Persephone Myth: 
by Kaitlin Bevis 2014

In the original Persephone myth, Kore, the goddess of Spring, was a beautiful goddess and would have had many suitors had her mother, Demeter, goddess of agriculture, not kept her hidden away from the other gods. One day Kore went to a meadow to pick narcissus flowers, lilacs, poppies, or some other flower depending on the source with some nymphs when Hades, God of the Underworld spotted her and decided he wanted her for his wife. He burst through the earth (in some versions, Gaia, goddess of Earth assists him) in his creepy black chariot of death, and dragged Kore into the Underworld. After her rape/marriage, Kore became known as Persephone, the Queen of the Underworld.

Demeter, goddess of Agriculture and Persephone’s mother, searched frantically for her daughter, neglecting her duties as a goddess and plunging the earth into famine. Helios, god of the sun, or in some versions Persephone’s nymph friends, tell Demeter what happened and Demeter begged Zeus to rescue their daughter.

At first Zeus told Demeter she should be pleased to have such a high ranking son-in-law, but eventually he relented since too many people were starving to worship him properly, and sent Hermes to liberate Persephone so long as she had not consumed food or drink in he Underworld.

Meanwhile, Persephone was tricked into eating 3-7(depending on the version) pomegranate seeds by the god Ascalapus, Hades’ gardener. Ascalapus got turned into a screech owl in retribution for his crime, and Persephone was forced to return to the Underworld for a month every year for each seed she ate. While she is home with her mother, plants grow, but during her time in the Underworld every year they die. This myth is considered an explanation for winter.

Why did her name change?

Changing a gods name to reflect a change in their divine role was not uncommon. In Persephone’s case she doesn't even get a name until she’s important. Kore translated to girl, or maiden.Persephone has a variety of other names and titles within her cult the Eleusinian Mysteries.

Why a pomegranate?

The pomegranate is known as the fruit of the dead as well as a symbol for fertility, and thanks to the little crown on the top of a pomegranate is a symbol of royalty. So it’s easy to see why it was chosen as symbol in the Persephone myth. You've got royalty for the new Queen of Spring/fertility of the dead. When you cut it open is naturally divided into three to six sections depending on the fruit. It is full of tiny little seeds covered in a blood red juice. While the Persephone myth is the most well known example of using a Pomegranate for symbolism, way back when, this weird little fruit found its way into a variety of stories across cultures.

Why does it matter what flower Persephone was picking?

The flower chosen in the myth kind of sets the tone for the whole story. The narcissus flower for instance is commonly seen as a phallic symbol, and a symbol of unrequited love, and as a portent for death, so you’ve got some foreshadowing, and loss of innocence going there. Other flowers symbolize different things that the story teller may be trying to get across.