The Beautiful Persephone
Mythology is the study of myths, why they were created, and how the stories explain things, normally nature related happenings (Matyszak 6). Myths explain the old cultures view on the world and other conflicts. They usually include a conflict with a few gods or goddesses or creatures and the ending result is what "creates" the happening in the world (Matyszak 6). Persephone is important because she is what, indirectly, caused the seasons to change. The myth of Persephone starts off with Persephone picking flowers when she comes along to a flower her father, Zeus, said he wanted her to bring back. Once she picks the flower she is taken into the underworld being kidnaped by Hades. Demeter, her mother, becomes depressed at the loss of her daughter and causes the changing of the seasons (Gates). Within all of this Hades and Zeus had a conflict because Hades had kidnapped Persephone and trapped her in his realm, the Underworld, refusing to let her go. Zeus later convinced Hades into changing the law that made Persephone stay in the Underworld. Zeus did this because Demeter was not letting anything grow and causing the mortals to die off quickly. Although, Persephone was beautiful and loyal, which made her a point of interest in art, she was also extremely naïve, which caused her to have many issues during her life including falling for the trap set to kidnap her.
Persephone's family tree is relevant to show the timeline from her ancestors. Zeus’ parents are Cronos and Rhea. He is the husband of Hera and father of eleven children and three creatures or groups of creatures (Matyzak 58). Demeter’s parents are also Cronos and Rhea. She had no husband, but she had four children (Matyzak 72). Arion was one of Perse...
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...n on Zeus including children, spouse, and prospects. On page 70, it is Hades’ children, spouse and prospects. Then again, on page 72, Demeter’s children, spouse, and prospects are detailed. I will be able to use this information to make Persephone’s family tree more detailed and correct and also with information on Hades, Persephone’s husband, Demeter, Persephone’s mother, and Zeus, Persephone’s father. It also gives me information on Persephone’s children from Hades’ information on page 70.
Works Cited
Burn, Lucilla. Greek Myths. 1996. British Museum Press. London. Print.
Gates, Megan. “Greek Godess Persephone by Megan Gates”. Goddesspersephone. N.p., Web. April, 12, 2014.
Jenna. “From Knowledge Grows Acceptance”. Paganpages. N.p., November, 2009. Web. April, 12, 2014.
Matyszak, Philip. The Greek and Roman Myths. Nov, 2010. Thames & Hudson ltd. London. Print.
The depiction of the Greek and roman myths are given unique insights from different authors. The Hymn to Demeter and Ovid's Metamorphosis provide and insight to Demeter's love for her daughter, Persephone, and explores its affect on the surrounding environments. The theme of separation and isolation is present in both of these myths, however, in Ovid's Metamorphosis, he symbolizes the environment in important events, has characters playing different roles, and empowers female deities.
Athena’s father was Zeus, the king of the gods and goddess’. Athena had a mother and a stepmother, her mother’s name was Metis. Her grandparents are Kronus and Rhea. Poseidon was Athena’s uncle and Demeter was Athena’s aunt. Hades was Athena’s uncle and Hades had two wives Hera and Hestia. Hera was also Athena’s stepmom. Athena had a cousin who was known as Aphrodite. She had three half brothers, Hermes, Hephaestus and Apollo as well as a half sister named Artemis.
Mythology was critical to Greek people’s everyday life, just like how religion is in our modern day in age. Everyday events, such as a thunderstorm, could be linked to a god or goddess. For example, when an earthquake would happen, it would be Poseidon crashing his tritan on the ground. People’s lives revolved around the whole ideology and it served as a way to explain the unexplained and to help them in times of need. All of the stories of these great gods and goddesses were passed down generation through generation each time getting more extreme and distorted. People idolized these beings and built stunning life like sculptures of them. Zeus was the most important of all the Greek gods and also king of Mount Olympus. He became a king after
Both Demeter and Penelope lose a loved one because of the schemes of the gods. In the Hymn to Demeter, Zeus gives Demeter’s daughter, Persephone, as a wife to Hades, who kidnaps her and takes her to the Underworld. When she discovers Persephone’s fate from Helios, Demeter is bereaved. “But a more terrible and savage grief
Life has always been an important theme of literature. As mortals, we are preoccupied with the short amount of time we have available to us. While there are many aspects of life that are important to all living beings, certain themes presented in the texts are the bonds between loved ones and the importance of agriculture. The Homeric Hymn to Demeter presents life as something to be enjoyed and cherished, as it may soon be taken away from us. In the case of hymn, even as a goddess, Persephone was still taken from her mother, the goddess Demeter, to the underworld. As life is short, the text demonstrates that the bond between a mother and her child, as well as a woman and her friends, should be strong. Relationships between the mother and the child are highly emphasized in this text, as Demeter mourns Persephone's descent into the underworld to the point that she is willing to end the lives of humankind by keeping the harvest from growing and causing all vegetation to die. "For mortals she ordained...
