Myth of Persephone
The Persephone Collection was inspired by the myth of the Greek goddess, Persephone. The young maiden was daughter of the goddess of the harvest and agriculture Demeter, and the king-god of storms, Zeus. The legend goes that one day while out in a field of flowers the young Persephone was taken by the god of the underworld, Hades, and brought down to his domain to be his wife.
While in the underworld, Persephone developed a sense of self discovery that she didn’t have the pleasure of while on Earth, and started maturing into the dark and relenting Queen of the Underworld. But the mother above was in terrible grief not knowing where her daughter had gone.Her deep sadness caused all of the food and crops to wither and freeze over, causing a great famine to the people of Earth. Demeter searched everywhere in her realm until she relented and went to the city of the gods, Mt. Olympus, to ask for help.
Once there, she discovered that Hades had in fact taken Persephone with the blessing of her father Zeus. Demeter was livid that she had not been taken into account for this decision and demanded the return of her daughter at once. Zues knew that if Demeter was not reunited with her daughter her grief would cause the humans that worshiped him to starve and die, so Zeus reluctantly agreed to Persephone’s return. She was brought back to Earth, but not before she had a goodbye feast with Hades and consuming six pomegranate seeds.
When reunited with her mother, both women embraced and caught up from there separation. Demeter was overjoyed that her daughter had returned to her forevermore…until Persephone admitted that she had eaten those six pesky seeds. The rules of the Underworld stated that any food or drink consumed while there tethered oneself to that realm, and as a result she was subject to stay there for six months out of the year, and split the time on Earth with her mother.
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This story is on a surface level the Ancient Greek explanation for the changing of the seasons, but it goes much deeper than that alone. This is a story of a young woman finding a personal freedom, moving away and starting a new life without the comforts of one’s family. Persephone transitions between a goddess of youth, maidenhood, and Spring to a young woman full of strength and dark power. In Greek myth she is sometimes referred to as Dread Goddess Persephone because of her iron fist and dark inclinations.
She is a goddess of duality, light and darkness, Spring and Winter.
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The myth of Persephone is one of great controversy and debate. Many of the stories retelling indicates the assault and mistreatment of this goddess. But I choose to side with the ideas that Persephone indeed had autonomy in this relationship and situation. While she might not have seeked out Hades, her path was laid before her and she intentionally chose to tie herself to the realm of the Underworld in eating those seeds. I like to see Persephone as a goddess of discovery but also rejuvenating tenderness, a broad duality that can be found in every young person when finding oneself.
