Has anybody ever wondered? His young version from the 6th episode of Scrooge's biography seemed a meatbag without any special skills and with zero prospects in life. Obviously, he didn't use legal ways. What do you think that gave him his first millions/billions? Do you like my theory about him charming a wealthy old lady, accelerating her death somehow and inheriting her fortune?
Based on Barks' first story with Glomgold in 1956 ("The Second Richest Duck"), Glomgold's parents had likely been Boers, who homesteaded and had a large ranch/farm. Barks did say that Glomgold had tonnes of diamonds, rubies and star sapphires, so he must have had mining operations. He said he had oil wells. So, he must have made millions in that business. And, I think he owned lots of ships. So, he must have made money in shipping. Many of the great late 1800s - early 1900s plutocrats made money in not-so-terribly-honest ways. The name "Pluto" (God of The Underworld) being the major name in "Plutocrat" is suggestive of not such a nice (honest/upright) person. But Barks' Glomgold was not a run-of-thet-mill crook. He was a typical ruthless immoral billionaire like Rockerfeller, Carnegie, J.P. Morgan and the others - none of whom had "normal morals" of the average man.
In his introductory article for Lo$ part 6, Rosa wrote:
I see Flintheart as a match for $crooge (his youthful inspiration) in every way -- they both started from nothing and made their fortunes by "being sharper than the sharpies and smarter than the smarties"... but the difference is that Flintheart didn't "make it square". He's dishonest, and perhaps downright murderous (as opposed to the Beagle Boys who are more good-natured baddies).
Glomgold is also present in a deleted scene of part 11:
The name "Pluto" (God of The Underworld) being the major name in "Plutocrat" is suggestive of not such a nice (honest/upright) person.
Yeah, as Sirtao also mentions, the "pluto" in "plutocrat" is just the Latin term for a rich person. The God of the Underworld was called Pluto because he was supposedly filthy rich himself by virtue of all the dead souls having to pay him the Obol (a single coin, usually placed in the corpse's mouth during burial) for entry in the Underworld. Either way, do note that Pluto/Hades isn't a bad guy in the original mythology, just kind of depressed (but no less moral than Zeus, though htat's not saying much). Having Pluto/Hades be evil is a recent trend that even has its trope page on TVtropes, Everybody Hates Hades.
Pluto was called so because: 1. people would prefer to ingratiate him by adulate him 2. as god of the (back then)literal underworld, he was the god of mines and precious things under the ground. So, rich.
Also, let's remember he called his dog Spot. How can such a person being bad?
The God of the Underworld was called Pluto because he was supposedly filthy rich himself by virtue of all the dead souls having to pay him the Obol (a single coin, usually placed in the corpse's mouth during burial) for entry in the Underworld. Either way, do note that Pluto/Hades isn't a bad guy in the original mythology, just kind of depressed (but no less moral than Zeus, though htat's not saying much). Having Pluto/Hades be evil is a recent trend that even has its trope page on TVtropes, Everybody Hates Hades.
I remember they paid the boatman coin, not the god himself.
The God of the Underworld was called Pluto because he was supposedly filthy rich himself by virtue of all the dead souls having to pay him the Obol (a single coin, usually placed in the corpse's mouth during burial) for entry in the Underworld. Either way, do note that Pluto/Hades isn't a bad guy in the original mythology, just kind of depressed (but no less moral than Zeus, though htat's not saying much). Having Pluto/Hades be evil is a recent trend that even has its trope page on TVtropes, Everybody Hates Hades.
I remember they paid the boatman coin, not the god himself.
Stories vary. The coin is given to the boatman, but in some myths he's just collecting for Hades's sake. For instance, in the myth of Hippocrates, the reason Hades puts his foot down after Hippocrates cracks the secret of immortality is that if people don't die anymore, he won't have his sweet sweet income of Obols anymore.
Disney also had the Goddess of Spring animated short with a devil... who is alternately referred as Pluto or Hades. So he has the names of two other well-established Disney characters!!
--- Gaucelm de Villaret gaucelm@gmail.com --- gaucelm.blogspot.fr twitter.com/GothHelm --- facebook.com/gaucelm
Disney also had the Goddess of Spring animated short with a devil... who is alternately referred as Pluto or Hades. So he has the names of two other well-established Disney characters!!
Well, that "underworld god" character is sometimes thought to be the same Hades as in Hercules, at another stage of his life.
Disney also had the Goddess of Spring animated short with a devil... who is alternately referred as Pluto or Hades. So he has the names of two other well-established Disney characters!!
Well, that "underworld god" character is sometimes thought to be the same Hades as in Hercules, at another stage of his life.
1934's Goddess of Spring being set in the same continuity as 1997's Hercules?
Well, why not... looks like he ended up preferring color blue... having fire on his hair instead of horns... and got a bit of jaundiced eyes... and also letting himself go in the weight side of things...
"I used to rock that red leather, y'all!"
--- Gaucelm de Villaret gaucelm@gmail.com --- gaucelm.blogspot.fr twitter.com/GothHelm --- facebook.com/gaucelm
I guess a separate thread could be opened for discussing the Pluto of Greek mythology without going OT in this thread which is about Glomgold. Anyway...