Legends Summarized: Underworld Myths

Ah, yes. Death. The great equalizer. The great unknown. The great premise for the ULTIMATE RESCUE STORY!
This is kind of a mythological variety pack, drawing on different cultures telling similar stories. I might be doing more of these later. Turns out recurring tropes in mythology are as crazy-common as they are in history! If you have a specific mythic archetype you want me to cover in a future video, don't hesitate drop me a comment.
Myth 1: 0:47
Myth 2: 3:04
Myth 3: 4:46
Myths 4 and 5: 5:46
SIDE NOTE: I know that "queer" is sometimes used as a slur. Bear in mind, it's also being reclaimed by the greater LGBTQIA+ community. I'm using it as the latter; a blanket term for a community. Feel free to be offended, but know that no offense was intended.
Hey, that rhymed!

[@phellowshipstar8756]

Four years late but the hieroglyphs at 4:27 read: "Don't you think that's too big?" "I know what I'm doing!"

[@xenon8927]

this channel's sense of humor is amazing

[@SolstaceWinters]

The only mythological hero we truly needed, this one right here.

[@kathrynehiersche1817]

How do you know that? And thanks!!

[@phellowshipstar8756]

@@kathrynehiersche1817 I went through an Egyptology phase in middle school and I learned how to read basic hieroglyphic characters haha. The text isn't actually in another language, though. It's straight-up English but written with hieroglyphic characters.

[@kathrynehiersche1817]

@@phellowshipstar8756 lol

[@assassintwinat8]

Red: _draws literally anyone_ Me: GodDAMN she made you cute.

[@Mrryn]

Chibi Athena comes to mind

[@aminaharris6486]

I like Eros 😅

[@nataliagarrid]

@@aminaharris6486 Yess

[@aminaharris6486]

@@nataliagarrid yass I've found more of my people

[@nattyk.8398]

I can relate aAAAA

[@Silverwind87]

How I think the abduction myth happened: Persephone: Dude, what the you?! You can't just grab me like that! Hades: Sorry... it was my brother's idea. You can leave if you want... Persephone: Take it from me, don't let your family push you arou- IS THAT A DOG? Cerberus: =3 =3 =3 Persephone: *starts petting the three heads* Who's a good boy? Hades: Spot seems to like you... Persephone: I guess I can stay here for like, half of each year. I really need to get away from my mom. Hades: R-really? Persephone: Sure, you seem cute.

[@scribesorcerer4967]

And the extrovert adopts (and marries) the introvert and they lived happily ever after.

[@iiaquatiq]

OR HOW ABOUT Persephone wanted to stay there forever but Zeus being her dad was like “okay sorry your mom won’t bone me unless you live up here for 6 months,” and ‘Sephie unwillingly agreed lmfao

[@wumpusrat]

The one thing about the myth that kind of amuses me is that while Zeus is always portrayed as being the strongest of all the gods, Demeter had the power to end them all if she got mad enough. Zeus: Dum de dum, I'm so awesome, so powerful...oh hey, Demeter, you uh...you seem mad. Demeter: EVERYTHING DIES! Zeus: ...wuh oh.

[@i_need_more_sleep9050]

OwO

[@Dualbladedscorpion7737]

@@iiaquatiq You do realize Hades is persephone's uncle...

[@alastorbutwithagun]

“But unfortunately, shenanigans happen” How to explain Greek mythology in one sentence.

[@zenitramorange8632]

Zeus was born. That works to.

[@Coffee-hj5di]

Zeus got horny. Also works

[@morningglorymoth]

Also applicable to Journey to the West

[@jongmikim602]

“And then along came Zeus.”

[@salvadortoscano2534]

@@Coffee-hj5di THis right here

[@Daece2928]

I like thinking of Hades and Persephone as the only actual functioning couple in Greece.

[@corabranch266]

That is saying something considering they are only together for half the year.

[@crawlingboy]

and also odysseus and his wife

[@martynap2930]

@@crawlingboy He did cheat on her with that one witch lady but to be fair he was still a great husband by mythology standards.

[@crawlingboy]

@@martynap2930 he had no choice circe was gonna take away his manliness if he didnt do it so there is that

[@martynap2930]

@@crawlingboy Oh okay, I heard a version where he did it because Circe looked like his wife

[@rowdiken4837]

Orpheus:hey i like like you wanna get married? Eurydice:lol sure *Eurydice dies* Orpheus:oh by the gods this is so sad, I must play Despacito.

[@saritabalaji2354]

Orpheus : I shall now get 1 shotted by some frat girls

[@firepuppies4086]

Also Orpheus: Better romance Isis, ... Penthesillea? Got it right, right? Lucia and Athena then freaking DIE

[@gastii6613]

@JNC Why do i know exactly which video and channel this is from

[@annandres8483]

Hades finding out why Orpheus is in the underworld: This is so sad, Orpheus, play epic iii

[@artema.]

@@gastii6613 now you have to tell me what channel it is as well pls

[@firebrand723]

Demeter: thank goodness you’re back from the underworld Persephone: I’m cursed to remain Hades: she ate a pomegranate of hades Persephone: and then I got him a puppy out of gratitude

[@guillermoaltozanosalazar382]

Hades: I called him spot- *Ahem!* I-I mean... Cerberus... the fearsome guardian of hell... uhm... sure to strike fear... because... that's what he is... nothing else... I take my job seriously, after all...

[@cartooncritique6625]

Persephone: I'm also QUEEN of the Underworld now! Aren't you proud of me, Ma? I'm royalty! ^^

[@decoral]

@@cartooncritique6625 Demeter: *I don't feel so good*

[@nightpop_studios]

Nice fire symbol on your pfp! (No i don't know much japanese i just recognized the kanji)

[@juliedirocco6220]

eurydice: *dies* hermes: this is so sad, orpheus play wait for me

[@flowerpottheatrical]

@ALYSSA FENNIGVICTOR you too!

[@despinasgarden.4100]

Yessss! Hadestown!

[@justapastelrainbowalpaca3007]

yesssss

[@jasperclaue1086]

Lalalalaalalalaaa

[@Alchemy818.]

I just listened to Hadestown yesterday. I loved it lol.

[@theonlyjer]

Persephone stays in the underworld partially for the excellent WiFi connection, but must return for Dr. Pepper and Cool Ranch Doritos.

[@fireline4765]

Nacho cheese! (Vanoss reference)

[@annandres8483]

She ran away from Demeter because her mom makes her ear vegan food

[@melaniescarlet01]

What reference is this?

[@duxhunt]

Also Hades

[@shadowking1380]

Keep the Dr Pepper I’ll take those Doritos

[@sflaningam7680]

Orpheus's song is said to have been so moving, it caused Hades to weep for the first time ever. It's part of the reason the Ancient Greek word for music also reads as magic. Music is a form of magic, with the power to move even the Gods.

[@wildcardjoey4776]

*Bard intensifies*

[@Ch4pp13]

But that was before the record company assembly lines were constructed...

[@badhermit7717]

Steven Flaningam damn Orpheus always getting those nat 20’s

[@LittleMissRequiem]

Steven Flaningam Also, fun fact: those tears that Hades shed at the time were LITERALLY described as “iron tears”. Now THAT’S hardcore!

[@gj4916]

Please tell me you heard the song from the "Hadestown" music (epic 3) it's really nice.

