Persephone was the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She was abducted by Hades, god of the underworld, who took her to be his wife. Her mother Demeter caused plants to stop growing in grief. Eventually a deal was made where Persephone would spend six months with Hades and six months above ground with her mother. This explained the changing seasons. As queen of the underworld, Persephone's symbols included bats, flowers, and pomegranates.

2. Greek name
 Persephone
 Persephone appears as a
beautiful young maiden
Roman name
 Proserpina
 Her name is commonly
derived from pherein phonon,
means “to bring” or “cause of
death”

3. Who is Persephone?
 In Greek mythology, Persephone , also
called Kore or Cora "the maiden", is the
daughter of Zeus and the harvest
goddess Demeter, and is the queen of
the underworld. Homer describes her as the
formidable, venerable majestic Queen of the
underworld, who carries into effect the curses of
men upon the souls of the dead. Persephone was
abducted by Hades, the god-king of the
underworld.

4. Strength and Weakness
Loving and Lovely
Beauty so ravishing it
attracts Hade’s unwanted attention.

5. Emblems/Symbols
The Bat
 The bat symbolized death and rebirth.
Wreath of Flowers
 Flowers were associated with birth and life after death. Flowers also
symbolized with the return of spring after winter.
The Pomegranate
 Also known as the “fruit of the dead” and anyone who ate the food
of the dead was committed to stay in the underworld.

6. Designations
 Persephone is the
daughter of Zeus and
Demeter. She was the
 Persephone’s role was to
receive the souls of the dead
into the earth, so she gained
power over the fertility of the
soil.
 After her abduction by
Hades she became his

7. Dominions
She is the Queen of the
Underworld.

8. Children of Persephone

10. • Demeter and Zeus had a child, Persephone. Persephone was Beautiful,
and the minor deity of spring.
• One day, while she was out in the forest she wandered away from her
mother/friends and hades spotted her.
• Hades was so taken by her beauty that he kidnapped her, and brought
her to the underworld, By swooping down in a chariot and grabbing
her. Hecate, goddess of witchcraft, her friend and Helios, god of sun
hear Persephone's cries.
• Zeus told hades it was okay to take Persephone as his bride, and
hades took him a bit literally.
• When Demeter realized that her daughter was missing, she began to
worry, and when she couldn’t find her she began to neglect her duties
for taking care of the earth.
• The leaves of the trees began to fall off and die. Flowers stopped
blossoming, etc.
• By then, Zeus realized that something must be done.
• Demeter decides to go ask Helios, the son god, since he’s up in the
sky all day and sees pretty much everything. Helios ends up telling
Demeter the whole deal- Zeus agreed to give Persephone to hades
and hades hauled her down to the Underworld.

11. • Demeter is Furious to Zeus. Demeter vows that she won’t let anything grow on
earth, until she sets eyes on her daughter again. Demeter demanded Persephone
back.
• Zeus send Hermes the messenger of the gods to the underworld to order hades
to let Persephone go.
• But there was a catch. During Persephone time in the Underworld, Persephone
had eaten one pomegranate. If a person eats a single bit of food while they’re in
Underworld they must stay forever.
• Hades was sad to see Persephone go and wooed her with a pomegranate. She ate
the pomegranate. She ate six seeds of it.
• By then Zeus ruled, that she would spend six months in the Underworld with
Hades for the six seeds that she had swallowed, and six months with Demeter
outside the underworld
• Whenever Persephone returned to her mother, the earth began to thrive or
flourish again, ( Spring or Summer), Because they were both happy, and Demeter
was able to work.
• However despite the deal and the promised return of her daughter, Demeter
couldn’t stand to have Persephone away from her for six months, and once again
neglected her duties so she could search for the entrance to the Underworld to
see her.
• Demeter says that when Persephone is in the Underworld, nothing on earth will
grow. This lead to fall and winter.
• The Story of Persephone and her mother was used to explain the change of
seasons.

12. According to Greek Myth...
 When Persephone found out about the
relationship of her husband and the water
nymph minthe. Persephone took revenge on
her husband’s mistress. Minthe become the
unfortunate object of Persephone's wrath.
Persephone began to step on minthe, beating
the poor nymph with furious kicks. Minthe
transformed into the mint plant, and with
every tread of Persephone's foot, this plant
released a delightful scent. This is the myth of
how the aromatic mint plant received its
name.