The Story of Spring

Ava B

As it’s known to many, Ancient Greece had a story to explain everything. The story of spring is a very popular tale.

Kore, the goddess of spring, daughter of Demeter, friend of flowers. The name Kore, meaning “maiden”, was given to the goddess of spring by her mother, Demeter, goddess of the harvest. For most of her young life, Kore spent her days frolicking in her mother’s garden with nymphs, helping plants grow, and catching the eye of the King of the Underworld. Unbeknownst to Kore and Demeter, the god, Hades, ruler of the underworld, had fallen in love with Kore. Hades, still unmarried, became infatuated with the flower goddess of the mortal realm. So, he asked his brother, Zeus, King of the Gods to marry Kore. Of course, as the Greek gods tend to do, neither Zeus, nor Hades thought to consult Demeter or even Kore herself.

So, one day, as Kore was alone in her mother’s garden, the ground split open, cracking under her feet, leaving a gaping trench in the earth. Kore was astonished as she watched as a man she’d never met, emerge from the trench. The man wordlessly grabbed Kore, dragging her into the pit with him, and closed the trench. The pair soon arrived in the underworld, and the man introduced himself as Hades, god of the underworld, and the dead. His introduction was immediately followed up by a marriage proposal. How romantic. Unfortunately for Hades, Kore was sensible and refused his offer, demanding to be returned to the mortal realm. Kore positively detested the underworld, also called Hades. Nothing grew down there! How could she possibly marry Hades and live in a place where nothing but silly pomegranates grew? 

Hades reassured Kore that she would learn to love him, and insisted she stay in the underworld for at least six months to become acquainted with the king. Refusing wasn’t an option. During the time that Kore stayed in the underworld, she changed her name to Persephone, meaning “Bringer of Destruction”. (Also translates to “Bringer of Death”.) All the while Demeter tirelessly searched for her daughter, she became depressed, and the bountiful gardens and forests withered and wasted away. The humans and animals in the mortal world suffered, as for the first time the weather grew cold, and the world around them seemed to die. For the first time ever, it seemed that the underworld grew warmer than the world above. As flowers withered and blew away in the harsh winds of winter, a deep love blossomed in the underworld. Just as Hades had promised, Persephone forgave him for kidnapping her and eventually agreed to marry him. So, the two made an arrangement. Persephone agreed to spend half of the year with Hades, so long as she could spend the other half up above with her mother. To ensure this, Hades gave his new wife three pomegranate seeds from his realm. She ate them, sealing the deal. 

Now, every year, Persephone makes a trip to the Underworld to visit her husband. Unfortunately for Earth, this means winter, but that only makes Persephone’s return all the more enjoyable.