[@apollocarlos6576]

"If you're gender nonbinary, you're magic, Ishtar loves you, and even the queen of hell thinks you're hot." weLL IT'S MY LUCKY DAY- Edit: So many people are replying, and I love you all and I'm glad you're here. I've been reading all your replies, and they make me so happy! Edit 2: So many people like me! You're all amazing, and I love you all! I'm adopting you if you don't have accepting families, and if you do, I'm sharing custody now. You're all my valid children now, no questions edit 3: hi y'all !! it's been a hot minute huh ? if you've stuck around since the beginning, welcome back ^^ if you're just finding this little pocket of love, it's good to have you !! you don't have to be nonbinary to hang out, all of y'all are valid. i'm a he/they now and i still adore all of you ((:< mwah mwah, i hope you stick around

[@Briisneat]

Brooklyn Darkage “Fuck yeah wooooooo hey dad I don’t need ur approval Ishtar loves me”

[@dragonwolf4274]

Yayayaya, it's about time someone thought i was worthwhile, and a whole ass goddess thinks i'm hot

[@apollocarlos6576]

Olga Shingareva you amazing person you're worth while and ily ok i don't even know you but i know you're awesome

[@meemo8096]

Yo same thou

[@laynekilpatrick3764]

lmao sameee

[@Double_D__]

It's worth noting that the myth of Orpheus is the best piece of evidence that Hades is actually probably the most reasonable of the Greek gods, kidnapping notwithstanding, since he was willing to meet Orpheus halfway. Zeus was a raging nymphomaniac, and Poseidon could be breathtakingly petty, but Hades is fairly reasonable to every hero that he interacts with.

[@salvadortoscano2534]

I mean Hades only kidnaps Persephone on Zeus' orders (or otherwise *because of* Zeus) soooooooo

[@UrpleSquirrel]

Hades is the god who just generally keeps his head down and does his job.

[@mrreyes5004]

@@salvadortoscano2534 There's also the fact that Zeus' brothers are actually socially stunted. Afaik Poseidon and Hades both grew up alone in Kronos' gut while Zeus was adoptively raised by shepherds. So Hades kidnapping Persephone could easily just be a case where Hades fell in love for the first time, but he was never taught how to properly court a woman (doesn't help that Zeus officially sanctioned the kidnapping), so it's more ignorance than cruelty.

[@salvadortoscano2534]

@@mrreyes5004 I mean Hades kidnapping Persephone was basically *all* Zeus' fault, whether he and Poseidon were socially stunted due to Kronos fulfilling his prophecy or not I wouldn't consider part of that. Hades did, after all, treat Persephone very well while she was in the Underworld, aside from the pomegranate thing to keep her bound to the Underworld. And anyone that tried to take Persephone from Hades was met with *swift* punishment. Very good husband, one of the few actually depicted in Greek mythology xD

[@billybobjoe1335]

Calling Poseidon petty is an understatement. But then again, Hera was worse.

[@nystrov]

"Son, I order you to go visit your dead girlfriend. Get some damn closure before you make all the rest of us suicidal." *Beautiful.*

[@centaursapocalypse7259]

Best fatherly advice ever

[@Samaru163]

Very ironic coming from Apollo of all Gods, since he could never keep a girlfriend (or boyfriend) for more than a few hours before they ended up dead or a tree.

[@anniel6479]

Best quote ever

[@kevinli1438]

Hehe, poor Orpheus but when he died he got to join his dead wife for eternity

[@joejoeington6899]

👍

[@tatiannachandler4196]

"No! I couldn't hear your footsteps!" " *I'm a ghost you idiot!*" No truer words have ben spoken

[@angrychick259]

Tatianna chandler Iagree with he was a idiot.

[@angrychick259]

Tatianna chandler you have a point.

[@markmayonnaise1163]

Which is surprising since Ben's pretty wise.

[@timothymclean]

I personally like the version where he gets out of the Underworld, assumes he's fine to look, and turns around to help Eurydice up...only to realize that the rules said _both_ of them needed to be out of the Underworld before he looked.

[@shushia1658]

I wonder if this is the origin of the image of floating ghosts. . .

[@nightmareeclipse8383]

Persephone went to the underworld, saw a tree of ripe gorgeus pomegranates, a nice guy with a steady job, no crazy ex girlfriends, and a doggo with 3 HEADS! I would stay too beetch

[@LuminousKugelblitz]

Same! 😆

[@mrreyes5004]

I would also like to add that Hades is canonically the richest/wealthiest of all the Greek gods due to the fact that all jewels and gems come from underground (i.e. where Hades rules), so Persephone gets that too. Along with the fact that the Greek Underworld is usually isolated from the crazy drama that the other gods get themselves into over on the surface world, so it's a cozy and peaceful retreat to begin with. Persephone really did get the best deal XD.

[@Diego-zz1df]

"no crazy ex girlfriends" correction: One crazy ex-girlfriend/stalker called Mynthe, who Persephone turned into a mint plant.

[@raptormage2209]

@@Diego-zz1df Or in some versions she got trampled by Demeter after she complained out of jealousy that Hades kidnapped Persephone instead of her because according to her She was more beautiful then Demeter's daughter

[@leeh4669]

@raptormage2209 wait I love that there’s more canon evidence that demeter was a good mom instead of the “psycho helicopter tiger mom” idea certain modern adaptations have perpetrated (which has no actual basis in classics)

[@allenearl1514]

The thing I've noticed about Hades is that most of the time, he's actually pretty chill as long as you are willing to trust him. The only problem is that almost nobody holds up their end of the deal, and so Hades is made out to look bad. He told them what would happen ahead of time. It's their fault for not listening.

[@elementoproductions6005]

Yeah, rather biased don't you think?

[@mrreyes5004]

There's also the fact that Hades' realm, the Underworld, already had strict rules from before Hades took over the place AFAIK. So it's not like it's Hades' own fault for most of the rules he adheres to (like Orpheus not looking behind him) since he's just like a corporate businessman who is just doing his job according to pre-set laws.

[@cobaltordinaire5219]

@@mrreyes5004 now I'm imagini g the underworld just has a ton of signs plastered all over the place about the rules and regulations and Hades took the location of every single one of them by heart

[@Diego-zz1df]

"The only problem is that almost nobody holds up their end of the deal" 99% of all oracle myths are about how the oracle phrases its predictions in such a way it makes the people asking about their future screw themselves trying to avoid their own doom. Also, a significant portion of other myths are about gods granting mortals gifts that screw them over in some convoluted way, or provoke the wrath of another god, or are turned into a curse because our mortal protagonist managed to offend the god in some way. With Hades, even when you screw up, the consequences are minimal. Had the muses not intervened, as far as Hades, Persephone, Eurydice and Cerberus were concerned, Orpheus would've reunited with his girlfriend after his death.

[@xoxo2226]

@@Diego-zz1df I agree. What was up with those muses???

[@alecchristiaen4856]

"but unfortunately, shenanigans happen." this is the summary of every plot hook, complication, and twist ever.

[@yeboi1887]

alec christiaen the tragedy of 210 likes and no comment

[@callicosis8569]

Brynhildr well now it’s 666 likes

[@menezes3388]

True tho.

[@justadogonachair6197]

Now it's 1.1K likes and four comments.

[@lordeverett5642]

The God of bee making and cheese keeping.

[@CS-pr1fo]

So I'm magic, Ishtar loves me, and the queen of hell thinks I'm hot? AWESOME

[@alexandraluster284]

Can you tell me my future, then? I wanna know what I'm having for lunch next week. :3

[@Pingwn]

Hi! Me to!

[@beckyanderson988]

Aphrodite hates me ( im on the ace specturum)

[@user-qb6hm8qw2n]

@@beckyanderson988 Well, everyone on the Trojan war hates her and she is really d*** head.

[@enigma4331]

I know right this just made my day and now we know what causes Non-binary dysphoria and dysphoria in general

[@thesimplifestyle2022]

Remember kids “If you’re gender nonbinary, you’re magic, Ishtar loves you and even the queen of hell thinks you’re cute “

[@John_Weiss]

More like Queen of the Dead - "Hell == Underground" is totally a Judeo-christian thing.

[@thatsroughbuddy8742]

@@John_Weiss Don’t get technical dammit.

[@John_Weiss]

@@thatsroughbuddy8742 😝

[@haonhiendinh2511]

He's basically Fujimaru Ritsuka

[@Fonixxie]

Wait, but where are my prophecy and healing powers?

[@gormauslander]

"Are they gonna be able to put your dad back together?" "The better question is whether they'll be able to put your dad back together when I'm done with him"

[@gormauslander]

@Axiom Steel26 rather strange

[@Bluecho4]

I also like versions of the Hades/Persephone tale where Persephone has some agency in being with Hades. Not just because it seems less skeevy, but also because I love the idea of them just being the most adorable and stable couple in all the Greek pantheon.

