PERSEPHONE

By Jiang Xun

My story is from Greek mythology about Persephone, the goddess of spring. It's very sad. Her mother, Demeter, is the goddess of the harvest, and she got very angry because she could not find her daughter. Winter came, and there was no food anymore, so people were starving.

Zeus stepped in; he became angry because people were so hungry, so he had to negotiate with Hades to let Persephone out. Hades had taken her to the underworld, and all the food could not grow in the autumn because the harvest goddess was so angry. There was also a rule that people who eat food from the underworld belong there, just like when people die, they have to stay.

Persephone was eventually allowed to come back to the earth, but during the autumn and winter, she has to return to the underworld. That’s why there is no more spring power then and winter comes. When it is spring and summer, she can go back to the earth and all the plants and food can grow and be refreshed. That is how the four seasons came to be.

In Greece, people had mysteries, religious ceremonies about her and her mother Demeter. Farmers, women, slaves, and even Emperors joined the same ceremony to share one core idea: to face death bravely. Death is not the end of life; it is a transformation, a circle. After death, you may come to another spring.

I used to love Greek mythology so much because there are so many layers. It’s really similar to Norse, Hindu, and even Indonesian mythology. There are always layers, everyone gets married to each other, and all the characters are related to nature or political elements.

One of my favorite stories is actually Persephone. I remember she was really pretty, right? That’s why she represents spring—she is like sunshine. It’s really interesting. There is also Demeter. The interesting thing about Greek mythology is the link between the mother and the daughter. Demeter is the goddess of fertility and growth. If people in Greece send you a pomegranate as a gift, it means they wish for you to have children. The daughter is spring, which is also like a fruit of that growth, so they are very linked. It’s just like how Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty, has a son called Eros, the god of love. I really love how the children are related to the parents and share the same core idea.