Pluto (, ) was the ruler of
the underworld in
classical mythology. The earlier name for the god was
Hades, which became more common as the name of the underworld itself. In
ancient Greek religion and
mythology, Pluto represents a more positive concept of the god who presides over the afterlife.
Ploutōn was frequently
conflated with
Ploutos (Πλοῦτος,
Plutus), a god of wealth, because mineral wealth was found underground, and because as a
chthonic god Pluto ruled the deep earth that contained the seeds necessary for a bountiful harvest. The name
Ploutōn came into widespread usage with the
Eleusinian Mysteries, in which Pluto was venerated as a stern ruler but the loving husband of
Persephone. The couple received souls in the afterlife, and are invoked together in religious inscriptions. Hades by contrast had few temples and religious practices associated with him, and is portrayed as the dark and violent abductor of Persephone.