[@HexManiacQuinn]

That and other legends make more sense too. Like there's apparently a legend where Hades starts to like a nymph, Persephone get jealous, and she turns the nymph into a mint plant. And just in general in other legends, they treat each other decently and lovingly too. And I just have a harder time seeing that happening if this all began as a kidnapping.

[@aspenofthegentry673]

Hey check out lore olympus on webtoon!

[@agustinvenegas5238]

The only*

[@agungpriambodo1674]

much better than Zeus and Poseidon or even Ouranos and Gaia

[@emilyob6985]

sadie the crazy lady I love lore Olympus

[@petermarsella6537]

The hieroglyphics at 4:27 "don't you think that's too big?" "I know what I'm doing!" You're welcome, and I'm sorry Edit: yes, I am serious. Yes, this is accurate, no I was not joking.

[@evermoon494]

thank gods some one translated. I don’t even know how to read heiroglyphs like the order in which you go. Thank you so much

[@acedragon1456]

thanks!

[@Ray-hk1zm]

Omg why.

[@akreid4614]

Peter Marsella I'm pretty bad at Internet, so - are You serious or is that a joke? Cuz if it is not - people translated the Egyptian alphabet? I want to learn that!

[@petermarsella6537]

@@akreid4614 most of the hieroglyphics translate directly into roman letters (the English alphabet), and there are some that mean specific words. The ones that are used in this video translate directly

[@Jobe-13]

I always loved how Underworld gods were never really “evil”, they were just grumpy and/or depressed being literally the rulers of Hell and the dead, and still had to do their jobs as Underworld rulers. So, in essence, Underworld gods are basically the equivalent of being the bouncers of underground clubs.

[@John_Weiss]

"Underworld==Hell" is a Judeo-Christian concept. The Underworld was just The Afterlife … because if your culture buries its dead, where else are their souls gonna be. Ancients: "The sky?!?!? You think the souls of the dead are in _the sky???!?!!?_ What, did you tie your granny's corpse to a giant arrow and shoot it into the air or something?" 😆

[@Santiago-iv3bn]

Some versions say that Orpheus only turns around when he reaches the surface, while Eurydice, being a few steps behind, is technically still in the underworld. So like, he failed on a technicality?

[@dj_koen1265]

Thats the version i heard as well

[@AccidentalNinja]

My thought is, was he also banned from talking? Could he not just talk to her?

[@Silverwind87]

Hades, I know you're a bureaucrat, but did you REALLY have to do Orpheus dirty like that?

[@katcyer26]

@@AccidentalNinja Another version I heard is that he was talking the whole way - she wasn't allowed to talk.

[@plnguyen4159]

The version I heard was that he was almost out ,just a few steps, but he looked behind him because no trusts Hades for some reason

[@AmyWildstyle]

Moral of the Hades and Persephone story: when in doubt . . . POMEGRANATES

[@theunslickbiscuit611]

Amy Wildstyle you missed the opportunity to put six dots lol

[@elliehathaway3694]

They are the only functional couple Cept when hades tricks Persephone into having kids but that was not Persephone’s fault

[@nomblob5592]

Ellie Hathaway Poseidon and his first wife is a good couple too if we dont count his concubines

[@elliehathaway3694]

Nom Blob if there is cheating then it can’t be very functional

[@Lord_Of_Night]

@@elliehathaway3694 Pretty sure that was Zeus.

[@lovelynova1494]

“So the lesson of this particular legend is: If you’re Gender Non-Binary, you’re magic, Ishtar loves you, and even the Queen of Hell thinks you’re hot.”

[@sureikashore1626]

as a nonbinary, i can confirm yes and i am amazing thank u very much

[@edsweet2858]

I can also confirm

[@starthekid8935]

Thanks for the nb love mythos 💕

[@DrepaChorusTCG]

yay my kind is included in an old myth

[@avashark6843]

The queen of hell likes a lot of people

[@jebstuart3162]

The first myth has Persephone ask for a black dress and Hades saying he'd put light blue highlights in her hair. The second myth has Persephone donned in exactly this stuff. The art is amazing and I love how it progresses

[@Mironius]

"Oldest son of the sky goddess N U T"

[@kenshin4113]

This pleases the nut.

[@elementoproductions6005]

@@kenshin4113 I'm no longer with it, as I think I can't do it anymore.

[@francescapatti2934]

So...what happens to the sky in November?

[@Valsorayu]

@@francescapatti2934 there are those who ritually fail so that it stays there.

[@dank_smirk2ndchannel200]

Orpheus: *looks behind him* Hades: "You had ONE job man!"

[@tomsautocadstudio6446]

God It's like you want to be in dantes infirno at least the game.

[@apollogodofthesun5630]

My son isn't that smart.

[@dank_smirk2ndchannel200]

Apollo, god of the sun I guess you could say that he's not as _bright_ as you are?

[@apollogodofthesun5630]

@@dank_smirk2ndchannel200 no I am really stupid too. Oh wait you ment the other meaning!

[@dank_smirk2ndchannel200]

Apollo, god of the sun ye

[@childofhades5251]

“Son, go visit your dead girlfriend before you make everyone else suicidal!” *slow claps*

[@therefinedhellion5041]

Hades in Media: "IMMA KILL EVERYONE AND BRING HELL ON EARTH!" Hades In Actual Myth & Legend: *nicest and most understanding god ever that has a wife he loves and genuinely tries to help people*

[@RedXlV]

Yeah, the only "problem" with Hades in the actual myths is that he strictly enforces the rules (ie "dead is dead, no take-backs"). Which is a bummer for dead people (well aside from the ones who get to go to Elysium), but it also means no zombie apocalypses for the living to worry about.

[@John_Weiss]

Hades also treats her _as his equal,_ something absolutely unheard of among the Ancient Greeks - we get the word, "misogyny," from their language, after all. The only way that the Ancient Greeks would show a goddess as equal to her husband is if she were really, _really, _*_really powerful_* and never to be messed with. As someone on the "Hades and Persephone" video put it: Hades & Persephone in the Actual Myths: Goth workaholic and his Eldritch Nightmare wife.

[@niserresin2006]

And people wonder why I don't like Hercules the Movie.

[@Galimeer5]

Orpheus: "Hey, you still behind me, babe?" Moral of the story: communication is key to healthy relationships

[@syddomann3054]

Red: The Muses hang on to his severed head so that he can sing forever Me: *John Mulaney voice* I don't remember that in Hadestown

[@altheahayden6642]

XD I love John Mulaney!

[@panicontheargo7034]

A Hadestown *AND* a John Mulaney reference? Bless

[@masquerabe6692]

As if we needed more reasons to hate the muses in that show 😂

[@desmondgentle1474]

@@masquerabe6692 I feel like maybe you mean the Fates

[@masquerabe6692]

@@desmondgentle1474 no I meant the muses. They didn’t get much mention but it was confirmed Orpheus’s mother was a muse who abandoned him But yeah fuck the fates too

[@cjfallon4251]

Actually the Persephone one is a modernized version. In the original, it's more like Persephone gets bored and finds the entrance for herself, wanders down and refuses to leave. Hades, being a social recluse, has no clue what to do and kinda just goes along with it because there is no protocol for this.

[@vaspeter2600]

"You are my boyfriend now." "Y-yes...?"

[@infinityoverlord606]

@@vaspeter2600 Hahaha,

[@Voxxymusic]

yeah

[@metademetra]

Oh God, Hades is a giant nerd, isn’t he?

[@lois7956]

@@metademetra My friends and I basically came up with this fan fic/ running joke that Hades is actually Murray from Flight of the Concords and Persephone is Rosa from Brooklyn 99. Ones a massive nerd, the other is terrifying. What started as a joke actually turned into an accepted canon for us XD

[@Mario_Angel_Medina]

The Muses: "Orpheus makes such a beautiful music" Orpheus: "please let me die"

[@shingshongshamalama]

Ishtar: "Heyo it's your girl, goddess of love, mother of all, queen of war and bringer of law, here to get my hubby back. So er... cough up the dead boy." Ereshkigal: "Well hello, Mommy." Ishtar: "excuse me and also no"

[@marche800]

You missed the most important part of the Izanagi myth and that was the curse Izanami put on humanity. Basically since Izanagi broke her heart by breaking off their marriage she cursed humanity so that thousands would die everyday, Izanagi counters this curse by declaring that tens of thousands would be born in their place. Kind of loses a lot of its impact when you consider Japan's declining birth rate, but it's still true on a world scale I guess.

