What Were the Characteristics of Hades?
One characteristic of Hades was that, with some exceptions, it was a dark, gloomy and generally cheerless place. It was found beneath the earth and was served by five murky, equally dark rivers.
Hades had different communities for the dead.The Fields of Punishment were where troublemakers went. The Fields of Asphodel were meant for the souls of people who hadn’t done much of note in their lives. Elysium was for heroes, and the Isles of the Blessed were for people who had been reborn three times, returned to Elysium three times and were entitled to experience everlasting bliss.
Hades was also the name of the Greek god who ruled this underworld. He was stern but not particularly cruel, and he seemed mainly interested in increasing the population of his kingdom of the dead. However, Hades was also the god of wealth because of the precious metals and germinating seeds that were also hidden beneath the earth. Because of this, people preferred to call him Pluton, which means “giver of wealth.” His queen was Persephone.
Hades was the brother of Zeus and Poseidon, and when they deposed their father, Cronos, they drew lots to see who would rule which area of the universe. Hades, unfortunately, drew the underworld.
