Hades

Hades was the king of the underworld and god of the dead. He ruled over funeral rites and defended the right of the dead for a proper burial. He was also the god of the wealth of the earth, such as fertile soil and the precious metals hidden in the earth.

Parents

Cronus and Rhea

When Hades was born, he was eaten by his father Cronus with most of his siblings apart from Zeus who managed to get Cronus to throw them up. He then joined in the battle against Cronus and the titans and helped to lock them in Tartaros. The three brothers drew lots for the different parts of the world to rule over, Zeus got the sky, Poseidon got the sea and Hades got the underworld, where the dead reside.

Important Relationships

Husband of Persephone

Hades wanted to get married and asked Zeus if he could marry his daughter Persephone, but he was scared that Persephone’s mother wouldn’t allow them to be married so Zeus suggested that Hades kidnap Persephone. When Demeter realized that her daughter was missing, she was so sad and angry that all the crops across the earth stopped growing and she would not let them grow until she had her daughter back. Zeus had to make sure that Persephone was returned so that mankind didn’t all starve and die. However, before she left Persephone ate some pomegranate seeds so had to remain in the underworld with Hades for some of the year each year.