In Greek Mythology, Hades is the son of Cronus and Rhea and brother of Hestia, Hera, Zeus and Poseidon.http://www.wsu.edu/~delahoyd/greek.gods.html He joined his brother Zeus and the other Olympians in overthrowing their father. Cronus had swallowed Hades and all of his siblings except Zeus in an attempt to foil the prophecy that they would cause his downfall.http://www.wsu.edu/~delahoyd/greek.gods.html Following this victory, Hades drew lots with Poseidon and Zeus to determine which region each would rule over. He won the underworld and ruled over it, giving it his name.http://www.math.utk.edu/~vasili/va/GREECE/Greek_myth/olympian.html#Hades

Hades' dominion includes the River Styx, which the dead must cross on a raft captained by Charon.http://www.windows2universe.org/mythology/Definitions_gods/Hades_def.html Charon demands payment for the ride, which gave rise to the Greeks burying their dead with coins in their mouths.http://chs.cusd.claremont.edu/~corchard/hades/underworld.html#Charon The Greek hero Achilles, a main character in The Iliad, was dipped into the River Styx in order to be made invincible (except for his heel where his mother held him.)http://wserver.scc.losrios.edu/~waxmanr/87online/student_sites/morco_luisa/myths/tale_of_achillies.html

The gates to Hades' kingdom are guarded by the three-headed dog Cerberus. Hades is also the god of wealth and lord over all precious metals hidden in the earth.http://www.mythome.org/greek.html He is the god of the underworld and king of the dead, but not the god of death itself. That distinction falls to the god Thanatos.http://www.math.utk.edu/~vasili/va/GREECE/Greek_myth/olympian.html#Hades

Major ancient Greek myths that involve Hades include how he captured his wife Persephone, the tale of Orpheus, and his punishment of Sisyphus.http://www.theoi.com/Khthonios/Haides.html Hades abducted Persephone, the daughter of Demeter the goddess of the harvest. In order to trick her into remaining as his wife in the underworld, he got her to eat a seed of a pomegranate. Anyone eating food in the underworld had to remain there. This infuriated her mother Demeter, and she refused to cause the crops to grow, resulting in famine. A compromise was struck, with Persephone spending half of the year in Hades, half above ground. The myth explains that fall and winter occur when Persephone is in Hades and that spring and summer occur when she is above ground.http://www.theoi.com/Khthonios/Haides.html

Orpheus was a great musician. When his wife died, he went into Hades to get her back, and used his playing skill to convince them. His wish was granted but on the condition that he not look at her until they were both out of the underworld. He became anxious and looked at her as they were on their journey out of the underworld, and she vanished, this time for good.http://www.theoi.com/Khthonios/Haides.html

Sisyphus managed to escape death twice, once by tying up the god of death Thanatos, the other by tricking Hades into releasing him. In the second case, before his death, he told his wife not to give any funeral offerings to Hades when he died. When he arrived in Hades, he complained of this and asked to return to his wife to berate her. He promised to return and was allowed to go to his wife. He was lying, and didn't return, requiring that Hermes the messenger god be sent to retrieve him. Once in Hades, he was given as punishment the task of rolling a boulder up a hill for eternity. As he reaches the top of the hill, the boulder rolls back down the hill and he must start all over again.http://www.theoi.com/Khthonios/Haides.html