Cleo Warn's Hades Presentation

Hades, Ruler of the Underworld: 

By Cleo Warn Hades, Ruler of the Underworld

General Information: 

Hades is the Greek God of the Underworld and the only one not living on Mt. Olympus. The Roman name for Hades is Pluto. Hades is the oldest male child of Chronus and Rhea. When Zeus, Poseidon and Hades drew lots, Hades drew the Underworld. His wife is Persephone whom he abducted from Demeter. His symbols are the Helm of Darkness and Cerberus. General Information

Appearance and cult: 

Hades was a fearsome figure to the living and although he was stern, cruel and unpitying was not an evil god. Because Hades ruled the Underworld he is often associated with death, but he is not the Greek personification of Death-the actual personification of Death was Thanatos . His chariot pulled by four black horses, giving Hades a fearsome and impressive sight. Appearance and cult

Symbols: 

There is one ancient source that says Hades possessed the Cap of Invisibility also known as the Helm of Hades, Cap of Hades or Helm of Darkness. The Cypress tree and the Narcissus plant are the symbolic plants of Hades. Cerberus the three-headed dog is probably one of the most famous symbols of Hades. Symbols

Other residents of the underworld: 

Persephone is Hades’ wife. She was abducted by him from Demeter and spends half of the year in the Underworld. Charon is the ferryman of Hades who carries the souls of the dead across the River Styx. Cerberus guards the gates of the Underworld to prevent the dead souls who have crossed the River Styx from escaping. Other residents of the underworld

The abduction of Persephone: 

The kidnaping of Persephone is a famous myth that involves Hades. Persephone was in a meadow picking berries with some nymphs when a chasm opened up from the earth and Hades, who was in love with Persephone, kidnaped her and took her to the Underworld. Her grieving mother Demeter, the goddess of the grain, created a drought to make Zeus rescue Persephone. He sent his messenger, Hermes to rescue her. However Persephone was tricked into eating some pomegranate seeds (in most versions of the story the amount is four or six). Because of this she had to spend half the year in the Underworld. When she was with Demeter, the landscape around them was covered with sunshine and harvests. When she was with Hades, the landscape became cold and barren. This myth explains why we have winter. The abduction of Persephone

Hades in Modern-day life: 

Hades was one of the characters in the Disney film Hercules . The dwarf planet Pluto was named after him. Scorpios have Hades as their representing god and Pluto as their representing planet. Hades in Modern-day life

bibliography: 

"Hades." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 12 Jan. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hades >. Google. Web. 12 Jan. 2012. <http://www.google.com/search?hl=en >. "Hades." Greek Mythology. Web. 12 Jan. 2012. <http://www.greekmythology.com/Olympians/Hades/hades.html>. bibliography