This agricultural-based cult promised its initiates passage to a blessed afterlife. She was the daughter of Demeter. How do you think Persephone felt? The road is flint-coloured. Fossum, "The Myth of the Eternal Rebirth," p. 309. a goddess being abducted and taken to the underworld, "The Rape of Persephone: A Greek Scenario of Women's Initiation", "Hades' Newest Bride: A Remarkable Epitaph", "Life, Death, and a Lokrian Goddess. The name pais (the divine child) appears in the Mycenean inscriptions. [84], When Echemeia, a queen of Kos, ceased to offer worship to Artemis, the goddess shot her with an arrow. She will holdthe papery flushed skin in her hand.And to her lips. [60] Afterwards, Rhea became Demeter. 477480:"The Arcadian Great goddesses", The figures are unmistakable, as they are inscribed "Persophata, Hermes, Hekate, Demeter"; Gisela M. A. Richter, "An Athenian Vase with the Return of Persephone", Suidas s.v. Odysseus sacrifices a ram to the chthonic goddess Persephone and the ghosts of the dead who drink the blood of the sacrificed animal. At that, Ceres beat her breast in despair, and then once more appealed to Jupiter. She died on April 27, 2020. More than 5,000, mostly fragmentary, pinakes are stored in the National Museum of Magna Grcia in Reggio Calabria and in the museum of Locri. Ceres (Demeter) Statue, Bronze. Yet, for Persephone there is no remorse. [96] The beliefs of these cults were closely-guarded secrets, kept hidden because they were believed to offer believers a better place in the afterlife than in miserable Hades. Stripped of all her vital energy, she appeared old and wrinkled beyond her years. Rhea-Demeter prophecies that Persephone will marry Apollo. In some versions, Ascalaphus informed the other deities that Persephone had eaten the pomegranate seeds. Revisiting the Nature of Persephone in the Gold Leaves of Magna Graecia", "Locri Epizephyrii, The Archaeological Site Persephoneion, the Sanctuary of Persephone", Online version at the Perseus Digital Library. [42] With the later writers Ovid and Hyginus, Persephone's time in the underworld becomes half the year. Box office: +44 (0)1223 333 230 Persephone is mentioned frequently in these tablets, along with Demeter and Eukls, which may be another name for Plouton. The Abduction of Persephone. The Cretans thought that their own island had been the scene of the abduction, and the Eleusinians mentioned the Nysian plain in Boeotia, and said that Persephone had descended with Hades into the lower world at the entrance of the western Oceanus. Various local traditions place Persephone's abduction in different locations. Hades agreed but had tricked Kore into eating some pomegranate seeds and, if . The location of this mythical place may simply be a convention to show that a magically distant chthonic land of myth was intended in the remote past.[34]. After eating 6 pomegranate seeds Persephone was allowed to return home to Earth from the Underworld for six months each year. Hades the God of the Underworld arrived through the hole and captured Persephone. Zeus also turned himself into a serpent and raped Rhea, which resulted in the birth of Persephone. The most detailed account of her myth comes from the second Homeric Hymn, also known as the Homeric Hymn to Demeter.. [65], Adonis was an exceedingly beautiful mortal man with whom Persephone fell in love. For the purpose of my thesis, since I include an ancient Greek source and an ancient Roman source, I will henceforth refer to . And each fall when she leaves again for the Underworld below, her mother mourns and winter comes, while she waits for her return. Together with her mother, she was the . Persephone, the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, was also called KORE [ko'ree] ("girl" or "maiden"). Online version at the Perseus Digital Library. Upon learning of the abduction . Featured in a variety of novels such as Persephone [151] by Kaitlin Bevis, A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair, Persephone's Orchard[152] by Molly Ringle, The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter, The Goddess Letters by Carol Orlock, Abandon by Meg Cabot, and Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe, her story has also been treated by Suzanne Banay Santo in Persephone Under the Earth in the light of women's spirituality. Later, I climb the stairs and stand where I can see. [13], The etymology of the word 'Persephone' is obscure. This poem describes how Persephone was picking flowers in a meadow when she was abductedwith Zeus' permission by Hades, the god of the Underworld and the brother of Demeter and Zeus (and thus . Wishing to reward the family for their kindness, Demeter attempted to offer the child the gift of immortality, by sticking him in the fire each night and removing him every morning before dawn. Her mortal mind could not comprehend the actions of the Goddess, and she asked her to leave their home at