Aidoneos, who is better known as Hades or Pluto, is a kind of deity most people tend to avoid. Even during antiquity, he wasn’t widely worshipped like his brothers, sisters and nephew and nieces, but never the less, he was worshipped. His real name (Aidoneos) was never pronounced by the general public out of fear of being taken away by him to the Underworld. Instead they called him by alternative names like Pluto, Dis Pater, Ploutonas, Theos Khthonios or Zeus Katakhonios.
It is clear that Aidoneos isn’t a popular deity. He almost plays no role in mythology with that exception of a handful myths and he only stars in one myth that doesn’t quite put him in a good light. I’m referring to the abduction of Persephone. In this myth, he is no different from his brothers who did the same thing frequently in mythology. People didn’t like Aidoneos. It has mostly to do with his strong connections with the afterlife, that people feared him. It had nothing to do with him being a Hellenic version of Satan. The answer to why the Hellenes were so afraid of him lies in their beliefs in the afterlife, their way of life and in mythology. Hellenes were afraid of dying, just like every other being on this world. In that they don’t differ from any other culture on Earth. It is one of the reasons why the Greeks like to enjoy life to the fullest. They didn’t really know what to expect from the afterlife. They knew it was a grim place. Unlike Christianity, Judaism and Islam today, the ancient Greeks never really developed one singular view of the afterlife. They had several ideas on what the afterlife would be like, but those ideas never completed one another.
By the time of the 5th century B.C.E., Aidoneos had overshadowed Thanatos as the God of Death, and Aidoneos appeared as Hades in the Alkestis and Admetos myth where Herakles wrestled with the God of Death to save Alkestis from Death. So here we see that Aidoneos has taken Thanatos’ place in mythology as the personification of Death and its God. So Aidoneos isn’t just the God of the Underworld and Riches, but now he has become the God of Death as well. That would be enough for anyone to fear him. Certainly, if you knew that he could go to Earth and take mortals with him to his domain, like he did with Persephone, but she wasn’t mortal. So they tried to do with Him, like they did with the Erinyes. The Erinyes received euphemistic nicknames like the Eumenids to appease them. With Aidoneos, the same thing was done. He wasn’t just called Aidoneos or Hades anymore, since Hades was synonymous with the Underworld. But instead he received a wide variety of nicknames to appease him, like Zeus Katakhthonios, Theos Khthonios, Pluto, etc…. What happened here wasn’t an anomaly or anything like that. The assimilation of other deities by other deities is quite common, especially when the assimilated deity is a lower deity, or personification of something and the assimilator is an upper level deity, like Aidoneos or Apollon. It’s a normal thing when a national deity is associated with a local deity.
Another aspect to why people feared him is due to his association with the afterlife. The ancient Greeks didn’t have one singular view of the afterlife. They didn’t have concepts like heaven or hell. Sure they had Elysium, Tartaros and the Isle of the Blessed, but those were reserved for special cases. The general population, who didn’t fell in that category, dwelled aimlessly in the Underworld. Even for heroes it was no picnic. Homeros had Akhilles say to Odysseos, that he would rather be a slave, than to be dead. This coming from a man who wanted eternal fame and glory, says allot. It drove fear in the hearts of every Greek that death was the end for them. They knew there was a afterlife, but they knew that it was no fun to be dead, to be in Hades for the rest of eternity wondering around as body less souls. When Herakles encounters Medusa in Hades, she had no body, only a head that floats. It might look funny, but realizing the full potential of her powers, the fun is direct sucked out of it.
So the expectations for the afterlife were pretty grim. So in a way it is understandable why Christianity gained more ground than most pagan religions, since they offered a better afterlife. The only problem here was that the price for it is to high.
People back than had a greater appreciation for life, than for Death, so it is only understandable that they wouldn’t want much to do with Aidoneos. Aidoneos can mean more than just Death or a prospect for a afterlife. Through Him, we can learn to appreciate life more and life it to the fullest. Without Death, there could be no Life. Without Death, life would be unbearable. Because we know we are mortal and we can die, it can offer us excitement, a reason to life. Without Death, there would be nothing we have to fear. We wouldn’t be able to grow old, to become sick and to be hurt. Nowadays, that is a dream for most people, to be immortal and to not die. But they are delusional. Sure I was once one of them, but not anymore. We need death as much as we need life. The two are intertwined. Without one, there can not be another. Aidoneos can offer us a view of how to life better and life day to day and enjoy each day. We don\”t have to fear death but accept its inevitability. Through Aidoneos, we learn that Death does not discriminate. It does not separate the rich from the poor. To Death, we are all the same, no matter what status we have in life. We should help others through the process of grief. Remember the dead with fondness, for they live on in our thoughts and dreams. Aidoneos’ blessing is acceptance of our mortality. It\”s the common lot of all men, what sets us apart from the Gods. It comes to everyone – the rich and the poor like. We can fight it off, attempt to resist the inevitable, but in the end we will always fail. We should live with the sure knowledge that we will die, and make every moment a good and worthy one. When our time comes, we should meet it nobly, as we would an esteemed friend.
Parents
Kronos & Rheia
spouse
Persephone
Children
– THE ERINYES (by Persephone) (Orphic Hymns 29.6 70.3)
– THE ERINYES (Statius Thebaid 12.557 & 11.47)
– ZAGREUS (Aeschylus Frag 124)
– MELINOE (by Persephone) (Orphic Hymn 71)
– MAKARIA (Suidas s.v. Makaria)
– ZAGREUS (Aeschylus Frag 124)
– MELINOE (by Persephone) (Orphic Hymn 71)
– MAKARIA (Suidas s.v. Makaria)
Other names
He is well known as Hades, as such that his name became synonymous with the Underworld. His origineel name was Aidoneos, the one I most frequently use. It means The Unseen one. Which fits perfect for him because He is the ruler of the Underworld, a place no living person can see or visit. There are exceptions but they are part of myths. His other names are Pluto/Ploutonas, Dis Pater, Orcus but he was also called Hesperos Theos, Enerthera Theos, Zeus Katakhthonios, meaning he is king of the Underworld or Theos Khthonios meaning He is THE God of the Underworld.
his titles
He is the God and ruler of the Underworld, Lord over all its tenants, master of Erinyes. Even though the Erinyes predate Aidoneos, He is their master due to the fact he is the King of the Underworld, where They also reside. He is also Master of the Dreams since it is said that Hypnos and Morpheus also live in the Underworld. He is called Pluto/ Ploutonas because he is associated with the minerals and riches that are in the Earth. He is also God of necromancy and fertility. In that way he is also associated with witches and necromancers.
His titles and names are
– Hades
– Pluto/Ploutonas
– Dis Pater
– Orcus
– Hagisilaos
– Soter
– Klymenos
– Polydektes/Polydegmon
– Enerthera Theos
– Hesperus Theos
– Zeus Khthonios
How To Honour Him?
There are many ways to go about it. Offer libation of let’s say water on the ground instead of a bowl, burn Styrax incense.
The way I start is to greet him, say his titles, that he is a Kronide, son of Kronos and Rheia, brother to, husband to Persephone, than I mention his titles before I go on to the prayer.
On another blog called Greek Revivalist Mommy posted a Orphic Hymn to Pluto, which I was share here as well. I will add the link to the blog since its only appropiate to do so.
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