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In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Persephone (/ p ər ˈ s ɛ f ə n iː / pər-SEF-ə-nee; Greek: Περσεφόνη, romanized: Persephónē), also called Kore (/ ˈ k ɔːr iː / KOR-ee; Greek: Κόρη, romanized: Kórē, lit. 'the maiden') or Cora, is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter.
- Persephone’s Role
- Persephone in Other Myths
- Persephone The Influential Queen
- Persephone Sources
Persephone's Name
Persephone was known under many different names in Ancient Greece (see“Persephone at a Glance” for some of the byforms), but the current scholarly consensus is that all of them suggest a Pre-Greek origin of both the name and the goddess. On the other hand, the name of Persephone’s Roman counterpart, Proserpine, probably does have a Greek dialectical origin, though the Romans believed that it is derived from the Latin proserpere, “to shoot/creep forth,” a verb conveniently related to the germi...
Persephone's Portrayal and Symbolism
In Classical Greek art, Persephone was portrayed as a venerable queen, almost invariably thoroughly robbed and carrying a scepter and a sheaf of wheat. When she is depicted with her mother (as it often happens), it is Demeter who typically carries the scepter and the sheaf, while Persephone is holding a special type of a four-tipped torch which was used in the Eleusinian mysteries. In some representations, she is holding a pomegranate – or even a seed of a pomegranate – symbolizing her marria...
Persephone's Epithets
Since she was the Queen of the Underworld and people were afraid of her, Persephone was given many euphemistic and friendly names. As we wrote above, some called her “The Maiden” and others “The Mistress.” She was also known as “The Pure One,” “The Venerable One,” and “The Great Goddess.” Persephone was so closely associated with her mother that the pair was often referred to as “The Two Demeters” or, simply, “The Two Goddesses.”
Even though she spent most of her time in the living world, almost all of the mythsrelated to Persephone occur in the Underworld.
Interestingly enough, Persephone differed from Herain an even more critical manner. Unlike her, she wasn’t merely Hades’ consort, but also exerted considerable authority over the Underworld.
You can find the complete story of the abduction of Persephone in the “Homeric Hymn to Demeter” and, coupled with few other interesting transformation myths, in the fifth book of Ovid’s “Metamorphoses.” See Also: Hades, Demeter, Adonis, Pirithous, The Underworld
- 4 min
Mar 9, 2023 · Learn about Persephone, the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, who was abducted by Hades and became the queen of the Underworld. Discover her etymology, attributes, cults, and myths in this comprehensive article.
6 days ago · Persephone, in Greek religion, daughter of Zeus, the chief god, and Demeter, the goddess of agriculture; she was the wife of Hades, king of the underworld. In the Homeric “Hymn to Demeter,” the story is told of how Persephone was gathering flowers in the Vale of Nysa when she was seized by Hades and removed to the underworld.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Mar 24, 2016 · Learn about Persephone, the Greek goddess of agriculture and vegetation, and her abduction by Hades, the ruler of the Underworld. Explore her role in the Eleusinian Mysteries, the Thesmophoria festival, and other cults and art.
- Mark Cartwright
- Persephone is known for being the Greek goddess of agriculture, grain, and vegetation. She was infamously abducted by the god Hades and made to liv...
- The significance of the Persephone myth is perhaps the changing seasons and the perennial change from life to death, to life once more, in particul...
- Persephone was not in love with Hades but was taken by force to the Underworld where the god rules.
Learn about Persephone, the daughter of Demeter and Zeus, who was abducted by Hades and became the queen of the dead. Discover how her story reflects the cycle of nature and the seasons, and how she was worshipped in ancient Greece.
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Translation. Destroy-Slay. Persephone, Athenian red-figure bell krater C5th B.C., Metropolitan Museum of Art. PERSEPHONE was the goddess queen of the underworld, wife of the god Haides (Hades). She was also the goddess of spring growth, who was worshipped alongside her mother Demeter in the Eleusinian Mysteries.