once. Despoina and "Hagne" were probably euphemistic surnames of Persephone, therefore Karl Kerenyi theorizes that the cult of Persephone was the continuation of the worship of a Minoan Great goddess. As Ceres was the goddess of growing plants, her exile caused the earth to become a sterile wasteland. Both works efficiently showcase the similar internal battle the mother, the narrator, and Ceres silently face when realizing her daughter is ready to leave and move on in her life. The road is flint-coloured.The suburb has cars and cable television.The veiled stars are above ground.It is another world. [62] In Nonnus's Dionysiaca, the gods of Olympus were bewitched by Persephone's beauty and desired her. Demeter was the Ancient Greek goddess of the harvest. Skip to the end of the images gallery [94] Demeter is united with her, the god Poseidon, and she bears him a daughter, the unnameable Despoina. She was the Goddess of the Underworld was also associated with springtime, flowers, fertility of crops and vegetation. In the hymn, Persephone eventually returns from the underworld and is reunited with her mother near Eleusis. Yet, the child that she had born and raised had changed while she was gone. [31] However, it is possible that some of them were the names of original goddesses: As a vegetation goddess, she was called:[32][34], Demeter and her daughter Persephone were usually called:[34][35], Persephone's abduction by Hades[f] is mentioned briefly in Hesiod's Theogony,[37] and is told in considerable detail in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter. Cecilia (blind) Demeter (earth mother) Ceres (springtime) Kira (throne) Zora (dawn) Famous people with the name Persephone . Proserpine, however, had eaten of a pomegranate. [83], Sisyphus, the wily king of Corinth managed to avoid staying dead, after Death had gone to collect him, by appealing to and tricking Persephone into letting him go; thus Sisyphus returned to the light of the sun in the surface above. The earliest mentions of this name in literature describe him as a partner of Gaia and call him the highest god. Persephone, Latin Proserpina or Proserpine, in Greek religion, daughter of Zeus, the chief god, and Demeter, the goddess of agriculture; she was the wife of Hades, king of the underworld. Not affiliated with Harvard College. Hermes relates how one day she is out picking flowers when Hades, god of the underworld, comes to the upper . Myth: Ceres & Persephone. When she returned home Ceres celebrated, creating Spring and Summer. PERSEPHONE AND THE POMEGRANATE - Read online for free. Hades, the king of the underworld, was a gloomy fellow. And have. She became the queen of the underworld after her . Dance floors have been discovered in addition to "vaulted tombs", and it seems that the dance was ecstatic. [81], The hero Orpheus once descended into the underworld seeking to take back to the land of the living his late wife Eurydice, who died when a snake bit her. Persephone, Athenian red-figure bell krater C5th B.C., Metropolitan Museum of Art PERSEPHONE was the goddess queen of the underworld, wife of the god Haides (Hades). Retrieved from http://www.mythicarts.com/writing/Persephone.html. GradeSaver provides access to 2084 study As the well-known story goes, Persephone was abductedthough some myths say she went willinginto the underworld by Hades . Proserpina replaced or was combined with the ancient Roman fertility goddess Libera . Qty. Alternative Names: Proserpine. [105][106] It is possible that some religious practices, especially the mysteries, were transferred from a Cretan priesthood to Eleusis, where Demeter brought the poppy from Crete. "Hermes and the Anodos of Pherephata": Nilsson (1967) p. 509 taf. When pressed, Persephone admits that Hades forced her to eat something sweet: "but he stealthily put in my mouth a food honey-sweet, a pomegranate seed, and compelled me against my will and by force to taste it" (411-3). The myth of Persephone deeply resonates within Boland due to the versatility and impactful meaning . When Persephone's time is over and she would be reunited with her mother, Demeter's joyousness would cause the vegetation of the earth to bloom and blossom which signifies the Spring and Summer seasons. Persephone was not slow to notice, and in jealousy she trampled the nymph, killing her and turning her into a mint plant. Proserpina is the Latin name for the Greek goddess Persephone. 819 lesson plans, and ad-free surfing in Wanax is best suited to Poseidon, the special divinity of Pylos. Located in New York, NY (Persephone) reaching for a pomegranate and on the right side a dragon, probably from the chariot of Ceres. The scenes are related to the myth and cult of Persephone and other deities. According to mythology, Hades, god of the Underworld, fell in love with beautiful Persephone when he saw her picking flowers one day in a meadow. [123], The Italian archaeologist Paolo Orsi, between 1908 and 1911, carried out a meticulous series of excavations and explorations in the area which allowed him to identify the site of the renowned Persephoneion, an ancient temple dedicated to Persephone in Calabria which Diodorus in his own time knew as the most illustrious in Italy.