Cap of invisibility

Cap of Hades
Helm of Invisibility
Helm of Hades
Helm of Darkness
Helmet of invisibility
Helmet of Hades
Dog-skin of Hades (from Greek Ἅϊδος κυνέην (H)aïdos kyneē)

The **cap of invisibilty** (Danish: *dølgehjelmen*, lit "the helmet of concealment"), sometimes referred in literature to the **cap of Hades**, **helm of Hades**, **helmet of invisibility** or **helmet of Hades** a magical helmet of black metal belonging to Hades, which makes its wearer invisible. It was broken in half by Heracles' foot before he attacked Hades, after freeing himself from his chains in Tartarus.

Some time later, Aziel Stofeles stole the two pieces of the crushed cap of invisibility, and after murdering Hades he had it reforged by the dwarves of the world of Norse mythology.

## History

The helmet of Hades was forged by the three Elder Cyclopes for Hades, after he and his brothers, Zeus and Poseidon, had freed them from Tartarus. Hades then used it in the Titanomachy with great effect. It has since been worn by three other mythological figures, including the goddess Athena, the god Hermes and the demigod Perseus.

### *The Wrongful Death*

When Philip Engel and Satina Dargue travelled to Hades to retrieve Sam who had wound up there after finding and ingesting one of Philip's two summoning pills on Earth, thinking it was an aspirin, Hades had kept his invisibility helmet hanging on the back of his throne, making him half invisible and transparent. When Philip and Satina left to find Sam, Hades secretly followed them wearing the helmet, rendering him completely invisible, and when they finally found Sam who was sitting and crying at the Cocytus, the River of Sorrow, the shadow king appeared in front of them when he removed the helmet from his head. There was a movement in the air in front of them and Hades had stepped out of nothing, grown out of the shadows. He then had all three of them imprisoned by his harpies.

Philip, Sam and Satina were eventually busted out of their prison with the help of the demigod Heracles, after Satina came to him in Tartarus, having transformed into a snake small enough to slither out through the gap between the prison door and the floor of the cell. On their way back from the cell, they encountered Hades, who happened to be the only being Heracles had fought and never won against. Hades was taken aback, and he tried to put the helmet, which he held in his hands, back on, however before he had time to do so Heracles had already charged against him and knocked it out of his hand. Then Heracles stepped on the helmet, breaking it in two pieces and rendering it completely useless.

### *The Fallen Devil*

Aziel Stofeles visited dwarves of the world of the Old religion and mythology, and had them reforge together the two halves of the cap of invisibility once more, rendering it usable again. Hereafter he used it in many ways.

## Background

### Mythological background

In classical mythology, the Cap of Invisibility or Helm of Invisibility (Ἅϊδος κυνέην (H)aïdos kuneēn in Greek, lit. dog-skin of Hades) is a helmet or hat which makes its wearer invisible. It is also known as the Cap of Hades, the Helm of Hades, or the Helm of Darkness. Wearers of the cap in Greek myth include Athena, goddess of wisdom, the messenger god Hermes, the hero Perseus, and Hades, god of the underworld. The Cap of Invisibility is able to make its wearer invisible to other supernatural creatures, functioning much like the cloud of mist that the gods surround themselves in to become undetectable.

One ancient source that attributes a special helmet to the ruler of the underworld is pseudo-Apollodorus' *Bibliotheca* (1st/2nd century BC), where the Uranian Cyclopes gives Zeus the lightning bolt, Poseidon the trident, a helm (kyneê) to Hades in their war against the titans, the so-called Titanomachy.

In classical mythology it is regularly said that the helmet belongs to the god of the underworld. Rabelais calls it the 'Helm og Pluto' and Erasmus the 'Helm of Orcus'. The helmet becomes proverbial for those who conceal their true nature by a cunning device: "the helmet of Pluto, which maketh the politic man go invisible, is secrecy in the counsel, and celerity in the execution."

### Users

#### Hades

As its name implies, Hades owned the helmet. It was forged for him by the Elder Cyclopes after he and his brothers, Zeus and Poseidon, freed them from Tartarus. He used it diligently to great effect during the Titanomachy and was instrumental in routing the Titans.

#### Athena

Athena, goddess of wisdom, battle and handcrafts, wore the Cap of Invisibility in an instance during the Troyan War, to make herself invisible to Ares, when aiding Diomedes, his enemy. She aided him and even gave him the opportunity to injure the god of war with a spear.

#### Hermes

The meseenger god wore the Cap of Invisbility during his battle with the giant, Hippolytus.

#### Perseus

In some stories Perseus obtained the Cap of Invisibility (together with the Winged Sandals) from Athena, when he went to kill the Gorgon Medusa, which helped him escape her sisters. In other myths Perseus obtained these objects from the Stygian nymph. The Cap of Invisbility was not used to avoid the Gorgons' petrifying gaze, but instead to escape the immortal Sthenno and Euryale later after having beheaded Medusa.

## Appearances

### *The Great Devil War* =

* *The Wrongful Death*
* *The Fallen Angel*

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kenneth B. Andersen. *The Wrongful Death*. Høst & Søn, October 19, 2018 (English print-on-demand paperback) (Original Danish version published April 30, 2009 by Høst & Søn)
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Kenneth B. Andersen. *The Fallen Devil*. (Publication House) Month #, 2020. (Original Danish version published September 16, 2016 by Høst & Søn)
3. ↑ Greek mythology