Persephone

Persephone, Queen of the Underworld
& Goddess of Springtime

Who was Persephone? The Abduction of Persephone
Persephone was the Greek goddess of Spring and one of the extraordinary number of gods and goddesses worshipped by the Ancient Greeks. The legend and myth about Persephone has been passed down through the ages and plays an important role in the history of the Ancient World and the study of the Greek classics. When she was a beautiful young maiden, Hades seized her and held her captive in his underworld. Her mother, the goddess Demeter, eventually persuaded the gods to let her daughter return to her. However, Persephone was required to remain in the underworld for four months because Hades had tricked her into eating a pomegranate (the food of the dead). When Persephone left the earth, the flowers withered and the grain died, but when she returned, life blossomed anew and Persephone is therefore associated with Spring. This mythical story symbolizes the annual vegetation cycle, the dying and rebirth of the plant world. Persephone was venerated by the Romans under the name of Proserpina.

The Return of Persephone

Facts about Persephone
Persephone features in the religious beliefs of the ancient Greeks which are based on the idea that these supernatural beings resembled mortals but possessed great mystical powers. The following information, facts and profile provides a fast overview of Persephone:

Persephone Profile & Fact File
Greek Name: Persephone
Role & Function: The function of Persephone is described as being the Queen of the Underworld and also the goddess of spring time
Status: Occasionally included amongst the names of the Olympians
Symbols: The Pomegranate, wreath of flowers worn in hair, torch, bat
Gender: Female
Roman Counterpart: The Roman name for this god was Proserpina or Proserpine
Name of Husband: Hades
Name of Father: Zeus
Name of Mother: Demeter

The Symbols of Persephone
Each ancient Greek god and goddess were associated with special symbols, animals and attributes. The Symbols of Persephone helped the ancient Greeks instantly recognize the gods and goddesses that were depicted in the pictures, mosaics, statues and images. The symbols of Persephone and their meanings were as follows:

• The Pomegranate
  • The pomegranate was also known as the "fruit of the dead" and anyone who ate the food of the dead was committed to stay in the underworld.
• The Torch
  • The symbol of the torch relates to the pair of flaming torches Demeter carried in her search for Persephone
• The Bat
  • The bat symbolized death and rebirth
• Wreath of Flowers
  • A Wreath of Flowers - Flowers were associated with birth and life after death. Flowers also symbolized with the return of spring after winter

Persephone (Roman Counterpart was Proserpina)
When the Roman Empire conquered the Greeks in 146BC, the Romans assimilated various elements from other cultures and civilisations, including the gods and goddesses that were worshipped by the Ancient Greeks. Many of the Greek gods and goddesses, such as Persephone, were therefore adopted by the Romans but were given Latin names. The Roman counterpart of Persephone was Proserpina.

Hades abducting Persephone

Facts about Persephone in Greek Mythology
Persephone, the Greek goddess of Spring, featured in the stories, myths and legends in Greek Mythology. Discover interesting information and facts about the Greek goddess of Spring. The facts about her provides a list detailing fascinating additional info to increase your knowledge about Persephone in Greek Mythology, stories and legends.

Mythical Facts about Persephone
Fact 1: When Hades pursued a nymph named Minthe, Proserpine turned her into a mint plant

Fact 2: She is most commonly associated with the abduction myth (refer to the Myth of Demeter and Persephone and the Myth of Proserpine)

Fact 3: She features in the Myth of Adonis in which she cared for the handsome youth but refused to return him to Aphrodite (refer to the Myth of Aphrodite)

Fact 4: In the Myth about Psyche the maiden travels across the Styx to ask the Queen of Hades for a box of precious ointment for Aphrodite (refer to the Myth of Psyche)

The Queen of the Underworld, Hades and Psyche

Fact 5: The Argonaut Orpheus attempted to rescue his beloved Eurydice from the Underworld (refer to the Myth of Orpheus)

Fact 6: Proserpine was also revered as the protector of marriage

Fact 7: Pirithous requested Theseus to assist him in his ambitious scheme of descending to the lower world and carrying off the queen of Hades

Fact 8: The Moirae are mentioned as assisting the Charites to conduct Proserpine to the upper world at her periodical reunion with her mother Demeter.

Pictures of Persephone

The Family of Persephone - Greek Gods Family Tree and Genealogy
According to Greek legends and myths the immediate family of Persephone were as follows:

• Father: Zeus
• Mother: Demeter
• Husband: Hades

The family members and genealogy of the ancient deities can be established via the Greek gods family tree, providing an overview of the relationships between the major Greek gods and goddesses.

The Greek Gods Family Tree

Persephone

• Interesting information and Facts about the Greek goddess Persephone
• Persephone, the Greek goddess of Spring
• Stories and Legends in Greek Mythology associated with Proserpine
• Facts and information about the Gods and Deities of the Ancient World for schools and kids
• Persephone, the Greek goddess of Spring time