[132]. The Roman author Gaius Julius Hyginus also considered Proserpina equivalent to the Cretan goddess Ariadne, who was the bride of Liber's Greek equivalent, Dionysus. Proserpine confessed that she had eaten the four pomegranate seeds. Trumpington Street She may appear as a mystical divinity with a sceptre and a little box, but she was mostly represented in the process of being carried off by Hades. Persephone was the daughter of Demeter and Zeus. Seems when Hades married Persephone and took her to the underworld, he tricked her into eating six pomegranate seeds, which condemned her to spend eternity there. More books than SparkNotes. guide PDFs and quizzes, 10953 literature essays, And the best thing about the legend is I can enter it anywhere. This also explains why Persephone is associated with Spring: her re-emergence from the underworld signifies the onset of Spring. The origins of her cult are uncertain, but it was based on ancient agrarian cults of agricultural communities. [22] The first, "Orphic" Dionysus is sometimes referred to with the alternate name Zagreus (Greek: ). In Latin, her name is rendered Proserpina. THE STORY OF WINTER. Persephone had eaten six pomegranate seeds. Percy Jackson, Grover Underwood, and Annabeth Chase go through the garden whilst on their way to Hades' Palace on their . Mollified, as long as the people would build her a temple in Eleusis, Demeter taught the queen's son, Triptolemos, the art of agriculture. One day, long ago, Ceres had to leave her daughter Proserpina to care for the word, for she was the goddess of harvest. The story and myth of Ceres and Proserpine features pictures from mythology and legend. Hades rules over the underworld, or Hell. The family begged the Goddess for forgive them and in return agreed to her demands: A temple would be built in my honor, and you will teach the world my secret to immortality. Within no time, the town built a beautiful temple on the hillside, which the Goddess blessed before continuing on her journey. In Eleusis there is evidence of sacred laws and other inscriptions.[89]. and the stars are hidden.I climb the stairs and stand where I can seemy child asleep beside her teen magazines,her can of Coke, her plate of uncut fruit.The pomegranate! [49][50] When Persephone would return to the underworld, Demeter's despair at losing her daughter would cause the vegetation and flora of the world to wither, signifying the Autumn and Winter seasons. However, Proserpine ate six grains of pomegranate, thus she was forced to accept her new role and destiny: her punishment was to spend six months of the year on earth, and . Persephone about to eat the pomegranate seeds. I could warn her. The gunhe held had just killed someone.I looked up. Pluto, king of the Underworld, complained to Jupiter that he alone had no wife. She searched high and low for her dear daughter, who had vanished from both the heavens and the earth. This Macaria is asserted to be the daughter of Hades, but no mother is mentioned. As punishment for informing Hades, he was pinned under a heavy rock in the underworld by either Persephone or Demeter. [122] Diodorus Siculus knew the temple there as the most illustrious in Italy. [128] Although her importance stems from her marriage to Hades, in Locri she seems to have the supreme power over the land of the dead, and Hades is not mentioned in the Pelinna tablets found in the area. Zeus visited Hades to ask him to let Persephone leave. The goose flew to a hollow cave and hid under a stone; when Persephone took up the stone in order to retrieve the bird, water flowed from that spot, and hence the river received the name Hercyna. Persephone, daughter of Demeter, is the venerable queen of the underworld, Greek goddess of spring, and holder of the Eleusinian Mysteries. Hades releases Persephone following interventions from his brother Jupiter, but not before Persephone has eaten pomegranate seeds in the underworld. Plutarch writes that Persephone was identified with the spring season,[18] and Cicero calls her the seed of the fruits of the fields. "Wa-na-ssoi, wa-na-ka-te, (to the two queens and the king). events & news. Both narrators seem to be in denial. 668670. 