Hades

Mythology

In the Olympic mythology, after the war of the gods against the Titans, Zeus, Poseidon and Hades distributed the world: Zeus received the heaven and the surface, Poseidon the seas, Hades the underworld and the dead. The realm of Hades is the Hades (the realm and the god share name) — vast subterranean territory with multiple regions: Asphodel Fields (where the souls of common mortals reside), Elysian Fields (paradise of the heroes and just), Tartarus (deepest abyss for great criminals and condemned Titans).

Famous myths: 1) The abduction of Persephone (with Demeter — see Demeter). Hades fell in love with the maiden Persephone, abducted her with the consent of Zeus, made her his queen of the underworld. 2) Orpheus and Eurydice: Orpheus descended to Hades to retrieve his deceased wife Eurydice; Hades was moved by his music and accepted to release her on the condition that he should not look back during the journey out — Orpheus failed at the last moment and lost her again. 3) Heracles descended to Hades to capture Cerberus (the three-headed dog guarding the gates) as one of his twelve labours.

Symbolism

Symbols: Cerberus (his three-headed guardian dog), helmet of invisibility (gift of the Cyclopes that allowed him to be invisible), two-pronged sceptre, cypress (sacred tree), narcissus and pomegranate (sacred flowers and fruits — pomegranate is what bound Persephone to him). His sacred animal: also black horse. His associated colour: deep black.

Hades is paradoxical: not "evil". Greek tradition is clear that he is just god, severe but firm; he does not punish unjustly, does not mock the dead, exerts an important and necessary cosmic function. The Greeks did not actually pronounce his name out loud (similar to the Hebrew Tetragrammaton tabu) for fear of attracting his attention — used euphemisms like Plouton ("the rich" — owner of the underground wealth, which is where the precious metals come from) or Aidoneus. Roman tradition adopted Pluto as the standard name.

In modern depth psychology, Hades is understood as the archetype of the deep unconscious: where the shadows live, the repressed, the dark essential. To "descend to Hades" is necessary work for spiritual maturity — facing your shadow, your repressed pains, your unconscious traumas. This is why mystical death-and-rebirth experiences (alchemical nigredo, dark night of the soul, deep depression that initiates transformation) are described as descents to Hades. The encounter with Hades is part of the individuation.