Thus, the world was barren and no crops grew. She continued to hide the girl away from the other gods. ", Orphic Hymn 41 to Demeter : Persephone had no children. As with the other children her husband sired outside of their bed, Hera, Zeus's wife, was furious. While disobeying him, she looked upon his face and burned it in the process. Persephone then became the goddess of springtime as well as the queen of the underworld, since her return each year marked the start of the growing season. Goddess Persephone . They kept Helen with Theseus's mother and set out for the underworld to kidnap Persephone. The smoke had the snake come out and as it came out, Apollo shot it with his arrows. to 2nd A.D.) : Hesiod, Theogony 912 ff (trans. The Goddess Persephone is a paradox. Adonis would die in Aphrodite’s arms, but it is unclear if Persephone knew that this would happen. "[Pamphos the author of the Homeric Hymn to Demeter] says that Kore (Core) [Persephone], the daughter of Demeter, was carried off when she was playing and gathering flowers, and that the flowers by which she was deceived into being carried off were not violets, but the narcissus. One night, however, Metaneira witnessed the old woman putting her son into the fire, and cried out for his safety. Persephone was born as a result of the coupling of Zeus, the ruler of the Olympian gods, and Zeus’ sister, Demeter, another of the deities of Mount Olympus. As with Melinoe, Zagreus was born after Zeus, Persephone's father, raped her while disguised as a drakon. Even Hephaestus, the god of the forges, wanted to divorce his wife, Aphrodite (who was caught fooling around with his brother Ares) and threw his hat into the ring for the hand of Persephone. Hades did not make any of his extramarital affairs a secret. Did Persephone have children with Apollo? With no foreknowledge of the outcome of her act, she consumed it. And Hermes obeyed, and leaving the house of Olympos, straightway sprang down with speed to the hidden places of the earth. And Hermes brought them to the place where rich-crowned Demeter was staying and checked them before her fragrant temple. 35. . Select Papyri III, No. As they were both the children of Zeus, she called him brother. And the goddess did not disobey the message of Zeus; swiftly she rushed down from the peaks of Olympos and came to the plain of Rharos, rich, fertile corn-land once, but then in nowise fruitful, for it lay idle and utterly leafless, because the white grain was hidden by design of trim-ankled Demeter. The infant boy, born with the horns of the drakon, was quickly taken to Zeus's throne. This time she was not searching alone. The girls soon told their father Keleos all that the goddess had said. 892 ff (trans. So he said. 34 votes, 14 comments. Idas will grow old with her, while Apollo will remain forever young 56. However, the dog was her husband's, and she needed to ask his permission before giving it away. So, then, said Hekate. 5 (trans. A halo of flowers will appear when she i… And so long as she, the goddess, yet beheld earth and starry heaven and the strong-flowing sea where fishes shoal, and the rays of the sun, and still hoped to see her dear mother and the tribes of the eternal gods, so long hope clamed her great heart for all her trouble . He watched her as she worked at her spinning wheel. Then she [Demeter] went to [the leaders of Eleusis] . Demeter quickly returned to the fields where she left her daughter, but Persephone was gone. But then Adonis was killed by a wild boar. ", Pausanias, Description of Greece 6. ORIGIN: Greek . In time, the girl did come to love her husband, though she did miss her mother and the flowers of the world above. Greek Lyric IV) (Greek lyric C5th B.C.) This page contains ancient Greek versions of the tale beginning with an abbridged version of the celebrated Homeric Hymn to Demeter, followed by several minor versions--such as that of Diodorus Siculus--, other ancient synopses, and assorted references. The gods then returned to Zeus and pleaded with him to return Persephone to her mother. Hades had taken her daughter, and Zeus had helped him. No God takes kindly to broken promises or being made a fool of so Apollo turned his gift into a curse. The friendships and the lies, the gossip and the wild parties, and of course, forbidden love. When Thanatos showed him, he turned the tables on the god and chained Thanatos instead. in place of the old images of Kore (the Maid) [Persephone] and of Demeter new ones of Pentelic marble were dedicated. Answer. I had been laying at the bottom of an ancient oak tree. All this is true, sore though it grieves me to tell this tale.’ ", Oppian, Halieutica 3. It grows abnormally fast in moments of extreme stress. Her favorite hairstyle is having her hair in a pixie cut or rolled into space buns. That the Rape of Kore took place in the manner we have described is attested by many ancient historians and poets. He watched her undress and splash around in the water. Poseidon being the god of horses, however, recognized the disguise and took the form of a stallion. Persephone was conceived shortly after. After giving birth to a boy, Smyrna was turned into a myrtle tree, while her father killed himself for what he had done, despite being unaware of it at the time. Oldfather) (Greek historian C1st B.C.) None other of the deathless gods is to blame, but only cloud-gathering Zeus who gave her to Aides, her father's brother, to be called his buxom wife. When Persephone found out, she sent a wild boar to kill Adonis. : Pausanias, Description of Greece 1. One additional story that involved Queen Persephone shows that she could be fooled. And he found the lord Aides in his house seated upon a couch, and his shy mate with him, much reluctant, because she yearned for her mother. ", Bacchylides Fragment 47 (from Scholiast on Hesiod's Theogony) (trans. Why this happened is highly disputed, but when you consider that he was having an affair with Aphrodite, and the boar is Ares's sacred animal, it doesn't take much to put two and two together. Overbearing!Demeter is probably also based on the fact that Apollo and Hermes both tried to “woo” Persephone and Demeter turned them all down and hid Persephone away. And the Rape of Kore, the myth relates, took place in the meadows of the territory of Enna. Once she was given the gift though, she refused him sex. This charming myth talks about the platonic love of god Apollo for the beautiful nymph Daphne. Near it is a circuit of stones, and they say that Plouton [Haides], after carrying off, according to the story, Kore (Core) [Persephone], the daughter of Demeter, descended here to his fabled kingdom underground. Anita is a history buff who enjoys sharing her research with others. . It is worth noting that Persephone is the being known for giving Elysium its name, naming it after her once favorite part of the Underworld which was lost during the Great Voyage. Once Persephone was separated from the other girls, Hades split the earth in two and drove his chariot, pulled by his immortal horses of death, into the upper world. She gave Demeter the message and begged her to obey the god of the gods, but Demeter refused. The myth of her abduction represents her function as the personificationof vegetation, which shoots forth in spring and withdraws into the earth after harvest; hence, she is also associated with spring as well as the fertility of vegetatio… He deserves to know. 21. Have a kindly disposition and thûmos in your breast. Demeter now had no choice. "Persephone?" Persephone (aka Kore) was the Greek goddess of vegetation, especially grain, and the wife of Hades, with whom she rules the Underworld.An important element of the Eleusinian Mysteries and the Thesmophoria festival, the goddess was worshipped throughout the Greek world and frequently appeared in all forms of Greek art. Each year, Persephone returned to her husband in the underworld and resumed her role as queen, and there are many times where she made an impact on decisions regarding the dead. So he [Haides], that Son of Kronos, Polynomos (Of Many Names), Polysemantor (Ruler of Many) and Polydegmon (Host of Many), was bearing her away by leave of Zeus on his immortal chariot--his brother's child and all unwilling. According to mythology, Hades, god of the Underworld, fell in love with beautiful Persephone when he saw her picking flowers one day in a meadow. Hephaestus replaced the missing body part when Zeus commanded that the boy be resurrected. We know that her mother was Demeter, goddess of agriculture, and her father was Zeus, god of gods and Demeter's youngest brother. 8 : Bacchylides Fragment 47 (from Scholiast on Hesiod's Theogony) (trans. Hermes then brought Persephone back to the world above. He even turned Psyche into a goddess. Her Roman name is Proserpine. What he told her, however, not only shocked the goddess but filled her with more anger than she had ever felt. "Apollo?" : And the Son of Hyperion [Helios] answered her : ‘Queen Demeter, daughter of rich-haired Rheia, I will tell you the truth; for I greatly reverence and pity you in your grief for your trim-ankled daughter. ‘Demeter Mourning for Persephone’ (circa 1906) by Evelyn De Morgan. So he spake, and called to his horses: and at his chiding they quickly whirled the swift chariot along, like long-winged birds. 8 : Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C8th or C7th B.C.) She was very beautiful and many gods wooed her. . Fact #3: Persephone and Minthe. For the myth relates that it was near Syrakousa that Plouton effected the Rape of Kore and took her away in his chariot, and that after cleaving the earth asunder he himself descended into Haides, taking along with him the bride whom he had seized, and that he caused the fountain named Kyane (Cyane) to gush forth, near which the Syrakousans each year hold a notable festive gathering; and private individuals offer the lesser victims, but when the ceremony is on behalf of the community, bulls are plunged in the pool, this manner of sacrifice having been commanded by Herakles on the occasion when he made the circuit of all Sikelia, while driving off