Why do we have seasons in Greek mythology?

Because of Persephone. While she lives in the Underworld with Hades, her mother Demeter, goddess of the harvest, grieves and nothing grows, which is winter. When Persephone returns, Demeter rejoices and spring begins.

How many pomegranate seeds did Persephone eat?

In the Homeric Hymn to Demeter she eats a single seed and spends a third of the year below. Ovid's Metamorphoses has her eat seven and splits the year in half, and many modern retellings say six seeds for six months.

Who is Persephone in Greek mythology?

The daughter of Zeus and Demeter, also called Kore, the maiden. She is a goddess of spring growth and, as the wife of Hades, Queen of the Underworld.

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Greek myth · 声匠改编 · 4:19

Persephone and the Seasons

Persephone reaches for one flower too many, and Hades carries her below. Her mother Demeter stops the world growing until she's home. Why we have winter.

Narrator

Persephone

Demeter

Hades

Helios

Hermes

0:000:00

Other languages · 2 languages

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About this story

The story of Persephone and her mother Demeter is told most fully in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, an anonymous Greek poem probably composed in the 7th or 6th century BC. This retelling follows the Hymn's main events: the hundred-blossomed narcissus, Hades' golden chariot, Demeter's nine days of searching with torches, Helios the sun as the witness, the year when nothing grew, Hermes sent below, and the single pomegranate seed that sends Persephone back below for a third of every year. It leaves out Demeter's long stay at Eleusis disguised as an old nursemaid, and shows the seasons the way most retellings do.

What it teaches

A mother's love is strong enough to change the whole world, and even the darkest season ends. The myth was the ancient Greeks' way of explaining why plants die back in winter and return in spring.

Suits

Ages 6–12

Tips for telling it

Draw a circle in three parts, colour two green and one grey, and show your child Persephone's year.
Ask what Demeter and Persephone might say to each other each autumn when it's time to say goodbye.
On a spring walk, look for the first flowers together and say: Persephone is back.

Questions people ask

Why do we have seasons in Greek mythology?: Because of Persephone. While she lives in the Underworld with Hades, her mother Demeter, goddess of the harvest, grieves and nothing grows, which is winter. When Persephone returns, Demeter rejoices and spring begins.
How many pomegranate seeds did Persephone eat?: In the Homeric Hymn to Demeter she eats a single seed and spends a third of the year below. Ovid's Metamorphoses has her eat seven and splits the year in half, and many modern retellings say six seeds for six months.
Who is Persephone in Greek mythology?: The daughter of Zeus and Demeter, also called Kore, the maiden. She is a goddess of spring growth and, as the wife of Hades, Queen of the Underworld.

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