Hades

Hades has a cap made for him by the Cyclopes which renders him invisible. He also has a staff that he uses to guide the souls of the dead into the underworld (though later this task was often assigned to Hermes).

Hades abducted Persephone (daughter of Demeter) to be his wife. Though later Demeter was able to secure her return to the world above, through trickery Hades was able to have her stay in his realm for part of the year.

The Underworld

The underworld lies deep beneath the earth. There are few entrances from above, and passage to the underworld is normally one way only. There was an oracle to the dead at Thesproti in Thrace. Odysseus when at the ends of the earth consulted the dead seer Tiresias. But while sometimes the living desire to contact the dead, the dead have no point in contacting the living.

Hermes would as psychopomp conduct souls to the underworld, and the Ferryman Charon would also ferry them across Oceanus to the gates of bronze. Once through the gates there was no return to the land of the living. Oceanus is the world sea, and surrounds both the land of the living and the land of the dead. The rivers of Acheron, Cocytus, Phlegethon and Styx all run into Oceanus.

The dead appear as mere shadows and if touched appear to be thin air. They only regain the power of thought and recognition after drinking sacrificial blood. Those that died and were unburied had to wait for 100 years near the gates until Charon would pass them any further.

There is no pain in the underworld, but neither is there any joy. Silence reins there as the dead only whisper. Hades and Persephone live in a palace, and with them the Erinnyes, Moirae, Thanatos and Hypnos. There also the lands of Tartarus (punishment) and Elysium (rewards) to which the dead may pass. They may also drink of the waters of Lethe which brings forgetfulness.

The underworld existed so that the dead would have an afterlife. The quality of this afterlife varied. In general it seemed gloomy and depressing in the main areas, however as there was no joy or pain (both springing from life) the dead didn't seem to mind. Later a set of judges was added, who dispatched the dead to specialised areas (and which heavily influenced Christian conceptions of Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory).

If you were good, you went to Elysium, an island in Oceanus and the home of the Blessed (ruled over by Cronus). If you were bad you got sent to Tartarus, a deep cavern in the underworld where the Titans were imprisoned and the wicked sent (Gods who broke their oaths were sent there for nine years) for a time. If you lead an indifferent life you'd hang about in the Asphodel fields (a boring place at best) or in the Palace of Hades (where if in demand you might talk to the living).

Eventually after a certain time, regardless of where they ended up, souls would drink from the Lethe, forget their previous existance and reborn to the land of the living. This was a form of reincarnation, with the dead returning to life because death was so boring.

Meaning and Function

Surrounding the underworld (as well as the world of the living) is the world ocean. This is a symbol of a common pool of creativity, mystery and unconcious. To reach that deep point we must first venture through the distortions and images of it from our own culture. Often, these images are anything but unbiased, and for many western folk are dominated by Christian imagery.

Another set of meanings for the underworld is as a point of rest and repose between incarnations. It is a quiet and dull place in comparison with life, but that is the nature of non-existance. And that is why we reincarnate (see Life & Death), because it's more fun (both the pain and joy of it all)!

The dead are the dead, but when we place more importance on them (as people do) they seem to take on a life of their own. What we sacrifice though is our creativity in doing so. Look at the figures of Marx, or Hitler. See how their ideas are still with us and the sacrifice involved.

Hades rules as loard over the underworld. But because of what the underworld is, he also becomes humourless and palid. No wonder he abducted Persephone, to add some colour to his domain!