Here is a story I like to tell this time of year.
Demeter, by whose hand the grain ripens and turns to gold beneath the sun, had a beautiful daughter, as lovely as a field of crocus, upon whom she doted as much as any mother ever doted upon a daughter. Persephone was kind, she was gentle and she was graceful of movement. She had a good nature and many friends and liked to spend time walking with them by the sea shore and through the forest. Everyone knew of Demeter’s love for Persephone and no one dared lay a hand upon her for fear of the powerful Goddess’s wrath and so Persephone was used to rambling wherever she would without care.
It was on one of these walks that Persephone caught the eye of Hades, the dark God of the Underworld and his dark heart was softened by her lovely face and the sound of her laughter. He began to watch her from the shadows of the pines. The more he watched her the more he wanted to know her better. He spoke with her, in disguise that he might just be near her. She was never aware of his affections but just casual conversations with a peddler at the crossroads, a wanderer along the shore.
Finally, Hades went to his brother Zeus, the King of Olympus and ruler of all the Gods and he said “Brother, there is a young woman among your own people who has caught my eye and my heart. I cannot think, I cannot rest, I cannot rule the dead for the distraction she has caused me. Please grant me permission to take Persephone, the daughter of Demeter to be my Queen.”
Zeus thought about this. Demeter would never allow it, he was sure. She would argue that Persephone was too young to marry and that a child of sunshine could never survive in the darkness of the Underworld and finally, she would argue that the Underworld was too far away, that Persephone, if she were to marry, should certainly marry locally so that she could see her as often as she liked.
Finally Zeus answered his brother, “Brother, I know that Persephone is an exceptional match for you. And as Queen of the Dead she will shine: offering comfort to the dead, helping them to accept their lot if not find joy in it. I know too that you are an honorable and noble man and she could not hope to find a husband of better station (since I’m already married). Therefore, I approve of this marriage, but I must warn you, her mother will never agree to it and even Hermes would never be able to convince her.”
“I will go then to our Grandmother Gaia. She understands a woman’s heart, and she is close to Demeter. She will give me good advice on this matter.” Hades decided and Zeus agreed that this was a good idea.
And so he went to Gaia and she smiled and the flowers bloomed. “Yes, Persephone will be a perfect match. But your brother is right, Demeter will never agree to it. I will help you. You go to the place I direct you and wait and I will send Persephone to you.”
And so Hades went to the place Gaia sent him and waited in the darkness of the Earth. And Gaia caused a flower like no other to grow upon the shore near a river. In the morning, Persephone and her companions made their way down to the river to bathe and do their washing and the flower caught Persephone’s eye. As her companions went on ahead, she strayed from the path to get a closer look at the magnificent bloom. When she reached it and she bent down to pluck it, the earth from which it grew shook and split, yawning open to reveal a passageway into the darkness.
Curious, she entered and the hole closed up suddenly behind her. She screamed and pounded at the solid rock where the hole had been just a minute ago, streaming sunshine into the passage that was now sunk in total darkness.
And then she heard a voice.
“Do not be afraid, Persephone. The Mother Earth herself has brought you to me. Come with me and I will make you the Queen to which every living thing becomes subject.” He whispered and he held out his hand. “I have many things I wish to show you.”
Persephone hesitated for a moment. This was a familiar voice. Her fear began to fade and curiosity bloomed in its place. This didn’t seem right but… it was also exciting. And it wasn’t as if he were a total stranger- everyone knew who Hades was, after all. And anyway, what other choice did she have? She couldn’t get out the way she came in. And so she took his hand and he hoisted her up onto his chariot and they rode away deep down the passage to the underworld.
Persephone’s friends were some distance away laughing and splashing in the river so that it was quite some time before they noticed her missing. The searched the riverbank, the fields and the forest before finally approaching her dread mother with the news. When they reported her loss to Demeter, the Goddess flew into a panic. She abandoned all other activities and thought of nothing but the return of her beloved daughter.
As Demeter wandered calling her daughter’s name, nothing grew. Grain that was near to ripening withered with blight. Fruit rotted on the vine and the grass upon which the herds grazed turned brittle and dry. The Gods heard her calling, and the pleading prayers of the people who had once sent them offerings in celebration, and they came to Zeus, “Surely we must tell her” they said to him, but he said “Surely she will get over it. Let’s wait this out.”
Hecate, resting in her cave, had never been interested in Zeus’s opinion since he ceded her dominion over Earth, Sky and Sea after the great War of the Gods. She heard the voice of Demeter and went out to see what was the matter.
“You seek a maiden who was taken?” Hecate called out to Demeter.
“She is lost!” Cried out Demeter. “I do not know if she was taken. She is my daughter Persephone. Have you seen her?”
“I have seen nothing.” Hecate told her, “For I have been in the darkness of my cave. But I did hear something. I heard a maiden cry out from within the Earth.”