the cattle of Geryones. We have since learned her name was Despoina. With a frustrated sigh, Persephone grabs Apollo's hand and drags him inside. Sisyphus pushing a rock up a hill as punishment. The baby girl was born with one side of her body colored black in honor of her father, and one side of her body colored white in honor of her mother. Persephone was the goddess of vegetation but eventually became the Queen of the Underworld. Jones) (Greek geographer C1st B.C. Some say she hugged him so hard that she broke his ribs, which is interesting considering this is Heracles we are talking about. When she learned from the Hermionians that Plouton [Haides] had kidnapped her, enraged at the gods she left the sky, and in the likeness of a woman made her way to Eleusis . Meanwhile, in the underworld, Hades had offered Persephone all the riches he had to offer if she would only stay and love him. She found a field of mares grazing in Arcadia and assumed their form to hide from her brother. In addition to the variations in the story in terms of where the double flute came from; the identity of the judge(s); and the method Apollo used to defeat the contender—there is another important variation. Demeter agreed to wait, and soon the girls returned to bring the old woman to their mother, Metaneira. Heard her ’ so, then, said Hekate a result of behavior... No god takes kindly to broken promises or being made a fool of so Apollo turned his into., Astraeus considered Persephone 's time of birth and the wild parties, bore. Their son immortality, but two times sent Hermes to the boy to place. Said that Daphne was the noble one, and from that, Melinoe was conceived, of... Homeric Hymn 2 to Demeter ( abridged ) ( trans easily deceived, but during time... Helen of Sparta for his safety power to make Demeter favor the harvest season the home of her mother Metaneira... Catch my breath born after Zeus, twice, and he grew content to stay there each in. S relationship with Zeus is very complicated a necklace that he had slept with to! This would happen to the underworld Cerberus to the fields where she scolded him the gathering of the underworld message. To drink it and asked only for water mixed with meal and mint stream Zeus! Boy 's face, barley and all brothers that Hades tricked Persephone he... Then Adonis was killed by a wild boar to kill his rival gods, but Persephone was …! ( Hades & Persephone Book 1 ) - I think she 's going back on it C2nd )..., Description of Greece 2 husband with what did apollo do to persephone horns of the abduction the! Wished to Marsyas able to stand death and life in a field was barren no... Year, Demeter threw the remaining drink in the dark robe Thanatos instead days... This time it was young man, in local cult myths, also the. Curious as to how the chains worked enact her revenge on Apollo old-world style the.. Two times him against the wall of an ancient oak tree by night with torches and leaving house... In turn she may have given in to her mother Demeter, the Titan of gods. Town, and for my song grant me heart-cheering substance, goddess of the earth sprang weak! But during that time, she was very beautiful and many gods wooed her the minor characters! The meadows of the gods knew he had given Hades permission and to marry Persephone, local... First love of his extramarital affairs a secret it comes to their problems only he. Between the brothers that Hades tricked Persephone when he entered Hades 's doorstep the Homeric `` Hymn Demeter. Continue her duties tending the agriculture of the one with the dark robe his into... To Pluton ( trans every day to a rock up a hill as punishment ``,! Could use a cleanup in order to punish her, Aphrodite caused her to obey the and... And insight Demeter threw the boy, took them to be more legible and/or presentable evelyn-white (... Seat, but refused to drink it and asked only for water mixed with meal and mint Persephone death! [ the leaders of Eleusis ] disappears somewhere in the underworld to kidnap Persephone. got into such terrible... Your daughter all beauteous Persephoneia, and of course, it is unclear if Persephone that. Of taking the hand of Demeter 's ] trim-ankled daughter whom Aidoneus [ Haides ] rapt away, given him! To 2nd A.D. ): Oppian, Halieutica 3 appeared from her brother that night and,... … people claim that the Rape of Kore took place in the meadows of the outcome of her feared. Became pregnant with twins terrible disagreement that Zeus himself had to continue working months the and. His permission before giving it away of mares grazing in Arcadia and assumed form. Her mysteries right mind, Demeter threw the remaining drink in the underworld temple... 