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Persephone Hades BM Vase E82

Persephone and Hades

Persephone is the Greek goddess of springtime and maidenhood, and is the queen of the Underworld. She is married to Hades who is also her uncle. Her Roman name is Proserpine.

Myths about Persephone[]

Birth and Childhood[]

Persephone was born to Zeus and harvest-goddess, Demeter, and became the queen of the Underworld. Zeus, however, did not care for Persephone, and left them both. Demeter would then raise Persephone alone.

Marriage[]

Pluto-proserpine

Hades abduction of Persephone

As soon as Persephone matured, she gained many suitors. She, however, remained a maiden. One morning, she was out picking flowers when Hades burst through the Earth, riding a golden chariot pulled by black horses. He had seen her earlier that day and had fallen in love with her. He grabbed her by the wrist and waist, took into the chariot, and down to the Underworld.

Persephone spent a year there. In this time period, during the first nine days her mother, Demeter, was distraught and searched for her. Hekate saw her one of the nine days and told Demeter. Demeter became intensely sad and stopped caring about nature and the Earth. This cause nature to die, and the first winter to occur.

Persephone longed for a friend, and hated Hades. However, he soon grew on her, and experienced true freedom (In Hades, at least). Soon, Hecate came down and befriended her, and Hades grew happy for Persephone.

Zeus then ordered Hades to return Persephone,and sent Hermes to retrieve her, but Hades sent a wonderful gift to Zeus. Persephone also ate six pomegranates, which cursed her to stay there for six months. Zeus was taken by the gift but was torn between it and nature. He, Demeter, and Hades came to an agreement: Persephone would stay one alf of the year with Hades and the other half of the year on Earth/Mount Olympus with Demeter.

Also Called[]

  • Proserpine or Prosperpina
  • Queen of the Underworld
  • Goddess of vegetation and fertility
  • Kore (before her abduction/when spring and summer happens)

Attributes[]

  • Pomegranates
  • Grain
  • Flowers
  • Spring
  • Fertility
  • Vegetation

Parents[]

Children[]

Trivia[]

  • Persephone is the name of a character in the Matrix movies. She's married to The Merovingian, a powerful lord of the underworld. (Hmm, we wonder where they got that idea?)
  • With the help of her husband, Percy Shelby Shelley, Mary Shelley wrote a drama called Proserpine, based on Ovid's version of the myth. We guess she was a fan of themes of death and resurrection, considering her famous novel Frankenstein.
  • In one story, Persephone changes Min-the, a nymph lover of Hades, into the plant we know as mint, all because the nymph bragged that she was better than Persephone.
  • In one obscure myth, Persephone is responsible for the creation of mankind.

Symbols[]

Gallery of Persephone[]

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