[@brokoblin6284]

I'm glad someone said it!

[@NiladonGrey]

That and also she forgot to mention the part where Izanagi gets so utterly pissed at Kagutsuchi over something he had no control over that he literally beheads his son and chops the rest of his body into eight pieces, which in turn causes even more gods being created from a combination of his blood and Izanagi crying from rage and grief (I like Japanese mythology but like a lot of mythologies and folklore around the world it has no chill sometimes) and Kagutsuchi, or at least what’s left of him, became an incredibly pissed volcano god who, interestingly enough, started getting worshipped by Ceramic Workers and Blacksmiths despite becoming a god of destruction (I mean, hey, even Volcanic destroyer deities need a creative outlet and hobbies I guess) so Izanami ended up creating a water goddess named Mizuhame and basically ordered her with her dying breath to pacify Kagutsuchi if he ever gets violent, which basically explains why water gourds, wet clay and water reeds were used for fire fighting in ancient Japan (which is from a version of the myth in the Engishiki) Okay I imagine they left out the Kagutsuchi getting brutally mutilated due to killing Izanami with his flames by mistake and inadvertently becoming a harbinger of disparity and the cycle of life and death completely by accident part because considering the context of what Kagutsuchi was during that time it would probably be considered too brutal and cruel for KZbin, or anyone for that matter

[@Igarappappa]

Well I imagine when you're an island nation with not a lot of space to grow out you become more wary of having too many kids.

[@aureavita8653]

@@Igarappappa nah they're just 1. too depressed because their society puts a fuckton of burdens and expectation on them 2. not enough money

[@LuckySketches]

Of course Izanagi's dropping the ball.

[@louisdesforges2175]

I like the idea of Hades being a big softie tbh

[@Scream_Lord]

He kind of is. He's not concidered an Olympian (for some reason) and just does his his job and little else, the only dick-ish thing Hades did (depending which version you prefer) was kidnap Persephone. ZUES meanwhile can can't keep his dick under his toga, Poseidon rapped a Priestess of Athena who turned into a Gorgon BY Athena as PUNISHMENT, Ares was a straight asshole, Aphrodite is a cheating whore, and Hera threw her newborn son Hephaestus off of the top of Mount Olympus for being deformed or crippled. To name just a few examples.

[@D.A.R.C.I.]

Pee Wee Didi wow how ironic

[@thatlonelygiraffeinc.6989]

Well if all Poseidon did was rap some sick tunes to a priestess of Athena then I don't see how that was so bad.

[@lizmaxx268]

They meant "raped".

[@Scream_Lord]

lol

[@CliffCardi]

Orpheus: “Well, at least I have a great opera named after me.” 2021: “Theeeeeeeeeeere’s Hydrogen and Helium, Lithium, Beryllium.........”

[@alisonoconnor6864]

I mean there's also Hadestown. Won a few Tony's a couple years ago on its Broadway debut.

[@keybladechosn1]

Orpheus to Hades and Persephone: "La la la la la la la"

[@cqstlupin6074]

Orpheus to Hades and Persephone: "Kaze no koe hikari no tsubu madoro mu kimi ni sosogu"

[@LadyMythos315]

*epic 3 intensifies*

[@augustrempelewert4377]

Persephone in your drawing style is the most adorable thing EVER!

[@elliehathaway3694]

She’s so cute and hades reaction to her in the black dress is so adorable and totally true

[@PinkPiratePanda]

Check out lore olympus. Persephone is the human (God?) embodiment of a cinnamon roll.

[@uria3679]

QuinnBee yeah👍

[@teamcybr8375]

Dionysus begs to differ

[@TomLuTon]

I'll see your goddess of the underworld and raise you a Fury lawyer in a 3-piece suit with briefcase

[@Jillybean711]

*Horus:* "AGH! EYE!" *Seth:* "AUGH! NUT!" *Nut:* "You called?" IM DEAD

[@cawcaw508]

Set not Seth

[@cawcaw508]

I'm sorry I just am very picky about mythology

[@pumpkinpixie9677]

Hi 👋

[@agungpriambodo1674]

Set is where set (insert noun here) on fire comes from

[@johnthedork723]

You’re dead? Oh, say hi to Osiris for me.

[@thedisguise3538]

"Isanagi, I'm dying." "What, I'm just warming up." "Isanagi." "What, come on, where's the fire?"

[@tentavision13]

6:26 "He's a damn good musician, as you would expect of someone related to the god of music." Me: (Cries in Will Solace)

[@longshot9757]

Ah yes, the mandatory Percy Jackson reference

[@maevencrow1632]

The muses: That’s so sad, Orpheus play Despacito

[@ichiruki9812]

Lol!!!!!! With harps and lyres beachhhh

[@cqstlupin6074]

Orpheus: " I Will.....BURN MY DREAD

[@legendarytat8278]

@@cqstlupin6074 BABYBABYBABYBABYBABYBABYBABYBABY YEAHHHHHHHH

[@cqstlupin6074]

@legendary tat Fear's awake Anger beats loud Face reality Never beat charity The enemy you're fighting Covers whole society (Damn right) Mummy's not here, gotta fight (all night) Right here Shadow ten o'clock direction Seize the moment Destroy the nation Your rhyme is slow motion Give me motivation Freaked out now And dead on arrival (what?) Round up around Spit out all over Rhyme like a rolling stone Comin' a crowd Watch out They move They diss you loud Guess what this sound It bombs whole ground So round up Don't ease your pace 'Cause enemy's brutal Moment of truth There ain't no truce You're the only one One world One love But the battle goes on Shadows of mass destruction

[@scizormaster6624]

@@cqstlupin6074 I'm always happy to see Persona seep into any discussion ever, it's like a virus, but good for you and filled with sick angsty music!

[@definitelycatherine7296]

Goddess of love, fertility and war.... One of these things is not like the other.

[@Pendrake]

It's true. Not all things are fair in fertility.

[@elijahwatson3474]

Definitely Catherine Look up Kali

[@asalways1504]

Freya was also a goddess of war as well as love too. My theory to this is gods of love are also gods of lust, including power lust and blood lust that affiliated with war.

[@FonVegen]

The word that came to my mind was "passion".

[@nidohime6233]

Like they said, all is fair in love and war.

[@Mario_Angel_Medina]

You gotta love Izanagi's dad jokes... one could even say they're "God-tier"

[@fictionalfox7114]

Take my like and heres the door 👉 🚪

[@toocoldforyouhere8353]

6:43 rattlesnake vs songbird 6:58 wait for me 7:01 Epic III 7:16 wait for me (reprise) 7:18 doubt comes in 7:27 we raise our cups

[@Channel-dy4vm]

Thx 😂

[@seancooper6415]

Once upon a time there was a railroad line.....Adre deShields IS a god.

[@jrgrimm6091]

"The meanest dog you'll ever meet He ain't the hound dog in the street He bares some teeth and tears some skin But brother, that's the worst of him The dog you really got to dread Is the one that howls inside your head It's him whose howling drives men mad And a mind to its undoing You got a lonesome road to walk And it ain't along the railroad track And it ain't along the black-top tar You've walked a hundred times before I'll tell you where the real road lies Between your ears, behind your eyes, that is the path to Paradise, likewise the road to ruin" My favorite part.

[@helenanilsson5666]

"Hey, look! I invented something too! Think I'll call it murder!" How To Find the Saltiest God in the Pantheon

[@arthas640]

That sounds alot like something out of genesis. I can really picture Cain saying that to Able

[@jalindepriest7311]

@@arthas640 Yep

[@RyunosukeHachi]

Osiris got his revenge though: “Hey, Brother Set! Made something for you!” “A headband?” “A *HORNED* headband. By the way, how is *your* son Anubis doing? And your lovely wife, Nephthys?” “Fine. Why?” “No reason.”

