Hades (Άδης or Ἀΐδας; from Greek ᾍδης, Hads, originally Ἅιδης, Haids or Άΐδης, Aids, meaning 'the unseen'[1][2]) refers both to the ancient Greek underworld, the abode of Hades, and to the god of the underworld. Hades in Homer referred just to the god; the genitive ᾍδου, Haidou, was an elision to denote locality: '[the house/dominion] of Hades'. Eventually, the nominative, too, came to designate the abode of the dead.
(
mr horrible up yours, dickface,
Wed 17 Feb 2010, 13:30,
archived)