Hades.
Lord of the unseen
Hades: Greek God of the UnderworldBeyond the sunlight lies the kingdom of . Its ruler is stern, wealthy, and rarely persuaded to let anyone leave.
More than a myth.
is the brother of and . After the defeat of the , he receives the realm below the earth, while his brothers take the sky and sea. His name can mean both the god and the place he rules.
The tells how he abducts with ’s approval. The ensuing crisis forces a division of her year between her mother and the underworld. governs the dead; he is not the Greek personification of death itself, which is . His realm is part of the cosmic order rather than a simple equivalent of a place of punishment.
There’s more to the myth.
Lesser-known moments, places of worship, and stories that change with the storyteller. Follow each reference to the ancient voices behind it.
The ruler of death is wounded
In the , Dione recalls striking with an arrow. The wounded god goes to , where Paeon heals him. The episode distinguishes immortality from freedom from pain: even the ruler of the dead can suffer an injury and need another divine figure’s care.
READ THE SOURCEHomer, Iliad 5.382 onwardThe condition for taking Cerberus
The gives permission to take if he can overcome the hound without his weapons. establishes the condition rather than simply being defeated. also intervenes to protect a keeper of the underworld’s cattle, showing the royal pair governing their own household during the hero’s visit.
READ THE SOURCEPseudo-Apollodorus, Library 2.125 (Aldrich numbering)Can the dead be judged fairly?
In ’s Gorgias, reports that the wrong people are reaching the afterlife’s different destinations. changes the system so souls are judged without the disguises of wealth, status or bodily appearance. The story belongs to a philosophical argument about justice, rather than a universal Greek doctrine of death.
READ THE SOURCEPlato, Gorgias 523–524One figure. Many visions.
Hades, reimagined in 12 art styles. Follow familiar symbols through unfamiliar worlds, and open any artwork for a closer look.
Hades
Echoes in Plaster
Hades
Dreams of the Cosmos
Hades
The Floating World
Hades
Ink & Thunder
Hades
The Gilded Garden
Hades
Small Worlds, Great Myths
Hades
A Cathedral of Light
Hades
Blueprints of Myth
Hades
Threads of Eternity
Hades
Greek Myth, in Print
Hades
Little Figures, Big Legends
Hades
Beyond the Oracle
New AI-created interpretations, inspired by mythology. These are not images of ancient artifacts.
It’s a family affair.
Hades
The underworld & the deadNo children represented in this edition.
The stories of Hades.
The war that made Olympus
Ten years. Two generations. One new world.
A pomegranate. Two worlds.
The disappearance that brought the earth to a standstill.
The song that almost conquered death
Orpheus and Eurydice, and the unbearable walk toward daylight.
Bring back the hound of Hades
Heracles’s final labor crosses the border no living hero can own.
Ancient voices.
Enduring stories.
Myths have many tellings. These are the ancient works behind this profile, linked to freely available English translations.
Library
Book 1.2.1
Hymn to Demeter
Lines 1–32, 334–385
Explore the collected passages
Ancient testimonies, alternative versions and depictions, gathered by Theoi.