[@sflaningam7680]

"What's the plan." "Damn I made you cute" "Hi there." "Damn he made you cute" SO MUCH CUTE!!!

[@greywalker505]

The Anti-Frankenstein.

[@croetheconfused]

Non-binary people be like

[@ToonedMinecraft]

@@greywalker505 frankenstein was also fairly handsome, originally.

[@greywalker505]

@@ToonedMinecraft Yeah, but Victor was terrified of him.

[@lextatertotsfromhell7673]

@@ToonedMinecraft Frankinstine was the doctor

[@KHTimeProtecter]

One version of the Isis story is that Isis, like Demeter, goes to a rich person’s house because she heard Osiris was in one of the pillars. She became a nursemaid to the family’s baby and tried to make him immortal. Like the queen in Demeter’s story, the mother found out, freaked, and Isis, revealing herself to be a goddess, told her that she’ll forgive this if she could take back the pillar with Osiris in it. I just think that’s a nice parallel to those stories.

[@niserresin2006]

Parallel? NGL I'm pretty sure the Greeks just stole the story wholesale.

[@shadowking1380]

4:42 can we just take a moment to appreciate the use of the “Egyptian god monster” theme from the yugioh anime?

[@silentspirit8923]

Heck yeah! It's time to duel!

[@raineecho4005]

Unless you mean the coloring, they don’t look very similar.

[@shadowking1380]

Eric Pitzer I was talking about the music used

[@B.-T.]

The myth of Osiris is so unrealistic. Like Bast wouldn't have immediately jumped in that box-like object and refused to give it up.

[@TheRopy8]

I didn't understand this joke at first. Then I looked up who Bast was and laughed so hard. Thank you for this.

[@masquerabe6692]

Purrfect cat joke End my suffering

[@CazTails]

If I fits... I sits.

[@ladygrey7707]

*It’s too dark in here so I can’t hear a thing*

[@pRahvi0]

Izanagi wasn't the brain of the dynamic duo... I hope.

[@agungpriambodo1674]

That does actually happen in Space

[@unflexian]

best pickup line

[@D1ckGr4ys0n]

Me too

[@iceluvndiva21]

Uh dude? What does being dark and unable to see have to do with hearing?

[@tomsmurf4225]

"It's too dark in here, I can't hear a thing" is such an underrated joke

[@FatalHog]

4:20 i dont know what it is, but i just find the way yall draw these characters just, adorable.

[@Queen_Beelz]

*"It's like strip dying...the ultimate party game!🎊PLAY IT WITh YOUR FRIENDS"*

[@ilanaliu2562]

lol

[@toocoldforyouhere8353]

*NolaGranola Animation* , t-shirt

[@valentine8409]

Wibbly wobbly timey wimey

[@its9485]

😂

[@abox6989]

Handgun not included

[@lilac392]

"Get some damn closure before you make the rest of us suicidal"😂😂great parenting honestly

[@CJCroen1393]

Fun fact: He already made the Sirens suicidal! (though that was more because he played better than they sung).

[@childofhades5251]

I died laughing when she said that 😂

[@bethgutierrez-vazquez3055]

Yes

[@petermarsella6537]

Are we not gonna talk about how APOLLO of all gods has a son? And also that the SUN God has a SON

[@acedragon1456]

Apollo got around a lot, if it weren't for the fact that many of his love interests were male or turned themselves into shrubbery (or both) he would probably be able to contend with Zeus. Although that does beg the question as to how Orpheus' mother avoided becoming a plant for 9 months. And yes, the sun god has a son **immaturely snickers**

[@poppypollen4362]

I love the finale of Izanagi&Izanami myth where after he blocked the entry to Yomi-no-Kuni with a boulder they had a little exchange. She says if he leaves her, she'll be killing 1000 people every day. And he replies that in this case he's gonna built 1500 houses for pregnant women per day. It's so raw and tragic and chthonic.

[@alexmason1604]

It also explains the cycle of life and death and how some iterations actually (and sorta) believe that izanami was the first ever shinigami waaaaay before shinigamis were ever invented, who were fairly modern. Minus some stories of Murasaki shikibu who referenced shinigamis before

[@alexiswelsh5821]

There are MANY versions of the Hades/Persephone myth. All of them have different reasons for why Hades kidnapped his niece Persephone. -Aphrodite got pissed, either Demeter was determined to keep Persephone a virgin, or someone said Persephone was prettier than her. So she made Hades fall madly in love. -Zeus owed Hades a favor, so he said his brother could marry any one of his daughters. Eww. -Hades and Persephone fell in love at a party or something and wanted to date, but Demeter said no. -Demeter was a controlling overprotective mother, so Persephone was desperate to escape. -Any combo of the above -etc.

[@segnos]

You forgot about the hades was horny so he just kinda took her one

[@niserresin2006]

The earliest ones depict her as Hades' equal, and arguably considered scarier than him, so it's likely that she doesn't hold the kidnapping against him. That is my interpretation and I'm sticking to it.

[@FatrickAteman]

i love how the last story is basically "maybe you should trust hades sometimes"

[@TheTrueAdept]

Yeah, he's rather CHILL once you think about it. He even called his dog SPOT for crying out loud!

[@helenanilsson5666]

Sungindra Setiawan Well, "most trustworthy of all Greek deities" is a pretty low bar. Basically he was one of the few that wasn't chaotic art, chaotic war, chaotic horny or chaotic chaos.

[@dropdead234]

Didn't run around on his wife, stayed out of the mortals'...ummm lives, was generally easy going.

[@ASquared544]

Hades is literally the best god. He is the only God that doesn't completely screw people over. Zeus randomly bangs women, Hera abuses said women and their children, Apollo and Artemis killed a bunch of kids because their mom was an ass, Posieden makes things unnecessarily complicated all the time, etc, etc. What has Hades done? Kidnap someone because he was lonely (and said kidnapped person actually liked Hades and the underworld), and trapped two people who kidnapped Helen of Troy and were planning on seducing Hades' wife. Seriously, Hades should be the protagonist literally all the time!

[@arsenelupin5424]

Helena Nilsson “chaotic chaos”

[@LionBoy329]

I'm sorry... Baby Horus is just too god damn adorable in this.

[@mitchellneu]

At 7:01, after Orpheus sings to Hades and Persephone: Hades: dang Persephone: sniff Me: yeah, "Epic III" was quite the powerhouse...

[@cqstlupin6074]

The song: memories of you

[@francescapatti2934]

Epic III is the powerhouse of the hell.

[@comicstrider4851]

5:08 this is now my head canon of why The Fog happened in Inaba

[@emilygillock3803]

Izanami: Alright THATS it, I'm blinding all of humanity with fog. Izanagi: About that....*no.*

[@kalenproductions6807]

I love how your interpretation of modern Persephoneis that she was this cute little flowery pastel girl and then is all "Eeeee I'm goth now!" xD

[@agustinvenegas5238]

Persephone was the original pastel goth and no one can convince me otherwise

[@ashleyhansen4479]

@@agustinvenegas5238 You stole those damn words outta my mouth. XD But I agree with you.

[@hadrian8712]

She was born when Zeus and demeter did the thing while they were both in the form of snakes

[@alias4952]

Read the comic "Lore Olympus" On webtoon! It summarizes the abduction of persephone in modern ways!

[@ashleyhansen4479]

@@alias4952 I've sorta read it, but only seen comic dubs. I might read it at some point.

[@CJCroen1393]

I love how the Orpheus one was actually referenced in an episode of Disney's Hercules cartoon--Orpheus was mentioned to have a concert entitled "Orpheus: Never Look Back".

[@zbubbles4126]

They had a Hercules episode series? I thought that they only had a movie.

