Devoir de Philosophie

Hades

Publié le 22/02/2012

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Greek God of the Underworld, associated in Roman mythology with Pluto, Orcus, and Dis. Hades was the son of Cronus and Rhea, and like his sisters, Demeter, Hera, and Hestia, and his brother Poseidon, was swallowed by Cronus. His brother Zeus escaped and eventually rescued his brothers and sisters from Cronus. After the defeat of Cronus, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades drew lots to see who should rule the various parts of the universe. To Hades fell the Underworld. Hades seldom left his underground realm—or if he did, no one knew about it, for he had a helmet that made him invisible. When he fell in love with Persephone, however, Hades traveled above ground to pursue her as she gathered flowers in a field. He carried her off into the dark Earth, and there she lived for four months of the year. On another occasion, Hades came above ground to woo the Nymph, Minthe. In a fit of anger, Persephone, or perhaps Demeter, trod the maiden underfoot. A sorrowful Hades transformed her into the fragrant mint plant. As he was essentially a god of terror and inexorable death, there were few temples built to Hades and he had few worshippers. The cypress and the narcissus were sacred to Hades. The word Hades is often used as a euphemism for Hell.

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