Myths call the Greek goddess Persephone daughter of Zeus and Demeter. This young, cheerful and blooming goddess entered the pantheon of the supreme gods of Greece as the wife of the ruler of the underworld - Aida .
The goddess Persephone in Greek mythology
Demeter, Persephone's mother, was regarded by the Greeks as the goddess of fertility and agriculture. Her love affair with her brother Zeus is described very poorly, and given the fact that Demeter's love was not different, we can conclude that the supreme god of Olympus simply seduced her sister. However, Persephone became the beloved daughter of Demeter, the spiritual connection of these goddesses was very strong.
Before studying the Greek myths, Persephone researchers appear in a variety of hypostases. One of them is the young and beautiful daughter of Demeter, a symbol of spring and flowering. The second is a powerful lady of the world of the dead and a jealous wife, capable of severely punishing her rivals. The third image is a cordial and sympathetic conductor of the souls of the dead. According to many scholars, the image of the goddess Persephone in Greek mythology was borrowed from travelers from the Balkans. However, this goddess has become very popular and is found in many myths.
According to one of the legends Persephone tried to help Orpheus return his wife to the world of the living. She, like no one else, could understand his desire, because Persephone himself was placed in the kingdom of Aida forcibly. Orpheus was given one condition - to leave the world of the dead without looking back at his wife following him, but he could not cope with the temptation and lost his Eurydice forever.
Some myths tell of the love interests of the god Hades and his wife Persephone. The goddess of the underworld destroyed her rivals without mercy - she was turned into a mint by a nymph Mintu, the nymph Kokid - trampled. Although most of Persephone were also beloved - Adonis and Dionysus. And for the love of Adonis, the goddess Persephone struggled with Aphrodite herself. Zeus, who was bored with the disputes of these two goddesses, ordered Adonis to live 4 months with one beloved, 4 on the other, and the remaining time of the year be left to himself.
The myth of Persephone and Hades
The most popular myth about Persephone tells of her abduction by Hades. The ruler of the world of the dead really liked the lovely daughter of Demeter. One day, when unsuspecting Persephone was walking through a flowering meadow with her friends under the supervision of Helios, a chariot appeared from under the earth, which Hades ruled. The underground god grabbed Persephone and carried him to the realm of death.
Demeter could not accept that her beloved daughter would become the wife of the old Hades, and she would never see her. Mother asked for help from various gods, from Zeus himself, but no one could help her. Because of the suffering of Demeter, a great drought began, the plants ceased to grow, animals and people began to perish, there was no one to offer rich sacrifices to the gods. Then Zeus was frightened and tried to correct the situation. He asked Hermes to persuade Hades to return Persephone.
The ruler of the kingdom of the dead, of course, did not burn at all
Embracing her newfound daughter, Demeter wept. These tears of life-giving moisture fell to the ground, the drought was over, and the threat of total loss of life disappeared. But when Demeter learned that Persephone had eaten pomegranate seeds, she realized that her daughter would not remain with her forever. Zeus ordered Persephone 8 months a year to spend with his mother, and for 4 months to go down into the underworld to her husband. Demeter reconciled with such a decision of the main deity, but from now on, as a sign of her sorrow in Greece for four months, winter set in.