In ancient myths it always seems that for the most part, mothers adore their male child and do not have the same importance for the female child. However, this is not the case for Agave, mother of Pentheus. In “Bacchae,” Agave is so caught up on a curse brought upon her by her nephew Dionysus that she completely loses sight of what is truly important, her son. In the end Agave ends up chopping the head off her own son, a twist to the everyday myth. In “Demeter and Persephone,” although Persephone is a female, it seems as though Demeter cares and protects her daughter more than Agave ever did for her "male" child. Agave doesn't even talk about her daughter Epirus; another hint of the importance of females in ancient myths. Unlike Agave, we have Frigg, from “Bacchae,” who goes to the end of the world like Demeter to make sure that they have done everything in their power to keep Balder and Persephone safe and out of harms way. Frigg, Balder's mother and Demeter, Persephone's mother, are both powerful mothers who stop at nothing to ensure the safety and protection of their children. They are to Balder and Persephone as a bear is to her cubs when someone messes with them. When it comes to being dedicated, loveable, and selfless, Demeter and Frigg are better mothers than Agave.
Pandora, Persephone and Helen have been chosen because their stories reflect the ongoing mythic preoccupation regarding the role of women within Greek society. It is possible to view the progression of the three as conforming to the rites de passage as described by Van Gennep in 1960 (10-11, 116 ff): We witness rites of separation, operating on two levels. First, despite their shared descent from, or creation by, the Olympian gods, they exist in the realm of mortals. Secondly, their partnerships are instigated either against or despite their will, and are marked by a concurrent development in the type of space they occupy. Rites of transition may be interpreted in the corresponding change of status that these women undergo - from daughters, virgins and legitimate spouses, to brides, wives and consorts. Finally, rites of incorporation occur once Pandora, Persephone and Helen are reintegrated into what the myths depict as a new world. This is achieved through aetiological explanations for the state of the cosmos and/or the institution of a new era of the human condition.
Persephone, Hades’ wife, is the goddess of spring and the Queen of the underworld. She resides in the underworld for only six months of the year due to Hades kidnapping her. She was told not to eat anything for then she would have to remain in the underworld. While in the underworld, Persephone consumed six pomegranate seeds. Her mother Demeter, goddess of agriculture, threw a fit. Demeter complained to her brother Zeus. To be fair, Zeus stated that Persephone would have to remain in the underworld one month per seed each year. So, Persephone now resides in the underworld six months out of every year.
In two amazing poems, both poets make allusions to the myth of Persephone. The myth of Persephone tells of her kidnap by Hades, the God of the Underworld. She is then fated to spend one-third of the year in the underworld as Hades’ bride because she consumed pomegranate seeds. This myth appears frequently as a metaphor not only in “The Pomegranate” and “The Bistro Styx,” but in many others as well. In both poems, the myth of Persephone is used to symbolize the mother-daughter relationships.
Place the Persephone candle back on the altar and pick up the Demeter candle and while holding it say:
Zeus was the sixth and last child born to the Titans, Cronus and Rhea. Cronus was the leader of the Titans and father of the Olympians. Gaea's prophecy said that one of Cronus's sons would overthrow him. Because of this, he swallows each of his and Rhea's children at birth. After Cronus swallowed Demeter, Hades, Hera, Hestia, and Poseidon, Gaea had enough. When Rhea gave birth to Zeus, Gaea helped find a cave on Mount Ida for him. Rhea wrapped up a rock in cloth and gave it to Cronus to swallow, protecting Zeus. Mark Cartwright, Ancient History Encyclopaedia, http://www.ancient.eu.com/zeus/ (accessed April 24 2014). Zeus could then grow up in secret to one day fulfill Gaea's prophecy.
