Ploutus

Ploutus (Greek: Πλούτος), commonly anglicized Ploutos, is the personification of wealth and riches in ancient Greek religion and myth. The name literally signifies wealth, and the term has influenced modern vocabulary, giving rise to words such as plutocracy and plutocrat. In contemporary Greek, ploutos remains the ordinary word for wealth.

Myth and role: Ploutos appears in various Greek traditions as the embodiment of wealth, both mineral and financial. In some accounts he is the son of Demeter and Iasion, associated with the earth’s fertility. A recurrent motif holds that Zeus hid Ploutos away—often in the earth or underworld—so that wealth would be granted only to those who cultivate virtue and labor, rather than being available indiscriminately. Accordingly, wealth is imagined as a natural, earth-bound resource that can accrue to those who earn it but can be squandered through folly or injustice. In art and poetry, Ploutos is depicted as a youthful or mature figure, sometimes shown with attributes such as a cornucopia or coins, underscoring the link between abundance and the earth’s bounty.

Cult and symbolism: Though not a major cult figure, Ploutos functions as a key mythic concept in Hesiodic and later Greek literature, illustrating the dual nature of wealth as both a blessing and a test. The figure influenced later Roman adaptations and the broader cultural understanding of wealth in antiquity, contributing to the distinction between hidden earth riches and openly received prosperity.

See also: Plutus, wealth in ancient myth; Plutocracy; Demeter.