HADES (Orcus): God of the Underworld
An essay by Mike Rasschaert
Used with permission.

Names and Titles
Hades is also known as Ploutos, the God of Riches who can be found in the Earth. He is best known in Hellas under the name Plouton/ Ploutonas and his wife Persephone as Kore. At Eleusis where Persephone is called Thea (Goddess), Hades is called and Theos (God). 

He has other names as well. He is known as Aidoneus (He who rules so many). Nicknames were Eubeleus (The giver of good counsel, well- guessing), Clymenus (Notorious, the Illustrious), Polydectes (the receiver of many), Polydegmon (he who receives many), Zeus Chthonios (Zeus of the Underworld), Trophonios/ Trophonius, and Haides. Hades also has the title Theos Chthonios* which may mean god of the lower world/Underworld or sullen god. This title of Hades was found in a fragment from Scholiast on Hesiod. 

The Romans called him Pluto or Dis Pater. Dis Pater means Rich or father Death. The Romans also identified Hades with Orcus (Killer), a Chthonic* God who could hear oaths and punish those who broke them. While he can be equated and identified with the Hellenic Hades, Orcus is a god of Etruscan-Roman origin. But than there is also a Hellenic God whose name matches that from Orcus: Horcus/Horcos, the God of Oaths and Promises. Horcus/ Orcus is the god of the Underworld and oaths. He avenges these oaths when broken. It could be that Horcus/ Horcos is a servant of Hades, Persephone and Hecate, but then he might be the daimon of oaths. If he is a daimon than he might be both Agathosdaimon as Cacodaimon. However, the last is merely speculation, but it doesn't mean it can't be true.

If Orcus is Hades, then the God of the Underworld is also the God of Oaths/Promises. I believe that Hades is Orcus as he is the Roman Pluto and Dis Pater. That is the reason why they call him the One with many names. As Dis Pater, he is the God of Wealth and the Underworld. The people thought that the Underworld was underground so the riches of the earth (copper, mining, and gold) come from there. As Pluto/ Ploutonas (Hellenic), he is the God of Riches and the Earth. 


Attributes: 
Like all the Gods is Hades an ambiguous deity who is neither good nor evil. He's depicted as cranky god who let his subjects enter his domain but never leave it. 
Hades is depicted as a pale God since there supposedly be no sun shine in the Underworld. His attributes were the invisible helmet which is called the Hadeskap, crown, golden chariot with four black horses and the horn of prosperity. It's been said that he sat upon a throne of wood and had a two toothed scepter with him. 

Sacred animals: Black animals, especially bulls.

Sacred plants/trees: The Cypris and the Narcisis were sacred to Hades (Orcus) 


Hagiography
Hades is the second son of the Titans Kronos and Rhea. Poseidon is the oldest son. When they drew lots to divide the world, Hades got the Underworld while Poseidon has the Seas and Zeus, the Heavens. Zeus is the youngest son of Kronos and Rhea. His wife was Hera, the oldest daughter of Kronos and Rhea, directly followed by Demeter and Hestia. When Zeus and his brothers beat the Titans and gained control over the world, Hades received the Underworld. This place is sometimes called by his name, which tend to confusion about his real name. 

He had to rule alone; it was not so easy to be the king of the dead. No Goddess or mortal woman wanted to rule the Underworld with him. 

Although Hades is officially not recognized as an Olympic deity [and did not live on Olympus], I think there is an Olympic-chthonic balance to be found with Hades. The oldest Olympian Gods came originally from Hellas (what is now called Greece). The younger Olympian gods come from around the Mediterranean Sea. So came Dionysus from a island in the Aegean Sea, Aphrodite from Cyprus, Athena from somewhere of North Africa. Athena is thought to have been a mother goddess prior to her Hellenization. 


Prayer to Cthonic Deities
Its hard to say how exactly the right way was to pray to a certain deity. Everybody must do it on his or her way they are comfortable with. The best way as I understand it, is to start with a hymn to the deity you are praying to. From there on you can go any direction you want. Another important aspect of this religion is when it comes down to a cult of a certain deity, its relevant that you have your own vision about this deity and not what others tell you what it might be. 

That being said, this is what the ancients did: 

Whenever Greeks and Romans prayed to any kind of Chthonic deity, they did that with their face averted and hitting on the ground. This was usually out of fear of being taking away by the deity. People usually sacrificed black animals to him, allowing the blood to drip into pits or trenches. The Romans did a similar thing but they sacrificed a black sheep and food and put it into the ground while praying to Orcus (for a safe journey), Dis Pater and Pluto (for wealth and a safe journey). 

