The Abduction of Persephone
Persephone [Persephonê] was the goddess queen of the underworld, wife of the god Haides [Haidês] (Hades). She was also titled Kore (Core) (the Maiden) and was the goddess of spring growth. Persephone was worshipped alongside her mother Demeter in the Eleusinian Mysteries. This agricultural-based cult promised its initiates passage to a blessed afterlife.
“Persephone was usually depicted as a young goddess holding sheafs of grain and a flaming torch. Sometimes she was shown in the company of her mother Demeter, and the hero Triptolemos, the teacher of agriculture. At other times she appears enthroned beside Haides.”
Persephone was the daughter of Zeus and his sister, Demeter [Dêmêtêr], who in turn was the middle daughter of Kronos and Rhea. Demeter’s name means ‘Mother Earth’. She was considered the mother of corn, or of all crops and vegetation, and consequently of agriculture and growth. Demeter also presided over fertility, nature, and the seasons.
Demeter’s most important myth concerns the rape of her daughter Persephone by her uncle, Haides, lord of the Underworld. Zeus, without the knowledge of Demeter, had promised Persephone to Haides, and while she was gathering flowers, the earth suddenly opened and she was carried off by Haides.
Her cries were heard only by Hekate and Helios. Demeter searched ceaselessly for Persephone, during which time the earth was infertile and famine-stricken. As all life on earth was threatened with extinction, Zeus sent Hermes to the underworld to fetch Persephone. Haides released her, but gave her a pomegranate, which bound her to him for one third of the year when she ate the seeds. Persephone’s time in the underworld corresponded with the unfruitful times of the year, and her return with springtime.
The best-known mystery school was the Eleusinian Mysteries, which focused on the worship of Demeter and her daughter, Persephone. The Eleusinian Mysteries were practiced for a thousand years, and were available to anyone who could pay the fees, including women, noncitizens, and slaves. Only murderers and those unable to speak Greek were excluded, which meant that they were very inclusive. Athens imposed the death penalty on those who divulged the Eleusinian Mysteries, and so very little is known about them. Those who were initiated, however, were assured of a blessed afterlife. It has been suggested that ‘all important rites of Demeter in Attica seem to have been linked (at least loosely) to stages of the agricultural year.’ This would tie in the Eleusinian Mysteries and the other major festivals with the sacred cycle of grain production.
It is interesting to note that while earlier writers stated that an agreement was made that Persephone should spend one third of every year with Haides, and the remaining two thirds with the gods above, later writers stated that it was half of every year.
The Abduction of Persephone
Persephone [Persephonê] was the goddess queen of the underworld, wife of the god Haides [Haidês] (Hades). She was also titled Kore (Core) (the Maiden) and was the goddess of spring growth. Persephone was worshipped alongside her mother Demeter in the Eleusinian Mysteries. This agricultural-based cult promised its initiates passage to a blessed afterlife.
“Persephone was usually depicted as a young goddess holding sheafs of grain and a flaming torch. Sometimes she was shown in the company of her mother Demeter, and the hero Triptolemos, the teacher of agriculture. At other times she appears enthroned beside Haides.”
Persephone was the daughter of Zeus and his sister, Demeter [Dêmêtêr], who in turn was the middle daughter of Kronos and Rhea. Demeter’s name means ‘Mother Earth’. She was considered the mother of corn, or of all crops and vegetation, and consequently of agriculture and growth. Demeter also presided over fertility, nature, and the seasons.
Demeter’s most important myth concerns the rape of her daughter Persephone by her uncle, Haides, lord of the Underworld. Zeus, without the knowledge of Demeter, had promised Persephone to Haides, and while she was gathering flowers, the earth suddenly opened and she was carried off by Haides.
Her cries were heard only by Hekate and Helios. Demeter searched ceaselessly for Persephone, during which time the earth was infertile and famine-stricken. As all life on earth was threatened with extinction, Zeus sent Hermes to the underworld to fetch Persephone. Haides released her, but gave her a pomegranate, which bound her to him for one third of the year when she ate the seeds. Persephone’s time in the underworld corresponded with the unfruitful times of the year, and her return with springtime.
The best-known mystery school was the Eleusinian Mysteries, which focused on the worship of Demeter and her daughter, Persephone. The Eleusinian Mysteries were practiced for a thousand years, and were available to anyone who could pay the fees, including women, noncitizens, and slaves. Only murderers and those unable to speak Greek were excluded, which meant that they were very inclusive. Athens imposed the death penalty on those who divulged the Eleusinian Mysteries, and so very little is known about them. Those who were initiated, however, were assured of a blessed afterlife. It has been suggested that ‘all important rites of Demeter in Attica seem to have been linked (at least loosely) to stages of the agricultural year.’ This would tie in the Eleusinian Mysteries and the other major festivals with the sacred cycle of grain production.
It is interesting to note that while earlier writers stated that an agreement was made that Persephone should spend one third of every year with Haides, and the remaining two thirds with the gods above, later writers stated that it was half of every year.