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Hades/Pluto 

 



Hades had a seat on Mount Olympus, the magical mountain on which all the main gods, the Olympians, lived. 

But Hades did not live on Mount Olympus. When the three sons of Cronos divided up the world, Zeus took the sky, Poseidon took the sea, and Hades took the underworld. Zeus became the king of the gods. Poseidon married happily. Hades was content, living in the Underworld. 

Hades was NOT the lord of death. His job was to run the Underworld. He was a good ruler. Parts of the Underworld were very nice, like the Elysian Fields, where heroes dwelled after they died. Parts were not so nice. Those were for people who were not so nice during their lifetime.  

You might think Hades would be terribly lonely, surrounded by the souls of the dead. His brother Zeus visited now and then, as did his nephews Apollo, Hermes, and Ares. Hades came up to the surface, if he needed to be on Mount Olympus for a meeting of the gods or something. But Hades preferred to stay in the Underworld. 

Hades had an invisible helmet, which he liked very much. He had a golden chariot, which was his pride and joy. He had his faithful companion, his three-headed dog, Cerberus. That was all he needed. At least, that was all he needed until he saw the lovely Persephone. But that's a different story. If you want to read it, see the links below.   


Demeter and Persephone

Demeter and Persephone 

Hades and the King of Corinth

The Myths of Hades, The River Styx 

Hades 


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   Clip Art Credit: Phillip Martin