Hades... the Dark Prince... The Unseen One... Greek God of The Underworld, Ruler of the Dead. Not many know that the term Hades refers not only to the man, but to the place (The Underworld) as well. He is one with his dominion. He's often depicted with either his trusty sidekick, Cerberus- the three-headed guard dog, or his reluctant wife, Persephone.
Which brings me around to the relevance and timeliness of this post...
I'm posting this pictorial of ole Hades because either spring has sprung, is springing, or will be springing soon where you live. His relationship to spring is wrapped in a tale as old as time itself. So the story goes... that Persephone, daughter of Demeter, was strolling in the meadow, minding her business, picking flowers in the fields of Nysa, when Hades erupted through a gap in the earth and abducted her... taking her to The Underworld. Distraught, Demeter cast the earth into a vast famine. Zeus intervened and bargained for Persephone's release. But before she left, Hades tricked her by giving her a pomegranate to eat, thereby ensuring that Persephone would have to revisit Hades for six months a year. And when she is in the Underworld, is when we have late fall and winter. But when she re-emerges... all of our flowers bloom again and we have spring.
See this post on Spring In Greece.
See this post on Demeter
And now, I give you... Hades.
Spring is trying to burst into view in my neighborhood. That nice - I like the beautiful weather - but that aweful - I have to go out and deal with the yard. Uck.
ReplyDeleteI need to sell novel and hire someone so all I have to do is enjoy spring.
I've never heard the story of Hades and Persephone. I will enjoy learning something new :)
..........dhole
Awwwwh Donna, really? Never heard the story? It's so interesting and dynamic. I would say go back and read my links above to Demeter and Spring in Greece and it will kind of round out the Hades/ Persephone picture for you. ;-)
ReplyDeleteChris I love Greek mythology! Hades gets a bad rap. Someone's got to be in charge of the underworld. ;D
ReplyDeleteI think Hades is one of the most misunderstood deities. He perhaps has more redeeming qualities than even Zeus. Zeus hasn't much of a moral or ethical leg to stand on. At least with Hades, you see him coming. And he is who he is.
ReplyDeleteyou know Hades is the oldest and according to "rule" he should have ruled the world.....LOL Great Job - Wonderful Pics!
ReplyDeleteHi Christopher,
ReplyDeleteI really like this entry, Thanks for the cool pics. I like one in particular, the second last one with the Red background.
where can I find a high resolution copy that i can print on a poster?
C