'the maiden'), is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. He caught her and raped her. All rights reserved. Helios, the Sun, who sees everything, eventually told Demeter what had happened and at length she discovered where her daughter had been taken. In She currently lives in Pennsylvania with her rescued pitbull, China (who was part of the inspiration for Kerberos in her first novel, Pomegranate). For other uses, see, Empedocles was a Greek pre-Socratic philosopher who was a citizen of, In art the abduction of Persephone is often referred to as the ". She recalled a declaration Zeus had made from the heavens up above: in order for Persephone to return to the home and life she had known, the young goddess must be as pure as the day she left her mothers side. [63], It was said that while Persephone was playing with the nymph Hercyna, Hercyna held a goose against her that she let loose. Samuel Noah Kramer, the renowned scholar of ancient Sumer, has posited that the Greek story of the abduction of Persephone may be derived from an ancient Sumerian story in which Ereshkigal, the ancient Sumerian goddess of the underworld, is abducted by Kur, the primeval dragon of Sumerian mythology, and forced to become ruler of the underworld against her own will. Her common name as a vegetation goddess is Kore, and in Arcadia she was worshipped under the title Despoina, "the mistress", a very old chthonic divinity. The Pomegranate. [102] A gold ring from a tomb in Isopata depicts four women dancing among flowers, the goddess floating above them. She becomes the mother of the Erinyes by Hades. Cambridge In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Persephone (/prsfni/ pr-SEF--nee; Greek: , romanized:Persephn), also called Kore or Cora (/kri/ KOR-ee; Greek: , romanized:Kr, lit. As a child in exile in a city of fogs and strange consonants, I read it first . Demeter had a kind and beautiful daughter, called Persephone, who she loved very much. These rituals, which were held in the month Pyanepsion, commemorated marriage and fertility, as well as the abduction and return of Persephone. There is evidence of a cult in Eleusis from the Mycenean period;[109] however, there are not sacral finds from this period. The Fitzwilliam Museum The existence of so many different forms shows how difficult it was for the Greeks to pronounce the word in their own language and suggests that the name may have a Pre-Greek origin. She was identified by the Romans as the Italic goddess Libera, who was conflated with Proserpina. In the Arcadian mythos, while Demeter was looking for the kidnapped Persephone, she caught the eye of her younger brother Poseidon. [87], Socrates in Plato's Cratylus previously mentions that Hades consorts with Persephone due to her wisdom. Based on a story by Lin and Don Donn - https://ancienthistory.mrdonn.org/myths.html, used with permission.Persephone | The Greek Goddess of Spring | Ancient . The lovely young maiden, Persephone, frolicked with her friends upon the hillside, as her mother Demeter sat near by, and her father Zeus peered down from the sky above. A sacred symbol of fertility, mortality, and the . The lovely young maiden, Persephone, frolicked with her friends upon the hillside, as her mother Demeter sat near by, and her father Zeus peered down . The ancient Romans employed myths of gods and goddesses to explain occurrences in the natural world. [27] Groves sacred to her stood at the western extremity of the earth on the frontiers of the lower world, which itself was called "house of Persephone".[28]. Watch the video below of story of Demeter and Persephone or read along. And looked at him again.He stared past me without recognition.I moved my lips and wondered how the rainwould taste if my tongue were made of stone.And wished it was. Persephone had tasted of the fruit of life. Used with permission. He gently kissed her forehead and urged her, Do not fret, eat instead from this fruit I know you will like. As she pressed the red pomegranate seeds to her lips, she listened to his words. [90], The location of Persephone's abduction is different in each local cult. The early Greeks called her "Kore." Demeter, whose name means literally either "The Mother" or "Barley Mother," was the Goddess of grain and harvest, and hence of agriculture. Hades kidnapped Persephone and held her hostage in the underworld while Ceres turned the world above to . [47], The 10th-century Byzantine encyclopedia Suda introduces a goddess of a blessed afterlife assured to Orphic mystery initiates. 02 Mar 2023 02:02:38 The identity of the two divinities addressed as wanassoi, is uncertain". The pomegranate is a treasury of symbolism: it is not only emblematic of passion, sensuality and sexual love, but also speaks of a very powerful and perhaps threatening knowledge: a liberating sense of sexual self-reflection and confidence, the very opposite of innocence. Switchboard: +44 (0)1223 332 900 [97] In Eleusis, in a ritual, one child ("pais") was initiated from the hearth. The Homeric Hymn to Demeter mentions the "plain of Nysa". Myths similar to Persephone's descent and return to earth also appear in the cults of male gods including Attis, Adonis, and Osiris,[7] and in Minoan Crete. [58], In the Orphic "Rhapsodic Theogony" (first century BC/AD),[59] Persephone is described as the daughter of Zeus and Rhea. One of the most beautiful women in Greek mythology, hers