Persephone

Queen of the Underworld

Persephone was the daughter of Zeus and Demeter and became queen of the Underworld. She was also called Kore, which means maiden. Her most famous story begins when she is gathering flowers with other young goddesses. Suddenly the ground opens and Hades appears in his chariot. He takes Persephone down into the Underworld to become his wife. Persephone does not choose to be taken, which is important to remember. Her mother Demeter hears her cry out but does not know where she has gone. Demeter searches everywhere, carrying torches and refusing to give up until she discovers the truth.

Demeter becomes so heartbroken and angry that she stops crops from growing. Seeds fail, fields become empty and humans begin to starve. Eventually Zeus realises something has to change and sends Hermes to bring Persephone home. Before she leaves, however, Persephone eats pomegranate seeds in the Underworld. Because she has eaten food there, she cannot stay above forever. A deal is made so she spends part of the year with Demeter and part below with Hades. Later retellings give different numbers of seeds and different exact amounts of time, so there is no single ancient timetable that everyone agreed on.

Persephone becomes much more than the girl who was taken. In other myths she appears as a respected and sometimes frightening queen beside Hades. When Orpheus travels into the Underworld to rescue Eurydice, his music moves Persephone. Heracles also enters the realm while she is queen. Demeter and Persephone were worshipped together in the famous Eleusinian Mysteries, secret ceremonies that promised worshippers special hope about death and the afterlife. Persephone could be shown with flowers, grain, torches or a pomegranate. I like how her character connects two completely different worlds. Above ground she is linked with her mother, flowers and returning growth. Below ground she sits beside Hades as queen of the dead. She starts the story as a missing daughter but becomes one of the most important figures in the Underworld.

⬅   Back