Random Post: 2: My Favorite Goddess Archetype
I have always loved Greek mythology. In particular, I loved (and still love) learning about Goddesses, and what each represents. One of my favorite Goddess archetypes is Persephone, daughter of Demeter, Goddess of Harvest, and Zeus, the God of all Gods. The myth goes as follows:
There was a time when the world was a perpetual summer. One sunny day, Persephone was roaming in a field, when Hades (God of the Underworld) saw her and immediately fell in love. He abducted Persephone, and made her his bride in the Underworld.
Demeter, who was ultimately responsible for the changing of the seasons, desperately longed for her daughter, and sought for her everywhere. She neglected her duties as Goddess of Harvest, and the world turned into one perpetual winter.
Zeus, who realized that the world could not continue as such, negotiated with Hades to return Persephone to Demeter. As Persephone was leaving the Underworld, she was offered three pomegranate seeds, which she ate. The act of eating the pomegranate seeds bound Persephone to the Underworld forever, at least part-time. The final deal was that Persephone would spend half the year with Demeter, and half the year as Goddess of the Underworld. So, when it is spring and summer, Persephone is with Demeter, but when it is fall and winter, Persephone is with Hades.
This Greek myth explains why seasons change.
But I love it for another reason: Though the myth may seem straightforward, Persephone is a more complex character. It begs the question, did some part of her actually love her role as Goddess of the Underworld so much that she was not willing to give it up? She came to represent duality, light and dark, which inherently exists inside everyone.
I can go on about the many facets of Persephone's archetype, and how deeply relatable and human these facets actually are, but I will leave it here for you to explore on your own, if you so choose.
Wow this is so interesting. I've never looked into Greek mythology but this story is so interesting. It's so fun to see different rationalizations for things that occur in the world like seasons. I liked how you analyzed how Persephone might not have wanted to leave the underworld fully which can also spark a conversation about personal wants and needs. Super interesting, thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI had such a big Greek mythology phase in high school and I loved the Persephone story. Side note, she was raised in the human world because Demeter didn't want her to be corrupted by the gods. Hades was her uncle... He tricked her into eating pomegranate seeds and for eat seed eaten she was forced to spend a month with him in the underworld.
ReplyDeleteHi Jessica, I also think Greek mythology is super interesting. I love hearing about how ancient societies came up with reasons as to why certain things are the way they are. I also love hearing the stories about ancient Greek or Norse gods lived their lives. Specifically, I'd like to learn more about the Norse myth of Ragnarok, which is their story of how the world of today came to be. I'd also love to read The Illiad or The Odyssey at some point to learn more about Greek mythology as well.
ReplyDeleteThis is fun! I'm not a big fan of Greek mythology, but I really enjoyed reading your post. I got a different sense while I was reading it - the world is not perfect. Sometimes, making mistakes will bring you to a whole new journey. - Justin
ReplyDeleteWhat a unique thing to write about. Never really thought of an ideal archetype relating to Greek gods and goddesses. You did a great job explaining things that I honestly had zero clue about. Thanks for sharing and familiarizing me with the subject a bit. Cheers.
ReplyDeleteI never knew this much about Greek mythology. The most involvement and knowledge I had about it were from the Percy Jackson movies and novels, so it is cool learning another side of Persephone's story because I thought she was stuck there forever all year. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWow that's such an interesting story, thank you for sharing! My knowledge about Greek mythology is little to none so I thank you for making that just a little bit bigger. I really enjoyed when you analyzed it on a level deeper than just the surface level. I would love to hear the rant about the many facets of Persephone's archetype and will try to do my own exploring on online forums to learn more. Time for another tunnel for me to explore over the summer haha
ReplyDeleteJessica, I was a huge Greek mythology fan as a kid, so reading this story brought back some childhood memories. I love your take on this myth and what you said on the complexity of mythological characters. Just because they are, well 'Gods' doesn't mean that they don't have some inherently human problems. Thank you for sharing
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