Jan 13, 2024
through zeus, demeter became the mother of persephone. when persephone was taken to the underworld by hades, demeter searched everywhere to find her missing daughter to no avail. when she was informed that hades had taken persehone, demeter neglected her duties as goddess of agriculture, plunging the earth into a deadly famine where nothing would grow, causing mortals to die. zeus ordered hades to return persephone to her mother to avert the disaster. however, because persephone had eaten food from the underworld, she could not stay with demeter forever but had to divide the year between her mother and her husband, explaining the seasonal cycle, as demeter does not let plants grow while persephone is gone.
