Hades and Persephone

The myth of Hades and Persephone is one of obsession and abduction. The brother of Zeus and the god of the underworld, and Persephone daughter of Demeter, the Goddess of nature, were important figures in the Greek mythology.

Hades, God of the Underworld

Poets often referred to him as The Silent One, and The Hospitable One on account of his even-handed treatment of the souls of the dead as well as his lack of concern for the affairs of the living. He has a reputation for being quite generous, which comes as a surprise to many students of Greek mythology.

His halls are always full of guests, and the Greeks attributed all bounty that came from the earth as being gifts from him to the living (minerals, crops, and the like). The most famous myth concerning Hades, is perhaps the myth of Hades and Persephone. It’s another classic tale of love and abduction in Greek Mythology, which the ancients used to explain seasons, fertility and crops.

Hades fell in love with Persephone and decided to kidnap her. The myth says that in one of the rare times he left the Underworld, he traveled above ground to pursue her, while she was gathering flowers in a field.

One day Hades, saw Persephone in the field with her wood nymphs and instantly fell in love with her. Hades confided his secret in his brother Zeus, asking for help, so the two of them concocted a plan to trap her. As Persephone played with her companions, they caused the ground to split underneath her. Persephone slipped beneath the Earth and Hades stole her to the Underworld where he made her his wife.

The myth says that Persephone was very unhappy, but after much time, she came to love the cold-blooded Hades and lived happily with him.

A different version of the myth of Hades and Persephone

The myth of Hades and Persephone also has a different version; in this one Demeter was present when Persephone was kidnapped by Hades but was tricked by Zeus and Hades.

That morning when Demeter descended on Earth with her daughter Persephone , she left her to play with the sea nymphs called Nereids and the Naiads who were the freshwater nymphs of the lakes, springs and rivers.

Persephone and flower Narcissus

Demeter went to supervise her bountiful crops. As Persephone engaged in play and with the rest of the group, her attention fell upon the potently fragrant valley nearby and she couldn’t take her eyes of the yellow flower narcissus. She called upon her playmates to accompany her, but they couldn’t possibly go with her as leaving the side of their water bodies would result in their death.

The flower Narcissus was planted there by Gaia, who was following the orders of Zeus. The goal was to enchant Persephone and attract her, away from her guides.

Hades Kidnapping Persephone

Persephone danced her way to the garden alone and tried to pluck the narcissus from the bosom of Gaia. It drained her energies as the narcissus only came out after a lot of pulling. But suddenly, to her utter fright, she saw the tiny hole from which she had drawn out the flower shaft, began to rapid grow in size until it started to resemble a mighty enormous chasm. From this came the vigorous galloping sounds of multiple horses and such sudden happenings only froze the frail beauty to her feet.