Persephone
Persephone (Proserpina)
was a very beautiful goddess. She was the daughter of Demeter
and Zeus (Ceres and Jupiter).
Myth
One day
when Persephone was picking flowers, the earth opened up underneath
her. Hades caught her and took her to the underworld to be his
wife. When Demeter found out Persephone was missing, she was very
sad and wandered all over the world looking for her. Demeter became
angry at the gods for letting Persephone be taken away, so she
didn't allow her crops to grow. Because of this, Zeus commanded
Hades to return Persephone to Demeter. But while Persephone was
in the underworld, Hades had tricked her into eating a pomegranate,
a fruit that stood for marriage. By eating the seeds, she started
a marriage with Hades that could not be ended. Zeus arranged a
compromise between Demeter and Hades. Persephone would spend two-thirds
of the year with her mother. The other one third of the year would
be spend in the underworld with Hades. In the summer when Persephone
is with Hades, the ground is dry, showing Demeter's sadness. But
during the winter while Persephone is with Demeter, the ground
prospers. This myth was used to show the cycle of fertility in
nature.
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