Persephone is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, and Queen of the Underworld, associated with the cycles of life and death and the seasons.
The most well-known tale involving Persephone tells us how Hades fell in love with her and kidnapped her, taking her to the underworld where he ruled. Her mother, Demeter, was the Goddess of vegetation and crops. Distraught she searched for her daughter, for at this point nobody knew it was Hades who had taken her. Consumed by the desire to find Persephone, Demeter neglected her duties as a Goddess of crops, which led to a famine which killed many.
When it was discovered that it was Hades who had taken Persephone, Zeus demanded that Hades release her. However, Persephone had already eaten the food of the underworld (in this case, pomegranate seeds), binding her soul to the underworld. They came to a compromise. For six months of the year, Persephone would spend her time with her mother in the world of the living, and for the remaining six months she would spend it in the underworld with Hades. It is said that the six months she spends with her mother are the spring/summer months, where crops and vegetation grow in abundance. The six months she spends in the underworld are autumn/winter, for Demeter is so saddened by her daughter's departure that she will not allow anything to grow until Persephone's return. In this sense, Persephone is associated with the cycles of life and the fertility of the earth.
It is worth noting that in some versions, Zeus knew all along that it was Hades who had taken Persephone, for it was Zeus himself who suggested Hades kidnap the girl. Hades had spoken to Zeus of his love for Persephone, but Zeus knew that Demeter would never let her daughter descend into the underworld, so he instead suggested Hade's abduct her. It was Helios, the sun God, who told Demeter who had taken Persephone (for as the sun, he sees everything which happens).
The most well-known tale involving Persephone tells us how Hades fell in love with her and kidnapped her, taking her to the underworld where he ruled. Her mother, Demeter, was the Goddess of vegetation and crops. Distraught she searched for her daughter, for at this point nobody knew it was Hades who had taken her. Consumed by the desire to find Persephone, Demeter neglected her duties as a Goddess of crops, which led to a famine which killed many.
When it was discovered that it was Hades who had taken Persephone, Zeus demanded that Hades release her. However, Persephone had already eaten the food of the underworld (in this case, pomegranate seeds), binding her soul to the underworld. They came to a compromise. For six months of the year, Persephone would spend her time with her mother in the world of the living, and for the remaining six months she would spend it in the underworld with Hades. It is said that the six months she spends with her mother are the spring/summer months, where crops and vegetation grow in abundance. The six months she spends in the underworld are autumn/winter, for Demeter is so saddened by her daughter's departure that she will not allow anything to grow until Persephone's return. In this sense, Persephone is associated with the cycles of life and the fertility of the earth.
It is worth noting that in some versions, Zeus knew all along that it was Hades who had taken Persephone, for it was Zeus himself who suggested Hades kidnap the girl. Hades had spoken to Zeus of his love for Persephone, but Zeus knew that Demeter would never let her daughter descend into the underworld, so he instead suggested Hade's abduct her. It was Helios, the sun God, who told Demeter who had taken Persephone (for as the sun, he sees everything which happens).
Hades was not Persephone's only lover; she also fell in love with the beautiful mortal Adonis. After he was born, Adonis was given to Persephone to raise by Aphrodite. But when Aphrodite, enchanted by the beauty that the grown Adonis embodied, wanted him back, Persephone refused. Eventually they petitioned Zeus for help to resolve the issue, and he ruled that Adonis would spend a third of the year in the underworld with Persephone, a third of the year with Aphrodite, and then the remaining third of the year wherever he chose.
Persephone also had a jealous streak. The Nymph Minthe became a mistress to Hades, and so Persephone trampled her underfoot, transforming her into the common garden mint in the process. In another version of the tale, Persephone kills her and it is Hade's who transforms her into mint in an act of compassion. In another version, Minthe was Hade's lover before Persephone, and she brags that she is more beautiful and that Hade's will soon return to her. Insulted on behalf of her daughter, it is Demeter that kills her.
But Persephone does have a soft side. It is said that the hero Orpheus descended to the underworld in order to retrieve his wife, to bring her back to the land of the living. He played music to Persephone and Hade's, and Persephone was so moved by his music that she persuaded Hade's to let him take his wife back. She also persuaded Zeus to let the hero Protesilaus to return to the land of the living for a brief time to visit his own wife.
It is believed that Persephone has her origins in much more ancient Goddesses and cults, and a lot of how she was worshipped was kept secret, in part because it was believed that worship of her would grant them a better life in the underworld than Hade's would. She is often worshipped alongside her mother Demeter. Whilst most festivals celebrating Persephone centred around her abduction myth and her role as a Goddess of the underworld and of corn and the fertility of the land, in Magna Graecia (a city which was located on the coast of the Ionian sea, in Southern Italy), she was also celebrated as a protector of marriage and childbirth.
Persephone represents balance; the light and the dark, living and death. Her descent into the underworld can be seen as symbolic of the journey of the self as we confront the darkest aspects of our own selves in order to transform and grow. She is a great Goddess to call upon to help you do so, to protect and guide you as seek to face your own darkness and better understand yourself. Her symbols include the pomegranate seed, grain, and the torch, so incorporate these elements into any work you do to help you align with this ancient and powerful deity.
Persephone also had a jealous streak. The Nymph Minthe became a mistress to Hades, and so Persephone trampled her underfoot, transforming her into the common garden mint in the process. In another version of the tale, Persephone kills her and it is Hade's who transforms her into mint in an act of compassion. In another version, Minthe was Hade's lover before Persephone, and she brags that she is more beautiful and that Hade's will soon return to her. Insulted on behalf of her daughter, it is Demeter that kills her.
But Persephone does have a soft side. It is said that the hero Orpheus descended to the underworld in order to retrieve his wife, to bring her back to the land of the living. He played music to Persephone and Hade's, and Persephone was so moved by his music that she persuaded Hade's to let him take his wife back. She also persuaded Zeus to let the hero Protesilaus to return to the land of the living for a brief time to visit his own wife.
It is believed that Persephone has her origins in much more ancient Goddesses and cults, and a lot of how she was worshipped was kept secret, in part because it was believed that worship of her would grant them a better life in the underworld than Hade's would. She is often worshipped alongside her mother Demeter. Whilst most festivals celebrating Persephone centred around her abduction myth and her role as a Goddess of the underworld and of corn and the fertility of the land, in Magna Graecia (a city which was located on the coast of the Ionian sea, in Southern Italy), she was also celebrated as a protector of marriage and childbirth.
Persephone represents balance; the light and the dark, living and death. Her descent into the underworld can be seen as symbolic of the journey of the self as we confront the darkest aspects of our own selves in order to transform and grow. She is a great Goddess to call upon to help you do so, to protect and guide you as seek to face your own darkness and better understand yourself. Her symbols include the pomegranate seed, grain, and the torch, so incorporate these elements into any work you do to help you align with this ancient and powerful deity.
