Persephone: The Ancient Greek Myth

In the myth “Persephone”, as retold by Anne Terry White, Hades falls instantly in love with the Goddess of harvest and takes her to the underworld with him. Have is all the sudden alarmed by the heaven, fire breathing beasts that had been buried underground, so he comes up to the land. Anthradite, Goddess of love, spots Hades and commands her son, Eros, to shoot with an arrow of love, hoping it would make Hades release the beasts kindly. Hades suddenly gets shot and his heart slowly begins to soften. Suddenly, in the distance, Hades sees Persephone, goddess of harvest, gracefully working in the meadows and he instantly falls in love with her. As a result, he decides to practically kidnap he and takes her down to the underworld with him.

Hades was a bitter middle-aged man whose heart softened once he saw Persephone, the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. So he kidnapped her and brought her down into the Underworld. Demeter had become infuriated with Hades and released her anger on the earth in the form of a time where no crops should grow. Meanwhile, Persephone ate six pomegranate seeds which made her want

The Rape of Persephone began as a simple story of peace and unchanging atmosphere. Demeter, goddess of the earth, agriculture and fertility in general, withheld her gifts from the earth in an act of isolation and depression once she lost Persephone. Before tragedy struck, she was loved by all for providing a climate for crops to flourish year round.Persephone held the sweetest disposition and was admired by all who knew her- including the God of the dead, Hades. However, unbenounced to her and her mother, her father Zeus had agreed to the turmoil that would soon ensue. As Persephone quested for the most enchanting flower, Hades, “the lord of the dark underworld, the king of the multitudinous dead, carried her off underneath the earth, driving a

“Go in peace” she replied, “and be happy in your daughter; I have lost mine.” (Bulfinch’s Mythology, pg 54, para 1). The farmer and his daughter sat with Demeter and cried with her. They invited her to stay for the night and introduced her to the sick son of the farmer. Demeter healed the boy and tried to make him immortal, but was stopped by the farmer’s wife. Demeter left the farm still searching for Persephone. Demeter came across a river nymph that knew what happened to Persephone. She dared not to tell, because she fears Hades. The nymph did give Demeter the girdle that Persephone dropped. Demeter sure her daughter was dead blamed the earth. Blaming the earth Demeter stopped fertilizing the land. The cattle died, the crops weren’t growing, there was too much sun and rain. Seeing this the nymph told the goddess what she saw. The goddess Demeter heard this and rode her chariot to meet Zeus. Zeus agreed to help,

Demeter Persephone mother was sadden when she could not find Persephone she looked all over the place and finally found out what Zeus had done Demeter was so angry she swear that the earth would be cold and would not fruit until Persephone came home the earth was empty and there were not warmth and not food that grew so Zeus finally agreed to let Persephone come back up he sent down Hecate to get her and bring her back but before she came back she ate a handful of pomegranate seeds which ties her to the underworld for half the year and while she is in the

The Homeric Hymn to Demeter addresses the fate of Persephone is in the hands of others and is removed from freedom of choice as she is portrayed as a minor. In effect, it is symbolic of the power family holds as the actions of her mother, her father Zeus and her husband Hades determine her path. The text accustoms nickname Persephone throughout the passage as the ‘Core’, the ‘Girl’, or ‘Virgin’. These nicknames assume her role as an underage girl not responsible for her life decisions. The Hymn begins with highlighting the role of the patriarch in a family Zeus as both the head of the family and the other gods who must defer to him as he arranges Hades to take Persephone against her will. As Demeter struggles with the mourn and loss of her child she begins to abandon her reproduction responsibilities and Persephone is ordered to go to the side of your dark robed mother. However, Hades persuades Persephone to eat pomegranate seeds, representing the loss of her innocence as it spiritually bounds her to Hades. Zeus accustomed to be acknowledges as the father of justice and good government rectifies the issue with the arrangement that Persephone remains with Hades however returns to her mother and the Gods for 2 thirds of the year. The Fate of Persephone portrays the common marriage cycle that pertained in Ancient Greece whereby it held the connotation of death for the maiden and submission and adaptation into their Fathers orders.

