PERSEPHONE

Greek mythology

Persephone is the goddess of the underworld in Greek mythology. She is
the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, goddess of the harvest. Persephone was
such a beautiful girl that everyone loved her, even Hades wanted her for
himself. When she was a little girl, she and the Oceanids were
collecting flowers on the plain of Enna, when suddenly the Earth opened
and Hades rose up from the gap and abducted her. None but Zeus had
noticed it.

Broken-hearted, Demeter wandered the Earth, looking for her daughter
until Helios, the all-seeing, revealed what had happened. Demeter was so
angry that she withdrew herself in loneliness, and all fertility on
Earth stopped. Finally, Zeus sent Hermes down to Hades to make him
release Persephone. Hades grudgingly agreed, but before she went back he
gave Persephone a pomegranate to eat, thus she would always be connected
to his realm and had to stay there one-third of the year. The other
months she remained with her mother. When Persephone was in Hades,
Demeter refused to let anything grow and winter began. This myth is a
symbol of the budding and dying of nature. In the Eleusinian mysteries,
this happening was celebrated in honor of Demeter and Persephone, who
was known in this cult as Kore.

The Romans called her Proserpina.