Persephone is the former Greek goddess of the Renaissance and queen of the underworld.

The non -fruitful era of the year passes in the underworld with her husband Hades and ascends to return to her mother Demeter, Mother Earth and goddess of abundant crops to preside over the outbreak of the seeds and the flowering of flowers when the earth is again fruitful.

His name means something like «destroyer» or «murderer».

Persephone names and titles

Persephone is known in several ancient Greek writings such as Persephoneia, Persephatta, Pherepapha, Periphona and Pcheersepsa.

Persephone was the dreaded queen of hell, so he received many euphemistic names, such as Kore (the maiden), Kore Soteira (saving maiden), neoter (young), disposable (lady), hagne (pure), praxidike (carrier of justice), aristi Cthonia (the best under the earth), nestis)

Its Roman equivalent is proserpine

Persephone’s story

(According to Hesiod’s description in his theogony, paraphrased) Persephone was the daughter of Demeter (Apolodoro says Estigia) and Zeus and Demeter had a lot of love.

One day, Hades, the god of the underworld, decided that the time had come to look for a wife. Some stories say that at that time he consulted Zeus, who recommended Persephone, and others say that Hades saw Persephone in his usual hobby collecting flowers with his usual entourage of Artemis, Aphrodite and Atheney several nymphs.

In any case, Hades was delighted with her as soon as he saw her. So he approached Zeus, the king of the gods and father of Demeter, and asked for his hand. Zeus agreed that it would be a good game and gave his permission, but warned Hades that Demeter was not going to like it and that some subterfuge would be necessary to stay alone with the girl.

EVENTODYSCRIPTIONSEO BY HADESPERSÉFONE IS RAPPED BY HADES AND TAKEN TO THE INTRANRAMLON Underworld, which forces her to spend a part of the year there. The pain of DemeterdeMéter cries the loss of her daughter and makes winter fall on the earth during that time. The return of Persephoneperséfone returns to the surface, bringing spring and renewal. Annual Persephone Cycle spends a part of the year with Hades, which represents the cycle of the stations.Table 1: Persephone mythological history

So Hades went to see his grandmother, Gaia, and asked if he could help him. Gea agreed. The day indicated, Gaia made a flower of incomparable beauty appear at a distance from where Persephone played with her friends and Persephone saw her and left the group to investigate.

Just when he grabbed her, Gea, the Earth, opened a great abyss and Hades grabbed Persephone and left in her car. Persephone let out a cry, and then left.

So Hades snatched Persephone from Demeter and took her to the underworld to be his wife and queen of the underworld beside him. And, judging by the lack of drama compared to other divine couples, they seemed to have an acceptable marriage.

Demeter had heard Persephone’s cry and had been running, but there was no trace of his daughter. The nymphs and goddesses I had been with had not seen anything.

Demeter began wandering the earth in search of Persephone. At nightfall, he reached a cave and found Hécate who couldn’t tell him anything, but joined her, holding two torches at high while escorting her during the night. When the next day he saw Helios pass in his car, Demeter called him: «Helios, you who see everything that happens on earth, have you seen what has been from my daughter Persephone?» To which he replied: «Oh yes, he has gone to the underworld to marry Hades and reign as queen.»

Given this, Demeter set up in anger and went to Olympus where he demanded to see Zeus and demanded that he force Hades to return his daughter. Zeus refused and fired her.

Then Demeter returned to Earth, but he didn’t take care of her. He disguised himself as an old woman and went to live with a deadly family like her maid.

The rest of the land inhabitants realized that their crops no longer paid off and began to go hungry. As the prayers increased and the offerings decreased, the gods began to worry.

So they called Demeter to see if he could reason with her. He couldn’t. So they sent Hermes to look for Persephone with the condition that he had not eaten anything in the underworld. Persephone had done it.

Demeter was still refusing to cooperate to send her back. So it was decided that Persephone would return to Hades only during one part of the year, and the other part with Demeter would pass.

When Persephone is with Hades, Demeter retains his food from the fields and gardens, and when Persephone returns, green and fresh growth returns.

Persephone as queen of the underworld

As queen of the underworld, Persephone welcomes the dead and is considered merciful on many occasions, granting the requests of Sisyphus, Orpheus, Psyche and Heracles.

It is interesting to observe that she is not prone to asking her husband permission, although it is known that she coaxes her to change her mind about things, and he is not prone to punish her for exceeding her limits.

In the Odyssey, Persephone is mentioned with the fear that she (do not have a gorgon to punish the people who play.

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This would suggest that, unlike other female halves of Divine Royal Couples, the Queen of the Unsmacked has absolute power. It is she who makes the decisions, and her husband, presumably, supports her.

Persephone stems

According to the Orphic Tradition, Persephone was the mother of Zagreus, who was killed and reborn as Dionysus.

Some stories of Erinyes’ birth refer to Hades and Persephone as his parents. They resided with them and served them.

Melinoe, the goddess in charge of receiving the offerings to foster the dead, was the daughter of Persephone and Hades (or possibly from Zeus disguised as Hades).

Persephone attributes table

ATTRIBODYTRYTULLOREINE OF THE INTERMONOSMBOLLOSGRANADA, FLOWERS, SEEDS DOMBRIMAVERA, Fertility, Renaissance, The Uns and the Renaissance.

Symbolic meaning of Persephone

Symbols significantly fertility, abundance, the cycle of life and death.

Modern cult

Some neopaganos celebrate Persephone as the goddess of spring and their descent is often commemorated in autumn or Samhain equinox through a ritual procession and the narration of stories. Persephone can be received again during spring equinox or Imbolc celebrations.

The modern versions of the Eleusis mysteries are interpreted by the Church of the Tabernacle of Aquarius (https://www.springmysteries.com/).

More online information

http://www.theoi.com/khthonios/persephone.html