Zeus looked down at the withered Earth, the starving people, and dying plants and admitted something had to be done. “How could you let my daughter be taken away from me by Hades?’ she raged. In a fury, Demeter stormed Zeus’ palace on Olympus. “Zeus knew this all along.” confessed Helios “So she’s in the Land of the Dead!” wailed Demeter. “Demeter,” he said, “I saw that Hades had taken your daughter to the underworld.” People and animals starved, but Demeter didn’t notice.Īt last, Helios, the sun god, took pity on her. Flowers died, crops withered, fruit failed to ripen, and the soil turned to chalky dust. She began to search the world for her, neglecting the Earth she so loved. When Demeter discovered her daughter was missing, she was inconsolable. The chasm closed over their heads, and all was quiet again. He plucked Persephone from the field as quickly as if she were a flower herself and then swept her down, down, down into the underworld. Then, with a great crack, the Earth opened before her, revealing a dark chasm.Īnd out of it, on a horse-drawn chariot of black and gold, swept Hades. As she walked among their shining stems, she felt the ground tremble beneath her feet. Hades watched and waited until Persephone was out alone one day in a field of golden corn. As long as he could snatch her away, Persephone would be his. Hades went to Zeus, king of the gods, to seek permission to marry Persephone, and to his delight, Zeus agreed to his plan. He used to look at Persephone working on the Earth and was mesmerized by her. The beautiful Persephone enchanted Hades, the god of the underworld. Persephone was so beautiful that she caught the eye of another god, Hades. She was beloved by all and adored by her mother. At her side, as beautiful as a wildflower, was her daughter, Persephone. Tending them all was Demeter, goddess of the harvest. The rain fell, the sun shone, flowers blossomed, the crop grew, and fruits dropped ripe and luscious from the trees. So all year round was perfect for farming and harvesting. At the beginning of the world, there were no winters.
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