Thanatos vs Hades: The Carrier of Death and King of the Dead

Thanatos vs Hades is the comparison between the carrier of the dead and the king of the dead in Greek mythology. It is an interesting comparison because not only do their abilities go together but also so do their other characteristics. Similarly, they do have many differences as well. In this article, we bring you all the information on the two characters of Greek mythology, their lives, and their abilities, read all about them

 Thanatos vs Hades Comparison Table

What Are the Differences Between Thanatos vs Hades?

The main difference between Thanatos and Hades is that Thanatos is the shadow that appears before a man when his time ends on Earth whereas Hades is the king of the Underworld. In addition, Hades was an Olympian god whereas Thanatos was a personification.

What Is Thanatos Best Known For?

Thanatos is best known for announcing death to the people whose time on Earth has come to an end. After announcing their death, he then carries their soul to the Underworld where they no longer live on Earth and they depart to go to the world underneath.

Merciless Character

Thanatos is a very unusual character in Greek mythology and has a lot of controversy around him. The reason is that he is heartless and does not listen to the dying people and does not even grant them a single second to say goodbye to their loved ones.

In Greek mythology, the life and death of a person are stated by the fates. The three sisters' sole purpose is to weave a thread and the length and the knots of the thread represent the life of that person. Zeus bestowed the fates with these powers and they carried the job all their lives. They work in contact with him and tell him when to appear in front of a dying person.

Death Personlification

Thanatos is a personification of death and some might also call him the angel of death. He was the brother of Hypnos, the god of sleep. There is surely no one like him in all of Greek mythology. On the other hand, his Roman counterpart is Mors or Lterum and his job was also the announcement of death and then carrying the dead, which is not completely the same.

Origin

He was born to two primordial personifications namely Nyx, the personification of Night, and Erebus, the personification of Darkness. These primordial personifications were born to Gaea, the mother goddess, and Uranus.

Nonetheless, note that there is not much information about his childhood and that is because no writer has written about that time, and how he nailed the role of being the personification of death.

His Dedication

Thanatos and Hades worked hand in hand because he was the one who brought souls to the Underworld whereas they were ruled over in the underworld. If he did not bring souls to the Underworld then no one would not have anyone to rule over. This is why he plays a pivotal role in the kingship of Hades and was appreciated for his job.

He used to go towards the person that was on Earth and carry them as their lives would stop and then escort them where they would stay forever.

Thanatos vs Zeus and Thanatos vs Kratos are some interesting comparisons because he was a powerful entity and his powers can be brought face to face with other gods. Death has  supremacy over everyone and everything which is why this comparison is valid.

Zeus was the ultimate god and even though he cannot die, he could still face the carrier of death if decreed by the Fates. It is interesting to notice that the fates could decree upon gods and goddesses as well and not just humans or other creatures.

His Story with Hercules

In all of Greek mythology, no one ever dared to step in front of the death personifier when he would be carrying souls. No one was strong or brave enough to face the carrier of death and stop him while he was working. But one strong warrior stood in his way and defended his loved one. It was Hercules, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, and was a demigod on Earth.

Thanatos had come to take his beloved wife, Megara and Hercules stopped him before he did. He challenged the death carrier to a duel and he agrees. Both then fought each other and Hercules won. This was the only time that he had returned empty-handed to the Underworld.

The Fates were disappointed and also astonished as this had never happened before. Nevertheless, Hercules was forgiven by the gods for his rash behavior towards the decree of the Fates. His wife, Megara was given more time to live and be with Hercules on Earth. After this incident, no other information is present on Megara or her Death.

What Is Hades Best Known For?

Hades was best known for being the brother of Zeus and for being the king of the most dreadful place in all of Greek mythology, the Underworld. He was an exceptional character with a lot of power and vigor to himself. He married Persephone, who was the daughter of Zeus.

Persephone and Hades in the Underworld Marble relief, 480-450 BC Museo Nazionale, Reggio Calabria (Italy)

Mentions in Greek Mythology

After Titanomachy, when the Titans were fallen, the Olympian brothers: Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades were supposed to pick a domain of rule. Zeus picked the living and as he liberated the others, he also became their king, and he picked the Underworld, and Poseidon picked the waters.

He picked the darkest place to rule and his nature was just the same. He was the perfect fit for ruling the dead and everything that was damned to the pits of the Underworld. Each brother started ruling his domain and so did he.

His Kingdom

The Underworld is a place where all the dead go after they die in their lives. It is a place of punishment, resentment, remorse, and sadness, and this was his kingdom, and where he ruled. The place can suck out the last living drop of happiness inside you and leave you void. This is exactly what it did to him as well, together with his life, and left it.

He became lifeless, even though he was the god and a king but he had no willpower to live and to be happy. However, things changed as he married Persephone, who gave him a reason to live his life to the fullest.

His Marriage to Persephone

Persephone was the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, the goddess of agriculture. She married the King of the Underworld, not because of any arrangement but because she loved him. She lived in the Underworld with him and was its queen. The pair had two children together, namely, Macaria and Zagreus.

She did not however fall in love with Hades in a conventional way. Hades kidnaps Persephone and brought her to the Underworld to take revenge on Zeus. When Persephone was there she fell in love with the different ways with him and eventually the pair married. Unlike the rest of his brothers, he was loyal to his wife and did not have multiple consorts or children with different women.

They remain with each other till the end of time even though Zeus tried many times to break them apart and get his daughter back but Persephone did not leave Hades. Persephone died later in the Underworld after which she went on to live with the living. After this, there is no mention of Persphone anywhere in the literature.

His Death

His death is written differently in different kinds of literature. Some narrate that Hades did not die or can never die because he was the king of the Underworld and one of the original Olympian gods. Some, on the other hand, say that he died of sadness in the Underworld after Persephone died while some say that he was killed by one of his many enemies in the land that he rulled on. Among these three alleged notions, each one has its own importance and significance.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Thanatos was the carrier of death and Hades was the ruler of the dead in the Underworld. While he was a personification, Hades was a god and a King from the Olympian generation of Greek gods. Both these characters are well known in Greek mythology and have their names in the works of Homer and Hesiod.

Thanatos and Hades were amongst the dead but were not dead themselves. They play a pivotal role in each other’s lives, one cannot complete his job without the other. Here we come to the end of the article on Hades and Thanatos, as you can see clearly their differences.