Persephone
In Greek mythology, Perséphonê was the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. Her name has been explained as "she who destroys the light," although it is more likely that she was a pre-Greek death goddess who was merged with the Greek Kore, a fertility goddess. Kore ("maiden") was her name when the Greeks referred to her as a fertility goddess, and Persephone remained her name in association with her role as queen of the dead. In Roman mythology she was called Proserpina.
Persephone became the goddess of the underworld when Hades abducted her and brought her into the underworld. She was innocently picking flowers with some nymphs (or Leucippe, or Oceanids) in a field in Enna when he came; the nymphs were changed into the Sirens for not having interfered. Life came to a standstill as the depressed Demeter (goddess of the Earth) searched for her lost daughter; Helios, the sun, who sees everything, finally told her what had happened.
Finally, Zeus could not put up with the dying earth and forced Hades to return Persephone. But before she was released, Hades tricked her into eating six pomegranate seeds, which forced her to return six months each year. In some versions, Ascalaphus informed the other gods that Persephone had eaten the pomegranate seeds. When Demeter and her daughter were together, the Earth flourished with vegetation, but for six months each year, when Persephone returned to the underworld, the earth once again became a barren realm. In alternate version, Hecate rescued Persephone.
This myth can also be interpreted as an allegory for ancient Greek marriage rituals. The Greeks felt that marriage was a sort of abduction of the bride by the groom from the bride's family, and this myth may have explained the origins of the marriage ritual. The more popular etiological explanation of the seasons may have been a later interpretation.
Persephone, as Queen of Hades, only showed mercy once, because the music of Orpheus was so hauntingly sad. She allowed Orpheus to bring his wife Eurydice back to the land of the living as long as she walked behind him and he never tried to look at her face until they reached the surface. Orpheus agreed but failed and lost Eurydice forever.
Persephone also figures into the famous story of Adonis. When Adonis was born, Aphrodite took him under her wing, seducing him with the help of Helene, her friend, and was entranced by his unearthly beauty. She gave him to Persephone to watch over, but Persephone was also amazed at his beauty and refused to give him back. The argument between the two goddesses was settled either by Zeus or Calliope, with Adonis spending four months with Aphrodite, four months with Persephone and four months of the years with whomever he chose. He always chose Aphrodite because Persephone was the cold, unfeeling goddess of the underworld.
When Hades pursued a nymph named Mintho, Persephone turned her into a mint plant.
Persephone was the object of Pirithous' affections. Pirithous and Theseus, his friend, pledged to marry daughters of Zeus. Theseus chose Helen and together they kidnapped her and decided to hold onto her until she was old enough to marry. Pirithous chose Persephone. They left Helen with Theseus' mother, Aethra, and travelled to the underworld, domain of Persephone and her husband, Hades. Hades pretended to offer them hospitality and set a feast; as soon as the pair sat down, snakes coiled around their feet and held them there.
Persephone and her mother Demeter were often referred to as aspects of the same goddess, and were called "the Demeters" or simply "the goddesses." The story of Persephone's abduction was part of the initiation rites in the Eleusinian mysteries.
Consorts/Children
- Unknown father (Some say Zeus)
- Iacchus
- Persephone and Hades are notable as the only divine couple who did not produce children.
Inspired by James Frazer, some have labeled Persephone a life-death-rebirth deity.
See also
Alternatives: Kore, Despina, Core, Cora
Persephone is a character in the movie trilogy The Matrix, and in Jeff Noon's novel Pollen.