Hades had only one Temple and one Temenos. His Temple could be found in the city of Elis and was open once a year and only for priests. His Temenos could be found on the mountain Minthe. He was specially worshiped with Kore/Persephone (Proserpina) and honored under the names Plouton/Ploutonas. At Eleusis they were called Theos (Hades) and Thea (Persephone). The name Thea can not be mistaken for the Titaness Theia, the only Sun Titaness/Goddess in Greek Mythology. 

Some who despise the religion of the Hellenes suggest that there were made human sacrifices in his honor but this has not been confirmed. Every hundred years there was a festival in honor of Hades, which was called Secullean Games. 


Death and Judgement
Hade's name is mentioned a lot out of fear of being taking by him and brought to the Underworld. This statement is pure superstition since there are no records or myths of Hades traveling about the World of the Living. Many people fear that when Hades or Thanatos (personification of Death) comes for you, they can't do anything about it. The one thing that limits Hades' power is that he can not take the souls away before their time is come, as determined by The Moirae the very day they are born. Thus it is useless to try to escape death because it is already set. I don't know if this is true but that is what is being said about it to comfort them. 

Religions will come and go but one thing is certain. You will die, and it doesn't matter when you are rich or poor. Nobody can fight death; in the end death will prevail. 

The rules for the afterlife are simple. 

If you are a Christian, you'll go to the Christian heaven if you have lived well. If you are a Christian who lived badly, you will go to the Christian Hell. 

If you worship the Olympian Gods or the Titans, you will go to the Underworld be judged there for your deeds by Minos, Rhadaminthys and Aeiakos. You can't defend yourself because your deeds will speak for you and the good deeds will stand against the evil ones and they will be judged upon those things. And if there is no balance, that will be good news or bad news. 

The only difference between Tartaros/Tartarus and the Christian Hell is that the people who go to Tartaros remain until they have paid their debt to society; it takes a century for each bad deed. 

The one thing that is extremely important for those who worship the Hellenic Gods is that they have a silver coin under the tongue so they can pay Charon or whoever comes to guide them to the Underworld. Otherwise they have to wait hundred years before they are being picked up and brought to the Underworld. Sometimes people are allowed to say goodbye of their relatives but they still have to come back to the Underworld. 


Procedures after Death
Hellenic religion asks this out of respect of the deceased:

If the last will of the deceased is unknown, than it is upon the family to determine what to happen to the body. It's upon them to bury this person. Unless it's a threat to the public, culture, the wishes of the deceased must be respected. 

The family may not be approached by any other religion to promote their religion and to convert people who are now in a state of grief. It's unethical and repulsing because no religion is worth following if they convert people by abusing of their emotional state.

Respect the graves of the dead because when the society believes in an eternal resting-place, than it can not be for a period of time. 

It's ludicrous to baptize the dead and to say that if they don't want eternal fortune, that they can refuse it. It's a sign the religion is corrupt. 

Speak with respect of the dead regardless how they died. Do not speak false of someone who has begun a journey which you later must take as well. Respect that.

These are the five rules, which must take place according to the Universal Eclectic Sect who has devoted their lives to the Hellenic God Hades. 

1. When a man dies in a hospital, donation is possible is but not embalming. The people who follow and worship Hades believe that the body is useless for the journey in the hereafter, and all that can be used by science, can be used. The body can be burned but not embalmed when possible.

2. They must always be a coin lying under the tongue. 

3. A circle must NOT be drawn because then the soul of the deceased can not begin its journey. 

4. A person must remain in the room with the body to prevent the body from being desecrated by rituals of other religions and those who try to rob the body for what it is worth.

5. The body must be carried to the place of mourning, for the first banquet.

Part 2: procession and toast.
The carriers of the body and the friends must wear robes, preferably black robes and the ones who are most affected by the death, in special robes. The family of the deceased must show that they are sad that the deceased has passed away by leading the procession. A musician can accompany but the instrument must be silent. If the procession arrives at the place of mourning, the deceased is put into a coffin and there is drinking and toasting to the person who just died. Somebody stands up and toast to the deceased and the others toast as well and offer condolences to the bereaved.

Part 3: Funeral/ cremation.
The closest persons of the deceased must carry him/her to the burial site or crematorium where they will give offerings to the deceased which will be burned or buried with the body. The last person who can speak is the priest, who prays for the deceased to be judged mercifully. 

