Persephone

By Kai

Daughter and Queen of the Underworld

Everyone knows when seasons begin, when they end, and what they do, but very few actually know what it is that causes this difference in weather throughout the year. The story of the Greek goddess of agriculture and harvest, @Demeter, and her daughter, Persephone, show how ancient Greeks dealt with this mystery, before they knew that it is the earth’s angle which make the seasons. There are many stories about Persephone, and there is even a cult based around the worshiping of her and her mother, @Demeter. Persephone was a very important figure in Greek culture, because she controlled the seasons and was queen of the underworld

Persephone, who at this time was known as Kore, Greek for “The Young Maiden”, was always cheerful and happy and she enjoyed picking flowers with her friends, among them @Athena and @Aphrodite, on the side of Mount Etna in Sicily. One day, the god of the underworld, Hades, rode by on his carriage. Hades imagined that if he just had someone living with him in the underworld that it would be much happier, so he asked Zeus if he could take Persephone to be his bride, and Zeus allowed him to do so. When Hades then saw the young Persephone he took her into his carriage and rode back to the underworld. The other variant of the abduction story is that Persephone saw a beautiful flower, but when she tried to pick it, Hades emerged from the underworld. Only the all seeing sun god, Helios, and Zeus had witnessed what Hades had done. Demeter was worried when Persephone did not return, so she went looking for her. She searched the world for her daughter without success, until Helios finally revealed what had happened. ( Art History)

After hearing about what had happened to her daughter, Demeter was thrown into deep depression and so the earth stopped producing crops and fruits. The people became miserable and they begged and prayed to Zeus to bring back Persephone to Demeter, so Demeter would be happy and their crops would grow again. Zeus said he would do so only if Persephone had tasted the fruit of Hades while she was in the underworld, but she had eaten six of his pomegranate seeds. Zeus then decided that Persephone had to stay in the underworld for half of the year. (Wright)

Zeus, Persephone’s father, had many children and he could not care for each and every one of them. Persephone, therefore, lived with her loving mother, Demeter. Her friends were the other daughters of Zeus. Her uncles and aunts are Hades, Poseidon, Hestia, Hera and Demeter. Her children were Macaria, Plutus, Zagreus and Melinoe. The first two children were with her husband, Hades and the last two mentioned were with her father, Zeus. (Theoi)

As Queen of the underworld, Persephone had the ability to perform great miracles. Orpheus, a talented poet and musician, had just married Eurydice when she was bitten by a snake and died. Legend says that when Orpheus discovered her body, he played such mournful songs that even the gods wept. The gods suggested that Orpheus travel to the underworld to consult with Hades and Persephone. When he reached the thrones of the rulers of the underworld he began to play music. The music he played and the prayers he gave were so beautiful and touching that they convinced Persephone to allow Eurydice to return to the surface with Orpheus, making him the first and only man to ever recover someone from the land of the dead. (Theoi)

The Eleusinian Mysteries was a cult of Persephone and Demeter. It was based in Eleusina, Greece, but throughout its 2000 years of existence, it spread out over Greece and later it reached Rome. The ceremonies were held annually and lasted for 9 days. It was also then that their initiations were held. To participate, one was required to know Greek, to not have murdered anyone and to swear secrecy to the cult. The ceremonies involved sacrificing animals to the goddesses, storytelling and praying. (Pantheon)

Persephone was important as the queen of the underworld, but she was equally important to the seasons of the years, because it was only the six months of the year that she spent with her mother that the earth would grow plants. I had never heard of her until about a week ago. It was very interesting to research about her, because there are many myths and stories related to her, but picking the ones that were best for a research paper was a hard choice. I think the story about why there are seasons is very entertaining. We should care about ancient Greek culture, because it is very interesting and also because it is surprisingly similar to ours.

Works cited:

“Demeter and Persephone.” //Sweet Briar College { History of Art Program }//. Web. 09 Dec. 2010. .

"Eleusinian Mysteries." //Encyclopedia Mythica: Mythology, Folklore, and Religion.// Web. 14 Dec. 2010. .

“Persephone.” //Encyclopedia Mythica: Mythology, Folklore, and Religion.// Web. 09 Dec. 2010. .

“Persephone, Greek Goddess of Innocence and Queen of the Underworld.” //Goddess Gift: Meet the Goddesses Here//. Web. 09 Dec. 2010. .

“PERSEPHONE : Greek Queen of the Underworld, Goddess of Spring ; Mythology ; Pictures : PROSERPINA.” //THEOI GREEK MYTHOLOGY, Exploring Mythology & the Greek Gods in Classical Literature & Art//. Web. 09 Dec. 2010. .

Wyly, Michael J. //Death and the Underworld//. San Diego, CA: Lucent, 2002. Print.

Wright, Anne. //Mythology//. Armonk, NY: Sharpe Focus, 2008. Print.