Hades

Lord of the dead

When the sons of Cronus drew lots, Hades received the underworld, a vast and shadowy kingdom beneath the earth. The souls of the dead were ferried across the river Styx by Charon and passed the three-headed dog Cerberus, who let everyone in and no one out. Most souls drifted in the gloomy Asphodel Meadows, while the virtuous were rewarded in Elysium and the wicked punished in Tartarus.

A just ruler

The Greeks feared Hades but did not see him as evil. He was a stern judge who enforced the laws of death, and he rarely left his realm. Because precious metals and the roots of crops lay underground, he was also seen as a giver of wealth, and people often called him Plouton, the wealthy one, rather than speak his name.

Key myths

• The abduction of Persephone, who became his queen
• Orpheus’ descent to win back Eurydice
• Heracles borrowing Cerberus for his twelfth labour
• His helm of invisibility, lent to Perseus

Worship

Hades had very few temples. The Greeks honoured him and the dead at tombs, with offerings poured into the earth. He is not counted among the Twelve Olympians because he lived apart from the other gods.