Proserpina
Also known as Proserpina for the Romans, Persephone is usually talked about when people speak of Demeter or Hades. She is a side character to the adults of the story. Even on this site, we have mentioned her several times but only when speaking of her abduction. But what was her point of view during all of this? How did the Greeks see her?
Persephone is the goddess of spring, vegetation, and of youth and light, and births that occur during this time. In fact, her myth of going down to the underworld during the fall/winter months and coming back up during spring and summer can be seen as a sort of resurrection myth that usually does not accompany female figures. She is the daughter of Demeter, the agriculture goddess, and Zeus the king of the gods and Demeter’s younger brother. Even though she is the daughter of Zeus, Persephone herself is mostly associated with her mother rather than with her father.
Hades, The Abduction
So, we all know of the abduction, according to some sources she was simply taken into the underworld while minding her own business. Either being scared by a snake or the ground breaking underneath her and the hand of hades just coming up and dragging her down, the point is that she awoke in the deep bowels of the underworld.
While in the underworld she starved herself. She did not eat or drink anything while in the underworld. One day, however, a young boy offered her pomegranate seeds to keep her alive. Without any nutrition, more specifically the ambrosia of the gods, she would eventually fade away. Thinking that there would be no consequence in the eating of life-giving pomegranate seeds she ate three or six, it really depends on the source. These details are important later regarding how the story pans out.
Demeter, The Search
In the upper world, her mother had been scouring the earth. During this time, she met Triptolemus and his family. Eventually, she also heard that her daughter was now an inhabitant of the underworld.
Demeter discovered that Hades, her own brother, had taken her daughter as a wife. In the underworld Persephone waited, disliking being there. Hades forced her to become his wife against her will. It was not until the world itself starved in a terrible winter that Zeus and the other gods reacted and acted. They had to take Demeter seriously.
Zeus, Hades, and Demeter needed to compromise. Demeter wanted Persephone out of the underworld and not bound to this realm, however, because Persephone ate the pomegranate seeds, she was bound to the underworld by the laws of nature. The underworld was now a part of her. Demeter wanted her daughter out, Hades wanted his new wife in, and Zeus was stuck in the middle trying to figure out how to satisfy both and keep the world sane. If by these laws of nature, he sided with Hades, Demeter would unleash her wrath upon the world in an eternal winter to rival an ice age. However, if he sided with Demeter, he would risk upsetting the very laws of nature. Persephone ate from the underworld and is therefore bound to it.
Here is where the detail of three or six pomegranate seeds comes into play.
Now they came to an agreement. Persephone would spend a part of the year in the underworld and the other part of the year with her mother in the realm outside.
Many sources say that she just spends three months in the underworld because of the three seeds and therefore autumn is the “Goodbye” season for Persephone while spring is the “Welcome Back” season, however other sources indicate that she ate six seeds and therefore spends half the year in the underworld. Autumn is therefore there so that Demeter can give humanity a final large meal and prep for winter.
For me, the half and half seem more balanced.
Thus, Persephone became the goddess queen of the underworld and the goddess of springtime. Persephone, or Kore as she is known in some traditions, along with her mother and Tritolemus, were principal figures in the Eleusinian mysteries.
Because of her association with springtime, she is also a youth goddess and a goddess of new life. Her symbols include a sheaf of grain and holding the torch. The torch symbol relates to both her and her mother. This torch not only represents light but hope. Demeter used a torch to search the world while she holds the torch of light even in the depths of the underworld. Because of this torch symbolism, Persephone has also related to Hecate, a magical underworld goddess that is often represented holding a torch as well.
The Children of Persephone
Zagreus – a prince of the underworld and much more popular now than ever before because of the video game Hades. Zagreus was the prince of the underworld son of Persephone with Hades. There are accounts that claim that Zagreus was a son of Zeus with Persephone, but there are also accounts that often describe Hades as the Zeus of the underworld, which is spot on, as in Hades is an all-powerful god of the underworld, but it does make this all very confusing. To add to this confusion, some stories compare and parallel Zagreus’ life, birth, death, and rebirth, to that of Dionysus the god of wine.
Melinoe – the goddess of madness and nightmares. I love this goddess and her true Lovecraftian appeal. A daughter of Persephone and Hades. Not much is known of this goddess and there are not that many stories that feature her.
Erinyes – The Furies – some traditions of Greek myth see the furies as daughters of Persephone with hades and as the goddesses of vengeance and punishment.
It should, however, be that several sources in Greek mythology claim that Hades was not the father of these children. Hesiod’s Theogony, Ovid’s Metamorphoses, and Apollodorus’ Library all claim that these were Persephone’s children with Zeus. As in Zeus the king of the gods, disguised as a snake. This specifically applies to Melinoe and possibly Zagreus. Whereas the furies were sometimes attributed as children of titans, I will cover them in their own video.
It should also be noted, that while Persephone’s rise to queendom began as an abduction by hades, some of these sources claim that Hades had Zeus’ consent to do so. This puts a dark twist into her already dark myth, especially if you remember that she is not only Zeus’ daughter but may have been the mother of some of his children.
Stories
In the court of the underworld, Persephone did play a part in matters that occurred there. For example, she was recognized and honored by Aeneas when he ventured into the underworld, giving the reader a hint as to more or less what time of year this event took place. She also gave leave to Eurydice, after hearing Orpheus’ music lamenting her loss. In one myth, in particular, one already covered in this channel Persephone played a role in the story of Minthe the nymph associated with the mint plant. Supposedly Minthe had a thing with Hades, though I could not find any sources that say they had children together. Persephone was nevertheless offended, or perhaps jealous, or felt disrespected. Some versions of this minor myth do claim that Minthe and Hade’s affair happened before Persephone’s abduction, however, in those myths where she was already the queen of the underworld, Persephone was responsible for this nymph’s death.
Persephone has also been something of an anomaly when it comes to representing her in Greek or roman mythology-inspired media. Most notable is Rosario Dawson’s portrayal of her in Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Now, this is nothing against the actress. Rosario Dawson is an amazing actress and I loved her here and in Alexander, but her appearance in Percy Jackson was always confusing to me. I get that maybe they needed more of a presence in the underworld, perhaps someone to balance out Hades, but considering how the entire movie takes place during the summer solstice, as in mid-June, Persephone was never supposed to be there. Like not at all. They may have their reasons for it, but the inaccuracies in Percy Jackson and the Olympians still astound me to this day. That one is perhaps my biggest peeve with this movie, but still…
One last thing before I wrap up this video, Persephone and Demeter were both central figures in the Eleusinian Mysteries. This cult deserves its own video but Both Mother and Daughter were at the center of it, along with Tritolemus, who is connected with agriculture, and Demeter as well. Triptolemus was basically a demigod not born to Demeter but created and fed by Demeter.
That about wraps up this video/blog, if you made it this far please consider subscribing to this channel and liking the video if you really did. Tell me in the comments what versions of this myth you prefer. Who do you think is the real father of Persephone’s children let me know if I missed something crucial about her.
Also consider checking out my YouTube channel, and checking me out on Patreon. You can also send me… I hate this part, I don’t like begging, but if you feel like buying me a cup of coffee my Patreon is also linked. It has been a slow process for me, but my computer sucks, and I did recently move to the other side of the world and I have to prioritize my day job first.
If you are curious about the sources I used, you can check them in the description below. If you have any recommendations, as in books or sources you really like and trust for Greek mythology and roman mythology or just mythology in general, feel free to write them down in the comments. There are links below to where you can buy the books I usually reference, the books I like, and the equipment I used for this video.
Thank you for watching and I’ll see you next time!
Myths Reborn 