More to the Story

While most people know the myth of Persephone and Hades, there is actually another part of the story that most people don't know. When Demeter was grieving the loss of her daughter, she wandered around Greece from town to town in search of her beloved daughter. She eventually came to Eleusis, a small town that took her in after she came under the guise of an old woman, her grief represented by her aging and weak form. Here, she was greeted and comforted by the kind-hearted Triptolemos, a young prince. To show her appreciation for his hospitality, she taught him how to work the land and gave him immortal life as the god of farming. While there, she also tried to turn Triptolemos' baby brother into a god, but she was interrupted by the child's mother and the godhood could not be completed. Helios (the sun) and Hecate (the goddess of magic) eventually found Persephone in the Underworld, and Demeter was overjoyed. Persephone had eaten 6 pomegranite seeds while she was there though, and so she was not able to come back permenantly, which is why the Greeks believed we have seasons. Demeter never forgave Hades for kidnapping her daughter. To find out more about the myth of Persephone and Hades, check out the link below.