In Draw The Life TikTak we already talked about the titan Cronus, remember? If you don't,
you can watch our video again. Now, today we'll share with you the story of his son
with the titaness Rhea: The god Hades, one of the Olympic gods from Greek mythology.
His name comes from the word Aïdēs, which in ancient Greek means "the invisible one".
As you know, Cronus feared that Uranus' prophecy would be fulfilled, which said that one of
his own sons would dethrone him. That is why Cronus would eat all of his descendants, and
Hades was no exception. The one in charge of rescuing him, his brothers, and the other
victims by the hand of Cronus, was Hades' brother Zeus. Remember his mother hid Zeus
as soon as he was born to save him from being devoured.
Hades and his brothers Zeus and Poseidon fought against their father and the other titans,
and were victorious in a war known as the titanómachy. Hades had a unique weapon – an
invisibility helmet forged by the cyclops, which made it easier for him to defeat his
enemies. And thus, Hades and his brothers took control of the universe, and during the
distribution of powers Hades assumed control over the underworld.
This is why many considered Hades an evil god, and although in reality he was very fair
and just, everyone feared him. Because of this he would be alone most of the time without
any company, as nobody wanted to live in the underworld.
To remedy this Hades kidnapped Persephone, daughter of Zeus and Demeter (the goddess
of agriculture and fertility). Some writings assert that Zeus gave her daughter's hand
in marriage to Hades – however, all of the writings agree on Demeter not knowing about
that, she would never allow it. One day, while Persephone was picking flowers on an island
in Sicily, she was kidnapped. Demeter became so enraged after hearing the
news that she punished the Earth, plunging it into a never-ending winter. She searched
and searched for her daughter, but nobody could help her find her. The fields stopped
yielding crops, and people didn't have anything to eat. This went on until the goddess Hecate
realized they could ask Helios what had happened, as he was the embodiment of the all-seeing
sun. Helios then revealed to Demeter where her daughter was.
Learning about this disaster Zeus sent Hermes, god of ingenuity, to bring Persephone back.
Hades would not retaliate directly against them, as he feared what his brother could
do to him. However, Hades still made sure that Persephone would not leave him: All he
did was offer Persephone six pomegranate seeds. She ate them, and when she did she became
eternally attached to the underworld, because anyone who ate any food in the underworld
would automatically become eternally attached to that place.
Despite this, and to avoid escalating this conflict, Zeus managed to convince Demeter
and Hades to reach an agreement: Persephone would spend half of the year in the underworld,
and the other half with her mother on Earth. That's how the ancient Greeks explain how
the seasons came to be: While Persephone is in the underworld, Demeter plunges the Earth
into winter, and while Persephone is on Earth, the fields yield crops and life blossoms.
Many myths mention that Hades was Macaria's father, goddess of peaceful death. He had
two known lovers: The nymphs Leuce and Minthe. Both were victims of Persephone's jealousy,
transforming them into the silverleaf poplar and the mint plant.
The art that depicts Hades usually shows him with dark features, as well as short hair
and beard. Sometimes he appears with his invisibility helmet, almost always with a scepter or bident,
as well as the key to the underworld. The three-headed dog Cérberus is Hades' loyal
companion and guardian, and he also has a carriage pulled by dark steeds, dragons, or
other monstrous beings. The cypress tree, the daffodil plant, and the black sheep, are
consecrated to him.
Just like it happened to him when he tried to get a wife, Hades' powers led him to be
reflected throughout history as something he was not: An evil being and a tyrant. Any
story that takes place in Ancient Olympus depicts him as a villain, being Disney's movie
"Hercules" a clear example of this. Have you seen it, tiktakers?