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planet Pluto

Mythology of Pluto ♇

What is the mythological origin of Pluto?

The god of the underworld was known to the Greeks as Hades (the unseen). After the overthrow of Kronos the universe was divided. Zeus took the sky, Poseidon the sea, and Hades the underworld, realm of the shades. Here ran the River Styx, over which the dead had to cross. It was also home to minerals and clear spring water, as well as being the source of crops.

Also known as Polydegmon, receiver of many guests, his kingdom kept growing with the souls of the newly dead. They were escorted by Hermes to the boatman Charon on the River Styx, and prevented from returning by Cerberus, the three-headed dog.

Pluto Mythology Stories

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Hades enthroned with Persephone

Hades was not regarded as an evil god, but he was grim and implacable, and worshippers averted their eyes from his image when making sacrifice. In order not to draw attention to his role as king of the dead, he was referred to obliquely by the name of Pluto (giver of wealth).

Hades abducted Persephone, the daughter of Demeter (Ceres), his sister the corn goddess. The girl was snatched when she bent to pick the hundred-blossomed narcissus planted by Gaia in honour of Hades. Demeter was stricken by the loss. Fertility evaporated. Springs ran dry and death appeared among men. She wandered the earth looking for her daughter.

Eventually Zeus intervened and ruled that Persephone could return if she had not consented to her abduction in some way. But Persephone had eaten a pomegranate seed given her by Hades, so it was decreed she spend six months each with her mother and her husband. The yearly emergence of Persephone represents the power of growth in corn, and her time with Hades the period of winter death and dormancy.

While Hades was generally a faithful lover of Persephone, he did stray once with the nymph Minthe. Persephone, when she found out, was so enraged that she turned the nymph into the sweet-smelling herb, mint.

What is the meaning of Pluto in astrology?

Astrologically, Pluto signifies the transformation which may be found in renewal. Much as death is a process of renewal of the spirit, Pluto’s role is to destroy and rebuild. Pressure is applied to a system, overheating it to the point where it is tempered and purified, or it fails, and new systems are required. This intensity is fundamentally connected to sexuality and the cycles of life and death. In this respect, Pluto transcends the male god of myth and becomes the dark mother, all-consuming and all-nourishing. The fears that arise with Pluto are an amplification of the Moon‘s primal pulse.

Image credit Christina Balit

Last updated on August 17, 2017 at 3:39 pm. Word Count: 455