2017-03-09 Thu

Hades, Greek God of the Underworld fell in love with Persephone, the daughter of Zeus and Demeter- Greek Goddess of grain, agriculture, and fertility. When Hades asked Zeus for Persephone’s hand in marriage, his reply was neither positive nor negative but he did warn Hades that Demeter would never send her daughter into a sunless place. Dejected, Hades decided to abduct Persephone.

Persephone, an innocent and simple girl was playing in the garden with flowers one afternoon when Hades suddenly appeared in his chariot, grabbed Persephone and disappeared into the underworld so swiftly that no one even noticed her being kidnapped or her desperate cries for help.

Demeter was enraged when she couldn’t find her daughter and went far and wide in search of her leaving all lands she passed barren and threatened to destroy all of the humankind until she was united with Persephone. After searching for nine days, Helius, the Greek God of sun told Demeter about her daughter’s abduction and also tried to explain Demeter that Hades wasn’t unfit for Persephone.

Demeter refused to return to Olympus to Zeus and a year of extreme famine followed. All the Gods and Goddesses begged her to return to Olympus and return fertility to the earth. With no other alternative left, Zeus sent Hermes to the Underworld to bring back Persephone.

Hades agreed to let her go but urged her to eat a single pomegranate seed before leaving as she hadn’t eaten anything since her arrival in the Underworld. Sadly, this was actually a trick as anyone who tasted the food of Hades must remain in the Underworld.

An agreement was reached by which Persephone would spend six months in the Underworld (autumn and winter) and another six on ground with Demeter (spring and summer). She was now the dreaded Goddess of the Underworld who remained faithful to Hades throughout her life and ensured Hades remained faithful to her too.

This is a 60 cents Greece stamp of Hades and Persephone published in 2014 expressing their tragic love story.

There are a few other Greek tragic love stories like Orpheus and Eurydice and Helen and Paris that we have written about.