Persephone; An Introduction to the Goddess.

The Goddess Persephone is a complex and fascinating figure in Greek mythology. In this series of blog posts, we'll dive into her origins, the myths surrounding her, and her symbolism.

Persephone, marble statue. Roman copy of Greek Statue, circa 200 CE

What's in a Name: Inscriptions on tablets dating from 1400-1200 BCE and in writings by Plato and Homer mention her under different forms of the same name: Persephoneia, Persephassa, Persephatto, Pherepapha, Phersephona, Periphona, and Phersephassa. Martin P. Nilsson, a scholar of Greek myth, believed that the many variations of her name suggest she may have Pre-Greek origins. Persephone is also commonly known as a vegetation goddess, Kore, meaning Maiden. Kore is the goddess of nature, who both produces and destroys everything. Some suggest that Kore was her name before she was taken to the Underworld, where she returned as Persephone.

Linear B Tablet of Pylos from 1450 BCE

Parents of Persephone: Persephone's father is Zeus, the chief deity in the Greek pantheon. He is the sky and thunder god, ruling from Mount Olympus. Zeus is also known for his many lovers, resulting in a great collection of offspring.

Her mother is Demeter, sister of Zeus, and goddess of the harvest and agriculture as well as health, fertility, birth, and marriage. We'll dive deeper into Persephone's relationship with Demeter in our next post.

Lineage Diagram, from Mythology by Edith Hamilton, 1969

Persephone: The Goddess of Spring and Nature: In the Eleusinian Mysteries, a secret and ancient cult of Demeter and Persephone, initiations were held each year in ancient Greece. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, they are "the most famous of the secret religious rites of ancient Greece." The Mysteries represented Persephone's descent into the Underworld, Demeter's search for her, and her return, symbolizing the return of spring.

Gold coin depicting Persephone, 441–317 BCE

Queen of the Underworld:

In myth and literature, specifically in Homer's epics, she is known as Dread Persephone, queen of the Underworld with her husband Hades, where it is forbidden to speak her name. In the writings, she always appears together with Hades, sharing control over the Underworld and the dead.

Persephone and Hades depicted on a kylix cup, discovered in Vulci. circa 440-420 BCE.

In our next post in this series we will look deeper into Persephone's abduction into the Underworld and her relationship with Hades!