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 ConwellÂ
PA: Jazzi Almestica, Isabella Lopez
MUA: Marlie Kaye
Talent: Summer Star Campos (@summerstarcampos)
Stylist: Sophia Querrazzi