Plutonas or Hades?

[ToriaMaximus]

Something interesting I read about the King of the underworld.

Also, make a note of god Plutona (Pluto). Plutonas was supposed to live in Hades (the underworld) so at first look, he's the one that can't be Olympian (Olympian gods are the gods that lived on Mount Olympos). There is also another interesting observation I made regarding the god Plutona. All non-Greek writers refer to him as "god Hades". There is an obvious misunderstanding here. "Hades" is the name of the place, the underworld. Plutonas (Pluto) is the name of the god. This mistake is repeated in all the translations by non-Greek writers I read. I also checked quite a few web sites about this matter (even university web sites) and I found this mistake is repeated in all of them.
So, be careful when you read about Greek Mythology or watch movies about it, and remember...there's no god named Hades!



From here - http://www.hellenism.net/eng/mythology.htm

My question: does it matter if people still call Him Hades even if technically it's not his name since He, like the other gods has many epithets?

I just read that Ploutonas was a euphemism to appease Him out of fear of being taken away upon saying His real name. Hmmm. My conclusion: call Him by whichever name is comfortable.

[Mnemosyne]

I call the Greek god of the underworld Hades. In Greek, they also call him Pluton which translates as the "Wealthy One." When I hear Pluto, I usually think of that word as his Roman name.
Homer refers to the Underworld as "The House of Hades." I don't know if this is the reason why the Underworld became known as "Hades."
In myth, Hades takes Persephone to be his Queen of the Underworld. He's also makes an appearance in the Iliad when Heracles goes down there and injures him. Other than that, the ancient Greeks didn't mention Hades that much. They feared that if they talked about him, they would cause him to become angry.

Read this site on Hades. It has some other references of Hades.

http://66.90.77.92/Kronos/Haides.html (it's from www.theoi.com )

[Toby Stimpson]

I disagree...there is a god named Hades which is his proper name, there is also the place called Hades. Plutonus is a name of his, and Pluto is the Roman version. Hades, the god, is the personification of the underworld. I'm not quite sure as to what point you were trying to make by saying he was a non olympian, that is quite obvious and is really of no significance. (Hades is the brother of Poseidon and Zeus, who all three rule the three realms of Land of Death, Sky, and Ocean). There may have been different epithets used for him regionally, but the one main name was and has always been Hades. Well, in my opinion anyways...good topic though :). Namaste

Tobias

[nia]

i absolutely and totally agree with Galadraal ^^

[TYRRHENUS]

Hello. I'm confused by the Plutona/s spellings. It's probably a typo, which I'm guessing comes from the genitive declension of the noun Pluto (i.e. Plutonis).
Mnemosyne is correct, the name originates from the Greek. Romans used to call him Dis Pater. Every 100 years the Ludi Tarentini (Tarentine Games) were held in his honor. That was in the days of the Republic.

[PoisonIvy]

The God of the underworld is Hades(the way I understand it) and he rules over Tarterous(sp),Hell, and The Elisian(sp) Feilds,Heaven. Taterous is the place,Hades is the God. I think Plutonas is his Roman name.

[Mnemosyne]

The ancients did refer to the Underworld as "Hades" every now and then. Tartarus and the Elysian Plains are different areas than the Hades's Underworld. The distance between the Underworld and Tartarus, for example, was the same distance between Heaven and Earth. Even the gods were scared of Tartarus. Zeus used to threaten to lock the gods there if they rebelled.

I don't know where the name Plutonas comes from. Maybe it is how one declines Pluto. Agghh, Thyrrenus, my Greek and Latin knowledge is getting so bad. I haven't studied it in years, and it's almost all faded out. :(

[doni_girl69]

You know, I have been obsessed with the God Hades since 2002, and have read near everything about him online, and the thing I cannot understand is why people were so afraid of him. Yea, I know that that particular God was the God who recieved the dead, but I just don't understand the fear. Not much about him and his good nature. if you read the myths closesly, or often...you will start to notice things about him. He has a good sense of humor, has a soft side, and obviously loves. I can understand that a God of his nature whould've had to have had a reputation though. I mean, a God of Death and Justice would not be able to have a weak heart or nature. Just intresting though. Everyone feared him. Why? :ack: