Greek Pantheonarmor
Helm of Darkness
- Invisibility
- Fear Aura
- Shadow Walking
The helmet of invisibility belonging to Hades, lord of the underworld. This dark artifact renders the wearer completely invisible to gods, mortals, and even other supernatural beings.
About Helm of Darkness
Cap of Hades
Apollodorus lists the cap of darkness among the Cyclopes' gifts in the war against the Titans, Hades' share beside Zeus's bolt and Poseidon's trident. In Iliad 5 Athena puts on the cap of Hades to hide from Ares. Perseus borrows a helm of invisibility from the nymphs (Apollodorus) to escape Medusa's sisters. It is a kuneē, a cap or helmet of gloom, not a modern cloak. Hades has few temples; the helm is a loan in hero-myth and a disguise for gods, not a cult statue you could visit.
Origin
Created by the Cyclopes during the Titanomachy, given to Hades as his portion of the divine weapons.
Sources and further reading
Source notes
These references are recorded in the catalog. Their passage wording and translation have not been checked, so quotations are not displayed here.
- Homer, Iliad 5.844–845
- Apollodorus, Library 2.4
About this entry
By Elizabeth Stein for Mythos Atlas. About the author. Editorial notes are grounded in the site's cited sources and can be challenged through the contact page.
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