Hearing this Demeter clawed at her heart and collapsed to the ground in despair. Hecate rushed to her side and embraced her saying, “Take heart, Demeter, and do not cry! We will go to Helios and ask Him what He knows, for Helios sees all.”
Demeter was heartened by this. Of course! Why hadn’t she thought of that before?
So Hecate led Demeter to the place where Helios dwelled and he received them warmly in his bright halls and Demeter approached him saying “Helios! My dear daughter Persephone has gone missing. Hecate heard her cry out from within the Earth but has seen nothing. We have come to ask if you have seen her.”
Helios smiled gently and nodded. “Yes, I have seen Persephone. The dark lord Hades desired Her for His wife and Zeus and Gaia conspired to make it so. Your daughter now rules the Underworld as its queen.”
Hecate smiled with relief, but Demeter became even more upset. “That is impossible. I have not given permission for such a union! We must get her back.”
“Oh but Demeter.” Said Helios, “It is a good match. He will make Her a good husband and She will bring light and comfort to the dead.” Hecate nodded her agreement to this statement, but Demeter would not be comforted.
In a fury, Demeter made her way to Mount Olympus where Zeus sat upon His throne and She demanded the return of Her daughter.
“I am sorry.” He replied calmly. “What is done is done. I am King of the Gods and I have made this match and it shall stand. It is a good match. Hades is a good man and will treat Her well. He loves Her dearly. Persephone has a good heart and will bring comfort to the dead as their Queen.”
And yet, Demeter still would not be comforted.
“If you do not return My daughter to me,” She told Him, “I will not perform the work that has been given Me. And I will wander the Earth, unconcerned with mortals or Gods.”
“What is that to Me?” Said Zeus. “I have given My word and I shall not take it back.”
And so it was that Demeter ceased to perform Her work as the Goddess of the Grain and wandered the Earth in the form of a human woman and the crops did not ripen and a great famine faced the people of the Earth.
What little stores the people had dwindled to nothing. They had nothing to make their bread or feed their livestock, and the world began to starve. They cried out to the Gods and begged them for mercy. They sacrificed the few cattle that still lived and begged Zeus to intervene. When Hermes reported this news to the King of the Gods, he was troubled. “Go to my sister, Demeter” He told His swift messenger, “And tell Her of the plight of the people. Ask Her to soften Her heart and listen to their prayers. Soon there will be no sacrifices and none to honor us. And Gaia, the Mother of All will not be pleased if Her mortal children are left to die by the whim of a stubborn Goddess.”
Hermes went to Demeter, who was living quietly and humbly in the town of Eleusis, but Demeter’s heart would not be softened. “When you come again,” Said She, “Bring my daughter, or I will not receive you.”
When Hermes returned with this news, Zeus sat silent and grim for some time. Finally, he sent Hermes down to the Kingdom of Hades to explain the situation and ask that Persephone be returned and Hades choose another bride instead. But Hades was not unaware of what was going on and before Hermes arrived He said to to his beloved, “Take this fruit and eat it all, this will assure that you will return to me again.” Persephone agreed to do this thing, smiling fondly at her husband as she took up a knife to cut into the blood red fruit. But Persephone did not eat the whole thing. She ate five seeds.
Hermes soon arrived and fetched Persephone to Mount Olympus. Then He hastened to Eleusis and brought Demeter as well. Mother and daughter embraced each other weeping and all the Gods gathered round to witness the joyful reunion.
But soon it was revealed that Persephone had eaten the food of the Underworld and Zeus declared that She must return. Demeter was enraged again and swore that as long as Her daughter was not by Her side, nothing would ripen but all the crops would die on the vine before they were edible. Humanity would suffer and She would not care. All of the Gods tried to reason with Her, even Her daughter Persephone, but she was inconsolable.
Then Hecate spoke up, “I propose a compromise.” She said, “Let Persephone return to the Underworld only in proportion to the number of pomegranate seeds She has eaten. If She has eaten five, let Her stay with Hades for five months of the year and return to Demeter’s side for the rest.” The Gods discussed this amongst themselves and Demeter reiterated that She would not allow the crops to ripen while Persephone was not at Her side. Hecate offered to stay at Persephone’s side and act as Her handmaiden and promised Demeter She would look after Her well. Finally Demeter agreed to teach mankind the secrets of the soil and guide the crops to ripen while Persephone was at Her side but still She refused to allow anything to sprout or grow or ripen while Persephone was in the Underworld.
And all looked to Zeus. And finally, he nodded.
And so it is that at the height of the harvest, Persephone bids farewell to her mother and descends into the Underworld with Hecate at Her side to take Her place as Queen of the Dead beside Her husband Hades. And Demeter retires to rest in her loneliness and nothing grows but it withers and droops and seeds die in the ground for five months until Persephone returns bringing with Her the rain and blossoms of the growing season. And then Demeter rejoices and calls the seeds to sprout and the roots to dig deep into the cool Earth so that there are fruits and grains aplenty for mankind to harvest for food and to feed our families and to offer to the Gods.
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