Hades Greek God Analysis

Hades: The Changing Perception of a God

A Comparison of Past and Present

In time, all stories are changed or diluted. How the legend is told becomes slightly biased by the person telling it, or fragments are lost to memory. One of the best examples is the cultural view regarding the Greek God of Death and the Underworld, Hades.

In original myth, Hades’ most noted character traits are how he’s so responsible, reliable, and even-tempered; and how dull most of the other Gods find he is to be around. And notably, that (if one follows back the etymology of the word “Cerberus”) he named his giant three-headed guard dog Spot.

He’s the kind of God who doled out punishments (for those deserving of it) like pushing a boulder one could barely move up a hill forever. Then enchanting the hill to get taller as one got closer; while also enchanting the punished into eternally thinking, “Just once more. I can do it this time.” Not out of a deep hate or anger, he just didn’t like them as a person is all. Of all Chronos’ sons, Hades was certainly the least reprehensible. Yet modern society and media portrays him as being synonymous with a devil-like figure.

Hades has been conflated with the Christian religion’s Devil since around the mid 200’s. It was very common back then to turn an old god whose religion a new ruler disliked into a demon-esqe figure as to discredit the “old” religion. Thus, the differentiation between Hades as the God of the Underworld and Satan the ruler of Hell soon became blurred. This continues throughout the Middle Ages, with Hades taking on aspects of Satan and vice versa. The nuance of the original myth luckily returns in the height of the Renaissance with the re-discovery and adulation of the Greco-Roman style. The myths of the old Gods and their hero’s legends become wildly popular once again, and Hades begins to finally be separated from his now Devilish persona. However, he is still associated with death (seeing as it’s his job) and therefore all things macabre.
This reconstruction of Hades doesn’t last long, however. though the resurgence of interest would continue into the 20th century, thus shaping popular media of the time. Unfortunately, the nuances of Greco-Roman myth were lost in the growing Heroes Vs Villains structure of storytelling. In 1997, the Disney film “Hercules” would feature an old trope; the Underworld is Hell while portraying Hades as the titular “Devil”. The trend continues with “Xena” and “Clash of the Titans”. From then on whenever Hades appears in film or television, he’s almost exclusively the Bad Guy. Superhero comics also took the trope and ran with it. Marvel’s scheming supervillain Pluto is created in 1966, who wants nothing more than to overthrow Zeus and become the God of Gods. While DC’s character Hades from the “Justice League” TV show is again stylized as the devil, goatee and all.
Hades’ Underworld is nothing like the Christian Hell, either.

There are no eternal flames or never-ending pain in Hades’ domain like there are in Hell. While eternal punishment and reward exists, it’s reserved for those who are exceptionally vile or virtuous. It’s not the afterlife the populous fears like they fear Hell. The Plains of Asphodel is where nearly all the eventual dead will reside. It’s a grim and bleak place. And since death is the antithesis of life, all who find themselves there lose what makes them human. They do not feel joy or desire; they have no memory or purpose. But, no torment either. It’s not meant to be cruel or intentionally mean; Death is just the great equalizer of all men. Essentially, Hades’ job is to be a cosmic reminder that each person gets only a short amount of time on earth, so treasure every

moment.
Hades, this disparaged Lord of the Underworld and Persephone’s (who some would argue is the actual ruler’s) Husband, is depicted in original mythology with precious gems, a scepter, seeds, flowers, and a horn of plenty. Never a pitchfork, horns, and a forked tail. He was terribly feared, to the extent that all humans fear death. But he was also respected for being the keeper of the natural order, and worshipped for his fair and just rulings. His modern persona of a hellish and wrathful God is nothing like his origins. Unfortunately, this falsehood of a perception is unlikely to ever change.