Proserpine, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1821-1882, Tate Modern Art Gallery, London. Whatever the exact significance, the association between Persephone and agriculture is firmly established in rituals, literature, and ancient art. Persephone is the Greek goddess of springtime and maidenhood, and is the queen of the Underworld. [23] As goddess of death, she was also called a daughter of Zeus and Styx,[24] the river that formed the boundary between Earth and the underworld. Other ancient etymologies connected Persephones name with aphenos (wealth), phonos (death), and phs (light). Diodorus of Sicily, Library of History 5.4.2. Diodorus of Sicily, Library of History 5.2.3. She is the niece and wife of Hades, therefore being the Queen of the Underworld. 'the maiden'), is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. [61] Zeus then mates with Persephone, who gives birth to Dionysus. In Latin, her name is rendered Proserpina. Homeric Hymn 2.58ff; cf. [70] Alternatively Adonis had to spend one half of the year with each goddess, at the suggestion of the Muse Calliope. Martin Nilsson (1967) Vol I, pp. The Spring Witch by George Wilson (ca. Persephone Mosaic, AmphipolisNot Specified (Public Domain). Upon learning of the abduction, her mother, Demeter, in her misery, became unconcerned with the harvest or the fruitfulness of the earth, so that widespread famine ensued. so Minthe and Persephone : r/GreekMythology - Reddit Persephone was known for her beauty and . Aristophanes: The comedy Women at the Thesmophoria (411 BCE) parodies the Thesmophoria festival, celebrated at Athens in honor of Demeter. Gantz, Timothy. Her cults included agrarian magic, dancing, and rituals. third century BCE to second century CE), and the twenty-eighth is dedicated to her. Adonis chose to spend his own portion of the year with Aphrodite. But Hades wouldn't accept her disapproval. World History Encyclopedia is a non-profit organization. Persephone was often worshipped alongside her mother, Demeterfor example, in the Eleusinian Mysteries. Astraeus warns her that Persephone will be ravished and impregnated by a serpent. As a goddess of the underworld, Persephone was given euphemistically friendly names. He asked Zeus for his daughter's hand in marriage. The Rape of Proserpine by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1621/1622). The myth of her abduction by Hades was frequently used to . Privacy Policy, https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.013.4880, https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0104%3Aalphabetic+letter%3DP%3Aentry+group%3D15%3Aentry%3Dpersephone-bio-1, http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e914950, https://www.theoi.com/Khthonios/Persephone.html. The cycle became one of the rituals of the sacred Eleusinian mysteries; indeed, the symbols of the cult were ears of grain and a torch - reminding of Demeter's search for Persephone and that the rituals were carried out at night. Homeric Hymns: The second Homeric Hymn (seventh/sixth century BCE)one of the longest and most important of the hymnsis dedicated to Demeter and tells the story of the abduction of Persephone. 2023. https://mythopedia.com/topics/persephone. London: Thames and Hudson, 1951. Later accounts place the abduction in Attica, near Athens, or near Eleusis. [57] In Arcadia, Demeter and Persephone were often called Despoinai (, "the mistresses"). Exclusive to women, it was held annually before the sowing period when sacrifices were made and putrefied pig's remains were mixed with the seeds.
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