greek mythology hades and persephone story

Each spring, as the earth returned to life, some Greeks observed a sacred ritual in which the story of Demeter and Persephone was enacted. To ancient Greeks, the return of Persephone from the underworld symbolized the return of life in the spring. Hades and Persephone Gian Lorenzo Bernini: Pluto and Proserpina Persephone, Latin Proserpina or Proserpine, in Greek religion, daughter of Zeus, the chief god, and Demeter, the goddess of agriculture she was the wife of Hades, king of the underworld. Because Persephone ate the pomegranate seeds she had to spend some of her time in the underworld, so from that moment on she can spend only six months out of the year with her mother on earth and the other six months she is destined to spend in the realm of Hades, in the underworld. Hades did not want to let Persephone go, so he forced Persephone to eat a pomegranate seed, the food of the dead in ancient Greek mythology. Zeus intervenes and commands Hades to return Persephone. Demeter’s grief causes the earth to die – crops fail, and famine comes upon the land. Demeter went in search of her daughter, but she was unable to find her. Myth has it that Hades abducted Persephone as she was gathering flowers by a stream. He is the son of the titans Cronus and Rhea and the brother of Zeus. Hades is the god of the underworld, also known as Pluto or Pluton (meaning the “wealthy one”). Persephone, much like her mother Demeter, is also associated with vegetation and grain and they were were the central figures of the Eleusinian Mysteries, which promised the initiated a beter life after death. She is the daughter of Demeter and Zeus, goddess of the earth. Persephone is the goddess of spring (the season) and also the Queen of the underworld. Iseult Gillespie shares the myth of the goddess of spring. He wrenched Persephone from Cyane, dragged her into his inky chariot, and blasted back through the earth. Suddenly, the earth split, and a terrifying figure arose. As they admired a flower, they noticed it tremble in the ground. We can therefore assume she did not love Hades at this stage, and probably even hated him for destroying her innocence and taking her away from her family.

At its core, this is a dark mythological story involving an abduction and most likely a rape. One day, Persephone was frolicking in a meadow with the nymph, Cyane. In Ancient Greek and Roman texts it is clear that Hades kidnapped Persephone against her will, and forcibly made her his wife. This myth not only shows the strong bond between mothers and daughters but it most importantly tries to explain, through mythology, the origin of the seasons. She cared as deeply for her daughter Persephone as she did the earth. Demeter was the most nurturing of goddesses and, in turn, was the most nurturing of mothers. One of the most interesting myths in Greek mythology is the myth of Demeter (Demetra) and Persephone. The Greek goddess, Persephone, was the child of Demeter, the goddess of earth’s fertility and harvest, and Zeus, the king of all the Olympians. What Was Greece Like After the War of Independence?.The Impact of Ancient Greek Folklore and Hellenism on Contemporary Gaming.The Enduring Appeal of Greece’s Temples to the Gods.

Greek mythology hades and persephone story