Join us at the campfire for tales from around the world, told by storytellers of all backgrounds and creeds. From the heros and heroines of old, let us relearn and rediscover the wisdom of our ancestors. Shhh..the story begins..
There was once a time when the world knew no winter and the flowers of all seasons bloomed together in glorious abundance. But then, the grief of a devoted mother at the loss of her only daughter sealed a pattern that would, for ever after, affect the balance of the passing year...and this is how it happened.
Persephone was the daughter of Demeter, the Greek goddess of cornfields and husbandry. One morning, Persephone wandered far from her home while gathering flowers to make a scented bouquet to decorate her mother's house. By the time the young maiden realized she had lost her way, she had arrived at the lush green meadows of Sicily. In her search for the finest of blossoms, Persephone heard neither the song of the nearby lark, nor the hum of the industrious insects, but then, with a sound like the sharp crack of a whip, the peace of the tranquil morning was broken and Persephone saw a jagged gash open in the ground at her feet. From the widening fissure, came an icily cold wind that scattered the flowers from her arms and blew her hair wildly across her face. Four black horses, drawing a gleaming chariot, thundered up out of the gloom. The driver held the reins firmly in one hand and bent low over the terrified girl. With a quick movement, he encircled Persephone's waist with his free arm and snatched her up. Within seconds, he had turned the horses around and was driving back into the chasm. The rift in the earth closed behind the chariot and calm reigned once more in the Sicillian meadows.
At home, Demeter waited for her daughter's return. At first, she attempted to find explanations for the girl's prolonged absence. Perhaps Persephone had forgotten the time as she chatted with nymphs, or had fallen asleep on the riverbank after bathing. Like any mortal mother in the same predicament, Demeter's mood swung violently. One moment, the goddess was fuming at the child's thoughtlessness, and the next, she was trembling in fear to think that some calamity might have befallen the girl. As dusk fell over the land, Demeter knew that she would be unable to sleep until she saw her daughter again.
The goddess began a wearisome search throughout the world. For many days and nights, Demeter scoured the groves and hills...the riverbanks and the seashores...calling for Persephone until her voice grew hoarse and harsh and her eyes were dark-ringed with sorrow and fatigue. Infuriated by the ingratitude of the lands she had once nurtured and nourished, but that now refused to yield any trace of Persephone's whereabouts, Demeter cast a blight upon the earth. Young shoots quickly withered, ripening fruits swiftly rotted, and mildew and mold viciously attacked both leaf and bud. The mortals grew hungry and cried to Zeus, the mighty god of Olympus, to help them because their store of food had diminished and they were starving...but they were afraid he would pay them no attention, since they had no corn for an offering and no wine for a libation.
The desolate Demeter returned once more to Sicily, where she renewed her search for Persephone. Eventually, where the waters of an underground stream surfaced into a sheltered pool, she came upon a nymph who had heard the clatter of horses' hooves and the screams of a frightened girl echoing through the subterranean passageways and grottos. The nymph handed Demeter a ribbon that she had found nearby and the goddess recognized it as belonging to Persephone, who must have dropped it during the struggle with her abductor. Demeter then realized the identity of the kidnapper...none other than Hades, the god of the underworld.
Demeter lost no time in hurrying to Olympus. Furious that it had been a fellow god who had caused her such distress, she demanded that Zeus use his power to make Hades return Persephone. She pointed to the barren lands below and warned Zeus that she would allow nothing to grow until her daughter had been set free. Zeus was aware that Hades had harbored a passion toward Persephone for quite some time and, in truth, had more sympathy toward the desires of a lover than he had for a mother's grief, but he could not allow famine to exterminate mankind. Finally, he sent his winged messenger, Hermes, to the underworld with words of persuasion to be delivered to Hades, requesting that the dark god put aside his own yearnings for the greater good.
Hermes noticed that Hades was whispering sweetly into the ear of the silent Persephone. After the violence of the abduction, the god of the underworld had attempted to gain the love of the girl by more gentler means. He plied her with declarations of adoration and undying devotion, so much so that any maiden would have been flattered and moved by his statements...but Persephone was far from enraptured and became too distressed to even eat or drink.
Hades listened to the message that Hermes carried with remarkable calm. He pondered for a moment, then became strangely agreeable. He would take Persephone back to her mother himself, he told Hermes. While the servants harnessed the horses, Hades began to eat a pomegranate. He offered half of the fruit to Persephone, but she lowered her eyes and shook her head in refusal. He offered her a quarter of the fruit, but again she shook her head...although a little more gently this time and the merest hint of a smile hovered about her face. As if to catch that smile, which was the first Persephone had given Hades since she had arrived in his realm, the god of the underworld lightly touched her mouth with his fingertips and, as if by accident, pressed a pomegranate seed onto the girl's lip. By now, the horses were ready and the couple mounted the chariot. As the steeds were whipped into action, Persephone brushed her tongue across her lips, the seed was taken into her mouth and, unaware of what she was doing, the girl swallowed it.
The halls of Olympus reverberated with the sounds of Demeter's delight and joy as she greeted her daughter. They clung to one another and Demeter showered Persephone's smiling face with kisses. Their happiness, however, was again turned to sorrow as Hades spoke in triumph of the swallowed pomegranate seed. He reminded his fellow deities of the ancient and immutable law...that anyone who travelled between the upper and lower realms was forbidden to partake of any food or drink in the subterranean kingdoms, and those who did so were bound to remain there forever.
Demeter sadly bowed her head in acknowledgment and acceptance of the decree which could never be changed. Now that Persephone was lost to her forever, Demeter resolved to leave Olympus. The orchards, fields and gardens would remain eternally barren and nothing again would grow in the world. Then, Zeus took hold of Demeter's hand and placed an arm around the shoulder of Hades. There must surely be some sort of compromise to avert such a disaster, Zeus insisted...and so, it was agreed that Persephone would stay with Demeter for two-thirds of the year and, during the remaining four months, would dwell with Hades in the underworld and reign as his Queen.
Since that time, winter has gripped the world while Demeter mourns the loss of her child...but every year, the earth grows bright with the flowers of spring and summer as the goddess celebrates the return of Persephone and welcomes her beloved daughter home again once more.