MYTHOLOGY

PERSEPHONE AND HADES

THE BEGINNING OF THE MYTH

Hades fell in love with Persephone and plotted her abduction. According to legend, he traveled above ground to pursue her while she was gathering flowers in a field, one of the few times he left the Underworld. Hades, the God of the Underworld, saw Persephone one day and fell in love with her right away. Adis (Hades) confided in his brother Zeus, asking for assistance, and the two devised a plan to trap her. The ground split beneath the girl (Persephone) as she played with her companions.Persephone slipped beneath the Earth, and Hades kidnapped her and took her to the Underworld, where he married her. According to the myth, Persephone was very unhappy at first, but after a long time, she grew to love the cold-blooded Hades and lived happily with him.

ANOTHER VERSION OF THE MYTH
Another version of the Hades and Persephone myth exists; in this version, Demeter was present when Persephone was kidnapped by God Hades but was duped by Zeus and Hades. When Demeter descended on Earth with her daughter Persephone that morning, she left her to play with the sea nymphs known as Nereids and the freshwater nymphs known as Naiads.

PERSEPHONE AND FLOWER NARCISSUS
Demeter went to supervise her bountiful crops. As Persephone engaged in play and with the rest of the group, her attention fell upon the potently fragrant valley nearby and she couldn't take her eyes of the yellow flower narcissus. She called upon her playmates to accompany her, but they couldn't possibly go with her as leaving the side of their water bodies would result in their death. The flower Narcissus was planted there by Gaia, who was following the orders of Zeus. The goal was to enchant Persephone and attract her, away from her guides.

HADES KIDNAPPING PERSEPHONE
Persephone danced her way to the garden by herself, attempting to pluck the narcissus from Gaia's bosom. It sapped her energy because the narcissus only emerged after a lot of pulling. But, to her horror, the tiny hole from which she had drawn out the flower shaft began to rapidly grow in size, until it resembled a mighty enormous chasm. This was followed by the vigorous galloping sounds of multiple horses, and such unexpected events only froze the frail beauty to her feet.  Only the naiad Cyane attempted to save the crying Persephone, but she was no match for the powerful Hades. Cyane melted into a pool of tears after learning of her friend's kidnapping and formed the river Cyane at the location.

GODDESS DEMETER TRYING TO FIND PERSEPHONE

Demeter raced back to where she had left her daughter, only to find the Cyane river and the other nymphs weeping. Worried, she inquired of everyone as to the whereabouts of her beloved daughter.Nobody could tell her anything, and enraged that they couldn't protect her child, she cursed all the nymphs, transforming them into heinous women with plumed bodies and scaly feet known as sirens. Only the river Cyane aided her by washing over Persephone's belt, indicating that something gravely wrong had occurred. Demeter went insane and searched everywhere for her daughter. According to legend, she disguised herself as an aged lady and roamed the Earth for nine long days and nine long nights with a lit torched in her hands.

Finally, at the dawn of the tenth day, she met Hekate, the deity of magic, witchcraft, spirits, and crossroads, who felt sorry for her plight and advised her to seek help from the all-seeing Helios, the sun god. Helios revealed to Demeter how Hades had dragged Persephone into the underworld.

PERSEPHONE IN THE UNDERWORLD
Demeter, Persephone's mother, begged her brother Hades to let Persephone return to the livings, indicating that the young Persephone was not supposed to live in the underworld. Hades and Zeus conferred, and they both agreed to allow Persephone to live on Earth for six months each year, while remaining on his side in the Underworld the rest of the time. Persephone was persuaded to eat four pomegranate seeds before leaving the underworld. In ancient mythology, eating the fruit of one's captor meant returning to that captor or country, so Persephone was fated to spend four months of the year in the underworld. She was, however, permitted to spend the remaining two-thirds of the year with her Earth Mother, Demeter. The myth of Hades and Persephone is linked to the arrival of Spring and Winter: when Persephone returns to Earth, it is spring. It is winter when she descends to Hades.