Introduction
Have you ever wondered how the seasons came to be? The love story of Hades and Persephone from Greek mythology explains how the seasons might have come to be.
Persephone’s Disappearance
It all started when Hades, the god of the underworld, came out of the underworld and saw Persephone, the goddess of spring and growth. Hades immediately became entranced by her beauty. So Hades went to Persephone’s father, Zeus, and asked for Persephone’s hand in marriage. Zeus agreed, but didn’t think to share this with Persephone’s mother, Demeter, the goddess of the harvest. Later, Persephone was minding her own business, innocently collecting flowers with some other goddesses, when a fissure opened beneath her feet. Hades emerged in his chariot and snatched up Persephone, carrying her away to the depths of the Underworld.
Demeter’s Demise
Demeter noticed Persephone was missing and became more and more concerned as she looked for her without success. After 9 days of frantic searching, Demeter went to Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft and magic, for help. Hecate happened to live in a cave just near where Hades had appeared and taken Persephone. When she shared this with Demeter, Demeter became sad and depressed at the loss of her daughter. Demeter’s sadness was reflected in the earth as the goddess of the harvest stopped making plants grow. The Earth became a barren wasteland as all life slowly disappeared.
Pomegranate Problems
Zeus, seeing this damage, demanded that Hades give Persephone back. But it was too late, Persephone had already eaten 6 pomegranate seeds. It is a rule in the underworld that if you eat a pomegranate seed, you are bound to the underworld, forever trapped. Mythology is unclear on whether Persephone was tricked into eating the 6 seeds or whether she ate them willingly. Desperate to appease Demeter and save the earth, Zeus struck a deal with Hades. Persephone was to spend 6 months in the Underworld every year. A month for every seed she had eaten. When Persephone returned to earth, Demeter was overjoyed. All the plants started to return, and life flourished, but then, when the six months were up, Persephone returned to Hades, and so the cycle continued. And that is the story of how the seasons came to be, at least according to Greek mythology.
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