Goddess of Spring, Queen of the Underworld: Persephone

As Spring has begun to bring the world alive once more it is said by the ancient Greeks

that Goddess Persephone has returned from the underworld starting the season of spring.

Persephone has always been one of my favorite goddesses to learn about. Her story is one that has two different tellings, different versions of the infamous tale of her and King of the

underworld Hades. As well as the other tales revolving around her and her relationship with her mother Demeter. Since Spring is now fully in action I thought that it would only make sense to write an article as well as create a photoshoot in the image of the Goddess of Spring herself. In this article, I will be sharing some basic information about Persephone as well as the story of her abduction which contains the ancient Greek explanation of spring.

Persephone is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, having a close relationship with her

mother. Persephone is considered to be a dual deity being a goddess of multiple things including spring, vegetation, and fertility. Persephone and Hades have a complex story which can be told one of two ways: that being the relationship which had been forced onto Persephone by the kidnapping or that after the kidnapping within the underworld Persephone had truly fallen in love with Hades. They both have two children together, one daughter, Melinoë,and one son Zagreus. The symbols associated with Persephone are a pomegranate, seed of grain, a torch, flowers, and deer.

It is said that Persephone was picking flowers one day when Hades saw her. He was so

captivated by her beauty that he took her by force to the underworld. Demeter, goddess of the harvest and fertility, searched for her daughter when Persephone went missing. Once she realized Persephone was taken to the underworld, she protested the abduction by stopping her work with the crops. Zeus and the other gods tried to convince Demeter to lift her curse on the land, but she would not until her daughter was released. Zeus then sent Hermes to Hades urging him to release Persephone.

Before Hades released her, he had her eat the seeds of a pomegranate. Since she had

eaten fruit from the underworld she was now tied to the underworld and to Hades forever. Zeus was forced to make a compromise between Demeter and Hades in their claims to Persephone. He arranged a plan for Persephone to spend four months with Hades as his queen, one for every seed of the pomegranate she had eaten. The other eight months she would return to her mother. Demeter continued to allow the crops to fail when Persephone was with Hades. This myth of Persephone was used by the Greeks to explain the cycle of fertility in nature, explaining why there are only four warm seasons in the climate cycle.

Written by Celeste Nieves

Creative Director, Production Manager: Celeste Nieves

Photographer: Alec Conwell 

PA: Jazzi Almestica, Isabella Lopez

MUA: Marlie Kaye

Talent: Summer Star Campos (@summerstarcampos)

Stylist: Sophia Querrazzi

Self-Discovery in the Internet Age

In my research, I explored the impact the Internet has had on LGBTQ+ people finding themselves in the Internet Age. As a queer and trans person, I’ve found the Internet to be essential in my journey of self-discovery. I conducted this study due to my curiosity of wondering if others in the LGBTQ+ community share similar experiences.

The Nuts and Bolts: My Research Design

​The focus of this study is the influence of the Internet on people in the LGBTQ+ community. The sample consists of 64 participants from ages 13-21 that identify as LGBTQ+, 48.4% of which are 18 years old. In this article, I will provide a summary and basic data about one of my research questions. Feel free to reach out to me at idulyk@gmail.com if you want to learn more!

The Setting of Exposure to Queerness

According to my research, the majority of LGBTQ+ people found the Internet to be important in their journeys of learning about and finding their place in the LGBTQ+ community. The majority of participants (42%) first learned of the LGBTQ+ community on the Internet, although a substantial amount learned about it from friends and family (31%).

The Internet Age: What Has it Done?

89.1% of participants found the Internet to have an extreme influence on their self-discovery journeys as LGBTQ+ people. 46.9% of participants found their Internet usage to be mostly positive, whereas 42.2% said that the Internet had an even mixture of positive and negative effects on their self-exploration.

Final Thoughts: What I Learned

​My favorite results to analyze were from the personal response questions. I asked participants to list the specific effects that the Internet has had on them as LGBTQ+ people. Some negatives that participants experienced were that the Internet spreads misinformation and confusion, bullying and hate, creates unrealistic standards, can be invalidating, causes community division/discourse and gatekeeping, and spreads heteronormativity. For positives, participants reported that the Internet allowed them to become educated about the LGBTQ+ community, find resources, further explore their sexuality/gender identity, find community, and be able to feel affirmed in their identity and more comfortable with themselves.

Despite the pros and cons, when asked about their overall experiences, there was a strong consensus among the group: “Without the Internet, I wouldn’t be where I am today”.

Written and Researched by Elliot Dulyk