It is well known, that Demeter had a quiet and gentle nature about her, but on a very few, rare occasions, she could become extremely angry. She was also known, for openly displaying her moods, and when Demeter was happy, the whole world feasted, but when Demeter became angry, then a famine, of such a great magnitude, would spread across the Earth, causing all the crops to wither away and die. This myth tells of a time, when Demeter’s anger did get the better of her, albeit for an excellent reason, and it also shows exactly how close the world actually came, to facing a terrible disaster.
Zeus and Demeter were married, and together they had a beautiful young daughter named Persephone. One day, their brother, Hades, the God of the Underworld, came to visit Zeus, and he eventually told Zeus, the true reason for his visit. Hades had come to visit his brother, in order to request Zeus’ permission to marry Persephone.
Zeus was well aware, that Demeter would never allow their beautiful child of sunshine and light, to be married to Hades, and to spend the rest of her life, in the darkness of the Underworld, living among the dead. Zeus, however, had no desire, to offend his extremely powerful brother, so rather then giving him a negative reply, he decided, instead, to take the easy way out, by diplomatically telling him, that he would neither give nor withhold his consent.
One sunny day, Persephone and her friends were playing in the fields of Eleusis, picking wild flowers. As Persephone reached down, to pluck one of the beautiful blossoms, the Earth suddenly opened up beneath her feet, and Hades rode forth, in his golden chariot, and seized her, before any warning could be sounded. Persephone actually did cry out for help, before she vanished, but only two mortals heard her cries. Of the immortals, only Hecate and Helios had heard them, and by then, they were simply the faintest of cries.
Persephone’s friend, Cyane, was one of the mortals who had heard her cries, since she had been playing with Persephone, when the abduction occurred. Although Cyane had wanted to help, or at least to tell someone about what she had seen, she was terrified to speak out against a God, so she chose to say nothing, instead. After that, it was simply too late for anything to be done. Cyane felt such great shame, for not doing what she should have done, that she was unable to stop herself from crying. Legend tells us, that Cyane continued to cry, so hard, for so long, that she completely dissolved away from her own tears.
When Demeter discovered that Persephone was missing, she lost all interest in caring for the crops, and without her care, the crops quickly began to whither away and die. Nothing seemed to matter to Demeter, other then her daughter’s safe return.
As her search for Persephone continued, Demeter came upon Triptolemus, who had seen the abduction, and who had been the other mortal, who heard Persephone’s cries. It was he, who told Demeter, exactly what had happened.
When Demeter learned about Persephone’s abduction, she became so furious, that she refused to return to Olympus. Instead, she began to wander the Earth, and as she did, she kept the plants from bearing fruit, while the crops continued to die, thereby causing a famine, of such great proportion, that the human race was on the brink of extinction.
The poet Homer wrote a different version of this myth, in his Homeric Hymn to Demeter, which reflects a darker side to it. It also tells, that when Demeter learned about her daughter’s abduction, she completely lost her mind. She let the crops die, and in her misery, she roamed the Earth. Eventually, in the disguise of an older woman, Demeter took a job as a nanny, caring for a young child. Then, in an attempt to fill the void in her heart, which had been left there, by the loss of her daughter, she began to make the child her own, by turning him into a God.
The Homeric Hymn to Demeter, mirrors the story of the Egyptian Goddess Isis’ search for the trunk, which contained the body of her beloved husband Osiris. Isis also took a job as a nanny, caring for a young child, just as Demeter had done, and she, too, attempted to change that child into a God. Luckily, Demeter and Isis were both stopped, from turning those children into Gods, before any damage had been done.
Demeter searched for Persephone, across the Earth, each and every day. She even searched for her at night, using torches to light her way. Finally, Demeter could no longer stand it, so she pleaded with Zeus, to find a way to bring Persephone home. The Gods were extremely upset, as well, because of the great devastation to the Earth, and they, too, made it quite clear to Zeus, that he had better do something, and do it quickly, to bring Persephone home.
Finally, Zeus sent Hermes, to act as his messenger to Hades, and to explain to him, that Persephone had to be returned to her mother, or else there would be serious problems, on Olympus. Zeus sent a message to Demeter, as well, in which he advised her, that Persephone would be returned to her, as long as she had not eaten, any of the food in the Underworld.
Hades was furious, because he did not want to give Persephone up. He was even more furious, because Persephone had not eaten one single bite of food, since she had arrived in the Underworld. Hades, however, hid his anger well, and he advised Persephone, that he had decided to send her home, because she appeared to be unhappy, and because her mother had been crying for her.
Just as Persephone was about to leave the Underworld, Hades’ gardener informed him, that he had witnessed Persephone eat seven seeds from a pomegranate, which she had picked. Those words, were like music to Hades ears, because he knew, that once Persephone had eaten the food of the dead, she would be eternally bound to return, not only to the Underworld, but also to him, as his wife
Persephone joyfully returned to Eleusis, and Demeter was there, waiting for her, with open arms. However, when Demeter learned that Persephone had eaten the pomegranate seeds, her anger became so great, that she vowed that she would never return to Olympus, nor would she ever remove the curse, that she had placed upon the land.
Zeus had to come up with something quickly, to calm Demeter down, so he devised a plan, which he hoped would save the Earth. He then sent for Rhea, who was the mother of the Olympians, and it was finally Rhea, who was able to calm Demeter down. Rhea convinced Demeter, that she had to let things work themselves out, and then she also offered her honors, if she would remove the curse from the land, and return to Olympus with her.
Finally, an agreement was reached between Persephone’s parents and Hades. The Agreement stated that Persephone would spend nine months of the year with her mother, but she would then have to spend the remaining three months, in the Underworld, with her husband, Hades. Rhea's plea had worked well. It had moved Demeter deeply, and the Earth swiftly began to recover its strength, and become fertile, once again. It was then that Demeter and Persephone, ascended to Mount Olympus.
In reality, Demeter had only partially lifted her curse. Since Persephone had to spent three months of the year in the Underworld, it was decided, that mankind would have to live in the dead of winter, during that particular period of time, as well. To ensure that the people of Earth would not starve, during that time, Demeter gave Triptolemus seed, corn, a plough, and a chariot, and then she sent him across the Earth, to teach the humans, everything they needed to know about agriculture.
Then, when the appropriate time arrived, Persephone went down to the Underworld, to join her husband, Hades, and the Earth reflected Demeter’s sorrow, at the Autumnal Equinox, which also happens to be the first day of winter.
The beginning of winter was an extremely important time for Persephone, as well, because it was then that she took on her roles as the Queen of the Underworld, and the Guardian of the Souls of the Dead. The Agreement, which had been reached between Persephone’s parents and Hades, made Persephone an extremely powerful woman, in her own right.
Then, when Persephone returned to Olympus, from the Underworld, Demeter sent forth the blessings of springtime, at the Spring Equinox, to welcome her beloved daughter home, and it was then that Persephone took on her other role, as the lovely Goddess of Springtime.
The arrangement, which had been reached, made Persephone an extremely powerful woman, as the Queen of the Underworld. More importantly, still, was the fact that Persephone acquired an even greater power, in that deal. By having one foot in the Underworld, and the other upon the Earth, Persephone became one of the only parties, able to enter, both the Underworld and Olympus. That placed Persephone, in the perfect position, to act as a mediator between the two.
Perhaps, in the end, Persephone did gain the best of both worlds. By playing those two totally unique roles, not only did she become a stronger, more mature and empowered woman in the process; she also became a prime example, of everything that the Divine Feminine stands for.
"Persephone's Descent"
Collage by Lunaea Weatherstone
Used with Permission
