(Aides, Aidoneus, or Haides)
Description: King of the Underworld & God of Death
Image copyright: http://blog.espol.edu.ec/jdcalder/2012/07/11/hades/
He was the son of the Titan god of time/ages, Kronos, and the goddess of female fertility, Rhea. He was the youngest of five siblings, including Zeus, Poseidon, Hestia, Hera and Demeter. Persephone, the spring goddess, was abducted by Hades with the intentions of making her his bride and queen of the Underworld. Hades and Persephone had children of their own; Zagreus, Melinoe and Makaria. The Erinyes are also sometimes described as being one of Hades offspring, and our three goddesses of earthly wrath.
Hades can be found in various aspects of popular culture. One of these aspects is fashion, where you can find the shoe line called ‘Hades Footwear’ that sells mainly boots and high heels. Another aspect is television. Hades is one of the main characters in the Disney movie ‘Hercules.’
One of the symbols connected to Hades is the ‘Helm of Hades.’ The ‘Helm of Hades’ was a helmet that would turn whomever was wearing it invisible. Cerberus can also be considered a symbol of Hades. Cerberus was a three-headed dog; Hades’ sacred animal.
One story in which Hades is mentioned is in the love story of Menthe. Menthe was a water nymph who had fallen in love with Hades. Persephone, Hades’ wife, had found him and Menthe together by the river of woes. Persephone was extremely angry and decided to get revenge on Menthe. She turned Menthe into a tiny plant, making it easy for anyone to step on her. However, Hades felt some sympathy for Menthe, and he gave her an aromatic scent. Today we call this tiny plant mint.
☮ Codie Teague ☮
