hadespage

~ Hades ~ Sovereign of the Underworld

and the Planet Pluto ~

{Please scroll down for info and pix}

Ancient painting of Hades* and Kerberos {Cerberus}**

*Hades' name was spelt 'Haides' in ancient Greece. Greece was also called Hellas back then

**There was no letter 'c' in the ancient Greek {Hellene} alphabet

Hades is not the devil nor is he Hell, as is commonly believed. In real mythology Hades was never evil.

In Ancient Greek mythology, Hades was the Lord of the Dead, Sovereign of the Underworld, God of Justice, and the God of both spiritual and material wealth. He was not an evil God, for he punished the evil and rewarded the good. Contrary to reports that Hades was unhappy with his realm, the Underworld ~ Hades created the Underworld as he believed the souls of the dead needed a place to spend eternity, as opposed to oblivion, the Underworld be either their sanctuary or their prison, in accordance to how they lived their mortal lives. Hades was often misrepresented by those he punished, but he would not punish someone unless they were deserving of that punishment. Hades is a God of Balance, having strengthened the boundaries between the mortal and spirit realms. Hades gave the mortals metal, gemstones and rocks and stones to build homes, roads and temples.

The ancient Grecian Underworld consisted of three major parts. Tartarus, a fiery place of torment for the wicked, where they would pay for their evils. Asphodel, a barren realm of nothingness, for those who gave nothing and did nothing in their lives would receive nothing in the Afterlife, and lastly, the Elysian Fields, {known as Summerland in modern times}, a place of eternal paradise where the kind and virtuous would be rewarded in the afterlife. The Underworld is not a place of death. It is a place of life, as death is the next stage of life. A soul can never die.

Maps of the Underworld

Cerberus was the three headed dog who guarded the gates to the Underworld. Kharon {Charon} was the ferryman who ferried souls across the River Styx to the Underworld, where the mortals were judged.

The ancient Romans named Hades Pluto, meaning wealth, {Hades had many other names}, and they called the Underworld Hades. The early Christians had more dealings with the ancient Romans than with the Greeks and since Hades {the Underworld} was under the Earth, it was assumed that this was the Roman version of Hell and it stuck, hence the modern misconception of Hades.

Even in his own time, Hades was misunderstood. Mortals were terrified of him. They feared that if they said his name or invoked him he would kill them and take them to the Underworld. Hence, they hated him. However, Hades would only ever escort a mortal to his realm if it was their rightful time to die. He would often send the souls of deceased newborns and infants back up into the mortal world, to give them a chance to live.

Hades did not rape Persephone, the Goddess of spring. The word 'rape' back in the time of ancient Greece referred to abduction, not forced intercourse and even then Hades did not abduct Persephone as the patriarchal telling of the tale goes. In the older matriarchal telling, Persephone as the maiden Kore was desperate for change and when Hades appeared when she was picking flowers, she was terrified but chose to go with him as she knew this was the catalyst for her life to change. She was not tricked into eating the pomegranate seeds; she choose to, knowing full well what that would mean. Persephone dearly loves Hades, as his love for her was genuine and she chose to remain with him.

I go by the older matriarchal tale of Hades and Persephone, in which she goes to the Underworld with him willingly, otherwise she knows nothing will change and she'll be picking flowers and making flower chains for eternity. The dead came through the ground and she was terrified they'd seize her, although she saw the desperation in their eyes and her heart went out to them. She also saw the love, desperation and loneliness in Hades eyes and went with Hades and although terrified, as change can often be frightening. He offered her the pomegranate seeds; he did not trick her and she knew full well that eating them would make her his Queen and she chose to ~ being no dunce, Persephone knew it was a marriage proposala nd accepted willingly. She the name 'Persephone,' which means 'awe-inspiring,' as opposed to 'Kore' was simply a title meaning 'maiden.' Although I respect Demeter, she was overprotective and overpowering {like my own mother in this lifetime....} and Persephone needed her own name; her own power. It was Persephone, not Herme, a male God, {no offence to him,} that decided to spend six months in the Underworld, which is why she ate only six seeds, not 12. Hades respected her wisdom and although they miss each other when she goes topside, they both know she is needed in both realms. Demeter reluctantly came to know this too. Though I find it interesting that she loved Persephone so, though abandoned her son Plutos? Perhaps it was because of his connection with justice, the Underworld and riches, as Hades is the God of Justice and both spiritual and physical wealth. And Demeter makes the world suffer when Persephone is with Hades, although when Persephone goes to be with her mother, Hades suffers alone and does not make others suffer. It took me a while to come to terms with Demeter, though I do know how strong a mother's love is. I believe Demeter and Hades dinally did come to terms with one and other a few thousand years later and Plutos forgave his birth mother, knowing he was meant to be adopted by Eirene, Goddess of Peace.

