Hades Archetypes

Some say that heroes are fascinating, but a destroyer can be just as spellbounding. The destroyer archetype has destructive power; anyone with this characteristic would want to destroy
anything for no apparent reason. A destroyer could be anyone, murderers, dictators, bad parents, or even villains. People with this trait do the things they do for personal gain, even if it is to ruin someone else’s life (Bertolin). The destroyer can be viewed in certain ways, such as Hades from Greek Mythology, Kali from the Hindu culture, or Bane from The Dark Knight Rises in modern day.
Hades is a popular example of a destroyer in Greek Mythology because of the fact that he is the god of the underworld. After what happened with Cronus, Poseidon, Zeus, and Hades were given shares of the earth. Hades didn’t get to choose and was stuck with the underworld (Hades). Since then, he was always the one everybody was scared of. Hades was an avaricious god who always wanted more people in the underworld, therefore, no one was allowed to leave (Hades). Since he just about never left his kingdom, he always stayed with Persephone, his queen that he stole (Hades). The child of Zeus and Demeter, Persephone was the goddess of springtime (Persephone). The young goddess was in a field of flowers when Hades came and

kidnapped her as his bride to be the queen of the underworld. Demeter was devastated and made the whole earth grow cold. After six months of living with Hades every year, Persephone would go back to her mother and Demeter would change the weather from winter back to spring, repeating this every time Persephone would come and go.
Even though she isn’t as well known as Hades, Kali is a good example of the destroyer in the Hindu culture. Kali is the goddess of time, doomsday, and even death, or is also known as the black goddess. The Hindu culture associates her with death, sexuality, violence, and, oddly, motherly love (Doniger). While looked at differently throughout South Asia, Kali is characterized with black or blue, slightly or entirely nude, with a long tongue, many limbs, and accessories with human remains on them (Doniger). Worshipped throughout India, but mainly in Kashmir, Kerala, South India, Bengal, and Assam, Kali is both geographically and culturally marginal (Doniger). Since the late 20th century, feminist scholars and writers have seen Kali as a symbol of feminine empowerment (Doniger).
Bane is yet another great example of the destroyer, even if he is a character from a modern day movie.

Bane is a strong and brutal terrorist determined to annihilate Gotham City as the supreme commander of the League of Shadows (Bane). This villain is a wonderful example of the destroyer as he is ruthless, cold, and willing to slaughter millions of people with his bare hands (Bane). Bane is so determined to make everyone suffer like he did before he escaped out of prison, he’s willing to kill to complete his goal (Bane). With high strength, durability, and fast reflexes, Bane is able to take many punches at one time, helping the fact that he is hard to be unbeatable

(Bane).
Because there are many examples of a destroyer, like Hades in Greek Mythology, Kali in the Hindu culture, or Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, it’s not so difficult to find this archetype in different cultures. Thinking only of himself, Hades stole Persephone to be his wife and queen because he was lonely in the underworld. Kali is the goddess of death and is associated with violence, making her a big candidate for being a destroyer. Bane would destroy anyone or anything to get what he wanted accomplished, which is one of the main traits to be considered a destroyer. Nevertheless, one can find many examples of a destroyer anywhere they look if they search hard enough.