According to the rhyme, “April showers bring forth May flowers…” and here I must agree with Orwell (via T.S. Eliot) that “April is the cruellest month” in that it looks bright but is usually cold whilst May is for me the beginning of the sun, warmth and brightness. In our modern scientific world, we know that this is the Earth turning back to the sun but in Greek mythology it has a more exciting meaning.
A Mother’s Grief and the Changing Seasons
In Greek mythology Spring is when Persephone returns to the world and creation celebrates by bursting into flowers and spring. Summer is when she lives here with her mother Demeter an Olympian goddess of the fertility of the Earth. Then Persephone returns to her husband Hades in the Underworld and the Earth morns her during the Autumn and the Winter.
The Search and the Transformation of the Sirens
This cycle was set by Zeus who was forced to mediate between the parties when Hades kidnapped Persephone. Demeter then searched for her daughter and transformed her companions into birdlike creatures to help with the search. These were the daughters of the river god Achelous who went to become the Sirens, some suggest that they became the Sirens as a punishment for not intervening in Hades’ kidnapping.
An Unexpected Romance in Tartarus
In Tartarus, the underworld, Persephone is confronted by Hades who is in fact a really nice guy. He tries his hardest to make her prison comfortable and be nice to her and she responds by gently falling in love with him. One thing she will not do is eat anything but after a lot of coxing; to please him, she eats six pomegranate seeds that he offers her.
A Divine Standoff
Demeter eventually finds Persephone in the underworld; Hade refuses to return her. After imploring him she asks Zeus to intervene, but Zeus is reluctant to interfere with his brother. Hades is a dangerous character who has long been envious of Zeus and Poseidon for their territory and wives. Zeus thinks that this might be one of those opportunities to satisfy his brother at no cost to himself, but Demeter is also powerful.
The Clever Verdict of Zeus
One of the most memorable lines from reading Greek myths by Robert Graves is Zeus wife Hera’s threat not to leave him alone. Zeus has things to do and people to meet and Demeter knows this. Her action when Zeus refuses to intervene is to stop her role in making the Earth fertile. Soon Zeus has not only angry Demeter complaining but also mankind who need their crops to grow.
Zeus, reluctantly, judges that Persephone should be returned to her mother if she has not eaten anything in Tartarus. Hades is overjoyed because she ate six pomegranate seeds! The world looks on in horror but Zeus, clever clever Zeus, argues that she will stay in the Underworld for six months of the year and the over world for the other six each month according to the pomegranate seeds eaten.
Bring the Myths to Your Classroom
This is a fun myth and one that I often share with my workshops. If you are looking for fun and interactive workshops for your classes, consider Portals to the Past. All our myths are appropriate, and we understand how they are used to further the children’s understanding of the topic.