Demeter and Persephone | Learn Greek Myths

As you have learned, the ancient Greeks believed that there were many gods and goddesses responsible for the workings of the world. There was Poseidon, the god of the sea, Eris, the god of war, and Aphrodite, the goddess of love, to name a few. Demeter was the goddess of the harvest and agriculture, or farming. It was because of her, the ancient Greeks believed that fruits hung heavy on the trees, wheat grew in the fields, and vegetables ripened on the ground. Demeter had a daughter named Persephone, who was the joy of her life. Persephone was known by all of the gods and goddesses on Mount Olympus as a beautiful girl just like her mother. And like her mother, she was full of happiness, warmth, and light. As long as the two of them were together, it was summer year round. Some days, Demeter would take Persephone with her to tend the crops in the fields. On these days, Demeter would work among the crops and Persephone would play in a nearby field of flowers, picking bouquets. One such day, Persephone strayed further and further away from her mother until, humming a little tune, Persephone was far out of Demeter's sight. Now Persephone was not just known by the gods and goddesses on Mount Olympus. Hades, Zeus's brother and the god of the underworld, had also taken notice of her. As god of the underworld, Hades lived underground and oversaw all of the souls of the dead. He and his three-headed dog, Cerberus, saw to it that none of the dead escaped back to the land of the living. Hades had fallen in love with Persephone and the king of the underworld wanted to make her his queen. On that day, as Persephone drifted away from her mother, Hades harnessed his four black horses to his golden chariot. As Persephone bent to pick up one last flower, she could hear the faint sounds of hooves beating. Persephone stood up and looked around. As she did, Hades tore open the ground that separated the underworld from the land of the living and grabbed Persephone. He spirited her away, back to the underworld in his chariot. As the sun began to set, Demeter finally stopped her work in the fields. Persephone, she called out, ready to take her daughter home. There was no answer. Thinking that perhaps Persephone had not heard her, she called out again. Demeter heard nothing but the chirps of evening crickets, and then she began to worry. Demeter searched all night, calling for her daughter, but no matter where she looked or how loudly she called, she could not find Persephone. As the night wore on, Demeter began to look older. Wrinkles formed on her face, her body grew crooked, and she moved more and more slowly. By the time the sun came up the next day, Demeter was no longer full of happiness, warmth, and light, but was a bent old woman. In her night of searching, Demeter had not found Persephone, and so she turned to the sun god, Helios, who during the day sees all, and asked for help. Oh, Helios, Demeter said. Have you seen my daughter, Persephone? Do you know where she has gone? Hades has taken her down to the underworld to be his queen, Helios replied. Upon hearing this, Demeter began to despair. How is she to ever retrieve her daughter now? Demeter began to weep for her lost daughter, and in her sadness she forgot to tend to the crops in the fields. The grass turned brown, the wheat stopped growing, and soon there was no more food on the earth for the animals and people to eat. Every tree, vine, and field was bare. Even the gods received no more offerings, for the people did not have any food or meat to spare. After some time, Zeus saw that the people would starve if something was not done. Only gods and goddesses could go to the underworld and then leave, so Zeus traveled to the underworld to persuade Hades to let Persephone go. Hades, he said, if you do not return Persephone to her mother Demeter, nothing will grow on the earth again. The people will starve. I will gladly return her, Hades said, if she hasn't eaten anything. You know the rule, Zeus. Whoever eats of the food of the underworld or drinks of its water must stay forever. Zeus and Hades looked at Persephone, waiting for an answer. Had she eaten the food of the underworld, Persephone began to cry. I ate six pomegranate seeds, she said. A rule was a rule, but Zeus knew that if Persephone remained in the underworld, nothing would grow on the earth again, so he made a deal with Hades. For each seed she has eaten, Persephone will stay one month in the underworld as your queen. For the rest of the year, however, she will live on earth with her mother Demeter. And so it was that for six months of the year, Demeter and Persephone were happy together. Fruits, wheat, and other plants sprouted from the ground, and it was spring. As they grew bountifully, the world was bright, and it was summer. During those six months that Persephone lived in the underworld, however, Demeter would ignore all the crops on earth and would pine for her daughter. The leaves would fall off the trees in autumn and would be bare in winter, while Demeter longed for her daughter. Once Persephone was returned to Demeter, it would be spring again.