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Ways of Worship: Hades

Hellenic Witch/Wiccan Worship of Hades

By Lilli BehomPublished 5 years ago 2 min read
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Hades is the God and king of the Underworld, the dead, and riches. Despite being the God of the dead, he is not the God of death, nor the personification of it. That title belonged to Thanatos. He’s the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea, and brother of Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Zeus, and Poseidon. His wife is Persephone, and his children are Macaria, Melinoe, Mesperyian, and Zagreus. It's said that Mesperyian is the favorite child and any who scorn her shall feel Hade's wrath. This theory came about when Aphrodite burnt half Mesperyian's face off and cursed her for her superior beauty. Hade’s Roman form is Pluto.

In lore, he is known to usually stay in the Underworld and not venture far out of it. He’s also been part of other classic epics/myths such as The Trials of Hercules, The Iliad, Sisyphus, and the story of Theseus. In most of these legends, he is seen as a just and fair ruler who may even be a little soft at times. His most famous lore would either be his marriage to his wife Persephone or the creation of the Gods. Hades is also known in most myths to be a little socially awkward, specifically in the myths of Theseus and Pirithous.

The heroes Theseus and Pirthous decided they wanted to marry daughters of Zeus by kidnapping them. Theseus took Helen as his wife and together, the two kidnapped her and left her with Theseus's mother until she was of age to marry. Pirthous decided to go big and marry Persephone. Hades became weary of their plans to kidnap his wife and offered them hospitality in a well-cooked meal. But the second the heroes sat down to eat, a snaked wrapped around their feet that kept them from moving. They stayed in the Underworld and were punished for trying to steal his wife until Hercules rescued Theseus. Yes, just Theseus. Pirthous was left to rot for all eternity in his misdeeds towards the King and Queen of the Underworld.

Altar, Offerings, and Symbols

General: Cerberus, drinking horn, scepter, key, helmet of invisibility, and bident.

Animals: Screech owls, dogs, serpents, black rams, and barn owls.

Plants: Asphodel, mint, white poplar, narcissus, and cypress tree.

Colors: Black, gold, and silver.

Gemstones/Metal: Garnet, all black stones (i.e. onyx, black tourmaline, jet, black obsidian, and hematite), and generally any stone or metal.

Scents/Perfumes: Winter scents, cypress, amber, and pomegranate.

Prayers

Invocation of Hades

Dark Lord of the Underworld,We stand trembling at your approach.King of the uncounted legions of the dead,

Ruler of the hidden wealthThat bejewels the caverns beneathThe Earth our Mother’s skin,Darkened by the ashesOf a thousand cremations,

Invisible One, passing throughThe chaos of humanity unseenIn your helm of obscurity,You see us from a more distant place,A world of ephemeral life.

We come and go, but you, Lord,Are eternal in your watching.Help us to see the darknessOf endings as part of the cycle,

And to mourn our lossesIn a way that does them honor.And should we journey to your dark realm,In life or after it,

Do not keep us past our enduranceBut give us gracious passageOut into our new lives.

Prayer to Hades

Great Hades, master of the dark afterworld,honored host of our beloved dead, husbandof fair-haired Persephone, holder of the richesof the deep earth, eldest son of full-hearted Rheaand Cronus of the shining sickle, I praise you.

Hades, kind one, unyielding one, gracious granterof respite to the suffering, of welcometo those who have passed from our world, I thank youfor your gift of shelter and hospitality.

religion
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About the Creator

Lilli Behom

I have no idea what I'm doing but I'm always down for spooks.

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Comments (1)

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  • Twisted Audabout a year ago

    Hey, Hellenic pagan here! Just so you know, Mesperyian isn’t a real goddess. She’s the product of a tumblr user’s fictional short story, and therefore has no basis in the actual Mythos.

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