expedition led by the Demi-god, Hercules.
The King of the Underworld came to the city’s defenses with the help of his sister, Hera. He brought an army of the dead against Hercules’ expedition in an attempt to fend off the Demi-God to save the city.
Does Hades Judge The Dead?
Hades had three judges in the Underworld to judge the souls that entered his realm. These three judges were Aeacus, Rhadamanthys, and Minos who each had their own roles when judging the dead.
Aeacus – He was Responsible for judging the dead who came from Europe and was guardian to the keys to the Underworld.
Rhadamanthys – He was responsible for judging those who originated from Asia and was the lord of Elysium, the Paradise of Hades.
Minos – The third judge was Minos, who cast the final vote on the result of each resulting judgment made by the other two.
All three were originally mortals who are the sons of the God, Zeus, and they were granted their position after their deaths as they established law and order when alive.
With that said, even if all three judges have come to a conclusion, Hades could still override the result if he felt the need to. This rarely ever happens though as the King of the Underworld was a fair god who believed in his judges.
Does Hades Control Death Itself?
Many people feared Hades based on the belief that the God had complete control over one’s death. This was nothing but a misconception. The only thing that determined the fate of one’s death was none other than fate itself.
Even though Hades had complete control over anything the was dead, he had no control over the circumstances of how they died and when they would die. The King of the Underworld had no interest in it either as he cared about the world of the living.
Hades was commonly thought to be the God of Death as well but that isn’t true at all. There were two Gods of Deaths in the Greek pantheon and they were Makaria, the Goddess of Peaceful Death, and Thanatos, the God of Death.
Makaria was responsible for handling the dead who died in a non-violent and peaceful way. She guided them into the afterlife and brought them over to Elysium, the Paradise of Hades.
She was also the daughter of Hades but generally unknown since she was rarely mentioned. Thanatos was the twin brother of Hypnos, the Gods of Sleep, and was one of the most powerful Gods as he was born to the Primordial Goddess of the Night, Nyx.
He was the personification of death and closely related to the violent death of mortals. The only ones who had any influence over death were the Sisters of Fate and even they don’t determine the cause of death. They are only responsible for weaving the threads of fate and overseeing the process.
Does Hades Have Authority Over Tartarus?
We all know Hades as the King of the Underworld, but there is another realm below the Underworld saved for the worst of the worst called Tartarus. Hades may not have ruled Tartarus in the first place but it eventually was under his jurisdiction.
Tartarus was a realm that was far below the realm of the Underworld and held prison to the most dangerous beings known to the earth. The Titans who lost the Great Titanomachy were imprisoned there after their defeat at the hands of the Olympians.
Some believed that Tartarus was a part of the Underworld and was just the lowest level of the Underworld therefore it was under Hades’ control. Others believed that Tartarus was a realm on its own and the God had no power over there.
Whether or not Hades has authority over the realm of Tartarus will be up to your interpretation of the realm but he does hold some responsibility for it. Since Tartarus was a realm way below the Underworld, they would have to pass through Hades before reaching the surface.
This made it so that Hades was the last stand against any being that tried to leave Tartarus to reach the surface of the earth. The three brothers may have sworn to keep the Titans imprisoned in Tartarus, but Hades was definitely the one responsible to prevent it from happening.
Was Hades Responsible for Keeping Cronus In Tartarus?
Hades wasn’t responsible for keeping anything in Tartarus but as previously mentioned, he was definitely responsible for making sure nothing got out of it. Even if his father did find a way to escape Tartarus, he would still need to pass the realm of the Underworld which was under the jurisdiction of Hades.
The responsibility of keeping Cronus in his jail for eternity was divided among the three brothers, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. But since Zeus was always ruling the skies and Poseidon was busy with the seas, Hades was the final wall against the Titan God of Time.
What Other Powers Did Hades Have?
Other than his abilities to raise the dead and complete authority over them, he had access to some of the most powerful sources of power. He owned artifacts that gave him fearsome abilities and rivers that he could weaponize according to the situation.
Helm of Darkness & Bident
Hades owns the Helm of Darkness which was one of the three artifacts given to the Olympian brothers when they freed the Cyclops from their imprisonment in Tartarus. It gave him the powers of invisibility that kept him hidden even from the Gods.
Not only that but the helmet can make him completely intangible as well, allowing him to transverse any surface and escape from anyone’s grasp. He also owned a bident that was powerful enough to split the earth if he wanted to.
5 Powerful Rivers
In the realm of the Underworld, Hades owns 5 powerful rivers that each have their own unique properties. If Hades wanted to, he could weaponize them by feeding it to his enemies which all of them have catastrophic results of their own.
The Archeon River of Pain – It can cause immeasurable suffering even to the most powerful of Gods and only lasted for an eternity.
The Lethe River of Forgetfulness – This river will cause a complete memory wipe to those who even take a sip of it.
The Phlegethon River of Fire – This was a river with a stream of unquenchable flames that can decimate any area that it is poured onto.
The Cocytus River of Sorrows – Puts even the Gods into a deep depression, never again to see the joys of the world.
River Styx – Lastly, we have the most well-known River Styx which was called the River of Hatred. It could turn even the best of friends and the closest of families onto each other, making them go for their throats.
Conclusion
Hades was one of the most powerful Gods in the Greek pantheon. His brother, Zeus, may have been the most powerful being during his time but the King of the Underworld was no pushover either.
He had full control over the dead even though he couldn’t control death itself. Any beings, no matter how powerful, must bow to the authority of Hades as soon as they breathe their last breath of life.
Many believed that Hades had control over everything below the earth’s surface but that isn’t true. Depending on your interpretation of the realm of Tartarus, the King of the Underworld may or may not have authority over it.
One thing’s for sure though is that if anything wanted to leave Tartarus, they would have to face the wrath of Hades, even if it was someone as powerful as his father, Cronus. Hades wasn’t just limited to his own powers as he owned the most powerful artifacts and rivers as well.
These things gave him many abilities and opportunities to weaponize things that other Gods don’t have access to. The King of the Underworld ruled all that was dead and there was no way around it.
