Persephone: Greek Mythology and Spring Persephone Returns Essay

Submitted By jclary94
Words: 572
Pages: 3
Open Document
Persephone There are many variations in the story of Persephone and the conflicting roles she held. In Greek mythology, Persephone is known as the goddess of springtime, flowers and youth and, the queen of the underworld. She is the daughter of Zeus, king of the gods, and Demeter, the harvest queen. As a young girl she was called Kore, which is Greek for maiden. As a young woman, Persephone had many suitors. In one variation of the story, it was Persephone who rejected their advances, but in others, it was Demeter who turned them away wanting to keep her daughter to herself. She was successful up to the time Zeus made a deal with his brother Hades, king of the underworld.

In the original version of the myth, Persephone is out in a field with friends picking flowers with her mother close by watching over her. Zeus was also watching down from Olympus, but for another reason. As Persephone was gathering flowers, an unusually beautiful flower caught her eye. The flower was a narcissus, the exact flower Zeus wanted her to see. As she leaned down to pick the flower, the earth suddenly trembled and split in two and out of the bowels of the earth emerged a great golden chariot carrying Hades. As quickly as Hades snatched up Persephone taking her underground, Demeter intuitively knew something bad had happened to her daughter. The sudden loss of Persephone caused Demeter to sink into a state of deep depression so much so that she abandoned her duties as goddess of grain and growth. Soon, the beauty that graced the earth withered and died all around her as she wandered aimlessly from town to town in search of Persephone.

So outraged by the loss of Persephone, Demeter demanded Zeus bring her daughter back. Zeus surrendered to Demeter’s demands and sent a messenger to the underworld to bring Persephone back. When he arrived, he was surprised at what he saw. Expecting to find a weakened and terrified Persephone, he found instead, a well adjusted and glowing Queen of the Underground in charge of assisting new arrivals in adapting to their new life. As much as she loved and missed her mother, Persephone felt she had found her purpose and was distraught as to what she
Show More

Related Documents: Persephone: Greek Mythology and Spring Persephone Returns Essay

Persephone Research Paper

In greek mythology, Persephone is the reason for seasons as she is the goddess of spring growth. Her name also stands for “to destroy” and “murder” in the context of harvesting. She was born to Demeter, goddess of agriculture, and to Zeus, god of the sky and ruler of the Olympian gods. Persephone was often even considered an Olympian. In Roman mythology, Persephone was known as Proserpina. During her childhood she was called Kore, which stands for maiden. As she was young, she attracted the attention…

Words 798 - Pages 4

Greek Mythology: Demeter Essay

Carter-Perkins Mr. Barnes English 1 Acc. Due: May 27, 2014 Greek Mythology: Demeter A myth is traditional or legendary story, one that includes epic heroes and gods and explains a cultural practice or phenomenon. Many of the gods or goddesses in these stories have special gifts that make us comfortable in what we know and believe in. One of these goddesses is in fact Demeter, Goddess of Bountiful Harvest. Demeter is the mother of Persephone, maiden of spring, and the maid of Zeus, King of the Gods. She is…

Words 510 - Pages 3

timeline of ancient greece Essay examples

world that surrounds him. What makes the sun rise and set? Why are there seasons? Where do things go when they die? To the ancient Greeks, there were simple explanations to all these questions – it was the gods! Things that seemed unexplainable could suddenly make sense when there were gods and goddesses involved. And these stories of the gods that the Greeks created to help make sense of the universe have survived the years to become a treasured and integral part of the history of the Western…

Words 3784 - Pages 16

What Are Demeter's Immortal Gods

chariot drawn by coal-black steed. Persephone cried out as she rode down into hell and her cry carried over hills and seas to her mother who came racing after her. Demeter wondered for nine days looking for her daughter in despair, not letting a drop of ambrosia touch her lips. No one would tell her the truth until she came to the Sun who relayed the awful news: her daughter had been taken down into the world below the earth, among the dead, by Hades. (Theoi Greek Mythology) An even deeper despair came…

Words 1535 - Pages 7

The Pantheon of Greek Gods Essay

The Pantheon of Greek Gods The Olympians The 12 Olympians were the gods who ruled after the overthrow of the Titans. They are named after Mount Olympus, where most of them reside. The twelve gods most commonly portrayed in art and poetry as the 12 Olympians were Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Hermes and either Hestia, or Dionysus. Hades was not usually included because he lives in the underworld and rarely visits Mount Olympus. Heroes and Monsters…

Words 3274 - Pages 14