Persephone's Abduction

For our second post in our series on Persephone, we'll dive into her abduction into the Underworld, Demeter's grief and quest to rescue her, and the resulting myth that explains the changing seasons.

Pinax of Persephone and Hades from Locri Epizephyrii. Reggio Calabria, National Museum of Magna Graecia.

The Abduction: Persephone's abduction into the Underworld by Hades is a central myth in Greek mythology. This tale is mentioned in Hesiod's Theogony, Ovid's Metamorphoses, and the Homeric Hymns both written around 700 BCE.

Hades, deeply in love with Persephone, knew that her mother, Demeter, would never allow her to go to the Underworld. So, he sought the permission of his brother Zeus, the king of the gods. Zeus agreed to Hades' plan.

One day, as Persephone gathered flowers in a field, Hades burst through the ground and abducted her, taking her back into the earth.

Hades abducting Persephone, wall painting in the small royal tomb at Vergina. Macedonia, Greece

Demeter's Grief: After Persephone had disappeared, Demeter, the goddess of agriculture, harvest, and fertility, searched everywhere for her daughter. In her despair, she either forbade the earth to produce crops or neglected her duties, causing nothing to grow. searched everywhere for her.

Demeter was inconsolable until a mortal woman named Baubo offered her a meal. When Demeter refused, Baubo attempted to cheer her up by lifting her skirt in a gesture called anasyrma. This act, connected to lewd jokes, surprised Demeter so much that it momentarily lifted her spirits.

A face-in-body Baubo figurine, c. 300-200 BCE

Eventually, Helios, the Sun god who saw everything, told Demeter what had happened. Zeus, hearing the cries of hungry people, commanded Hades to return Persephone to her mother.

Persephone in the Underworld: There are different versions of Persephone's time in the Underworld, but they all involve the pomegranate seeds. In the Homeric Hymn, Hades tricks Persephone into eating the seeds. In Ovid's version, Persephone willingly and secretly consumes them. Because she ate food from the Underworld, she was required to stay there.

Seated goddess, probably Persephone on her throne in the underworld, c. 480–460 BCE

Resolution: Due to Persephone's consumption of the pomegranate seeds and Zeus's command to return Persephone to her mother, a compromise was struck. Persephone would spend half of the year in the Underworld with Hades as Queen and half with her mother, Demeter. Hecate, goddess of witchcraft, traveled to the Underworld and led Persephone out with her torches.

Persephone and Hades, detail from an Attic red-figure amphora, c. 470 BCE

This myth explains the four seasons: Spring and Summer are the months Persephone is with Demeter, causing flowers to bloom and crops to flourish. In Autumn and Winter, Persephone returns to the Underworld, and the earth becomes barren as Demeter mourns her absence.

Walter Crane - The story of Greece : told to boys and girls (1914) by Mary Macgregor