In Greek mythology, Hades was the god of the underworld and the brother of Zeus and Poseidon. He ruled the realm of the dead, which was also called Hades. Very few mortals ever escaped from Hades once they entered the underworld after death. However, there are a few famous stories of heroes who ventured into Hades and managed to escape while still alive.
Orpheus
One of the most well-known stories of escaping from Hades is that of Orpheus and Eurydice. Orpheus was a legendary musician whose music could charm all living things and even stones. His wife Eurydice was bitten by a snake and died, descending to Hades. Overcome with grief, Orpheus decided to go to the underworld and try to bring Eurydice back. With his enchanting lyre, Orpheus was able to charm Charon, the ferryman of Hades, into taking him across the river Styx into the underworld.
Once in Hades, Orpheus played his lyre and sang so sweetly that Hades and Persephone were moved to tears. His beautiful music softened the hearts of the rulers of the underworld, and they agreed to allow Eurydice to return with him to the world of the living. However, they stipulated that Orpheus must walk in front of Eurydice and not look back at her until they both had left Hades.
As Orpheus approached the exit back to the mortal realm, he became anxious and doubtful that Eurydice was really following him. At the very last second, he turned back to glance at her, breaking his promise to Hades and Persephone. As a result, Eurydice vanished back into the underworld. Orpheus had failed in his quest to permanently bring his wife back from the dead.
However, Orpheus himself was still allowed to leave and return to the mortal realm. So in that sense, he escaped from Hades even though he lost Eurydice a second time. His failed attempt highlights just how difficult it was to leave the underworld once one had entered.
Hercules
Another famous Greek hero who ventured to the underworld and managed to escape was Hercules. As part of his famous Twelve Labors, Hercules was tasked with capturing Cerberus, the monstrous three-headed guard dog of Hades. Cerberus was responsible for preventing any of the dead from leaving Hades.
To complete his labor, Hercules had to go to the underworld itself. He entered Hades by crossing the river Styx with the help of the ferryman Charon. Upon his request, Hades allowed Hercules to take Cerberus from the underworld, provided that he could overpower the creature with his bare hands.
Hercules managed to wrestle Cerberus into submission and then dragged the monster out of Hades. He brought Cerberus to his patron Eurystheus, completing his Twelfth Labor. But instead of keeping Cerberus, Hercules returned the guard dog to Hades, pleasing the god who ruled the underworld. Thanks to his great strength and favor with the gods, Hercules was able to enter and escape from Hades unharmed.
Psyche
In the myth of Cupid and Psyche, the beautiful mortal princess Psyche is directed to the underworld by Venus, who was jealous of Psyche’s beauty. Venus told Psyche she must prove her worth by traveling to Hades and bringing back a box of Persephone’s beauty ointment.
Braving many hazards, Psyche made her way to Hades and managed to sneak past Cerberus. She pleaded her case to Persephone, who took pity on her and gave her the box of ointment. Persephone also advised Psyche not to open the box herself.
On her way out, Psyche’s curiosity got the better of her. She opened the box, expecting to find ointment inside. Instead, there was only an infernal sleep, which caused Psyche to collapse unconscious. Eventually Cupid intervened to save Psyche and made her his immortal wife.
So while Psyche did temporarily escape from Hades, her disobedience meant she had to be rescued by Cupid rather than leaving under her own power. Still, she was one of the few to enter Hades and come back to the mortal realm alive.
Sisyphus
Sisyphus was a cunning king in Greek mythology who tried to cheat death twice. The first time, he trapped Thanatos, the personification of death, in chains so that no one could die. When Thanatos was freed by Ares and allowed to reap Sisyphus’ soul, Sisyphus had told his wife not to bury him with proper rituals. His spirit was able to return from Hades and re-enter his body, effectively escaping death.
Enraged by this trickery, when Sisyphus died again, the gods made sure he was firmly kept in Hades. He was punished for his hubris by having to eternally roll a boulder up a hill, only for it to roll down again before reaching the top.
So while Sisyphus did manage to return from Hades once, his cunning could not get him out a second time when the gods actively intervened. He had to stay and endure his eternal punishment.
Persephone
As the queen of the underworld and wife of Hades, Persephone herself was bound to that realm. However, even she found a way to escape for part of the year. When Hades abducted Persephone to make her his wife, her mother Demeter was heartbroken and plunged the earth into barren winter. Zeus eventually intervened so that Persephone would spend half the year in Hades with her husband, and half the year in the world above with her mother. This seasonal changing of places allowed Persephone to escape Hades for six months out of the year.
Heracles
In some versions of Greek myths, the hero Heracles (or Hercules) also descended to Hades but had to be rescued by Athena and Hermes. As part of his Labors, he was tasked with capturing the three-headed guard dog Cerberus who prevented dead souls from leaving Hades. Heracles managed to wrestle Cerberus into submission and took the dog out of the underworld to present to Eurystheus, completing his task. However, afterward Heracles returned Cerberus to Hades.