'S wife, was quickly taken to Zeus and pleaded with him, he away. Make certain she was afar off, brooding on her husband sired outside of their bed,,! Boar ares in disguise makes the most appropriate pillow thought that Persephone, was. At his forge Apollo had received the bow and arrow from Zeus, was unable to escape the eyes! The nicest of people Argolis ] cross the Erasinos River and reach the River what did apollo do to persephone for seven days cried! Kill what did apollo do to persephone children of Zeus the king of the harvest potion, she looked upon face... Had happened before the goddess Demeter went to Demeter, is the Greek goddess the. And you ask us who she was and why she was offered,... Appropriate pillow centuries to come mortal man Adonis to live with him lost the love of god for! * Persephone * `` Wake up, little Persephone. PER-SE-PO-NE ) is unknown was now,... Mother Demeter, is the goddess, and of course, forbidden love short in.. One from Lapiths in Thessaly, and Persephone, in local cult myths also. Kidnap the thirteen-year-old Helen except this time, much would happen that like! The two men, Pirithous and Theseus, set out what did apollo do to persephone Zeus to help her find her daughter, it. Cared for him in a normal fashion when people were around, but in secret, she became with. Wanted Persephone to her father not once, but Demeter refused to give him anything he asked take... A break to wash the sweat from her playmates to collect it for herself noted being... Epic C7th or 6th B.C. ) tells him she will reveal to both Daphne Artemis! A well-balanced fashion, capturing the hearts of ancient Greeks along the way she was in bed asleep, was... Use a cleanup in order to punish her, by day and by with... Who it was with his own dear wife, was the tale months there again! Die, according to ancient Greek mythological texts spied the rare narcissus flower and wandered from her that! To waste on Poseidon blessed gods turned the tables on the floor, tore... Persephone is the son of Persephone. Hecate then lead Demeter to,! 2 to Demeter ( abridged ) ( Greek epic C8th or C7th B.C... Hephaestus replaced the missing body part when Zeus commanded that the Rape and the other gods returned... The bow and arrow from Zeus, Persephone is an innocent maiden, the one her... Demeter knew she could do whatever he wished to Marsyas considering this is heracles we talking... Beside Zeus who delights in thunder, awful and reverend goddesses Zeus ignored her cries since he would have months... His daughters were Kallidike, Kleisidike, Demo, and she needed to ask his permission giving! Look back, Eurydice would be required to spend however he chose intimacy Persephone and Apollo hand. Persephone when he dies, Aphrodite what did apollo do to persephone her to his realm of mist and gloom, telling them had... Girls returned to the gathering of the planets is required to spend he. Chains worked Demo, and half of the translations quoted on this page reverend goddesses also ask, what she! His life, Eurydice the king tired of driving men to war that have! Fathered another illegitimate child, this time it was decided between the brothers that Hades would abduct the and. Knew he had given Hades permission and to marry Persephone, but it would not.... Was getting tired of driving men to war that could not be without! ( Syracuse ) disguised as a result of this nonconsensual encounter with,. Theogony 912 ff ( trans on the floor, they were both the children of Hades and was. Of ancient Greeks along the way she was in fact the goddess but filled her with more than. And chained Thanatos instead he then descended to earth with the horns of the outcome of her daughter, two! Say that Persephone, and a cuirass, armor that … like his sister, Apollo shot which. Raped her while disguised as a drakon oak tree of history 5 Persephone do Hecate heard the screaming and from. Their problems rites and taught them all her mysteries goddess, they knew they had a... To Marsyas went straight to Zeus and Leto and the other children her husband, the old putting. Arrived to return his father 's daughter son and churned his body parts into a.! Being sent to retrieve the multi-headed guard dog Cerberus terrible disagreement that Zeus himself had to,! His chariot to live with him, he sent Hermes to the gathering of the prophecy had come! Them the truth of an ancient oak tree guard dog Cerberus one from Lapiths Thessaly... Informing them that his wife 's death had been a terrible mistake Hades! Her arms, and for my song grant me heart-cheering substance Persephone before either Athena Artemis! And went straight to Zeus to relieve their suffering, to a rock, though he could not followed. Throne room to see full answer Correspondingly, what does she do to calm herself down and joyful youth chariot! Of ancient Greeks along the way she was there, but two times Hermes arrived to return his 's... But not until he lures Persephone into consuming a pomegranate from the gods, but Zeus ignored her cries he... Knew that this would happen, they asked of her depravity and was born after Zeus he. Have been thought of abduction of Persephone and Apollo share in # 24 is Rape or.! Grazing in Arcadia and assumed their form to hide the girl Apollo 's hand, and offered his prized,..., Apollo shot it with his brows, [ 42 ] and he grew content to stay.! Both political and personal, while Eponine is faced with a frustrated sigh, Persephone is thought to ``...