Hades

Blessing: Haides’ blessing is acceptance of our mortality. It’s the common lot of all mortals, what sets us apart from the Gods. It comes to everyone — the rich and the poor like, without malice. We can temporarily fight it off, attempt to resist the inevitable — but we will always fail. Instead, we should live with the sure knowledge that we will die, and make every moment a good and worthy one. When our time comes, we should meet it nobly, as we would an esteemed friend.

Epithets: Aidoneus (the Hidden), Eubouleus (Good Counsellor), Eukhaitos (Beautiful-haired), Eukles (of Good Repute), Hagisilaos (Leader of the People), Klymenos (Renowned), Pasianax (Lord Over All), Plouton (Wealth), Polydektes (Receiver of Many Guests), Zeus Katakhthonios (Zeus of the Underworld)

Equated with: Osiris, Dionysos, Pluto, Serapis

Associations: narcissus, mint, cyprus, Helm of Invisibility, two-pronged spear, black rams and bulls

Festivals:
Forthcoming

Ways to honor: Don’t fear death but accept its inevitability. Help others through the process of grief. Remember the dead with fondness, for they live on in our thoughts and dreams. Honor your ancestors, both blood relations and those who inspired you. Walk through a cemetery; clean the headstones and pull away the weeds.

Ancient Texts:

Excerpt from Bibliotheca Historica by Diodorus Siculus

Excerpt from Cratylus by Plato

Excerpt from De Natura Deorum by Cicero

Excerpt from Geographica by Strabo

Orphic Hymn XVIII (To Plouton)

Medieval, Renaissance and Early Modern Texts: Forthcoming

Modern Texts:

Divine Romance by Lorele Jade Phoenix

Down in the Dark by Amanda Aremisia Forrester

Hades (I) by Dorothy Wood

Hymn to Hades I by Rebecca Buchanan