Gather round children! Mother has a story to tell! One can never be to old to hear an epic&

Gather round children! Mother has a story to tell! One can never be to old to hear an epic–especially if it involves food!

As I was picking through the one of the fruit baskets in the tavern this morning, I discovered two very ripe pomegranates. Pomegranates have been an autumnal delight of mine since I was a child; it’s as if opening a treasure chest full of glittering rubies every time.

I popped a seedling into my mouth…. delicious! I proceded to enjoy another… and then another! Soon enough I felt like the Queen Persephone herself.

Now, you might be wondering, who is this Queen Persephone? Well, she was the daughter of the Greek goddess, Demetra… Click “Read More” to discover Persephone’s fate

One beautiful and enchanting day, mother and daughter decided to harvest flowers for wreath making. Demetra knew of the perfect field, one with blossoming crocuses, irises of the deepest blue, and sweet smelling hyacinths. She knew that Persephone, her daughter, would be absolutely charmed no matter the circumstance.

Persephone was the most delightful child of all the gods and goddesses. Her smile could bring a blush to your cheek and her laughter paralleled the warmth the sun. There was none to be jealous of her, for she was just too sweet a maiden.

As the two gathered flowers in the field, Persephone wandered hither and thither… until she was at last very far from her mother. Persephone giggled to herself.

“Oh dear, how far I have roamed. I shall choose one last flower and return to mother, else she shall be cross with me."

And as she thought this, Persephone’s eyes beheld the perfect flower which was hers to claim: a narcissus. As she bent to pluck it from the earth, the ground beneath her suddenly began to tremble and a great crevice formed, from which the god of death, Hades, slithered forth. Before she had even a moment to scream, he grabbed her and dragged Persephone down to the black depths of the underworld.

At that moment, Demetra’s motherly intuition alerted her that something was very wrong, indeed. She search far and wide for Persephone and, overcome with grief, began to neglect her duties as the Goddess of the Harvest and Hearth. As the plants and crops withered to nothing, Zues, the father of all gods and goddesses, had no other choice but to intervene. He knew of Hades scheme and eventually decided to send his messenger, Hermes, to procure the young Persephone.

While the situation persisted in the world above, Persephone was miserable and frightened in her new prison; the underworld was not warm or comforting, and the creatures she saw here were vile and everything stank of death. Hades had stolen her away in a cruel manner, but in truth, he was madly in love with Persephone–even she could see it was so. Hades promised her that he could make her happy in the underworld, that he would make her his queen. The though disgusted her. At first she refused food or drink; Persephone grew gaunt and she would only sit by the River Styx and weep, lamenting the loss of her mother. As time passed, she grew to prefer the company of dead and the odd monsters whom adored her heavenly presence. She was the light in the underworld which so many souls sought comfort in.

The day came where Persephone finally decided to accept her fate. She called upon Hades and lovingly accepted his offer as his wife and queen of the underworld. Hades was deeply touched.

"My darling bride, you must first eat to gain back your strength.”

Hades presented Persephone with a lustrous pomegranate, the most colorful and beautiful treasure she had set her eyes on since the abduction. She picked off a seedling and placed it in between her lips, enjoying the succulent juice, as if she had never tasted it before. She picked off another… and then another, until suddenly Hermes appeared in front of her.

“I have come to take you home,” he announced.

Hades reluctantly agreed to let her go, a surprise to both Persephone and Hermes.

When Persephone was brought back to Mount Olympus, she was immediately welcomed by her mother, Demetra, and the great Zues. But, before either mother and daughter could embrace, Demetra let out a gasp. She could see the red stain of the pomagranate upon Persephone’s lips; she had tasted the fruit of the underworld. Zues nodded and divulged to Persephone that since she had eaten the food of the dead and was indeed Hades wife, it was her implicit duty to return there as the Queen. However, in knowing that he could not cause Demetra furthur grief, Zues promised she would be reunited with her daughter.

For this is the reason the seasons change. For six months of the year, Persephone resides with her mother, bringing fruit to harvest and the hope of rebirth. When Persephone returns to the underworld, Demetra is thrown into grief again, and winter takes the land. Though Demetra is unhappy during this time, Persephone looks forward to the time she spends in both worlds.