Though its debut trailer was short, Hades 2 has already revealed a handful of its new characters, along with a general plot outline. Hades 2 sees players control Zagreus’ half-sister Melinoe as she tries to stop the ruthless Titan Chronos from escaping the underworld and wreaking havoc on Olympus. Along the way, Melinoe will meet a plethora of Greek deities, some of which come from the first game and some of which are brand-new to Hades 2. One of those new characters is the appropriately-named Nemesis, the Greek goddess of revenge and divine retribution.
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The Mythology Behind Hades 2’s Nemesis
Nemesis’ role and origin changes quite a bit throughout Greek mythology, with different scholars and philosophers having different interpretations. However, Nemesis’ primary purpose in the Greek pantheon is to enact retribution on those who deserve it. The severity at which she goes about this tends to be one of the more divisive elements of her mythology, with some claiming she’s completely remorseless and others stating that she’s a reluctant avenger.
Nemesis’ origin has a few different interpretations, with scholars not being able to agree on who her father was. Some believe that Nemesis is the daughter of the Titan Oceanus, the living embodiment of the Earth’s oceans. Others believe that Nemesis could be Erebus’ daughter, one of the primordial deities and the personification of darkness itself. Some believe that Zeus is Nemesis’ father. Fans have yet to see who Nemesis is related to in Hades 2, but depending on who it is, Nemesis could either be friend or foe. With the Titans presumably being the antagonists of Hades 2, it seems possible that Nemesis could working alongside them if her father is Oceanus. However, if Nemesis’ dad is Zeus, then she’ll probably be working for Olympus, granting aid and gifts to Melinoe through her journey.
While Nemesis’ father is in question, her mother is universally agreed to be Nyx, the Greek goddess of night. While it hasn’t been confirmed yet for Hades 2, if Nemesis is the daughter of Nyx, then that gives her a direct relationship with much of the first Hades’ supporting cast. The daughter of Chaos, Nyx has her own set of god-like children. Charon, the ferryman of the underworld, Thanatos, the embodiment of death, and Hypnos, the personification of sleep are all children of Nyx, and all help Zagreus on his journey to escape the underworld. Nyx is also seen in Hades as a sort of co-ruler of the underworld alongside Hades himself, with the Furies acting as her aids.
In Greek mythology, Nemesis is often used to teach characters an important lesson about themselves and their own selfish acts. For example, one of the most well-known Nemesis myths revolves around Narcissus, who was so vain that he fell in love with his own reflection. In the tale, Nemesis deliberately guides him to his own reflection, knowing that he’ll never leave his own side and will die due to his infatuation with himself. It’s unclear just what role Nemesis will play in Hades 2, though it seems likely that she’ll retain a certain level of bitterness from the mythology.
Hades 2 is expected to go into early access in 2023.
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