In classical mythology, Pluto was the god of the lower world. An earlier Greek title was Hades, the Unseen, still preserved as the name of his dwelling place. By the Romans he was called usually Tartarus, Orcus, or Dis. Pluto means bestower of riches. It was given to this god as the patron of the mines. He was the brother of Zeus. His wife was Persephone, the daughter of Demeter. The Greek conception of the ruler of the dead was very different from the Christian conception of the devil. It was his duty simply to keep order in the lower world. He was in no way the sub-duer and seducer of mankind. He was stern and pitiless in the maintenance of discipline, but he was in no sense the enemy of the human race. As in the case of the devil, however, his appropriate color was black. Black cattle were sacrificed in his honor.