One person Persephone exhibits her desire to please with was her mother, Demeter. This is because she visited her mother for 8 months of the year, to make her happy. Before Persephone was abducted while out picking flowers, Demeter had her all to herself. However when Hades, the God of the underworld, kidnaps her and takes her to his home, things change (Lindemans). Demeter goes into panic mode, searching far and wide for her daughter (“Persephone •

There is a myth that her daughter, Persephone, was abducted by Demeter's brother, Hades. Hades was the ruler of the Underworld and ruler of the dead. Hades took Persephone to the Underworld with him to become his wife. Demeter was so upset that she put a curse on the earth causing the plant life to die. Zeus saved Persephone, but because she ate while in the Underworld, she was bound to Hades for four months out of every year. Demeter had great sorrow during these months, creating winter. When Persephone returns after these four months, Spring is brought to the earth. ("Demeter." Demeter. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Sept.

In The Myth of Persephone, Persephone the main character is a teenage girl who is taken to the depths of hell by Hades to be his

One of Lawrence’s favorite myths is that of Persephone, Demeter, and Dis. In some of Lawrence’s stories involving this famous Greek myth, the main characters reflect, or even channel the characters and events from the ancient myth itself, frequently giving the story a strange dark depth and a ritualistic feel—as if the modern characters themselves are unconsciously playing out ancient archetypes within their own psyches. Persephone is daughter of Demeter (god of agriculture) Oone day she is gathering flowers. Pluto (underworld) abducts her, keeping her from her mother. Her mother then

Together, the two patriarchal figures conspire to kidnap and force Persephone to marry Hades. This is done behind Demeter’s back, intentionally removing her from her role as mother. Their actions directly diminish or outright remove the will of Demeter, a symbol of women in Greek culture (The Homeric Hymn to Demeter 29-30). This theme of a removal of female autonomy is mirrored later in the text when Hades tricks Persephone into eating pomegranate seeds. This action is a deliberate attempt to remove Persephone’s ability to choose for herself, condemning her to spend the winter months in the underworld with him. Not only does this subjugate Persephone to Hades’ will, but it also lends justification to the subjugation of women by men (372-400). By removing the sovereignty of the female mind, the myth promotes male authority.

     Hades is one of the brothers of Zeus. He is the unlucky one who got to rule the underworld. He is cruel and unforgiving. Only two have ever gone to Hades domain and returned, Hercules and Odysseus. Hades fell in love with Zeus’s daughter and devised a plan to abduct her. With Zeus’s help they succeeded in the capture of Persephone. Her mother Demeter was so enraged she cursed the Earth. She continued the curse even after she was released. It was only after her mother Rhea was allowed to see her that she let the Earth prosper (message).

Perseus, the son of Zeus, is caught in a war between gods and is helpless to save his family from Hades, which is the god of the underworld. Then, Perseus and a group of warriors go out on a quest to find Hades and stop him from overthrowing the king of the gods.

When Zeus and Hades retuned almost everyone had forgotten about Perculus, Diminutive and Gargantuan. But little did Zeus know Perculus had become good friends with Aphrodite (Goddess of love and beauty), and Aphrodite was wondering where he was. When she went to ask Hades where Perculus went, he panicked and made up a ridiculous lie. Then she knew something was going on. She then decided to search Hades lair. There she found Perculus, Diminutive and Gargantuan tied to a ship being prepared to be exiled. She then untied them and she then had them explain what was going on. Form there she obviously sided with the three gods. Diminutive and Gargantuan ran away to an unknown place but Aphrodite and Perculus got revenge by taking away most of Zeus education and diminishing the love life for Hades, both acts preformed by the gods.

Innocence, desire, and obsession are all facets in the story of Persephone and Hades. The arranged abduction broke a divine mother’s heart enough to affect the course of life on Earth forever. Persephone, or commonly called Kore meaning “the maiden,” was sought after by Hades, ruler of the underworld (Persephone 1). Hades enlisted Zeus’s help to abduct his daughter with Demeter, Persephone. Those events would become known as The Abduction of Persephone. This myth would become one of the most iconic and widely known in Greek history because it would explain one of earth’s most important cycles, reinforce the idea that the gods and goddesses have control of the earth, and fostered an agrarian cult’s religious rites.