It’s the penultimate episode of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and viewers finally get to meet two of the three big gods. From Hades and Poseidon’s surprise appearance, we also get to meet Cerberus the three headed dog, Procrustes ‘The Stretcher’, and Charon the boatmen.
Who is Charon?
Pronounced Care-On, this ferryman’s responsibility is to row the souls of the recently departed across the River Styx to find their place in the Underworld. Souls would be expected to pay a fee for their journey across. Should a soul be unable to pay the boatman’s price they risk spending centuries wandering in confusion along the shores of the Styx.
In Greek mythology Charon ferried the heroes Aeneas and Heracles to the underworld and back again. Historical evidence points to a belief that when people died, they would often have coins placed over their eyes. This is to help the soul who has passed pay Charon’s fee and find salvation in the afterlife.
Who is Cerberus?
What’s better than a nasty guard dog to protect against unwanted visitors or lost property? How about a dog that is as tall as the extinct wholly mammoths and has three heads instead of one. That’s who Cerberus is.
The three headed Rottweiler dog is the ultimate security system, and he is the last animal you would ever want to encounter because that means you are dead. Literally! This massive canine guard is watching over the entrance to the Underworld. He spends his days ensuring that the dead aren’t leaving their eternal resting place.
Who is Procrustes?
Often referred to as ‘The Stretcher’, Procrustes was a bandit from the Attica area in Greek Mythology. He was known for murdering travelers with his excessive hospitality. Whenever he would meet a traveler, Procrustes would invite the weary soul into his home and invite them to lay down on his bed to rest.
Procrustes would then tie up the unsuspecting person and would arrange to fit the doomed traveler to the bed. This would either involve stretching the occupant to meet the size of the bed or cut off any excess appendages that stuck out from the bed.
Theseus would encounter ‘The Stretcher’ on his last adventure when he would end the reign of terror of Procrustes. Having duped Procrustes, Thesus was able to capture the murderer on his own bed and went on to behead and slice off the feet of the ravenous murderer.
Who is Hades?
Hades was devoured upon his birth by his father Kronos. In the great upbringing brought upon by Zeus, Hades was freed from his dad’s stomach and joined in the war against his ghastly father.
After victory, the world was divided into three realms, Hades was awarded with the Underworld. Labeled as King of the Underworld, Hades would also become the god of the dead. Since he was beneath the earth, he would also become wealthy with the soil that nourished seeds as well as the mineral wealth found in the depths of the earth.
Lonely in the fields of death, Hades asked his brother for a wife. Zeus granted him Persephone, and knowing that she would object to the union, Zeus allowed her to be kidnapped. Demeter was furious at the loss of her daughter and threatened to destroy the earth if she wasn’t returned. Zeus relented, but Persephone had already eaten from one of Hades’ pomegranates which forced the goddess to return to the Underworld for a portion of the year.
Hades has a powerful helmet named the Helm of Darkness which would enable the god to be invisible. In Roman mythology, Hades is known as Pluto.
Who is Poseidon?
Poseidon is a brother of Zeus and Hades, and child of the Titan Kronos and Rhea. Unfortunately for Poseidon, he, like the rest of his siblings were swallowed whole at birth by Kronos and would not be set free until Zeus forced Kronos to vomit them up.
The rebirth of Poseidon and the other Greek gods led to a war with Kronos. The three brothers needed new weapons to defeat their father. This resulted in contracting the three Cyclopes to build Poseidon a magical trident, Zeus a thunderbolt, and Hades his Helm of Darkness. After victory the gods divided the world into their own controlled areas and Poseidon became the god of the sea.
The god of the sea would wield his trident to affect the earth. How powerful is the trident? Poseidon could cause earthquakes and storms so devastating that they would shake the earth, should he choose too. On Mount Olympus, Poseidon has a throne with the other powerful gods, but he makes his home not amongst the rest of the gods but in a palace in the ocean with his wife Amphitrite.
The name Poseidon means either ‘husband of the earth’ or ‘lord of the earth’. Poseidon is known for having many romantic relationships, including his tryst with Medusa.
In Roman mythology, Poseidon is known as Neptune.