[@JamesCPotter13]

z bubbles yep. Hercules the series technically takes place both after and in the middle of the movie. Hercules and Megara are moving in together after the events of the movie and she finds his high school yearbook, so Herc tells her about his school days where he was a Hero-in-Training. Cool side note: Aladdin and Hercules had a crossover because Jafar was complaining about Aladdin in the Underworld, so Hades says he's NOTHING compared to Herc, so he brings Jafar back to life, SO THEY CAN SWITCH ENEMIES TO TRY THE DO IT BETTER THING.

[@theycallmeabunchofshit2176]

Lmao YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSS

[@zbubbles4126]

JamesCPotter13 Where?

[@JamesCPotter13]

z bubbles Look up the episode Hercules and the Arabian Night and bask in the glory.

[@woozean]

OOOOOORRRRPHEEEUUUUUSSSS * hadestown fan intensifies *

[@MaxWelton]

5:58 Zeus *orders Hades to kidnap Persephone as an arranged marriage that happens to include a kidnapping and Hades is obviously not in a position to deny Zeus’s orders*

[@bonniefazman9065]

Which is how you know that practically most bad things that happen in Greek Mythology is due to Zeus being involved in some way, shape, or form.

[@stephenhall509]

"Let's talk about orpheus and eurideces!" Me: i'm waaaay ahead of you! Alexa, play Hadestown!

[@darthpasta3056]

Bro I listen to that soundtrack almost daily

[@kariscoyne1886]

@@darthpasta3056 oh, hard same

[@mitchellneu]

Just finished listening to the Hadestown soundtrack for the first time....DAMN.... I mean, I already knew how it ended thanks to the original myth, but still...DAMN...it was POWERFUL. Also in my headcanon, I like to believe Hades was merciful and set out a spot in Elysium for both Orpheus and Eurydice, where Eurydice waits for Orpheus's inevitable return once his train ticket finally gets punched. So yeah, still sad, but with a little hope that the two will indeed see each other again.

[@leereed4945]

Waitttttttttt for meeeeeeee, I’m comingggggggggggg

[@alexac4293]

Hell yeah brother

[@Khajitxi]

I don’t know where I heard it from, but I recall there being one version of the Persephone myth where Demeter is basically an infamously overbearing/coddling/smother mother and Persephone runs away from to get some damn space. Hades picks her up and shelters her before falling in love; then the rest of the myth proceeds as normal.

[@corinneeaglebridge]

Khajitxi So basically Tangled

[@typacsk]

That was kind of the spin that Jim Butcher put on the story

[@assassintwinat8]

I recall versions of the myth where Hades fell in love with Persephone and asked lady-killer Zeus for advice, and it was actually HIS idea to kidnap her. He knew full-well that Hades was talking about his own daughter, too. Dad of the year, everybody. That version of the myth is a little weird, since even though Hades kidnapped her, he still tried to win her over by showering her with gifts and kindness. And I guess Persephone thought his shyness was kinda cute?

[@OptimusPhillip]

I like to interpret Hades and Persephone as a precursor to Beauty and the Beast.

[@agungpriambodo1674]

In conclusion, Hades didn't kidnap her despite it famously being called that

[@altofmoleperson]

They made a whole jazz-themed musical about that 2nd Greek myth. It’s called Hadestown, and it’s the absolute best.

[@holyshard530]

"Let's talk about Orpheus and Eurydice" My mind: la lalalalalalala....laLALALALALALA-

[@zobralolz]

Ishtar: hey Gilgamesh wanna... Gilgamesh: Enkiduuuuuuu Ishtar:but. Gilgamesh:ENKIDUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!

[@pablocruz5613]

Dylan Chouinard na, they were HeteroLifePartners

[@lightning2436]

ZASSHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

[@bowmanc.7439]

I thought Enkidu was made from clay and modelled after the most beautiful priest-prostitute. So anything goes I guess. Also, it's the pre-Christian days, homosexuality was a norm.

[@chickensqaud197]

ZobraLolz ! Vh

[@MogofWar]

Gilgamesh, the father of "bros before hoes." founder of the bro-code perhaps its only true adherent.

[@Thememester439]

I like the idea that Hades kidnaps Persephone and at first she's all confused and understandable upset, but then Hades explains and starts giving the tour and she's just like "Yeah. Yeah I can run with this. It's not bad."

[@ValerieRaya]

That was actually a version and most likely even the oldest one. I guess they changed it later for the same reason they changed Pandora from "I am beautiful *and* smart!" to "I have no idea what I'm doing because I am a woman."

[@AlienBunnyRabbit]

Which version is that??? I can't find it. I'd like to read it.

[@brigidtheirish]

I was talking about the Persephone myth with my dad and he pointed out that even if she was kidnapped, Hades being a king may have helped her decide she didn't mind the arrangement. Me: "King of the *Underworld.*" Dad: "But still a king. And she gets to be queen."

[@MysteriumArcanum]

+brigidtheirish Also, I heard somewhere that Hades was the richest of the gods since all the gems and precious metals taken from the Earth are his.

[@brigidtheirish]

Exactly. She gets a wealthy king for a husband who also happens to be about as nice as pagan gods ever get. He's definitely a better choice than any other guy in the Greek pantheon.

[@reese9705]

2:35 Sooo, Ariskegal (idk how to spell) is why we have transphobia, apparently...

[@navypaladin9753]

Her name is Ereshkigal. If you ask me how I know? Fate Series.

[@athenaparthenos9092]

Baby Horus (3:59) is freaking adorable

[@JerryOfAllTradesAries]

Because of your episodes, Hades and Persephone are now my OTP

[@caseygray2328]

Nut was just so chill about her kids trying to kill each other. also Hades and Persephone being that one couple that while they love each other DO need counseling

[@starwarschic123]

casey gray whereas Hera and Zeus need counseling agreed on Hades and Persephone though I can also see a betting pool on when Hades and Persephone actually go to marriage counseling but it never happens cause they make up and have a healthy yet full of shouting relationship >^

[@aribahossain6234]

6:21 I like this pic soo wholesome!! Look at Hades! So happy to see his goddess wearing underworld attire and looking beautiful (surely magnified 100x as beauty is in the eyes of the beholder). I'm with the narrator. I like Persephone's jamming in underworld badass version than the kidnapping one.

[@Flasa]

Izanagi’s dad jokes while Izanami is dying made me laugh more than I should, hahahah

[@fingerboxes]

I think that the reason Ereshkigal hates Ishtar so much that she chains her to the wall and smites her with 60 diseases isn't that she's mad that Ishtar is trying to escape death, it's that she's angry Ishtar got the job of goddess of passion but never has to face the consequences. Ishtar has sex and wins glorious battles. Ereshkigal gets to hold the dead babies, murdered husbands, and lifeless wives. She gets to hear their sob stories and pleas to return to the realm of the living. She gets to listen to their complaints about the refreshments of the underworld being clay for bread and sand for wine. Ishtar kills people all day in BOTH of her positions as fertility goddess and war goddess--remember how deadly childbirth was at the time, often having a higher per capita death rate than even war--with no thought to the consequences. Ereshkigal wades through the consequences every day and it's super depressing. Also, Ishtar probably has way more priests and priestesses and they're always having parties and singing bawdy hymns. Ereshkigal is unloved by humanity. They dread their inevitable descent to her realm. It might just be that I'm a rabid asexual and violently suicidal most of the time, but I feel for Ereshkigal. I find her a very sympathetic and compassionate character.

[@cramerfloro5936]

Also Ishtar sent Ereshkigal's husband to die in a fight against Gilgamesh. Though even in other myths you see her pretty pissed at the other gods' shenanigans

[@hughchapman2207]

@@cramerfloro5936 Pretty sure they're also sisters in a few legends, so there's that too.

[@John_Weiss]

In the Sumerian version, Ianna [the Akkadians called her Ishtar] went to the underworld for the funeral of Ereshkigal's husband, and when she got there demanded to sit on her sister's throne. So Inanna was being arrogant and a terrible guest.

[@Lee-id8fc]

5:32 “It’s too dark in here, I can’t hear a thing” ... BUT-

[@NDOhioan]

*Flips switch* "IS THAT BETTER? CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?"