If the deceased is cremated the ashes are collected. The ashes must be given to his friends or relatives and sometimes it is wise to put a coin into the urn in case the undertaker had robbed the coin. The ashes must be buried and a tree must be planted upon the site. A friend or relative must bring food to the grave and leave it for the soul.

Part 4: Celebration.
The fourth part of burying someone is sometimes the difficult one, since celebrating life honors the deceased. People believe that the dead can hear our thoughts when we think of them. A month after the burial, the mourning is put aside for a day, to celebrate life in honor of the one that has died. 

Part 5: Annual remembering
On Samhain, many Pagans offer some kind of ritual or prayer to honor the dead. Many Pagan traditions have additional days, some in October, and also on the longest night, the winter solstice. The ritual of the unpaid fare is performed in case the person who died is not buried in the way described here. Usually it doesn't happen but if it occurs, consult a Hellenic priest or an Eclectic Wiccan who serves Hades to help perform the ritual. Those who devote their lives to the Hellenic God Hades or Orcus, are called to help people in mourning and console them, offering support to those who claim they don't need it. The question is, "Why death now ?" instead of "Why death?" 


Inhabitants of the Underworld.
Hades (Orcus) is one of the important deities of the Hellenic pantheon if your life is coming to an end. Thanatos, Hecate, Charon, Hades and Persephone, also known under their Roman names as Mors, Trivia, Charon, Orcus and Proserpina. There are many hymns dedicated to them. Those hymns are the basis of every prayer, at least if it is true what I have heard, because they invite the Gods to listen to them. 

Thanatos is the personification of Death itself like the Egyptian God of Death, Anoebis. You could say that Thanatos is another aspect of Hades but death and the ruler of the dead are two different deities. There isn't that much known about Thanatos besides that you can compare him with Anubis is also the God of the Dead, because both of them guide the souls to the Underworld. Charon, Charonites or Hecate guide the souls to the Underworld with Thanatos. 

People have feared Hades and Hecate, believing that they send demons and monsters to trouble mortals. What isn't clear about Hades or Hecate is that they are both righteous. Much of this fear is based on misunderstanding. They CAN send Daimons/Daemons.

Aside from the spelling, there is a big difference between Pagan Daimons/Daemons and Christian demons. Demons are malevolent beings who exist to harm humans; daemons/daimons exist only to serve the Gods and act as mediators between humans and Gods. This was believed by the Egyptians, Hellenes and Romans. 

Like Angels, Daemons are capable being bad since there are two different types of daemons: Agathosdaemon (the good spirit, demon) and the Cacodaimon (the bad spirit, demon).


These creatures of Tartarus can operate on their own but can be called back by the Gods:

The Charonites, Etruscan demons, followers of Charon -who accompanied him. 

The Furies  were vengeance deities or demons under command of Nemesis, the Goddess of Revenge and punishment. 

Cerberus/Cerberos is the Hellhound who guards the Underworld like Anubis but never leaves his post. He allows the souls to enter but never to leave again. 

Echidna, the mother of all monsters is said to be the mother of all demons like Lilith, the Judeo-Christian demonic wife of Satan or the Devil. She can be found in the Underworld like any other creature in mythology that was killed. 



Some Texts referring to Hades
Through the writers and poets who wrote about Hades, it can be clear that he isn't popular among human and that they fear him. 

"And through the two of them [Zeus battling Typhoios] ... through the thunder and lightning, and through the fire from the monster, and the scorching winds and blazing thunderbolt ... Hades trembled where he rules over the dead below." -Theogony 820. Hesiod who basically wrote the entire family history of the gods wrote this. He appears in the Theogony again in line 453f.4-5

"But Rhea was subject in love to Kronos and bare splendid children ... and strong Hades, pitiless in heart, who dwells under the earth... These great Kronos swallowed as each came forth from the womb to his mother's knees ... Therefore he kept no blind outlook, but watched and swallowed down his children ...
as the years rolled on, great Kronos the wily was beguiled by the deep suggestions of Gaia (Earth), and brought up again his offspring, vanquished by the arts and might of his own son, and he vomited up first the stone which he had swallowed last." -Theogony 453f.4-5.

Apollodorus (line 1.4-5, 1.6-7) and Homer( Illiad line 15.187f) had written over him in their works. He also appears in the Argonautica (line 2.259)