Greek Goddess Persephone: Queen of the underworld

Statue of Isis-Persephone, the queen of
the underworld, holding a sistrum, in the
Archaeological Museum in Heraklion.

Persephone (or Proserpina) is the Queen of the Underworld, daughter of the Greek goddess of harvest Demeter and Greek God Zeus, the ruler of the gods. She is Greek goddess of spring time. Her symbols include the pomegranate, Deer, Seeds of Grain, willow tree, waterfalls, rivers, and springs. She sometimes included in the Greek pantheon, however because of his bind with the underworld, she had to stay six months there.

Personal life and abduction from Hades

Persephone used to live away from the other gods, and she was used to planting seeds and nurturing plants. Demeter, her mother, rejected all the presents offered by the gods Apollo and Hermes and hid her daughter away from the company of the Olympian gods. Persephone was gathering flowers with the Oceanids along with Artemis and Athena in a field when Hades, the Greek god of the underworld, came to abduct her, bursting through a cleft in the earth.

Her mother Demeter was searching for them, but she could not find her. She forbidden the earth to produce and she caused nothing to grow. The seasons halted and all living things ceased their growth, then began to die. Eventually, Helios (the sun in Greek), who sees everything, told Demeter about the abduction of Persephone from god Hades. Zeus forced Hades to return Persephone and he sent the messenger of the Greek gods Hermes, to bring Persephone back from the underworld. Hades agreed to release her if she is able to resist and not eating anything during her stay in the underworld. Unfortunately, Persephone ate some seeds, bounding her to Hades. Thus, she from now on she has to stay for some months every year to the underworld with Hades, transforming her into the queen of the Underworld.  According to later mythological stories, she is spending six months (or a third of each year in other variations) in the underworld each year, bringing the winter to earth.

Epithets

Persephone had many friendly names, although some of them are hard to track them down. The main reason behind this is that the people were worshiping her as a goddess of the underworld. Before people named her Persephone, she was known as "Despoina" - the mistress of the house. She was also known as Hange (Αγνή - Pure) and Melindia (Μέλι - honey). In the Orphic Hymn, she was also known as Praxidike.

Greek God Hades: God of the underworld

Hades and his three-head dog
Cerberus or Kerberos.

Hades (ᾍδης or Άͅδης) was the ancient Greek god of the underworld and ruler of the dead. Hades is the oldest son of Cronus and Rhea. He has three sisters, the goddess of harvest Demeter, the queen of the gods and god of mariage Hera, and the goddess of home and hearth Hestia. Moreover,  he also has two brothers, Zeus the ruler of the gods, and Poseidon the ruler of the seas, collectively comprising the original six Olympian gods. He and his brothers Zeus and Poseidon defeated their father Cronus, during the 10 year Titan war. After the victory, Hades received the underworld, Zeus the air, and Poseidon the sea. Hades was often portrayed with his three-headed guard dog Cerberus.

Hades abducted his wife and queen, Persephone, daughter of Demeter. She was abducted by Hades while picking flowers in the fields of Nysa. Her mother, Goddess Demeter, cast a curse on the land, though the gods came to request she lift it. She was really angry and stated that she would desolate the planet earth until she sees her daughter again. Although, the Greek gods initially ignored her, the results were devastating in earth. Thus,  Zeus intervened and he requested that Hades return Persephone. Although Hades complied, he eventually he didn't allowed her to go back. Zeus proposed that Persephone would spend one third with her husband Hades in the underworld, and the rest of her time in earth. Thus, this created the seasons and every time that Persephone was going to the underworld, the winter was coming in earth.


Other mythical heroes that involvement with Hades include Theseus, Pirithous, Hercules. Theseus and Pirithous, King of the city Lapiths in Thessaly, planned to kidnap and marry daughters of Zeus. Theseus chose Helen and Pirithous choose Persephone. Together they kidnapped Helen and decided to hold onto her until she was old enough to marry. To steal Persephone was harder, because they had to travel to the underworld. Hades knew that Pirithous was desiring his wife Queen of the Underworld, Persephone and he planned a punishment for both of them. When Theseus and Pirithous eventually went to the underworld, they met with Hades. He offer them hospitality and food. However, as soon as they sat in their cursed chairs, snakes grab them their feet and held them there. The Greek Hero Hercules was able to save Theseus. However, Pirithous punishment was worse because he desired the Queen of the Underworld, Persephone. Thus, Pirithous  left forever trapped at the chair.

12th Labour of Hercules: Capture and bring back Cerberus

Hercules and Cerberus.

The twelfth and final labour was the capture of Cerberus. Cerberus was the three-headed dog that was guardian of the gates of the Underworld. This was no ordinary task because Hercules would have to go to underworld and return alive with a living monster.

In Greek Mythology, after a person died, the spirit went to the world below and remained eternity in the depths of the earth. There is no distinction between good and bad should, thus, everyone was going to the kingdom of god Hades. The Underworld was the kingdom of Hades (Pluto), and his wife, Persephone. Depending on how a person lived his or her life, they might or might not experience never-ending punishment in Hades. Cerberus (Κέρβερος), often called the "hound of Hades", is a three-headed dog, who guards the gates of the underworld, preventing the dead from leaving. He was the offspring of the monsters Echidna and Typhon.


After learning what the task was, Hercules went to Eleusis to see the priest Eumolpus, to initiate the Eleusinian Mysteries. According to Greek Mythology, learning the secrets of mysteris will get you happiness in the underworld. Thus, Hercules got involved to learn how to enter and exit the underworld alive.

Cerberus next to the Greek God Hades.

He found the entrance to the underworld at Tanaerum in Laconia. Goddess Athena and god Hermes helped him to traverse the entrance in each direction. He passed Charon with Hestia's assistance and his own heavy and fierce frowning.

Hercules found Hades and asked permission to bring Cerberus to the surface. Hades agreed if Hercules could subdue the beast without using weapons. Hercules overpowered Cerberus with his hands and slung the beast over his back. He carried Cerberus out of the Underworld through a cavern entrance in the Peloponnese and brought it to Eurystheus. Eurystheus asked Hercules to return Cerberus to the Underworld, offering in return to release him from any further labours.

In one side story, Hercules also met Theseus and Pirithous while in the underworld. These two friends had been imprisoned by Hades for attempting to abduct goddess Persephone. When Hercules had pulled Theseus first from his prison chair, some of his thigh stuck to it, but the earth shook at the attempt to liberate Pirithous. Unfortunately, the desire to have the goddess Persephone for himself was so insulting he was doomed to stay behind.