This episode, Abi and Sarah will be chatting about Hades. Big bad Hades, right? He’s just the ancient
version of Satan, right? Please. After listening to this episode, we’re hoping you might give the guy a
bit of a break. He’s no saint – let’s face it, no ancient gods were – but we’ve got a little soft spot for
him. Tune in to find out why.
Ask almost any Classicist what their first memory of Hades is, and they will most likely give you the
same answer: Disney’s Hercules. I mean, the guy has flame hair – what more could you want? He is
the real star of that film. (If you’d like to see a picture of our very own Abi dressed as Hades for
Halloween, check out our Instagram).
The idea that Hades = Evil comes from looking at pagan religion from a Christian perspective; the
Underworld = Hell and so Hades = the Devil. Easy. (This is my kind of maths). Even Hades’ flame hair
in Disney comes from the traditional image of hell as FIRE AND BRIMSTONE (we both went to
Christian schools – can you tell? – totally not scarred by that experience).
In this episode you’ll find out about Hades’ Blackberry addiction (the phone not the fruit), the Chair
of Forgetfulness, some nerdy etymology (bear with us, it’s interesting, we promise), and how boring
we think the Underworld really was. And most importantly you’ll find out about Persephone, the
lovely wife of the CEO of Death.
The passage you hear at the beginning and the end comes from ‘Not a Chance in Hell’, Mythic: A
New Musical. You can see a picture of Michael Mather playing Hades in Mythic on the cover image for this blog and on our social media.
*Contains sensitive content*
Artworks discussed:
Persephone and Hades from the Royal Macedonian Tombs at Vergina, Greece, 4th Century BCE.
(**Sorry guys, Abi got this wrong in the episode and claimed it was 3rd Century BCE - she’ll never
forget this fact again**)
The Rape of Proserpina, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, 1621-1622