Hades — Ancient Greek God

Hades, God of the Underworld
Roman name: Pluto
Hades ruled the Underworld. The Underworld was the place the ancient Greeks believed you went after you died. The Underworld was a big place. Some parts were really beautiful. One especially beautiful place was the Elysian Fields. That's where heroes went after they died.

Hades was not in charge of death. He did not decide who lived and who died up on earth. He was in charge of assigning the dead a place to live in the Underworld. You could not argue with Hades. He was the only decision maker in the Underworld. It was not wise to anger Hades whether you were alive or dead, or you might end up someplace you really did not want to be for eternity!

Hades had a faithful and deeply loved companion, his three-headed dog, Cerberus. To give his dog a sniff at a new place, Hades came up to the surface now and then. If it was important enough, Hades even attended council meetings of the gods on Mount Olympus. But he never thought of Mount Olympus as his home. To Hades, home was the Underworld. His family visited him now and then. Zeus popped down whenever he felt like it. His nephew, Hermes, the deal maker for the gods, dropped in whenever he needed his uncle's help to smooth over or fix something.

Hades' Name
Hades means “The Unseen One” – a suitable name since Hades is the ruler of the invisible world. However, the Ancient Greeks rarely used this name – just like Christians rarely used the word “Hell” during the Middle Ages. So, since minerals and precious metals are found underground, they often referred to Hades euphemistically as Plouton – namely, “The Wealth-Giver.” Unsurprisingly, Hades’ Roman equivalent is called Pluto as well.

Hades' Birth
Hades was the fourth child of the Titans Cronus and Rhea (after Hestia, Demeter, and Hera), both the oldest and the youngest male sibling. In other words, he was the first of the three brothers (Hades, Poseidon, Zeus) to be born and swallowed by his father, but the last one to be regurgitated.

Titanomachy and Hades
After being rescued by Zeus from the belly of Cronus, Hades joins him in the Titanomachy. Eventually, the decade-long war ends with a victory for the Olympians. Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus cast lots to decide who of the brothers will rule which domain. Hades gets the underworld.

Hades' Wife
Since Hades was a fearsome deity who rarely left his kingdom, there are very few myths about him in Ancient Greek sources.