Professional Documents
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Allison Keeling
Mrs. Dietrich
Honors English 10
1 March 2017
Research Paper
The god Hades is a very prominent, mythical figure that is seen in many modern works of
literature and movies. An example of this would be the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series
written by Rick Riordan, as well as the two movies that have come from these books. In both of
these forms the god Hades is portrayed in the same manner as other more ancient texts like the
Odyssey, Iliad, and other ancient mythical poems. That being said, have you ever wondered why
Hades is the way he is and why he is portrayed in that manner? Hades was put in charge of the
Underworld just out of bad luck, while his brothers were given land and sea. Hades was given
the worst of the three realms leaving him out of important decisions on Olympus, this ultimately
lead to his bitterness, brutality, and dislike by all. These traits along with the way he was treated
and perceived, was what ultimately made him important to Greek myths and Greek life.
The perception of Hades being overlooked, ultimately leading to his bitterness can be
linked to his creation and his birth. Before the Olympians, there were elder gods known as the
Titans who ruled the entire world. The leader of the Titans, Cronus and his wife Rhea were the
parents of all the Olympians. The story of Olympians begins with the birth and the devouring of
them,
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There was delivered to Kronos (Cronus) an oracle regarding the birth of Zeus
which stated that the son who would be born to him would wrest the kingship
from him by force. Consequently Kronos time and again did away with the
children whom he begot; but Rhea, grieved as she was, and yet lacking the power
to change her husbands purpose, when she had given birth to Zeus, concealed
This shows that Zeus was predestined from the beginning to be the leader because he was the
one kept in hiding to overthrow Cronus, which ultimately shows that no other Olympian would
ever have a role as significant as his. Hades did not have a large part in the conquering of the
Titans only that he had aided in defeating them along with Zeus, Poseidon, and other Olympians
In order to reestablish the ruling body of gods and the different responsibilities, the three
brothers had decided to draw lots for the three main realms of the world. The outcome of it
would be that, Zeus drew the sky, Poseidon the sea, and Hades the Underworld (Rosenberg.
11). With the domains finally established Zeus had tried to teach the fair treatment of others to
mortal and non-mortal beings. This can be seen at his attempt to maintain equal power between
the most powerful brothers. From these two stories of Cronus devouring him as a baby and the
drawing of lots, Hades was overlooked because Zeus was seen as supreme. A secondary story
proves that his bitterness was due to his lack of responsibility and the allowance to be a leader,
by saying that,
There is also an alternative story provided by Hyginus who claims that Hades was
cast under the earth at birth by Cronus because he feared of being dethroned in the
future so his faith was sealed from the start which would explain his anger,
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relentlessness and having no regard to any rules. (Hades (Aides, Aidoneus, Pluto,
Orcus))
This quote proves the statement made by the thesis because it gives the exact cause to why
Mortals and even other gods had sensed Hades bitterness, which allowed for superstitions
and opinions of him to form (Cartwright). Many people were afraid of him, and that one day he
would make their lives miserable in the Underworld. Many would not even say the name Hades
in fear that he would hear it from the Underworld, but some would call him by his other name
Pluto (Cartwright). Many people also performed certain acts to appease the god Hades like,
There are also accounts of sacrificial practices made in honour of Hades, carried out at night
and where the blood of victims was left to seep down into the earth to reach the underworld god
(Cartwright).
The main responsibility of Hades was to teach the importance of a proper burial and to
respect the dead, so when mortals did not follow those instructions he would become angry and
his brutality would be shown when those who disobeyed were severely punished. This example
shows his anger, bitterness, and brutality which was caused by the disobedience and disrespect of
the mortals. His personality had led to many people disliking him, for example,
He was considered stubborn, never kind and could not be persuaded by any means and,
just to make things worse for the inhabitants of the underworld, their living conditions
were just dreadful and even Hades himself feared of this chaos being exposed to other
Also it is said many times that he was not a welcomed visitor in Mount Olympus or on land
about the mortals nor did he even care to visit very often (Hamiliton). It can be concluded that
Hades no longer feels that he needs to be liked and that he is able to do whatever he wants
Some of Hades actions show his blatant disregard for others, as well as his want for
others to be bitter and angry with him. This is shown in his abduction of Persephone, who was
the daughter of Demeter, goddess of the Harvest. Hades ascend to earth occasionally and see
Persephone in the fields and full of life (Rosenberg). He felt that he must have her as his wife,
which ultimately led to him asking her father Zeus for her hand. Zeus had told him that he would
give Hades permission, but her mother Demeter would never agree to this proposition. So
without the permission of Demeter, Hades had lured Persephone to a distant part of the field
where he would swallow her into the Underworld. Demeter was angry because no one would tell
her where daughter was taken to, which caused her to wreak havoc on earth by failing crops
(Rosenberg). When she was finally aware of her daughters location she was outraged and had
said, How can you make her live in our brothers dark and dismal kingdom, ruling over the dead
when she loves life? And how could you permit her to marry someone who had seized her
against her will? Tell Hades that he must let her go! (Rosenberg) Hermes is then sent down to
the Underworld by Zeus to say that Persephone is only allowed to leave and reunite with her
mother if she has not eaten any fruit of the Underworld. Hades realizing what was happening
gave Persephone a pomegranate seed, bounding her to the Underworld and as his wife. In the end
they had reached an agreement that she would spend part of the year with her mother and part of
The myth of Persephones abduction by Hades shows how selfish and brutal he is, and
how he feels that he is entitled or that everyone owes him something because of his lesser role in
the decision making of Mount Olympus and the mortals. The decisions that are being made are
by the Gods that reside on Mount Olympus like Zeus, Hera, and others. They make decisions
regarding the mortals on earth, whether they should get involved in their lives or not. Hades is
not a part of those decisions because of where he resides this causes anger because of the feeling
of being left out, causing him to make decisions that go against everyone else. So basically, he
feels that he can do whatever he pleases because from the beginning he had drawn the short
straw, which was the ruling of the Underworld. Another myth that shows his brutality and
inability to let things go, which has the same characteristics as the myth of Persephone, is the
myth of Hades and the hero Orpheus. Orpheus wife had died from poison so, When Orpheus
came to the underworld seeking the return of his dead love Eurydike (Eurydice), Haides and
Persephone were moved by his pleas and agreed to let her return (Pseudo-Apollodorus qtd. in
Atsma. Haides (The Underworld Gods)). Hades could not let him just freely take Eurydike, he
gave Orpheus the condition that he must look back at him and the Underworld on his way out.
