Roman God Pluto, Lord of the Underworld
Unlike many other religions, The Roman was polytheistic. This means that there were many gods they worshiped.
A characteristic of the Romans is that they developed a religious system with priests. rites, temples, and gods and dedicated a deity to practically any everyday aspects of life.
However, death is also part of life, so the Romans also dedicated a deity to this matter. This god was under the name of Pluto and he is represented with a stern look, a beard, and accompanied by cypress trees.
What is Pluto the god of?
The Roman god Pluto was one the most important gods in this mythology. He was one of the multiple sons of Saturn, the god of agriculture, and Ops, the deity of fertility. Among his brothers were Neptune and Jupiter.
The roman god of death Pluto was also considered the god of earth and crops and minerals that flowed from it, in addition to ruling the underworld and the souls that came to it. He was also considered a god bearer of great wealth.
Even when he is known for being the Roman god of death, Pluto was not originally the god of the underworld.
He is related to the Greek word “Ploutus” (wealth) and he was considered by the Roman as the donor of gold, silver, and other subterranean substances.
Of all the deities in the Roman pantheon, Pluto god of death and wealth was the most ruthless and feared by men, who in their opinion called him inflexible and terrible.
Due to his great ugliness and the harshness of his features, he instilled great fear among the inhabitants.
Despite this, he is considered one of the fairest gods that exist. The Roman god of the underworld Pluto judged all the souls regardless of race or social position.
The Romans placed him among the eight chosen gods. These gods were the only ones represented in gold, silver, and ivory.
A statue of the Roman god Pluto
History of Pluto god of death and wealth
It is a well-known fact that the Roman god Pluto was the son of Saturn and Ops and he has two brothers and two sisters. After his father defeated the brothers divided Saturn’s kingdoms. As a result, Jupiter received heaven, Neptune received the sea, and the god Pluto received the underworld.
The Roman god Pluto’s primary duty was to meet the dead and stand trial after rowing across the river Styx.
For this reason, Pluto accompanied them to their homes in the underworld. They were judged depending on the life that they have lived.
The good ones would live forever in the fields of Elysium which was the land of the blesses meanwhile the wicked ones were condemned in Tartarus which was the reign of torment.
After a while, the Roman god of death Pluto realized that he wanted a wife to help him to have an heir and also to rule the underworld.
Unfortunately, he was rejected by the goddesses and none of them wanted to marry him. The goddesses didn’t want to live in that dark and gloomy realm.
One of Cupid’s arrows shot him during a visit on the ground and he fell in love with someone who was near a river. Her name was Proserpine who was there with her maidens. We will be deepening later in this myth.
He descended with Proserpine to the nocturnal lands with his chariot and they both were visited by living souls searching for lost souls. One of those souls was Orpheus. He was told to be able to enchant even trees with his enchanting music.
Orpheus wanted them to return Eurydice, his girlfriend. He played his music for them in order to be granted.
On another occasion, Protesilao, begs him to return so he can reunite with his wife. He was a soldier who was killed in the battle against the titans. The Roman god of death Pluto decided to grant Protesilao and his wife one last day together.
Orpheus and Eurydice in the underworld
Most important myths about the Roman god Pluto
Let us take a look at the most characteristic myths of the god Pluto.
The Birth of Pluto god of the Underworld
This myth tells the story of the birth of the god Pluto and how he took over the underworld.
His father Saturn swallowed five of his sons, and between them were the Roman god of death Pluto and the Roman god of the sea Neptune.
But the king of the gods, Jupiter did not have the same fate thanks to the help of his mother Ops, she did him and raised him secretly from Saturn. when Jupiter reached adulthood he challenged his father and achieved rescue from his brothers, who joined him and fought against him.
When this fight came to an end and they managed to defeat their father and the titans, the brothers became kings and regents of everything that the god Saturn had and of control of the universe. It was in that moment when the Roman god Pluto inherited to reign the underworld.
The myth of Proserpine and the Roman god Pluto
Legend tells that Pluto god of the underworld fell in love with Proserpine, and kidnapped her to marry her.
A picture of the abduction of Proserpine for Roman god Pluto
When the Roman goddeess Ceres, Proserpine’s mother, went to Jupiter to ask that her daughter be returned to her, the Roman god of death Pluto opposed, and Jupiter decided to do nothing.
However, Ceres, the goddess of agriculture, in the face of such misfortune, neglected the lands and crops, causing a period of terrible famines among men.
Jupiter, when he saw this disaster, ordered the Roman god of the underworld Pluto to release Proserpina, but he had poisoned her with pomegranate seeds to prevent her from returning to earth.
Finally, it was resolved that the god Pluto could be with his beloved for six months a year ( the autumn and winter months), while the rest of the days he would spend in the company of his mother ( the spring and summer months), giving origin thus to the seasons of the year.
The Roman god of the underworld Pluto and Proserpine
Pluto Roman god powers
The cyclops gave the Roman god of death Pluto the invisibility cap to aid him. The cap allows the wearer to be invisible and battle the titans.
Besides, he has a key and a scepter to prevent the dead from escaping the underworld,
Pluto Roman god symbols and their meaning
His representative animals were the three-headed dog called Cerberus, a mythological monster that was a guardian within the underworld, and also four black horses that lowered his chariot.
Another symbol is the pomegranate, which is considered the fruit of the underworld.
He is also depicted driving an ebony chariot drawn by four black horses. It included the dog-skin helmet, the scepter, and cypress foliage for being dark and signifying melancholy.
The pomegranate one of Pluto Roman god Symbols
Other interesting facts about Pluto the Roman god
In Rome, there were murderous priests whose activities were dedicated solely to the Roman god Pluto. These particular characteristics, since only dark-colored victims were offered to him and always in even numbers.
The sacrificial ritual also included digging a hole where the blood will be deposited and mixed with wine. These priests kept their heads uncovered and during the ceremony were kept in absolute silence out of respect and also fear of the god.
June 20th was the day of the Roman god Pluto feast in the capital and only the temple of Pluto opened its doors. There, dark-haired animals, usually sheep or pigs, were sacrificed and offered in his honor on behalf of all these condemned to death.
