Hades

Hades was the Ancient Greek God of the underworld and is the oldest male child of Crones and Rhea. Referring to the myth, Hades and his brothers, Zeus and Poseidon, defeated the Titans and claimed rulership. This is what allowed him to become God of the underworld, ruling over the dead.

He was a very greedy God who always wanted to increase the number of deaths to create a bigger underworld. He favoured anyone who helped to increase the number of deaths. The Erinyes were welcomed guests, but he declined anyone else that entered to leave.

Hades was also the God of wealth, due to the lavish metals mined from the earth. He had a helmet that made him invisible and rarely left the underworld. He had a wife called Persephone, whom he once abducted. Although he is the King of the dead, he is not death itself.

Cerberus was his 'pet' monster. He was a gigantic hound which guarded the gates to the underworld and was used to stop ghosts of the dead leaving. He was a three headed dog with a serpent's tail, a mane of snakes, and a lion's claws.

Paintings:

Unfortunately, both of the paintings below have an anonymous artist, but they are dated back to the Ancient Greek era.

The first painting is a concept of what the underworld is really like. Here, you can see many people in which have died or been captured. The black and orange colours have been used to give this paining an eerie feel, proving that Hades was known as the evil God.

Although the second painiting is anonymous, it has been suggested that this is the moment that Hades abducted his wife, Persephone. Again, it is a very eerie looking painting due to the colours used. The colours from the people and the underworld seem to contrast nicely. There are lots of dead bodies and skulls on the floor, which also proves that Hades is the god that everyone was afraid of.

TITLE: Ixion Plunged into Hades
ARTIST: J. Elie Delaunay
DATE: 1876
Oil on Canvas

This painting shows Hades is bound by snakes, set by Ixion, and writhes in pain. He was then condemned of eternal suffering. Using a palette of black and dark red colours, this painting powerfully conveys the tragic implications of the scene.

Films / Television Series:

Documentary - 'Hades God of the Underworld'

In 2013, a documentary was created to study Hades and the underworld. It explains why he became the King of the underworld and what actually happened there.

Film - 'Hercules' (Walt Disney)
(Voiced by James Woods).

In 1997, Disney brought out a film and television series called 'Hercules'. Although the original myths show that Hades is not malevolent, Disney have transpired him into an evil figure. During the film, Hades attempts to steal his brother, Zeus'  throne as ruler of Mount Olympus.

Television Series - 'Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'

In 1995, a television series was made, based upon the life of Hercules.Again, Hades played the role of an evil character.

Documentary - Greek Mythology: God and Goddesses

In 2013, a documentary was created on the Gods and Goddesses of Greek Mythology. It contains lots of information and photographs that help to understand what the ancient Greek world was really like.

 

Books:

TITLE: Hades: God of the Underworld
AUTHOR: Teri Temple
YEAR: 2008

Explains the life of Hades and the happenings in the underworld.

 

TITLE: The House of Hades
AUTHOR: Rick Riordan
YEAR: 2013

A fictional book telling the tale of Hades in a modern form.

 Photography:

The following photographs were taken by Stella Bonasoni for HUF Magazine. Isabella Sarti applied the makeup, whilst Valentina Zanerini styled the hair.

This image shows Hades and Persephone in a modern take of ancient Greek styling and makeup. The image as a whole does portray a scary character, but almost looks as though Hades is the captee to Persephone.

The styling in this image from the waist down looks like a modern version of the Greek god in the Underworld. When you look at the styling as a whole, the headpiece almost makes him look like a softer man. It appears to be a very feminine headpiece that would have been worn by a lady, as part of a dress, in the Elizabethan era (right). He also appears to be wearing an accessory on the top of his head, similar to Elizabeth in the painting on the right. Since they have this in common, the stylist may have chosen the design of this outfit to make him look Royal and important.

Here is another photograph taken by Stella Bonasoni of an action shot. This image shows Persephone to be blindfolded, whilst Hades seems to be swifting her down the stairs. This could represent when Hades abducted Persephone as the stairs could symbolise the journey to the underworld. It also looks as though Hades is using more force to take her down the stairs, in which proves that this is an important scene from the myth.

I have created a picture board of the character that I see Hades to be. I can imagine him to be a lonely, yet tough character. I have included Cerberus as it helps to show his personality and the fire is there to represent the underworld.