Hades and Persephone

http://www.hellenion.org/ ~ Wonderful Nonprofit organisation about the Greek Gods

Portrayals of Hades

The 1981 cartoon series Ulysses 31, was a retelling of Homer’s Odyssey, set in outer space in the thirty first century. It was very well done. Hades made only one appearance in the final episode The Kingdom of Hades where he is portrayed as a just God as he gives Ulysses his final and most difficult test, Will Ulysses remain in Hades’ realm to free his companions, or leave them in the Underworld to go back to Earth to his beloved Penelope? Ulysses decides to stay and thus passes the test and Hades frees him and Ulysses and his companions to return to Earth.

Hades was also featured in Disney’s Hercules, 1997 where he was portrayed a fast talkin’ villain, voiced by James Woods. As funny as the Disney version is, the real Hades was never a bad guy.

"Name is Hades, Lord of the Dead. Hi howya doin?" wav. file

He was so funny! :} Though the real Hades was nothing like how he was portrayed Disney, Hades isn’t really a bad guy and he doesn’t talk like a used chariot salesman! ;) Though this movie sparked me into learning about real Greek mythology, especially Hades.

Hades was also in television series, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess . Hades was portrayed very differently again. He was played by three actors, Mark Ferguson, Erik Thomson and Stephen Lovatt. Although I preferred the latter two actors, all three portrayed Hades extremely well. A God with a sense of humour, though with fierce principles, devoted to his duty and his family and he was very good looking too! :} Sadly, they made him a bad guy in series 5 :*{ and although I loved Stephen Lovatt's portrayal of Hades in series 5, as Hades is also the God of Justice, he would not have attacked a pregnant woman and later her child, so Hades was mischaracterised in the end, very sadly and we Pagans did NOT get a disclaimer as the Hindu population did, about the mischaracterisation of our Gods :*{

"God of the Underworld, at your service..." {Erik Thomson wav. file}

In the television series Myth Quest, Hades {Eugene was portrayed as a powerful God, though with a sense of humour! I have read books and surfed many websites on Greek myth both fact and fiction, and it’s interesting to read how differently Hades is portrayed. In Roberta Gellis’ romance novel Dazzling Brightness, for example, Hades was portrayed as a Mage with a fierce love for his beloved Persephone.

Ralph Finnes as Hades in 'Clash/Wrath of the Titans. 'At first he was evil ho hum ... and was pissed at the Underworld and wanted to take over Olympus, ho hum, but he mellowed in the second movie and was the only one of the Gods to survive, though he was turned mortal and wondered if he wasn't better off for it.

Gorgeous 'Goddess of Spring' Barbie from the year 2000

Hades was not portrayed in 'Immortals' {2011} That is he was so busy in the Underworld dealing with the dead, he didn't have time even for a cameo, sadly, either that or he was wearing his helmet ... ;}

**Fantastic** webtoon about Hades and Persephone {Adults Only}

LOVE the gentle way Hades is portrayed. Persephone grows up in the series and is quite feisty

https://www.webtoons.com/en/romance/lore-olympus/list?title_no=1320

Hades and Persephone in the ballet 'Sylvia' by the Royal Ballet, London {In the second last one, Hades is to the far left, then Eros, then Apollo

The way I see Hades is different again, though it is interesting to see how others portray him.

This is a *fantastic* astrological series starring Pluto and Uranus and how they affect our world and wake us up to change it for the better

~ Please Click here for a list of books depicting Hades, Pluto, other Chthonic Gods and the AfterLife ~

~ The Planet Pluto ~

Yes, still a FULL planet, IMHO!

Pluto is the planet furthest from the sun and is the coldest. He's the smallest planet in the solar system, though one of the most important in astronomy. He helps us connect with our deep innermost feelings and assists us to release that which no longer serves us, such as old belief systems, mental and physical clutter, to release them and lead a rich and rewarding life. He was discovered later than the other planets, {in 1930} as this is when humanity was growing en-masse to go deeper within. Much deeper than Neptune could take us as the Underworld is deeper than the sea. Pluto is the Roman name for Hades, Sovereign of the Underworld. When they were still calling planet Pluto 'Planet X,' a 10 year old girl wrote in saying that the planet should be named Pluto - and he was. {Walt Disney named Mickey Mouse's dog Pluto in honour of the planet Pluto - not the other way around.} On his deathbed, in 1934, Gustav Holst said his only regret was not being able to compose a piece for Pluto. Much later Colin Matthews composed a beautiful Holst-style piece {available on CD} entitled Pluto ~ The Renewer

Another wonderful Pluto imposition was written by Leonard Bernstein, called Pluto ~ The Unpredictable in

Note that I still refer to Pluto as a planet. I do not hold with the utter and nonsense regurgitated by some trumped up scientists that he is not. The notion is ludicrous and downright offensive - And I'm far from the only one who feels this way.

~ Pluto is a planet and always will be ~

Please check out this Website for information and history on Planet Pluto:

http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/pluto.html

Actual pics of Pluto. he may be a small planet, but he has a big heart!