Pluto (god)

Pluto is an alternate name for the Greek god Hades, but was more often used in Roman mythology in their presentation of the god of the underworld. He abducted Proserpina (Gr. Persephone), and her mother Ceres (Gr. Demeter) caused winter in her grief. He kidnapped Persephone so he could marry her. In later times he was largely seen as synonymous with the Greek god of the underworld Hades. Although often envisioned today as evil (due to the fact of his similarities to the Christian demon Satan), the Romans did not view him as such.

Related Topics:
Roman mythology - Proserpina - Persephone - Ceres - Demeter - Winter - Hades

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Unlike the Greek god Hades, Pluto was originally not the god of the underworld. Pluto stems from the Greek word "Ploutos" (god of wealth), and was considered by the Romans as the giver of gold, silver, and other subterranean substances (interestingly, his Latin name, Dis, also means "wealth"). Because these "gifts" were mined, Pluto became recognized as the god of the underworld, which in turn helped him become recognized as the god of the spiritual underworld and death. This brought about his mythological relationship to the Greek god Hades. Because the mythology of the gods is more known than the actual religious roles of the gods, Pluto is identified as the counterpart to the Greek Hades (which is only wholly true in Mythology).

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Pluto (Greek: Πλούτων) should not be confused with the Greek god Plutus (???????), the god of wealth (even though an etymological relationship is shared). The potential for confusion increases when it is taken into account that Pluto was also known as Dīs, a name which comes from a shortening of dīves, meaning "wealthy" which reflected the belief that the wealth from the ground came from the underworld. "Dīves" in turn derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *dyeu; this root is also the ultimate source of other deity names such as Jupiter, Diana, Zeus, Dione, Tiu, Tyr, Devi and Asmodai.

Related Topics:
Plutus - Proto-Indo-European - Jupiter - Diana - Zeus - Dione - Tiu - Tyr - Devi - Asmodai

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The planet Pluto is — in part — named after him.

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"Plutonic Theory", the idea that the earth was formed due to intense heat in the earth, stems from Pluto, the opposing theory of which is the Neptunian Theory which states that the formation of the earth was caused by the agency of water.

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