The Story of Persephone

As promised, the myth of Persephone. Sorry for the hit of posts today, but we have so much catching up to do!


Persephone is the daughter of Demeter, who is the harvest goddess in Greek mythology. Demeter is responsible for making the grass grow and the food plentiful. One day young Persephone is playing in the fields, painting flowers - one of her jobs as the spring goddess - when Hades, the god of the Underworld, springs us and kidnaps her. He rapes Persephone and takes her for his wife, and imprisons the spring goddess in the Underworld. Demeter is distraught and immediately goes on strike. She won't allow anything to grow until she gets her daughter back. After listening to the mortals beg for food, Zeus finally approaches his sister and asks her what she wants. Demeter explains she wants Persephone back or all mortals will die of starvation. Zeus agrees, as long as Persephone does not eat anything while she is in the Underworld.

Meanwhile, in the Underworld, Persephone is refusing to eat. She doesn't want to speak to anyone; all she wants is to return home to her mother. Now Hades is furious because he thinks he wooed her properly (um...think again, Hades) so he leaves her to sulk. But poor Persephone is getting mighty hungry. But she holds strong, not aware that at this moment, Zeus is trying to calm Demeter down. Hades knows something is about to turn against his favor, so he takes a snake and turns it into a little boy. He hands the boy a pomegranate and tells him to offer this to the goddess. The little boy approaches Persephone and does what he is told. At first she refuses, but she is so hungry that she agrees to eat six seeds from the pomegranate (hmmm...a snake offering forbidden fruit - sound familiar?). The minute she does, Hades comes flying in, the boy turns back into a snake, and Demeter and Zeus show up. By now, Hades is doing a victory dance because he thinks he's won. But Zeus takes one look at a very furious Demeter and offers a compromise: Because Persephone did eat six seeds, she must spend six months with her husband in the Underworld. The other six months she can spend it with her mother. This isn't ideal for anyone, but they all agree to it because Zeus IS the king of the gods.

The Ancient Greeks used this story to explain their seasons. When Persephone is away, her mother is so unhappy that nothing grows (hence, winter/fall). When Persephone returns, Demeter is overjoyed and the Earth begins to grow (spring/summer). This may not sound like such a happy ending, but the Ancient Greeks were grateful to Persephone as the queen of the Underworld. There are many stories that follow in which Persephone's kindness saves many a hero who finds himself in the Underworld. In the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED), Persephone (played by the fantastic Rosario Dawson in the movie) is portrayed as a woman who calls the shots and uses her unhappiness to make her husband miserable and constantly ruin his plans.

Find a way to use the hand you've been dealt.