Who is Hades?

In Greek mythology, Hades is the lord of the underworld and, consequently, the ruler of the dead. He is the oldest male child of Cronus and Rhea, who divinely descended from the earth and sky.

Upon defeating his father alongside his siblings for rule of the world, Hades and his brothers, Zeus and Poseidon, drew straws to see who should rule the sky, sea and underworld. Though Hades is often portrayed as evil or an evil place in modern depictions, such as Christian theology, this Greek god is portrayed as passive in mythology. Hades maintains order by keeping the dead from leaving the underworld. He has a wife, Persephone, whom he abducted and tricked into submission.