She is often shown in long, flowing clothing with a wreath of flowers around her head. Persephone is depicted as a beautiful young maiden with fair skin. When Hades fell in love with the nymph Minthe, Persephone turned her into a mint plant so that her husband wasn’t able to have her as a lover. She was a faithful wife though and in turn made sure that her husband was faithful as well. She was married to Hades but together, they had no children. Persephone was the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. When the earth becomes barren and cold, Persephone is with Hades and her mother is too distraught to keep up with her duties. This is the explanation for the change of seasons. The remaining half she would stay in the Underworld. Persephone would be allowed to leave Hades for half the year and stay with her mother. There was a terrible fight after this and Demeter threatened to make the entire earth unfertile and doom the entire population to a certain death. Demeter knew that Hades had tricked her daughter somehow but was unable to prove it. When asked where she wanted to stay, Persephone said she wanted to stay with her husband. The time came for Hades, Persephone, Zeus, and Demeter to meet. The pomegranate was the food of the Underworld and if its seed were consumed, they would change a person into loving the Underworld. There are many variations to this part of the myth but somehow, Hades got Persephone to eat a few pomegranate seeds. Hades knew about the agreement and decided he needed to trick Persephone, as she would certainly say she was being kept against her will. If this couldn’t be proven, Persephone would stay with Hades. So, he promised Demeter that he would bring Persephone back if she was able to prove that she was being forced to stay against her will. But he knew his solution had to please both Demeter and Hades. Zeus knew he had to do something to calm Demeter or else the entire world would perish. Plants stopped producing fruit and animals were dying without nourishment. Crops began to wither and harvests began to fail. She no longer attended to harvest and fertility. Demeter decided she had to punish the gods and abandoned her duties as a goddess. She was also upset with Zeus for not preventing this. She remained furious and knew in her heart that Hades was not the best husband for her daughter. Try as she may, Demeter was unable to accept her daughter’s fate. Helios tried to calm her down and suggested that maybe this wasn’t the worst fate for her daughter. Once she learned where her daughter was, Demeter was filled with rage. Helios felt sorry for the mother and told her what he had seen. Eventually, Hecate approached her and told her to ask Helios for help. She was searching everywhere she could think of. She was completely heartbroken and distraught over her missing daughter. Helios decided it was best to also stay quiet as the matter didn’t concern him.ĭemeter was falling apart. Zeus decided that it was best to remain quiet so that he wasn’t caught in the middle of his brother Hades and his lover Demeter. Helios, the god of the Sun, also saw what had happened. Zeus, however, had seen the entire incident unfold before him. When it did become clear that she was missing, a frantic search began. Persephone’s abduction happened so quickly that none of the other girls even noticed she was gone. Before she could react, Hades grabbed the goddess and just as quickly as he had appeared, disappeared back into the earth with the girl. Through the gap, Hades appeared with his chariot and black horses. She stooped down to get a better look when suddenly, the earth beneath her opened. It was the most beautiful flower she had ever seen. They were picking wildflowers and enjoying the beautiful weather. One day, Persephone was out in the meadow with her friends. Instead, he devised a plan to capture the young maiden and make her his wife. But Hades wouldn’t accept her disapproval. Zeus agreed but told him that the girl’s mother, Demeter, would never approve. He asked Zeus for his daughter’s hand in marriage. Hades found himself madly in love with her. Persephone was a beautiful young lady, just entering womanhood. It can be dived into several parts, which go as follows. The main myth of Persephone tells how she became the Queen of the Underworld. She was also known as Kore, which means “the maiden”. She spent her days frolicking in the fields and playing in fresh streams. Her mother was Demeter and the young girl was described as shy and beautiful. Persephone was the result of one of Zeus’ love affairs.
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