Legends of Greece and Rome
Demeter and the story of Persephone
Demeter was the sister of Zeus, Poseidon and Hades, and the goddess of vegetation. The Greeks and Romans believed that it was she who made the world green and fertile. They would pray to her for good crops and harvests.
Demeter had one daughter called Persephone (Zeus was her father). Persephone loved the beauty of the plants and flowers that her mother created. At one time she was laying in the grass admiring a flower and Hades noticed her. He instantly fell in love with her and caused a great rift to open up in the earth near where she was lying. Hades jumped out of the rift and caught hold of Persephone, dragging her down to his kingdom below.
Demeter looked for her daughter and finally discovered what had happened. She was outraged. Persephone was her only child, her pride and joy. Demeter swore that she would not bestow her usual gifts onto the earth until her daughter was returned.
The earth became barren and Demeter renounced Olympus and walked the earth as an old woman. Eventually she settled in the kingdom of Eleusis and the earth became more and more desolate with each day that passed. Demeter refused to break her vow despite the pleas of the other gods. Zeus realised that he would have to intervene or rule a barren wasteland so he convinced Hades to let Persephone return to her mother
Before he let Persephone go however, Hades tricked her into eating three pomegranate seeds. This bound her to him, and he decreed that she must return to him for three months out of every year. And so Persephone returned to Hades every year to rule as queen of the underworld as soon as the harvest had begun. During this time Demeter's grief was so great that nothing would grow until her daughter was returned again three months later.
Source: 'Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome'
Morgan J. Roberts
