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Her father, Zeus, had previously given Persephone to Hades, to be his wife, as stated in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter. The god carried her off in his chariot to live with him in the Underworld. According to mythology, Hades fell in love with beautiful Persephone when he saw her picking flowers in a meadow. She was the daughter of Demeter, the goddess of fertility of the earth who protected both farming and vegetation. Persephone (Kore) was the Greek goddess of vegetation, especially of grain. Besides ruling the underworld, he also rules the realm of the fertile earth and all the precious metals found in it. He was also the master of dreams, providing a two-doored gate of dreams one false, the other true located in Hades’ realm. He would sometimes dispatch an angry ghost from the underworld accompanied by an Erinys to avenge a crime, especially patricide or matricide. He was conjured in the rites of necromancy, the summoning of ghosts of the dead. Hades is also the god of necromancy and ghostly visitations. According to his decree, the dead who did not receive proper burial rites were refused entry to the underworld. Hades was also the god of funeral rites and mourning. Although assisted by other minor deities, he had complete authority of all underworld affairs. In ancient Greek art, Hades is portrayed as a mature man, bearded and holding a sceptre, a two-pronged spear, a libation vase, or a cornucopia, the symbol of mineral and vegetable wealth. Hades was the only founding Greek god not to reside on Mount Olympus, dwelling instead in a palace beneath the earth called the underworld. Zeus received the sky, Poseidon received the seas, and Hades received the underworld, where the souls of the dead go. After the victory, the brothers drew lots to determine their realm. It ended with the victory of the younger gods. After their release, the six young gods, along with allies, fought power in the Titanomachy, a divine war that lasted for ten years. Hades and the others were eaten, save Zeus, who grew and eventually forced their father to disgorge his siblings.
When Cronus learned from Gaia and Uranus that he was destined to be overcome by his own sons, just as he had overthrown his father, he ate his own children as soon as they were born.
He had three older sisters, Hestia, Demeter, and Hera and two younger brothers, Poseidon and Zeus. Hades was the first-born son of the Titans Cronus and Rhea. See the fact file below for more information on the Hades or alternatively, you can download our 25-page Hades worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.
He was also the oldest male child of Cronus and Rhea. Hades was the Greek god of the underworld and the home of the dead.