By Madeleine Almand
Faculty mentor: Dr. Joe Romero
9:00-9:50am HCC 329
Mythos from ancient Greek and Roman religions has been popular source material for modern adaptations for the past several decades. However, these adaptations are filled with modern bias and interpretation of their original texts and often differ greatly from the meaning of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Several of the gods within the Greco-Roman pantheon have been forced to
fit into the stereotypical archetypes of modern storytelling, one of the most impacted by this is Hades, the Greek god of the dead. Due to the nature of his divinity, he has come to be associated with the villain or antagonists of our stories, but this goes against his representation within ancient literature. This paper will focus on examining the traditional role and appearance of
Hades as he appears in Archaic and Classical Greek art and literature, as well as account for how this has transitioned into his representation in modern media. Focusing on textual evidence from the Archaic and early Classical periods, and popular artwork to support their representation, this paper will examine Hades through his scarce cult worship to his varying appearances within myths to provide an understanding of his position within religious practices in ancient Greece. The evolution of Hades through the different periods of ancient Greek culture provides insight into the thoughts and beliefs their civilization had towards the afterlife and religious beliefs.
