The thing the mortals have always gotten wrong is how this arrangement came about.
Marriage by capture was common for the humans at the time, and so they reasoned that this must be how Persephone first arrived to the realm of death. They could not conceive of a girl setting out for such a place of her own free will.
But one day, while picking flowers in the fields near her home, Persephone came across a deep crack in the earth from which asphodels grew, and she heard voices floating up from deep underground. Overcome with curiosity, Persephone climbed down to see what was at the bottom.
The world at the bottom would later fill Orpheus and Odysseus with dread, but Persephone was a goddess, and it took more than the the spirits of the dead to frighten her. She wandered among the dead, and the cypress trees and asphodel along the River Styx burst into knew life at her presence.
Hades didn't know what to make of this young goddess who had appeared in his kingdom. He considered sending her back to the world above, but then he came to enjoy her company. She made those of his subjects who had been virtuous in life happy, and she proved better than him at coming up with punishments for those who had been wicked. So he offered her a place ruling beside him.
When Persephone learned how devastated her mother was with her absence, and how the world had been left in cold and darknesses, she was filled with grief. She knew she had to go back, but she didn't want to leave the underworld. So she and Hades came up with a solution. A handful of pomegranate seeds ensured that her mother would have to let her spend part of each year in her new kingdom, and she was careful not to eat so many that she would be unable to return to her mother each spring.
Since that day, Persephone has split each year evenly between bringing spring and flowers to the people of earth, and ruling as Queen of the Dead.
Author's Note: In Ovid's Metomorphses, Persephone is kidnapped and tricked into eating the pomegranate seeds that trap her in the underworld for part of each year. I wanted to rewrite the story to give Persephone an active role and agency in her life
Image: Persephone, Queen of the Underworld
Hi Emily! I really enjoyed reading your take on the story of Persephone! I remember reading this story back in middle school during a Greek Myths unit but something felt different while reading. At first I thought I had just forgotten the original story, but your sentence "The thing the mortals have always gotten wrong is how this arrangement came about", made me realize this story was about to take a turn. The funny thing was the story seemed very natural as if it were the way it should of been told from the beginning. I do wonder how the crack in the earth just suddenly appeared. What if you spent a few sentences building up that moment because it was then that the story took a turn. This way, the reader has some background as to why a path to the underworld suddenly appeared in front of Persephone and she was subconsciously driven to explore. Overall, I really like the retelling of the story with Persephone having a more prominent role rather than being a damsel in distress like many cliche myths and fairy tales.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy reading stories about Greek Mythology, and I think you did a good job with your story. I liked the elements you changed, and overall your story was great! But, have you considered maybe adding some dialogue between Hades and Persephone? I feel including dialogue could give the reader a better understanding of their relationship. Also, including more details about Persephone's thoughts, feelings, and emotions could really impact the story and the reader's experience.
ReplyDeleteHi, Emily!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of giving Persephone agency, allowing her to make the choices that led to her time in the Underworld. Too often, I think Persephone is the victim of Hades' foul play, or Demeter's codependence. In your story, she in characterized in a way that seems more realistic for a goddess.
I am writing my Storybook on Greek mythology, and intend to include some references to Persephone as well. I'm excited to see how our stories compare!