[@senoramerico8622]

Synesthesia

[@neardarkroad1347]

japanese one is a tragic for me

[@Ray-hk1zm]

-DARKNESS DOESN'T AFFECT HEARING! It affects smell.

[@scouttyra]

@@Ray-hk1zm no no no... It affects touch.

[@TheDungeonofBadDecisions]

My first encounter with the orpheus myth was a disturbing cameo of his resentful severed head in a modern children's fantasy. I literally could not tell you anything else about the story, all i remember is the fucked up bit with the sullen and angry talking head locked up in some evil wizard's tower.

[@NL-ws5fv]

You know, after rewatching this, and the Hades and Persephone video, and the Aphrodite video, I wonder if Ereshkigal might be another view of Persephone. Or more accurately Persephone is another vision of Ereshkigal, or "She-who-must-not-be-named".

[@TheTruestZero]

Ishtar is a 4 star badass Delight Works: Hold mah beer *Makes Ishtar 5 Star Archer*

[@CubanReuben117]

Also makes Ishtar Useless

[@wickederebus]

Rin disappointed. Ereshkigal laughs.

[@wickederebus]

Finally found the Fate/ comment

[@aredjayc2858]

@@wickederebus Now Space Ishtar is Broken AF

[@crawlingboy]

make her a five star avenger with different np cards

[@koboldhasasword9440]

"So tell me about yourself" "I'm about 10 minutes old" HMMMM

[@NecroCritic]

I was always told a slightly different version of the Persephone myth. In this version, Eros decided to shoot Hades with one of his arrows, presumably because he thought it would be HILARIOUS for the Lord of the Dead to go full-Zeus (ie: doing something excruciatingly stupid out of sudden horniness). And that was why he kidnapped Persephone.

[@l.n.3372]

The original version I read said that Aphrodite asked Eros to shoot Hades with the love arrow (either because Aphrodite was angry at Demeter or because she was angry at Persephone). Either way, Aphrodite and Eros found it amusing to fuck up the situation and screw with the lives of the other gods. I still think Zeus is to blame for recommending that Hades should kidnap Persephone tho. Dude is always at fault for everything.

[@majorasmask5523]

Don’t forget, Orpheus was an Argonaut. Also, Theseus tried to help his buddy kidnap Persephone.

[@JenamDrag0n]

The Homeric Hymn to Demeter seems to be the oldest version of the Abduction of Persephone myth that I've found which is good because that's my favorite of all the tellings (though I do also like Claudian's addition at the beginning of the myth that gives more background including that Hades is so lonely and bitter about his lot of ruling the Underworld and being denied a family that he literally threatens to Zeus that he'll unleash the Titans if he's not allowed to marry, and Persephone actually wants to be in a relationship with someone). Zeus gave Hades permission to marry Persephone and even bade their grandmother Gaia to grow the narcissus, Hades' flower, in the meadow where Persephone was playing with a bunch of Okeanid nymphs (including Styx, I may add, which I find interesting because her river surrounds the Underworld as a barrier to protect it), to appease Hades and as a gesture of good faith. Persephone thought it was the most beautiful flower present and plucked it. When she did so, the Earth did open up and Hades did bare her away in his golden chariot pulled by his immortal horses and she was terrified crying out for her mother and Zeus to help her. Zeus ignored her and the nymphs who were there did nothing. Hecate and Demeter both heard Persephone, but did not see who took her thought it could have been a mortal man. Helios both heard and saw everything. Interestingly enough, literally nobody would tell Demeter what happened until Hecate found her, wanted to help, and suggested they see Helios. Helios told all, but actually phrases it in such that it sounds like he's only blaming Zeus for Persephone's abduction. In modern language, it seems like he's saying "It's all Zeus's fault; he gave away Persephone to be Hades' wife without your consent, so that's why you heard your daughter cry for help, which was a dick move on Zeus's part, but it's okay! Hades is a really great guy with both good status and lots of wealth, so she'll be comfortably taken care of. Persephone could hardly do better with a husband like him!" What's also interesting is that while modern depictions tend to make out Demeter as angry mostly at Hades for stealing her daughter, in the Homeric Hymn, her anger seems mostly directed at Zeus and that plus her grief for losing her daughter is what causes her to stop growing things. With nothing growing, Zeus sends Hermes down to the Underworld to convince Hades to let Persephone return to the Earth so that her mother will stop killing the planet. And Hades agrees to it! He's not happy, but he lets her go readily and says to her in modern terminology, "Go back to your mother, Persephone, and think well of me. Don't be so sad, for I shall continue to be a good and worthy husband to you. And when you come back, you shall rule over everyone here in the Underworld alongside me as my equal, and those who dare mock you and do not revere you properly shall be punished forevermore." Persephone was immediately glad, but whether it was because she was leaving, Hades' words, or a mixture of both is difficult to say, but that's when he secretly gave her a single pomegranate seed, so that she might not remain forever with Demeter and return. This seems to imply that Persephone /did/ know about the rule of eating the Underworld food, that she didn't just suddenly start feeling hungry and was unable to help herself from eating some, and that Hades gave her the choice to come back to him. He may have kidnapped her to be his wife, but he allowed her to decide whether she would remain. Then Hades fixed up his chariot for Hermes to take Persephone with him to the surface, staying behind himself, and Persephone was happily reunited with her mother. But then Demeter, with misgivings demanded if her daughter had eaten any food from the Underworld, because if she hadn't, Demeter would immediately hasten her away to Olympus where she would live among all the other gods and never have to set foot in the Underworld again, and the language Demeter uses makes such a big contrast between Olympus and the Underworld that it's clear she thinks very poorly of it. Whether Persephone had already eaten that pomegranate seed Hades had given her on the way up or not, Hades had given her that choice and Hades had treated her well, but her mother would never let her return to the Underworld if she wasn't required to and her mother already had a strong, negative opinion about the Underworld. So when Persephone recounted the story to her mother, she gave an account that sounded more sorrowful and terrible than it probably really was and how, yes, she ate the food of the Underworld because Hades secretly put a pomegranate seed in her mouth and forced her to taste it against her will, so she reeeeeally had no choice but to go back to the Underworld and how she wishes it could be otherwise, but eh. Can't be helped. And then Zeus arbitrarily declared that Persephone would only be required to spend only a third of the year (not six months) in the Underworld while the rest was with her mother.

[@enderdarkos4087]

For the last part, I remember reading a version that Hades and Demeter were arguing (Hades wanting his wife at his sides and Demeter wanting her daughter) but that the greatest Olympian, Hestia, came and was like "Why not do both ?", so it's what they did

[@elsie8757]

Wow, that part about Hades letting Persephone go home but giving her the pomegranate seed so she can choose to return, sounds kinda like the magic ring in the original version of Beauty and the Beast~!

[@RandomPerson-cm2wg]

Here’s the version I read. Persephone, goddess of season is someone that is even more beautiful then Aphrodite. And you know how Aphrodite reacts to other women prettier then her, boom! Persephone got killed. But without Persephone, the entire world sinks into Winter and began dying. So Hades made Persephone a deal, she can go back to the world of the living every half a year and then she has to come back to be his wife. And that’s this version of the story.

[@hp22h78]

That sounds familiar...

[@CloudyNight2156]

@@RandomPerson-cm2wg Not even remotely accurate, but entertaining non the less.

[@MisterDeplume]

Way down, Hadestown! Way down under the ground!

[@Kale-as-in-kaleidoscope]

Hound dog howl and the whistle blow Train comes a-rollin' clickety-clack Nobody knows where that old train goes Those who go, they don't come back- They go way down, Hadestown! Way down under the ground!

[@asocksual4910]

EVERYBODY HUNGRY, EVERYBODY TIRED! Everyone slaves by the sweat of his brow! The wage is nothin' and the work is hard, IT' S A GRAVEYARD in Hadestown!

[@animeotaku307]

Every little penny in the wishing well Every little nickel on the drum (On the drum!) All them shiny little heads and tails Where do you think they come from? They come from way down, Hadestown! Way down under the ground!

