pomegranate on the black background

pomegranate

Do you know the story of Persephone? Here’s what I remember:

In Greek mythology, a girl young named Persephone gets kidnapped and taken to Hades (the underworld, not Hell as we imagine it.) While she’s down there, her mother Cerces, the Goddess of the harvest is devastated, causing the world to turn to winter. Persephone is somehow allowed to return home, but because she ate 6 pomegranate seeds while she was down there, the Gods decide that every year she must go back for 6 months which turns the world cold, thus explaining the seasons.

Have you ever tried to eat a pomegranate? You can see why she only managed to eat 6 little bits.

Now I’m going to Google it to see how good my memory is from High School:

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomegranate)  “The myth of Persephone, the goddess of the underworld, prominently features the pomegranate. In one version of Greek mythology, Persephone was kidnapped by Hades and taken off to live in the underworld as his wife. Her mother, Demeter (goddess of the Harvest), went into mourning for her lost daughter, thus all green things ceased to grow. Zeus, the highest-ranking of the Greek gods, could not allow the Earth to die, so he commanded Hades to return Persephone. It was the rule of the Fates that anyone who consumed food or drink in the underworld was doomed to spend eternity there. Persephone had no food, but Hades tricked her into eating six pomegranate seeds while she was still his prisoner, so she was condemned to spend six months in the underworld every year. During these six months, while Persephone sits on the throne of the underworld beside her husband Hades, her mother Demeter mourns and no longer gives fertility to the earth. This was an ancient Greek explanation for the seasons.”

Okay, mostly right. “Demeter”, not “Cerces”. Ceres is the Roman name for the goddess of the harvest. Hades is the guy who takes Persephone, not the name of the place.

The story reminds me of another one about and “apple” and a woman and subsequent suffering.

Anyway, every time I eat a pomegranate, I think of that.

Oh, and speaking of Demeter, it’s funny, my friend Jen just told me about this website: http://www.demeterfragrance.com