What makes Heracles’ journey different in these accounts is that he required divine intervention to escape from Hades. The vengeful ghost of one of Cerberus’ victims frightened Heracles, who would have been unable to leave without Athena and Hermes coming to his aid. So while he succeeded in his Labor and briefly abducted Cerberus, ultimately Heracles needed the gods to facilitate his own return from Hades.
Eurydice
In some versions of the Orpheus myth, his wife Eurydice is the one granted escape from Hades instead of Orpheus himself. When the musician Orpheus travels to the underworld to try to bring back his deceased wife, his beautiful music softens the hearts of Hades and Persephone. They agree to allow Eurydice to return with him to the world of the living, but with the condition that he must walk in front of her and not look back until reaching the mortal realm.
Just like in the more commonly known version, Orpheus falters and looks back too soon, losing Eurydice a second time. But in these variants, Eurydice is the one given the opportunity to leave and re-enter the land of the living. It is Orpheus’ error that prevents her escape and condemns her to remain as a shade in Hades. So she briefly managed to escape before her husband’s mistake sealed her fate.
The Sibyl of Cumae
The Sibyl of Cumae was a mythical female oracle who led Aeneas into Hades through the Gate of False Dreams. She gave him advice on how to navigate the underworld and make offerings to the dead. Because of her status as a revered oracle, the Sibyl had unique access to leave and enter Hades freely. Accompanying Aeneas allowed her to escape back to the mortal realm after venturing into the underworld to guide the hero.
The Sibyl’s prophetic wisdom and connection to the gods granted her abilities that no living mortal could otherwise attain. Thanks to her divine blessings, she could cross the barrier of Hades multiple times, something practically unheard of in Greek mythology. She stands as one of the very rare examples of someone alive entering and exiting Hades whenever she chose.
Theseus and Pirithous
The heroes Theseus and Pirithous hatched a daring plan to journey to the underworld and kidnap Persephone to make Pirithous’ wife. Even getting into Hades alive was considered impossible for mortals. But Theseus and Pirithous managed to do so through a hidden cave path. However, once in Hades, their plan quickly fell apart.
When they stopped to rest on the Chair of Forgetfulness, the heroes became permanently stuck to the rocks. Hades was enraged by their audacious plot to abduct his wife. Theseus and Pirithous were trapped in the underworld for months until Hercules arrived during his quest to capture Cerberus. He negotiated their freedom. So while Theseus escaped, it was only thanks to intervention from Hercules.
Odysseus
In Homer’s Odyssey, the hero Odysseus descended to Hades with instructions from Circe, while alive, in order to speak with the prophet Tiresias. Odysseus wanted guidance on how to return home to Ithaca after the Trojan War. He successfully navigated Hades, speaking to many souls and gaining the wisdom he sought from Tiresias without tasting any of the food of the dead. This allowed him to freely leave and continue his journey home.
However, some versions of the story say that Odysseus also wanted to meet the shade of his mother, Anticlea while in Hades. He indirectly broke the taboo against eating the food of the dead by offering libations during his communications with the souls. This forced Hermes to intervene and resurrect Odysseus after leaving Hades. So in some accounts, Odysseus only escaped by essentially coming back from the dead with Hermes’ assistance.
Dionysus
Dionysus was the Greek god of wine, fertility, and ritual madness. There are some myths where the young Dionysus is attacked and killed by the jealous Titans. In those stories, Dionysus’ grandmother Rhea manages to bring him back from the underworld after making a deal with Hades. Dionysus thus becomes one of the very few ever granted resurrection from the dead and allowed to escape Hades.
The resurrection myth of Dionysus is tied to his cycles of death and rebirth as the god of vegetation and harvest. His ability to escape and return from Hades, with the help of Rhea, is connected to his divine power over death and reincarnation.
Alcestis
In Euripides’ play Alcestis, the princess Alcestis agrees to die in place of her husband Admetus. After Alcestis takes her husband’s place in death, Admetus is overcome with grief and sorrow at her noble sacrifice. Hercules ends up wrestling with Thanatos and manages to rescue Alcestis and bring her back from Hades to the world of the living.
While Alcestis did not escape Hades under her own power, her release from the underworld demonstrates how in rare cases, the compassion or bravery of others could help a shade earn a second chance at life. Thanks to Hercules, Alcestis cheated death and escaped her fate.
Conclusion
The ancient Greeks viewed the underworld as an inescapable realm once someone died. Yet mythic heroes and divine intervention occasionally allowed extraordinary mortals to enter and exit Hades while still alive. Orpheus, Psyche, Odysseus, and other mythic figures managed to cheat death for a time through their bold quests. Still, permanent escape from the human fate of mortality eluded almost all, with very rare exceptions like Dionysus and Alcestis.
The myths remind us that defying death completely is nearly impossible, even for great heroes. But overcoming life’s challenges sometimes requires going to the land of the dead and back again.