Dīs Pater facts for kids

Statue of Dis Pater, now in Strasbourg

Dīs Pater (Latin: “Father of riches”) was a god of the underworld in Roman mythology. Originally a chthonic deity associated with riches and fertility, he became commonly equated with the Greek god Hades alongside the Roman deity Orcus, and so came to be associated with the dark and dismal realm of the dead. The god's name, Dīs Pater, was often shortened to simply Dīs, which came to be used as an alternative name for the underworld, as is the case in Dante's The Divine Comedy, in which the City of Dis comprises Lower Hell.

Images for kids

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  18th century painting showing Mercury (center), Flora (right), and Dīs Pater (left), from Convito per le nozze di Amore e Psiche (The Wedding Feast of Cupid and Psyche), Galleria Nazionale di Palazzo Spinola, Genoa

See also

In Spanish: Dis Pater para niños