Demeter, however, could not let it gone. She was furious at this insult and deeply believed that Hades, who after all had only dead people for company, was not the right husband for her sweet daughter. She also got angry at Zeus for not having revealed this to her. To punish gods and to grief, Demeter decided to take a long and indefinite leave from her duties as the goddess of harvest and fertility, with devastating consequences. The earth began to dry up,harvests failed, plants lost their fruitfulness, animals were dying for lack of food and famine spread to the whole earth, resulting in untold misery.
The cries of the people who were suffering reached Olympus and the divine ears of Zeus. The mighty god finally realized that if he wouldn't do something about his wife's wrath, all humanity would disappear. Thus he tried to find another solution to both calm Demeter and please Hades. He promised Demeter to restore Persephone to her if it can be proved that the maiden stays with Hades against her will.
Otherwise, Persephone belongs to her husband. The crafty Hades learned this agreement and tricked his reluctant bride, who was crying all day and night from despair, to eat a few seeds of the pomegranate fruit. This was the food of the Underworld and every time someone ate even a few seeds of this, then, after a while, he would miss life in the Underworld.
When the gathering in front of Zeus took place and Persephone was asked where she would like to live, she answered she wanted to live with her husband.
When Demeter heard that, she got infuriated and accused Hades that somehow he had tricked her daughter. A great fight followed and Demeter threatened that she would never again make the earth fertile and everyone on Earth would die. To put an ed on this quarrel, Zeus decided that Persephone would spend half months with her husband in Hades and half months with her mother on Olympus. This alternative pleased none of the two opponents, nevertheless that had no other option but accept it.
Thus the lovely maiden Persephone became the rightful wife of Hades and Queen of the Underworld. During the six months that Persephone spent in the Underworld, her mother was sad and not in the mood to deal with harvest. Thus she would leave the Earth to decline.
According to the ancient Greeks, these were the months of Autumn and Winter, when the land is not fertile and does not give crops.
Whenever Persephone went to Olympus to live with her mother, Demeter would shine from happiness and the land would become fertile again and fruitful. These were the months of Spring and Summer.
Therefore, this myth was created to explain the change of the seasons, the eternal cycle of the Nature's death and rebirth. Previous myth: The Amazons Next myth: Prometheus, the friend of man. Persephone longed for a friend, and hated Hades. However, he soon grew on her, and experienced true freedom In Hades, at least. Soon, Hecate came down and befriended her, and Hades grew happy for Persephone. Zeus then ordered Hades to return Persephone,and sent Hermes to retrieve her, but Hades sent a wonderful gift to Zeus.
Persephone also ate six pomegranates, which cursed her to stay there for six months. Zeus was taken by the gift but was torn between it and nature. Greek Mythology Wiki Explore. Bureaucrats Messenger of Heaven. Staff Bureaucrats Messenger of Heaven. Register Don't have an account? View source. History Talk 1.
Zeus , Demeter. Persephone opening a cista containing the infant Adonis, on a pinax from Locri. There is also a story about these two seasons that concerns Persephone as the queen of the Underworld.
While Persephone is more reasonable and compassionate than her fierce, but fair husband, she causes conflict when she does a favor for Aphrodite. Apparently the goddess of love has fallen for the beautiful youth Adonis. When he dies, Aphrodite gives him to Persephone for safekeeping, but the goddess falls in love with him herself. When she refuses to give him up, Zeus must again intervene with a similar resolution. The two goddesses must share him for six months out of the year, with Persephone claiming him during the autumn and the winter.
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