The Abduction of Persephone, by Albrecht Dürer, portrays Pluto on the back of a unicorn

Pluto was the Roman god of the underworld, the counterpart of the Greek Hades. Albrecht Dürer (ˈalbʀɛçt ˈdyʀɐ ( May 21, 1471 &ndash April 6, 1528) was a German painter, Printmaker A unicorn (from Latin unus 'one' and cornu 'horn' is a Mythological creature. Hades (from Greek, Hadēs, originally, Haidēs or, Aidēs, probably from Indo-European *n̥-wid- 'unseen' refers both to the ancient He was originally the Roman god of certain metals and, because these materials are mined, he also took on the role of god of the underworld. The Greek word for wealth is Πλοῦτος (Plutous) and it is believed that the Romans derived Pluto from the Greek because these metals, jewels and other riches lie under the Earth. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly

It is debatable whether in the Roman pantheon he was considered a son of Saturn, as Hades was of Cronus. Saturn ( Latin: Saturnus) was a major Roman God of agriculture and harvest Cronus or Kronos, ( Ancient Greek Κρόνος Krónos) was the leader and the youngest of the first generation of Titans, divine descendants If so, he would have been one of the children not devoured by Saturn, along with Neptune and Jupiter. Neptune (Neptūnus is the god of water and the sea in Roman mythology, a brother of Jupiter and Pluto. In Roman mythology, Jupiter was the king of the gods and the god of Sky and Thunder. Together, they represented the grave, the water and the air, and the Romans believed that none of these things could be consumed by time, represented by Saturn. After Saturn's defeat, the three brothers took control of the world, and divided it into three separate parts for each brother to rule. Jupiter took control of the skies, Neptune of the seas, and Pluto ruled the underworld (Tartarus or Hades). In classic Greek mythology below Heaven, Earth, and Pontus is Tartarus, or Tartaros ( Greek Τάρταρος deep place

The widely accepted myth about Hades and Persephone was also told of Pluto and Proserpina in Roman myth. In Greek mythology, Persephone ( Kore or Cora) was the embodiment of the Earth's fertility at the same time that she was the Queen of the Underworld Proserpina is an ancient Goddess whose story is the basis of a myth of Springtime. Pluto and Proserpina are almost exact replicas of their Greek equivalents, as the Romans' ideas about the spirits of the underworld were very vague before adopting Greek mythology. Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance Venus, in order to bring love to Pluto, sent her son Amor, also known as Cupid, to hit Pluto with one of his arrows. Venus was a major Roman Goddess principally associated with Love, Beauty and fertility, the equivalent of the Greek goddess In Roman mythology, Cupid (Latin cupido) is the god of Erotic Love and Beauty. Proserpina was in Sicily, at the fountain of Arethusa near Enna, where she was playing with some nymphs and collecting flowers, when Pluto came out from the volcano Etna with four black horses. Sicily ( Italian and Sicilian: Sicilia) is an autonomous region of Italy. Arethusa (Ἀρέθουσα means "the waterer" She was a nymph and daughter of Nereus (making her a Nereid) and later became a fountain on the island Enna is also a genus of spiders ( Trechaleidae) Enna ( Sicilian: Castrugiuvanni; Greek In Greek mythology, a nymph is any member of a large class of mythological entities in human female form He abducted her in order to marry her and live with her in Hades, the Greco-Roman Underworld. She is therefore Queen of the Underworld. Notably, Pluto was also her uncle, being the brother of her parents, Jupiter and Ceres.

Ceres vainly went looking for her in any corner of the Earth, but wasn't able to find anything but her daughter’s small belt that was floating upon a little lake (made with the tears of the nymphs). Ceres angrily stopped the growth of fruits and vegetables, bestowing a malediction on Sicily. A curse (also called execration) is any manner of Adversity thought to be inflicted by any supernatural power (such as a spell, a Prayer, an The plants died, and it became cold and dark above ground. Ceres refused to go back to Mount Olympus and started walking on the Earth, making a desert at every step. Mount Olympus (Όλυμπος also transliterated as Ólympos, and on Greek maps Óros Ólimbos) is the highest Mountain in Greece While Proserpina remained in captivity, Ceres wept, and nothing could grow or be harvested. The people of the world were dying, and prayed to Jupiter for help.

Worried, Jupiter sent Mercury to order Pluto to free Proserpina. "Alipes" redirects here For the Centipede Genus, see Alipes (centipede. Pluto would have obeyed, but by then, she had eaten six pomegranate seeds, whether of her own accord or through Pluto's trickery. The pomegranate ( Punica granatum) is a Fruit -bearing Deciduous Shrub or small Tree growing to between five and eight metres tall Having tasted the food of the underworld, she could not leave, but when Jupiter ordered her return, Pluto struck a deal with him. He said that since she had stolen his six pomegranate seeds, she must stay with him six months of the year, but could remain aboveground the rest of the time. For this reason, in spring when Ceres received her daughter back, the crops blossomed and flowers colored in a beautiful welcome to her daughter, and in summer they flourished. In the autumn, Ceres changed the leaves to shades of brown and orange (her favorite colors) as a gift to Persephone before she had to return to the underworld. During the time that Proserpina resided with Pluto, the world went through winter, a time when the earth was barren. Thus, the seasons were created. A season is one of the major divisions of the Year, generally based on yearly periodic changes in Weather.

Although Hades was seen as somewhat merciless, Pluto was worshipped by the Romans for some of his kinder attributes. Although Hades took a central role in many Greek myths, Pluto was not as much of a general focus.

Most sources refer to Pluto as the Roman ruler of the underworld, and Hades as a name for the Roman realm of the underworld.

See also

• Hades
• Proserpina
• Pluto (dwarf planet)