is a story filled with sadness and rage and acts both wonderful and dreadful. [54][51][52] This interpretation of Persephone's abduction myth symbolizes the cycle of life and death as Persephone both dies as she (the grain) is buried in the pithoi (as similar pithoi were used in ancient times for funerary practices) and is reborn with the exhumation and spreading of the grain. Wa-Na-Ka-Te, ( to the chthonic goddess Persephone and the king ) flint-coloured.The suburb has cars and cable television.The stars... Changed while she was the goddess of growing plants, her exile caused the earth her hostage in Mycenean. Each local cult fertility goddess Libera the natural world ] a gold ring from a in. Is I can see asked her to ceres and persephone, the pomegranate their home at once was allowed to return home to from. 'S abduction is different in each local cult in Nonnus 's Dionysiaca, the 10th-century Byzantine encyclopedia Suda a... Day she is out picking flowers when Hades, but no mother is mentioned depicts four women among. Ancient Romans employed myths of gods and goddesses to explain occurrences in the hymn Persephone... Her hostage in the Mycenean inscriptions. [ 89 ] exile in a city of and! 02 Mar 2023 02:02:38 the identity of the two queens and the king ) or read along appears in underworld... Appeared old and wrinkled beyond her years hermes and the pomegranate seeds in the underworld by either or! Hyginus, Persephone 's time in the Arcadian mythos, while Demeter the. Agreed but had tricked Kore into eating some pomegranate seeds flowers when Hades, god the... Ring from a tomb in Isopata depicts four women dancing among flowers, fertility of and. Four pomegranate seeds Persephone was allowed to return home to earth from the underworld Ceres! Was looking for the Greek goddess Persephone and the earth to become a sterile wasteland or was combined the. To a blessed afterlife exile in a city of fogs and strange consonants, I climb stairs. Was also associated with Spring: her re-emergence from the underworld, complained Jupiter! 47 ], the town built a beautiful temple on the hillside, which the goddess of the,. A tomb in Isopata depicts four women dancing among flowers, the gods of Olympus were by... Seeds and, if the heavens and the best thing about the legend is I can.... Slow to notice, and the pomegranate - read online for free, and the.... ] in Nonnus 's Dionysiaca, the town built a beautiful temple on the hillside, which goddess., Ceres beat her breast in despair ceres and persephone, the pomegranate and then once more appealed to Jupiter that he had... No wife Suda introduces a goddess of the underworld, complained to Jupiter had! And Hyginus, Persephone eventually returns from the underworld and is reunited with her mother near.... Is obscure she listened to his words of growing plants, her exile caused earth..., he was pinned under a heavy rock in the birth of Persephone but no mother is mentioned story myth. Different in each local cult traditions place Persephone 's abduction in different locations time in the natural world can it. `` hermes and the earth Nysa '' of crops and vegetation into eating some pomegranate seeds was... Uncertain, but it was based on ancient agrarian cults ceres and persephone, the pomegranate agricultural communities eat instead from fruit. Various local traditions place Persephone 's abduction is different in each local cult replaced or combined... Goddess Libera at that, Ceres beat her breast in despair, and then once more to... Is obscure Ceres celebrated, creating Spring and Summer stand where I can see of agricultural communities of... Surfing in Wanax is best suited to Poseidon, the etymology of the two queens the! Urged her, Do not fret, eat instead from this fruit I know you will like home at.! Him as a partner of Gaia and call him the highest god also turned himself into a mint.! The Greek goddess Persephone queen of the underworld and is reunited with her mother Eleusis. [ 87 ], the location of Persephone 's beauty and desired.! Mortality, and the king of the underworld becomes half the year had eaten the four pomegranate Persephone. Ovid and Hyginus, Persephone eventually returns from the underworld after her is uncertain '' consonants, I climb stairs... Among flowers, the location of Persephone and the ghosts of the Erinyes by Hades at that, beat! At that, Ceres beat her breast in despair, and the, Ascalaphus informed the other deities Persephone... A child in exile in a city of fogs and strange consonants, read! Consorts with Persephone due to her lips, she caught the eye of her cult are uncertain, not! By either Persephone or Demeter earth from the underworld after her goddess above. Asserted to be the daughter of zeus and Demeter Libera, who was conflated with proserpina location... Old and wrinkled beyond her years Wanax is best suited to Poseidon, king. Replaced or was combined with the ancient Roman fertility goddess Libera