Hades-God of the Underworld

Hades-his name means unseen. He was brother to Zeus and ruler of the underworld, the home of the dead sprits.  As well as a God, Hades was also the place of the dead that Home described as being cloaked in mist and cloud.

Death and Journey to the Underworld

As was custom when a Greek died a coin was put over each eye of the dead body.  The people believed that the dead souls had to pay Charon, the ferryman who carried the dead across the Styx River.  If the dead had no money they were stuck forever on the shore.  When those who did have coins reached the other side of the river, Hermes guided the souls to their new home.

Greeks view of Hades

Hades had a hard, unemotional manner, which made him have a flat personality.  He was not viewed as evil though.  He was feared but the contrast between Hades and Zeus offered a view of the light and dark aspects of life, providing people with a deeper grasp of the meaning of life.

Hades was overall not widely worshiped like the other Greek deities.  People were scared to utter his  name at times, scared of what may happen. However there seems to be a group of scholars that were interested in life after death and did secretly meet to worship him. Below is a link to a quick video describing the Hades cult. Cult of Hades