Even in Soviet schools, several lessons were devoted to the myths and legends of ancient Greece. In tsarist Russia, this was a separate subject. Perhaps the knowledge of myths in most cases does not have practical need, but the concept of "cultural man" implies a deep acquaintance with them.
The main gods of Olympus
Hades is the name that the ancient Greek ruler of the kingdom of the dead wore. It is also called Hades, Pluto and Aidoneus. According to the myths and legends of ancient Greece, he is the son of Rhea and Cronus, who swallows his children at birth. In this original way, he wanted to avoid the fate of his father Uranus, overthrown by Cronus himself. Already five were swallowed by a loving father. These were Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades
and Poseidon. Zeus, thanks to his mother, escaped the sad fate of his sisters and brothers, but, having matured, he overthrew his father and forced him to return the swallowed relatives. The liberated great gods divided the spheres of influence.
Who got it
Zeus became the Almighty, the god of gods and people, Poseidon got the underwater world, and the ancient Greek ruler of the kingdom of the dead Hades forever descended underground. Of course, he visited Olympus - healed the wounds there, for example, from Heracles, did not miss feasts, took part in deciding the fate of all creatures subject to the Olympians. He carefully guarded his vast underground world. Hades had a retinue and a court; there was a beautiful wife of Persephone, who was his niece, since her mother was Demeter. Incest, or the Oedipus complex - in general, on Olympus a thing is quite common. Take, for example, Zeus, married to his own sister Hera. But, obviously, everything is possible for the gods.
Wife and girlfriend
Persephone, the ancient Greek ruler of the kingdom of the dead stole. Mother was inconsolable and asked for help from Zeus in the matter of returning her daughter to the earth. But Either Persephone loved her husband very much, and he is portrayed as a handsome man in full bloom, or he regretted, or indeed the pomegranate seeds that Hades made her eat, possessed magnetic strength, but the daughter of Demeter, the fertility goddess, will return to earth forever , refused. Part of the year she lived with her husband underground, part with her mother on the ground. Gradually, her image began to be associated with the changing seasons, with the advent of spring and the beginning of field work.
Gloomy hades
The ancient Greek ruler of the kingdom of the dead is always awarded the epithets “gloomy” and “inexorable.” So, in the kingdom of gloomy Hades there is no paradise, for the ancient Greeks, the
afterlife was the personification of misfortune. The souls of the dead, wandering through gloomy fields, overgrown with faded wild tulips asphodels, constantly moan, at best they sigh heavily. In this regard, I would like to know where the souls of the righteous have gone. Of course, man is sinful by nature, but Ancient Greece approached this question very gloomily. The kingdom of the dead is only punishment for earthly joys. Neither paradise nor reincarnation - rivers of oblivion and the three-headed Kerberus (Cerberus), who does not let anyone back, to the sun.
Popular hero
It should be noted that the kingdom of gloomy Hades, like all ancient Greek mythology, is very popular with writers and artists. More recently, the American animated film "Hercules" was released, where it was Hades who was the main villain, who dreams of overthrowing Zeus and occupying his throne. The wonderful writer Yevgeny Lukin has a wonderful story "There, beyond Acheront." Acheront, Piriflegetont, Kokit are the rivers of the kingdom of gloomy Hades, less known than the famous Styx, through which Charon carries the souls of the dead in his boat, and Leta is the river of oblivion. “And the memory of the young poet will be swallowed up by the slow Summer, forget the world of me ...” - this is how Lensky wrote in a dying poem on the eve of the duel. In a word, the lord of the underground kingdom of the dead is no less popular over the centuries than his brothers Zeus and Poseidon.
Sweet Aida
The underground kingdom had its own traditions, for example, Charon had to pay a fee for transporting across the river Styx . Therefore, the Greeks for a long time put a coin in their mouth. The entourage of Hades includes Judges Minos and Radamant, always standing behind the back of the ruler and his wife. At the feet lies Kerber. Immediately there is the god of death Tanat, who is depicted dressed in black, with a large sword and huge wings. There are also bloodthirsty kera, companions of war. The decoration of the retinue is the young beautiful god Hypnos, which neither people nor gods can resist. Myths and legends of Ancient Greece, thanks to cartoons, and American, and domestic, many know. Therefore, the question "who is the ancient Greek ruler of the kingdom of the dead" can be heard quite often - Hades. Sometimes his name is called the underground kingdom itself - "went down to Hades."
Great myths
Now the network is very popular educational game "Avatar", where you can find many answers to the school curriculum. In it, to help the sloths, a cheat sheet was created with short answers to popular questions. The most frequently asked questions are listed in alphabetical order. In the “History” section, under the letter “e”, there are two subjects for discussion. The second is the question "who is the ancient Greek ruler of the kingdom of the dead", "Avatar" gives a short answer - Hades. This may be enough, but, not knowing anything about the underground kingdom of the ancient Greeks, many common words related to this section of Myths and Legends will not be understood. For example, what is “Tantalum flour” or “Sisyphus labor”. Who are the Echidna, the Gorgons, the Hydra and the Harpies constantly residing there. And in the literature they are often referred to. Orpheus and Eurydice are known by many. But the key moment of their relationship is connected precisely with the kingdom of the gloomy Hades, with the famous descent of the sweet-voiced singer and musician into the underworld for his beloved Evredika. The gods, subdued by his music, in which there was so much suffering due to the loss of his wife, allowed him the only one of all people to follow her and return to earth. And the famous shout “Do not look back!” came precisely from this myth. A lot of what we face daily is rooted in the legends of ancient Greece.