greek mythology hades and persephone story

By the laws in the Underworld, when one eats in the Underworld, he or she is bound to spend eternity in the place. However, just as Persephone was about to leave the Underworld, Hades tricked her into eating some pomegranate. Hermes was tasked with reuniting Persephone with her mother Demeter. The king of the gods, Zeus, intervened by sending Hermes – the messenger of the gods – to the Underworld. Persephone and Hades | Persephone’s absence caused the earth to plunge into a wintery condition Zeus’ intervention Demeter refuses and she vows never to let the crops grow until she is reunited with Persephone. Therefore, were human beings to die of starvation, the gods would be plunged into a state of despondency.Īs a result, Zeus steps in and tries to convince his sister Demeter to go back to attending to the crops. It is interesting to note that the Greek gods were believed to thrive on the continuous worship and tributes from the people. On the brink of death, the people appeal to the gods to intervene. The blight on the land causes the people to starve and go into despair. As a result, the earth became barren and the people starved and suffered. Preoccupied with this task of hers, Demeter is believed to have neglected her duties – that is attending to the grains and crops of the land. When news of her daughter’s abduction reached Demeter, the goddess of grain and agriculture went into a severe depression.ĭemeter quickly committed herself to wandering the earth in an effort to get back her missing daughter. Demeter neglects her duty of attending to the crops The ruler of the underworld abducted Persephone to be his wife and queen of the Underworld.

In a split second, Hades seized Persephone and placed her in his four-horse drawn, golden chariot before riding off into the Underworld. Just as she was about to collect those flowers, the soil beneath her feet started trembling, and out came the Greek god Hades – Persephone’s uncle. According to one myth, she was lured away by a beautiful narcissus flower. Persephone got lost in the work and unknowingly separated from her maidens. On a beautiful day, Persephone and her fellow maidens were busily picking flowers in the Nysian fields. The two male gods – Zeus and Hades – agree to let Hades marry Demeter’s daughter Persephone.

Hades approaches his brother Zeus, the sky god and king of the gods. His pick was the goddess Persephone – the only daughter of his sister Demeter. He desired nothing than to take for himself a wife. Hades seeks Zeus’ approval to marry his daughter, PersephoneĪccording to the myth, Hades once felt lonely in the vast and spectacular castle in his Underworld. The abduction of Persephone is related to the cycle of the seasons. The abduction of Persephone by Hades is one of the most famous stories in Greek mythology. Abduction of Persephone by Hades | Heintz Joseph the Elder, The Rape of Persephone, circa 1595

Greek mythology hades and persephone story