The parallels between the protagonists, Laura and Persephone, are quite evident. First and foremost, Laura’s mother, Mrs. Sheridan, stands as a counterpart for Demeter, Persephone’s mother. Mrs. Sheridan chose to pass down her black hat to Laura, the youngest of all of her children (Masfield 251). Laura and her mother share an intimate relationship that mirrors that of Persephone and Demeter. This display of affection expresses how comfortable mother and daughter are around each other. Mrs. Sheridan thinks highly of Laura, she sees her as a mature young lady. In comparison, when Persephone is whisked away to the Underworld without her consent, Demeter is overcome with grief and depression. Demeter’s life was centered on Persephone; she had the sensation that something was the matter. When he daughter vanished, Demeter lost her sense of direction. In addition, bot...
His grandfather, is King of Argos, his name is Acrisius. Acrisius had a daughter named Danae, however he wanted a son. So in search for an answer towards having a son, Acrisius went to the Oracle of Delphi. The Oracle said that Acrisius’ daughter, Danae would be the one to carry a baby boy, but this child would kill Acrisius. To avoid his own death, Acrisius created an underground chamber to lock his daughter in, therefore, she would be unable to conceive a child. Little did Acrisius know that Zeus would shape shift into golden rain and conceive a child with Danae. Naturally, Danae gave birth to Perseus. When she was let out of this underground chamber Danae met Polydectes. Polydectes was determined to make Danae his wife and that is exactly what happened. Perseus was unable to grant his mother and Polydectes a gift, so he was told to bring back Medusa’s head. Perseus was successful in retrieving Medusa’s head. On his journey back home he met a beautiful Goddess who was in distress. Perseus saved her from a horrific sea monster and they instantly fell in love and wanted to be joined together in holy matrimony. However, Andromeda’s uncle was no too pleased with this decision. He wanted Andromeda only for himself. Therefore he planned to murder Perseus but was unsuccessful since Perseus had the advantage of Medusa’s head. Perseus showed Andromeda’s uncle Medusa’s face and he then was turned to stone. When he returned home with the gift, he found out Polydectes was abusing his mother. Instead of giving him the present he used it against Polydectes and turned him to stone as well. Acrisius became aware of what Perseus was capable of doing so he decided to flee. Although that didn’t help as much as he believed it would. Perseus and his grandfather ran into each other at the Games Ceremony, in Larissa. When Perseus went to throw the discus it slipped from his grasp and clashed into his grandfather’s head, killing
In a society in which social position was vital for having a successful family, the Greek and Roman families internally struggled with one another. This constant conflict stems from the father’s desire for control and the society’s high placement of power. In the Greek myth Demeter and Persephone, Zeus’s interest for his selfish gains prompts him to “ ( give ) Persephone to the Lord of Dead to become his queen “ ( Rosenberg Demeter 96). Zeus does not ask Persephone nor Demeter, his beloved wife, presenting that he does not show any opinions on their feelings. Although Zeus in reality just wanted to have a powerful family with the addition of Hades, his love for power overrode his love for his family and created a tension between the other members and him. In another Greek myth, Jason and the Golden Fleece, shows man’s love for supremacy through ...
In Ovid Metamorphoses, the Roman literature described the ruthless act of Pluto of rape, to seize and carry away Proserpine without the consent of Ceres and in parallel in the Homeric Hymns of Demeter; Persephone was seized and carried away by Hades without the consent of Demeter. The invariant theme that was identified in both the Greek and Roman literature was the loss of innocence of Persephone/Proserpine. Despite the various differences the story was presented, it reinforced the innocence that was stolen from the god of the underworld, Hades or also known as Pluto. Throughout this paper, it will discuss the similar characteristics of the two myths such as the motive that led and encouraged the god of the underworld to kidnap Persephone/Proserpine, and the aftermath caused by the grief of the mother of the abducted Persephone/Proserpine. The paper will also discuss the differences between the two literatures, such as the involvement of other gods and goddesses.