Persephone

Also known as: Maid · Family: gods · Role: goddess · First appears: Apollodorus, Library 1.3

🌐 Also appears in: The Metamorphoses of Ovid (as Persephone) · Plutarch's Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans (as Proserpina)

Persephone, also called the Maid, was born to Zeus and Styx: “by Styx he had Persephone;” In the account of Hades, Pluto fell in love with her and, with Zeus’s help, secretly carried her away. Aidoneus likewise carried her from Demeter, and Zeus gave her to him.

When Zeus ordered Pluto to send her back, she swallowed a pomegranate seed given to her by him. As a result, she was compelled to remain one-third of every year with Pluto and the rest with the gods. Ascalaphus bore witness against her, while Menoetes was spared at her request; Pirithous pursued her as a bride and was bound fast for it. Aphrodite also entrusted Adonis to Persephone, who kept him for one part of the time.

Relationship record

Life events

• Pluto secretly carried Persephone away with Zeus’s help.(Apollodorus, Library 1.5)
  • With: Hades Zeus
  • “Pluto fell in love with Persephone and with the help of Zeus carried her off secretly.”
• Persephone ate Pluto’s pomegranate seed after Zeus ordered her return.(Apollodorus, Library 1.5)
  • With: Hades Zeus
  • “But when Zeus ordered Pluto to send up the Maid, Pluto gave her a seed of a pomegranate to eat, in order that she might not tarry long with her mother. Not foreseeing the consequence, she swallowed it;”
• Persephone was compelled to spend one-third of every year with Pluto.(Apollodorus, Library 1.5)
  • With: Hades
  • “But Persephone was compelled to remain a third of every year with Pluto and the rest of the time with the gods.”
• Aidoneus carried Persephone away from Demeter, and Zeus gave her to him.(Hesiod, Theogony 869-975)
  • With: Aidoneus Demeter Zeus
  • “she bare white-armed Persephone whom Aidoneus carried off from her mother; but wise Zeus gave her to him.”

Apollodorus, Library 1.3

• parent: Zeus “by Styx he had Persephone;”
• parent: Styx “by Styx he had Persephone;”

Apollodorus, Library 1.5

• admirer: Hades “Pluto fell in love with Persephone and with the help of Zeus carried her off secretly.”
• parent: Demeter (The Maid is Persephone, and her mother is Demeter.) “But when Zeus ordered Pluto to send up the Maid, Pluto gave her a seed of a pomegranate to eat, in order that she might not tarry long with her mother.”
• with Hades (Persephone spent part of each year with Pluto.) “But Persephone was compelled to remain a third of every year with Pluto and the rest of the time with the gods.”
• with Ascalaphus (Ascalaphus testified against Persephone.) “because Ascalaphus, son of Acheron and Gorgyra, bore witness against her”

Apollodorus, Library 2.5

• with Menoetes (interaction) “howbeit, he was let off at the request of Persephone”
• admirer: Pirithous (Pirithous wooed Persephone.) “Pirithous, him who wooed Persephone in wedlock and was therefore bound fast.”

Apollodorus, Library 3.14

• ward: Adonis “Aphrodite hid in a chest unknown to the gods and entrusted to Persephone.”
• with Adonis (Adonis stayed with Persephone for part of the year.) “with Persephone for one part”

Hesiod, Theogony 713-820

• with Hades (They are associated with the same halls of the lower world.) “There, in front, stand the echoing halls of the god of the lower-world, strong Hades, and of awful Persephone.”

Hesiod, Theogony 869-975

• parent: Demeter “she bare white-armed Persephone”
• parent: Zeus “Also he came to the bed of all-nourishing Demeter, and she bare white-armed Persephone”
• with Aidoneus (interaction) “whom Aidoneus carried off from her mother”

Apollodorus, Epitome 1

• courtship with Pirithous “in the endeavor to win Persephone as a bride for Pirithous he went down to Hades.”

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Extracted from the original text of Greek Mythology. Made with Rho MD.