Hades, also known as Pluto in Roman, was born of Kronus and Rhea and in mythology he was the brother of Zeus and Poseidon, and therefore from the first generation of the Olympian gods. According to the myth, the three sons of Kronos and Rhea- Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades -each drew lots to determine which part of the world they would rule. Zeus and Poseidon received the dominion of the sky and the seas respectively, and Hades consequently was with the Underworld. .
Hades was the ruler of the Greek underworld also being referred to as "Hades." He ruled this realm alone along with Persephone, whom he abducted from the upper world. .
Hades was so overwhelmed by Persephone's sweet charms that he abducted her against her will and hauled her to the Underworld. He and Zeus had plotted to abduct the young girl away in the secret but their plans were foiled when Helios saw the evil act and warned Demeter, her mother, about the fate of her missing child. Persephone was helpless against the guile of Zeus and remained unwilling captive of Hades. After several years Demeter found a way to force Zeus" hand and free her daughter but before she left Hades gave her a pomegranate and when she ate it, it bound her to the underworld. .
Hades was therefore always referred to as lord of the dead and ruler of the nether world. .
His attributes include sitting on a throne made of ebony and carries a scepter. Also the Cyclops gave Hades the helmet of Invisibility to help in the god's battle with the Titans, Thus his name means "The Invisible". Another of Hades Attributes includes his dog Cerberus, a huge and savage dog with three heads, the key to the underworld. The cypress and narcissus are plants sacred to him and he was sometimes offered sacrifices such as black sheep. .
The Geography of the region of the Underworld is surrounded by a series of rivers called the myriad rivers, which had names and symbolic meanings. .