[@dunce6827]

Mr. Hades is a mean old boss With a silver whistle and a golden scale An eye for an eye~! And he weighs the cost A lie for a lie~! And your soul for sale! Sold! To the king on the chromium throoooone Thrown! To the bottom of a Sing Sing cell Where the little wheel squeals and the big wheel groans And you better forget about your wishing well~!

[@ellarasei4404]

Doubt comes in

[@mr.cobalt1668]

I think I remember seeing something about Cerberus supposedly having a mane of snakes and/or one or more snakes for a tail, serving as extra sets of independently-functioning eyes to make him impossible to sneak past. Most depictions nowadays leave this part out half because it's probably a pain to draw all those snakes and half because they probably think it's hard to make the triple good boy "cute" while covered in snakes, but to counter the latter point I present the following: "Unlimited Blep Works".

[@thenightqueen0]

Isis: I saw more of him than you did when he was alive! Nepthys: *looks away sweating remembering how she had Anubis*

[@l.n.3372]

I thought Set was the father of Anubis, not Osiris.

[@thenightqueen0]

@@l.n.3372 Well not quite. See either Set couldn’t bring a child or Nepthys didn’t want one with him (honestly wouldn’t blame her). So she disguised herself as her sister Isis and slept with Osiris one night and soon had Anubis. Set, of course, did not like Anubis because of that. Which is why Nepthys went with Isis to ask for sanctuary and both helped to put Osiris back together. And even further why it made sense for Anubis to invent the mummification process on Osiris to preserve his true father’s body as would be done for all the dead.

[@l.n.3372]

@@thenightqueen0 Then in this video, why did Horus claim that Set was the father of Anubis? Or was Anubis not aware of his paternity? Also, wow, Egyptian gods. That's not cool. Disguising yourself as someone else to sleep with their husband? Big no.

[@thenightqueen0]

@@l.n.3372 Because Anubis technically was raised by Nepthys and Set. Anubis probably wasn’t aware of Osiris being his father at first until later but most of the time Anubis is the son of Osiris. There are other versions of his parentage and sometimes it’s Set, but it depends on what version you read which depends on the era like in Hellenism (the pagan Greek religion)

[@popalupa4844]

There was one version of the Osiris myth in which Horus hadn't been born yet. So basically, Isis found Osiris' penis in the stomach of a fish, pulled it out, and used it to impregnate herself. 1. That's disgusting. 2. Egypt is weird. 3. That's not how anatomy works.

[@XavierZara]

WD Vinco and that's how dildos were made

[@balancevoid3553]

Anonymous taking "go fuck yourself" quite literally I see ;p

[@nope3457]

Anonymous Your profile picture works well with your comment

[@haru-chanstuna145]

WD Vinco love your profile picture

[@cjsmalley5506]

Then there's the one where Set kills Osiris with the coffin, Isis finds the body and brings him back, Set kills him again, turns him into a jigsaw puzzle, Isis finds every piece but the penis, magics up a new one, has sex with the still dead body, conceives Horus, and then Osiris is resurrected but says "Screw this, I'm out." and becomes king of the underworld. It's safer down there you know.

[@janesmith5224]

In older versions of the Hades one, Persephone was shown as a strong woman who saw that the Underworld needed a queen and went willingly with Hades. There's been some evidence that the Greeks changed it from that version, most likely to be misogynic.

[@ValerieRaya]

I remember a story where she was like "This guy is decent and seems nice and respectful... *side-eyes Zeus* and this place needs a queen. I'll stay." This was a few years ago in my greek-mythos-phase but if I remember correctly, this was the oldest version they could find. But hey, I mean it's not like myths were ever changed into a (even more) misogynistic version *coughPandoracough*

[@dynamicworlds1]

Yeah, the Greeks kinda went back and forth on how they treated women...mostly back. Ironically, dictatorial Sparta with its absurd level of machoness was probably the best, and (sometimes) democratic Athens, the worst...kinda got to pick and choose what to take from those city states there.

[@rueluxprince6982]

I think another version of that was Persephone playing in her field of flowers, stumbles into the underworld and decides to stay. She also refused to leave no matter how much Zeus yelled at her to come up, and also ended up getting her name changed from "girl" to "the destroyer." Hades was blissfully confused in the background the whole time

[@DixeyRay]

I remember a version where Hades went up to the surface to watch her everyday because she was pretty and one day she followed him back down and refused to leave because hey look this is coooool. If i stay i can be a queen? Yasss. Ensues redt of story.

[@jish55]

It's one of my favorite myths from Greek mythology, mainly because it's one of the few times where it's a somewhat happy ending. Also, it shows that out of all the Gods, Hades is one of the only ones who isn't a massive douche, I mean look at her own mother, Demeter was going to put Persephone on a secluded island for all eternity just so no one would touch her, but she goes to the underworld, and all of a sudden, she is not only given free roam to go wherever she desires, but is treated as Hades equal, ruling with him and is allowed to punish others as she sees fit. It's why even in the kidnapped version, it ends up with her loving it down there and growing to love Hades as well.

[@vice-virgo9635]

Honestly, I came for Orpheus and Eurydice, but the rest were worth hearing about as well. By the way: if memory serves, he turned around at *literally* the last possible moment before walking out of Hades (the underworld one, not the god). On a separate note (no pun intended!), his music was said to be so incredible that upon hearing it, even the gods wept. I mean, that's kinda obvious by the narrator's commentary, but I thought it warranted repeating.

[@andrewtyrell4795]

Since mythology has no official canon (according to another video on the channel, big fan) so I present my interpretation of Hades and Persephone. Hades sees Persephone and thinks "oh no, she's cute. I should ask her out." But living in the underworld he doesn't have much in the way of social skills so he calls up his brother Zeus who is noted as the god of rape...I mean good at hookups. Zeus probably gives him a pickup line which he probably flubs, but it's fine because she thinks it's cute and agrees to go back to check out his collection of precious gems. Demeter asks Zeus where her daughter is and Zeus (being a huge dick about it) throws his brother under the bus by claiming Hades kidnapped her and denies he had any involvement in the incident at all. Blah blah...pomegranate seeds...blah blah...six months of winter...blah blah...underworld power couple...blah blah...Demeter gets Hades flagged as a kidnapper because that's what Zeus told her and she refuses all Hades' attempts to explain and burns all their winter solstice cards without reading them. Tldr, all the bad stuff is Zeus' fault. Like always.

[@fredericchopin7797]

"God of ra-" whEEZe

[@niserresin2006]

The oldest known version of the story ALSO says that everything is Zeus's fault, except the pomegranate seeds. And it's never stated that Persephone held those against him, anyway. Of course I didn't read it, I just watched Red's video on it, so I could be wrong. But what's *important* is the conservation of the only stable couple in all of Greek myth.

[@hostessofhorror99]

I love Underworld myths; it combines both mythology and my morbid love for tragic love stories involving death and the afterlife. My favorite myth is the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, and I really like the version you mentioned where it ends with Orpheus getting his head chopped off and becoming the Muses' radio-head. It's truly a wicked ending that I rarely hear other storytellers mention. *Melpomene: This is so sad. Orpheus, sing Despacito for us.*

[@greywalker505]

“Radio-Head?” Great, now I’m imagining his severed head singing, “Just,” which has a a fitting lyric given what happened to him (“You do it to yourself/and that’s what really hurts”)

[@M3DUCH4N43V3R]

LMAOOOO Calliope is just like “yeah...my son’s my personal radio now.”

[@nerdybirdyperson4088]

It would be awesome if you did a video just on the Hades and Persephone myth. It's one of my favorites.

[@agungpriambodo1674]

I agree but Red should call make it longer

[@jordanloux3883]

Just 10 minutes of an adorable couple and their three-headed dog

[@elliehathaway3694]

Same and longer

[@elliehathaway3694]

Agung Priambodo same and I ageeed with you before on a different coment lol

[@elliehathaway3694]

Jordan Loux First move in to the underworld together then get a three headed dog That’s how you build a real action ship right?

[@panicontheargo7034]

And on the road to hell there was a railroad line... Sorry, my inner Hadestown fan is showing

[@florijanvolcansek6136]

Ishtars "Does that help?" kills me xDD