PSA

We do our best to research as much as we possibly can to write these posts. We're human, not gods - there may be mistakes. Please correct us nicely and we will change it. We do thorough research, but sometimes miss a detail. 

By Teresa Carbine

September 22nd marks the autumn equinox, or Persephone’s return to Hades. As this day rapidly approaches, it's the perfect time to practice gratitude for the seasons that provide; the seasons of flowers and fruit, sun and warmth. Autumn is traditionally viewed as a time to release, and a time to honor the deities of harvest.

With the changing of the seasons, and the tragic end to warm weather (and the incoming seasonal depression), who else comes to mind but Hades and Persephone? 

The two are polar opposites, Hades as the king of the Underworld, ruling over the dead, Persephone as the goddess of vegetation, evoking imagery of bloom and growth. Not only was Persephone a goddess in her own right, but more so, the daughter of Demeter, the goddess of agriculture and harvest. 

Hades admired Persephone’s beauty from afar, yet after Zeus denied him explicit permission to marry her on the grounds of Demeter’s disapproval, decided to go forward and lure her to his kingdom regardless. He planted a narcissus flower, which when she plucked it, opened the Earth, where Hades then stole her away in his chariot (I’m sure there’s some Wattpad retelling of this somewhere… if you know, you know).

Demeter went into a depression following Persephone’s absence, and her overwhelming sadness devastated crops for a year. The land became irrevocably barren under a mother’s grief, inspiring Zeus to step up. Hence, the god Hermes was sent to the Underworld to convince Hades to release her, which he did… but not before enacting a plan of his own. He fed his beloved a pomegranate, ensuring her yearly return to the Underworld for a third of the year, which we now know as fall and winter. The months Persephone spends on the surface bring plentiful harvest in light of her joy, which we now know as summer and spring.

Some view this as a twisted, but romantic tale, while others might interpret the relationship as one of abuse. Popular culture has certainly romanticized the story, with adaptations like Lore Olympus, a webtoon, and Hadestown, a Broadway show, but there is no right or wrong way to see their love (or lack thereof).