Persephone, the Greek Goddess of Spring and Queen of the Underworld. Also known as Kore (the maiden). The daughter of Zeus and Demeter, the harvest goddess. She has one brother, Dionysus, and lots of half siblings. The meaning to her name is unknown, but some believe in the greek words pertho “to destroy” and phone “murder.” She was married to the God-King of the Underworld, Hades. She was so beautiful that he kidnapped her and took her as his wife. Due to this, Persephone had to stay in the underworld for about 4 months of the year, winter time, and would emerge to bring back spring to the earth for the remaining months. Bringing back spring to the earth meant crops could grow again in which earth was flourishing. They never had children,
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.
All of you here have heard and read the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence. The line that resonates with most people is “that all men are created equal and that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. America was founded on this principle, and many argue that this idea still stands today. However, if one were to look at the treatment of women in the United States over the course of time, one could conclude that not everyone residing in America is fortunate enough to have the same opportunities economically, at home, and even in regards to their own body.
(AGG)The greek goddess Demeter had a daughter, Persephone, who was kidnapped by Hades, she was brought to the underworld, “Persephone was kidnapped by Hades and brought down to the underworld. Demeter searched desperately everywhere for the maiden but could not find her”(Cartwright), Demeter’s loss of her daughter gave her a goal, but she was impacted and she became sad because she did not have her daughter by her side every day.
In Greek mythology Hades is the god of the Underworld. He is part of the first olympians. He was in his father Cronus stomach until Zeus tricked him and freed his brothers and sisters. Once they were free they needed to wage war on Cronus, but they needed the backing and support from some other creatures to help fight the war. So the went to Tartarus the Greek equivalent of hell. When they were the set the Cyclopes free, in return the Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades all got magical items. Hades got a magical helmet that made him turn invisible. This would help in the war with Cronus and the Titans. Cronus was finally defeated when Hades got the jump on Cronus with his magic helmet and poseidon pinned him down with his trident. The Zeus gave the final blow with his lightning bolt to end it. (Parada)
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
“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,
Hades manipulates Persephone before he lets her go by forcing her to eat a seed of the pomegranate, which causes an eternal bond with her and the underworld. Due to this she is only able to leave the underworld for a short period of time and then must come back. The portrayal of male dominance within this narrative gives us insight into the way of life found in ancient Greece. Although Demeter gained her daughter back in part, she does not fully reverse the arrangement by Zeus and Hades. The myth continues even in its conclusion to illustrate the battle of the sexes which is a theme of this hymn.
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 •
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).
One of the two tricks that Hades payed on Persephone were very wrong. Hades captured her while she was picking flowers and the Earth opened in front of her. In the story it says “Persephone shrieked aloud and struggled, while the armful of flowers cascaded down to earth”. This means Hades was trying to trick her so he can bring her down to the underworld for months.
One day Hades and Persephone had a boy ,named Conselius. As Conselius grew up he didn't feel like he belonged in the underworld. Every six months his mother would go away to the upper world.Now Conselius always wondered where Persephone,his mother used to go for six months of the year.So one day he followed his mother to the upper world. As he stepped into the bright fields,the beauty caught his attention.The upper world also called Earth was full of with bright flowers,The sun shined upon everyone with its happy smile.There were colors he had never seen before.He saw sparkling rainbows and clean water.A beautiful apple tree caught his eye. Conselius ran to the apple tree plucking a beautiful red apple,and chomped on it. Conselius knew the upper world was where he belonged,but also knew his father was waiting for him. Conselius knew his father would let him stay in the upper world.
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.
Imagine you had the power to control certain things in life, what would you do? In the book Heroes, Gods, and Monsters of the Greek Myths, by Bernard Evslin there is a strong connection between Zeus, Theseus, and Perseus. They all have incredible skills and very independent because they can do things that are inconceivable. All three of them are amazing fighters and can destroy anything in its path. These three gods are able to fight mythological creatures and monsters because they are brave, strong, and smart.