Zeus was known for being the strongest God in the Greek Pantheon, Poseidon was known for his lost city of Atlantis, but what was Hades, the eldest of the three brothers, most known for? The Greek Gods can only live for as long as they are remembered so what story does Hades have to tell?
Hades was the least known among the three brothers of Mount Olympus but he was well-known as the King of the Underworld. He doesn’t appear much in Greek mythology but his most known story was the one where he kidnapped Persephone to be his wife.
The King of the Underworld wasn’t known for many things due to the general dislike of his character and the fact that he secluded himself from the public most of the time. With that said, he was very known among the people since he governed over what they feared most.
As Governor of The Dead
Nothing of Hades was known much to the public but they do know one very important thing about him. He was the King of the Underworld as held governance over everything in that realm such as the souls of the dead.
The Underworld was once the dominion of none until after the Great Titanomachy where the three brothers drew lots to decide who would rule over which realm. It was then that Hades became King of the Underworld and the God that we know today.
He was generally disliked by the Gods and the mortals alike for his association with the dead but no one wanted to get on his bad side. That was because he had full control of your afterlife and everyone wants to get into Elysium, the realm of Paradise when they are dead.
Not only that, but there was a misconception by the general public that Hades had control over the deaths of others as well. Truth is, Hades was only associated with those who had already died, and never had any control over who or how they died.
People also believed that since Hades governed over all the souls in the Underworld, mistreating or disrespecting him would cause them eternal punishment in the afterlife. Contrary to the belief, Hades was actually a very just God who only punished those who deserved it.
For all those reasons, it is common to see Hades being portrayed in modern media in a very bad way. He is often portrayed as the main antagonist or the actual bad guy of stories nowadays which is very misleading towards his character.
Not many knew that Hades was also responsible for the Elysian Fields, the part of the Underworld reserved for those who were pure of heart, never to see suffering ever again.
As The Husband of Persephone
The story that was most well-known about the King of the Underworld, Hades, was definitely the time when he kidnapped the daughter of his sister, Demeter, to wed her as his own. This was the story that was commonly used as an explanation for the changing of seasons in Greece.
To prove his worth, Aphrodite’s son Eros decided to make the King of the Underworld fall in love with someone. He shot an arrow at Hades and the God was coincidentally looking at the Goddess of Harvest, Persephone.
He fell in love in an instant and decided to scheme with his brother, Zeus, to kidnap the Goddess into the Underworld. The fated day came when the Goddess was strolling through the Nysian Meadows with her maidens.
Lured by Hades with the beauty of a narcissus flower, the Goddess was separated from her maidens during her stroll. Hades saw his opportunity and emerged from the earth on his chariot to kidnap the Goddess away.
When her mother, Demeter, knew of her disappearance, she was so distraught that she neglected her duties as Goddess of the Harvest, causing a worldwide famine. Zeus would then ask Hermes to retrieve Persephone from the Underworld which he did successfully.
Unfortunately for Persephone, Hades fed her the seed of a pomegranate fruit which was connected to the Underworld. This made it so that she would be bound to it for eternity by the laws of the Ancient Gods.
Hades was kind enough to come up with a compromise in that she would only need to stay in the Underworld for a third of the year to be with Hades. She was free to spend the rest of the year with her mother, Demeter, as long as she complied. Her return signifies the coming of winter.
Conclusion
The King of the Underworld, Hades, wasn’t a significant figure in Greek mythology as he rarely appeared in the mythos but he was certainly an important figure to the world. Without Hades, the world would have met its end with a catastrophic event.
Hades was responsible for governing all the souls of the dead and putting them in the Underworld where they belonged. If not for him, they would have flooded the world, plaguing and terrorizing it with the suffering of the living.
His most famous story was when he decided to kidnap his niece, Persphone, to wed her as his wife. This may make you think that Hades was an evil God but I can assure you that he was a more responsible and just God than most others.
He may not be as famous as his brother, Zeus, who was King of the Gods, but we should give credit where credit is due.
