Persephone and Hades are hailed as equal rulers of the dead and the Underworld. There are very few mentions of Hades outside of the Underworld, as he prefers not to involve himself with the problems of the Overworld.
Hades’ claim to the Underworld
Following the victory of the Olympic Gods in the Titanomachy; a divine war between the Titans and the Gods of Olympus - Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades “themselves cast lots for the sovereignty” (Apollodorus, Library, 1.2.1), Zeus drew the realm of the Skies, Poseidon drew the realm of the Seas and Hades drew the realm of the Underworld - the Earth was left as a neutral ground, as it connected all three realms. Hades was considered as powerful and authoritative as Zeus in the sky, to the point where the king of the dead was sometimes referred to as Zeus Khthonios, “Zeus of the Underworld”.
Persephone’s claim to the Underworld
Persephone was picking flowers with the daughters of Okeanos (the nymphs) when she spotted a narcissus - a “wondrous thing in its splendour”. As she reached down to pluck it, the Earth opened underneath her, and she was seized by Hades, who brought her to the Underworld. As she descended on his chariot, she “cried with a piercing voice” to her father, Zeus. When the news of her abduction reached her mother, Demeter, who loved her more than anything - she searched for the villain who stole her daughter away. Eventually she discovered it was Zeus who had given Persephone away to Hades, so she could be his bride and Queen of the Underworld. Infuriated with this betrayal, she refused to let the Earth fruit until Persephone returned. Zeus relented and allowed Persephone to return home. However, as she had eaten 4 pomegranate seeds from the food of the Hades, she was compelled to spend 1/3 of her life with her husband in the Underworld. Her return to her mother is marked by the beginning of Spring, and her return to Hades is symbolized in the beginning of Winter.
The Trial of Psyche in the Underworld
Desperate to be reunited with her husband, whose trust she had broken due to discovering that he was the God Eros, Psyche sought out Aphrodite to win her husband back. Aphrodite gave her three impossible tasks to complete. The last trial imposed on her was a quest to the underworld itself. She was to take a box and obtain a dose of the beauty of Persephone. In despair at her daunting task, Psyche climbed a tower and prepared to throw herself off it. However, the tower advised her to travel to Taenarus, where she would find the entrance to the Underworld. Holding two honeyed barley cakes in her hands, to distract the three-headed Cerberus, and two gold coins in her mouth, to make the return trip with Charon. She navigated through the Underworld and was successful in her journey: Psyche obtained a box of Persephone’s beauty. In bold curiosity, and hopeful of enhancing her own beauty, she opened the box. However, contained in it was the God of Sleep and Dreams, Morpheus, causing Psyche fell into a deep and impenetrable sleep. Eros found his lover sleeping and begged Zeus to restore her. Staggered at their love for one another, Zeus made Psyche immortal so that the lovers could remain together forever.
Elva
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