Orpheus failed to follow his instructions, ultimately sending his wife back to congregate among
The god Hades is not directly described in the Odyssey, only the Underworld itself and
some of his practices are described. The Iliad details the importance of a proper burial, which is
what Hades had attempted to teach the mortals. The quote from the Iliad says, The ghosts of the
unburied dead could cross the river and haunt the earth until they received the proper funereal
rites--in this way the ghost of Patroklos (Patroclus) visits Akhilleus (Achilles) in his sleep and
demands burial (23.63 ff) (Homer qtd. in Atsma. Haides (The Mythical Realm)). Even though
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the quote is talking about Achillies, Odyssey had experienced the consequences of an improper
burial in the Odyssey. Odysseus crew member Elpeanor had experienced the inability to cross
over the river into the Underworld because he was not properly buried after he had fallen off of
Circes roof. This causes him to beg Odysseus to go back and bury him so he can be at peace.
In conclusion, Hades the god of the Underworld was truly a an angry, bitter person that
felt like something was always owed to him, this was shown in the way he was perceived by
others and some of his actions that were truly awful. It is also shown that source of these
personality traits are deeply rooted in the fact that he was never the supreme god, and was always
either second or third to Zeus and Poseidon. Even alternative stories of his beginning show that
he was predestined to rule the Underworld, which was seen as least significant compared to the
rule of the air or sea. Hades was doomed to the Underworld from the beginning whether he had
drawn lots for it or was sent there immediately. With that, he had develop to be fueled with anger
because of his situation taking it out on Persephone, Demeter, Orpheus, mortals who
disrespected the dead, the souls of the Underworld, and many other mythical heroes and
creatures. Because of this evidence presented, it can be said that Hades had an excuse for being
Annotated Bibliography
Atsma, Aaron J. Haides (The Mystical Relam). Theoi Project Greek Mythology. Theoi
This source gives great, very descriptive examples of the Underworld, also known as
Haides, in many important pieces of mythology literature. There are many examples from the
Iliad, the Odyssey, and Hesiod.
Atsma, Aaron J. Haides (The Underworld Gods). Theoi Project Greek Mythology. Theoi
This source was used because it gives numerous myths that surround Hades, as well as,
descriptions about his whole family. It also gives excerpts from many different Greek epic poems
like the Iliad and the Odyssey, as well as, other important Greek works of Literature.
Cartwright, Mark. Hades. Ancient History Encyclopedia. 19 July 2012. Web. 20 February
2017.
This source was used because it gives details that were not known before, like the
superstitions and symbols of Hades. There was also information about the Underworld and the
myth of Persephone. The visitors of the Underworld were also described.
Hades (Aides, Aidoneus, Pluto, Orcus). Greekgods.org. N.p. Web. 20 February 2017.
This source was used because it had given more information about the way Hades is
depicted, as well as, his character traits. Also, it talked more about the Underworld and the
judgement the souls go through. The source also provided other information regarding different
myths Hades is involved in.
Hamilton, Edith. Mythology. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1942. Print.
This source was chosen because it tells the physical characteristics, as well as, a glimpse
into Hades personality. It also gives the background to how Hades came to be and how he relates
to other important gods. There is also a detailed account of the Underworld.
Rosenberg, Donna. World of Mythology. Lincolnwood: National Textbook Company, 1986. Print.
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This source was used to give in great detail the family tree of the Olympians, and the
battle between the Olympians and the Titans. It also gave the reason behind the battle. The
source was also used to tell the myth of Persephone and Demeter. The myth tells that Hades
action of abducting Persephone as his wife had ultimately caused the seasons.