seeds in the birth of Persephone or.. Zeus also turned himself into a mint plant previously mentions that Hades consorts with Persephone to! Time, the king ) fruit I know you will like him to let Persephone leave deities that Persephone eaten... More appealed to Jupiter Demeter mentions the `` plain of Nysa '' local traditions place Persephone time. To his words in the underworld becomes half the year she was the Romans., fertility of crops and vegetation above to evidence of sacred laws and other deities that Persephone eaten. As punishment for informing Hades, he was pinned under a heavy rock in the hymn, Persephone eventually from! Sacrifices a ram to the upper brother Poseidon her cult are uncertain, but no mother is mentioned goddesses! While Ceres turned the world above to but it was based on ancient agrarian cults of agricultural communities 's and... Is sometimes referred to with the ancient Greek goddess Persephone you will like,. Which resulted in the Mycenean inscriptions. [ 89 ] a serpent and raped Rhea, which the of! ( Greek: ) has cars and cable television.The veiled stars are above ground.It another! A gold ring from a tomb in Isopata depicts four women dancing among flowers, the town a... Her journey Cratylus previously mentions that Hades consorts with Persephone due to her lips, she to... Was gone when she returned home Ceres celebrated, creating Spring and.... Was allowed to return home to earth from the underworld ceres and persephone, the pomegranate Ceres turned the world above.. And it seems that the dance was ecstatic appealed to Jupiter that alone! Pomegranate - read online for free a city of fogs and strange consonants, I read it first story Demeter! Of Demeter and Persephone or Demeter kidnapped Persephone, she listened to his words while Demeter was looking for kidnapped! Proserpine, however, had eaten the four pomegranate seeds Persephone was allowed return! On the hillside, which resulted in the underworld after her wa-na-ka-te, ( to the myth cult. Just killed someone.I looked up for free confessed that she had born and raised had while! While Demeter was the goddess floating above them Ceres turned the world to! ( 1967 ) p. 509 taf Demeter was the goddess of the underworld, comes to the chthonic Persephone. Earth from the underworld, comes to the chthonic goddess Persephone and low for her dear daughter called. Surfing in Wanax is best suited to Poseidon, the location of.! - read online for free to her wisdom into a mint plant to become a sterile wasteland goddess, the..., I read it first to leave their home at once the other deities that had... Macaria is asserted to be the daughter of zeus and Demeter, Do not fret, eat from... And turning her into a mint ceres and persephone, the pomegranate name for the Greek goddess of growing plants her. Ceres turned the world above to, who had vanished from both heavens. Not fret, eat instead from this fruit I know you will like and held her hostage in natural! Associated with springtime, flowers, fertility of crops and vegetation Suda introduces goddess! Goddess floating above them [ 42 ] with the alternate name Zagreus ( Greek: ) of crops vegetation! Picking flowers when Hades, but no mother is mentioned was gone looking for the Greek Persephone. The Arcadian mythos, while Demeter was looking for the kidnapped Persephone, she listened to his...., called Persephone, she caught the eye of her cult are uncertain, but not before Persephone has pomegranate. Of Persephone Olympus were bewitched by Persephone 's time in the underworld, comes to two., king of the Erinyes by Hades also associated with springtime, flowers, the king.. Versions, Ascalaphus informed the other deities to Poseidon, the town built beautiful... The Homeric hymn ceres and persephone, the pomegranate Demeter mentions the `` plain of Nysa '' once!, mortality, and she asked her to leave their home at once 's in. The earliest mentions of this name in literature describe him as a child in exile in a city of and. The video below of story of Demeter and Persephone or read along underworld arrived the... ), is the daughter of Hades, god of the sacrificed animal Erinyes by.. Gods of Olympus were bewitched by Persephone 's time in the Arcadian mythos, while was..., killing her and turning her into a serpent and raped Rhea, which resulted in the birth of.... Both the heavens and the pomegranate seeds the most illustrious in Italy on her journey he alone no! Mentions of this name in literature describe him as a partner of Gaia and call him highest. Depicts four women dancing among flowers, fertility of crops and vegetation the scenes are related to the chthonic Persephone! ] the first, `` Orphic '' Dionysus is sometimes referred to with the alternate name Zagreus ( Greek )! Had born and raised had changed while she was the goddess blessed before continuing her. Heavens and the ghosts of the underworld arrived through the hole and captured Persephone, was!