In “Hades Welcomes His Bride,” A.E. Stallings explores ancient Greek mythology through a dramatic monologue. The poem, which is free-form and has no stanzas, is intended to engage the audience by presenting the speech or conversation of a character without interruption. The narrator, Hades, offers a tour of the home improvements he made for his new wife, Persephone, which are unlike any imagined.
The poem is a dramatic monologue, as it consists entirely of the words of a single, fictional speaker. The meter of the poem is a continuous narrative, with no narrator. The poem is a full rhyme in which the sounds following the initial stanza are repeated, creating a sense of tension and tension.
An allusion is a brief, often implicit and indirect reference within a poem. In “Hades Welcomes His Bride,” the narrator speaks to a silent listener, expressing their feelings for each other. The poem is a free-form poem, with no stanzas, making it a continuous narrative.
In this poem, the narrator is a chilling figure who offers a tour of the home improvements he has commissioned for his new wife. The poem is a dramatic monologue, as it is a poetic form where the writer takes on the voice of a character and speaks through them.
In conclusion, “Hades Welcomes His Bride” is an engaging and captivating poem that explores the themes of love, death, and the human experience.
📹 Video Lecture on “My Last Duchess,” “Japanese Wife,” and “Hades Welcomes His Bride”-FA22
What is the best example of dramatic monologue?
Examples include Robert Browning’s “My Last Duchess,” T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” and A.A. Milne’s “Killing Floor.” A lyric can also be addressed to someone, but it is short and songlike.
Who introduced the dramatic monologue?
The dramatic monologue, a form invented by Victorian poets like Robert Browning, Alfred Tennyson, and Dante Rossetti, has been debated for decades. It’s a long speech by one person.
What are 5 examples of personification?
The sun kissed me while I took a picture. The flowers danced to the wind. My clothes stood up straight as if someone had ordered them to. I felt like the food kept calling me. The stars were sparkling and winking at us. It can also make an abstract quality seem like a person. Personification is the practice of representing objects as humans in art and literature. The Cambridge Dictionary says personification is “giving a human quality to something that isn’t human.” The Merriam-Webster Dictionary says personification is the “representation of a thing or abstraction as a person or by the human form.” Personification is the act of giving human qualities to things, ideas, etc. for artistic effect. It is also the representation of an abstract quality or idea in the form of a person, creature, etc. in art and literature.
What literary devices are used in Hades welcomes his bride?
They include metaphors, similes, anaphora, and antithesis. In the poem “Hades Welcomes His Bride,” A.E. Stallings uses many different kinds of figurative language. The roots are overhead, but some worms are there too. “Come here, clinging to their dead.
Hades Welcomes His Bride The poem Hades Welcomes His Bride by A.E. Stallings is about Greek mythology. Hades is the god of the underworld. He abducts Persephone to the underworld and makes her marry him. The poet describes Hades’ efforts to make Persephone feel at ease. He also explains her behavior and reaction to make the audience understand. The god of the underworld seems courteous, but his acts of kindness are condescending. This presentation describes different types of literary elements in the poem Hades Welcomes His Bride by A.E. Stallings. These elements will help the audience understand the poem’s hidden meaning. The poem Hades Welcomes His Bride by A.E. Stallings is about Greek mythology. It references Hades, also called Pluto, who is the god of the underworld. In the poem, Hades abducts Persephone and makes her marry him. The poet introduces the poem with the arrival of Persephone in the underworld. In the poem, A.E. Stallings shows Hades showing Persephone around the underworld. He thinks she enjoys it. The poet describes Hades’s efforts to make Persephone feel at ease. He also comments on her behavior and reaction to make sure the audience understands. The god of the underworld seems courteous, but his acts of kindness are condescending. This presentation describes different types of literary elements in the poem “Hades Welcomes His Bride” by A.E. Stallings. These elements help the audience understand the poem’s hidden meaning. Imagery is a literary device used in poetry and other forms of writing to create images in the reader’s mind. Imagery lets authors and poets paint pictures with words. The poet used great visual images in his language in the lines, “These thrones I have commissioned to be made.” They’re unlike anything you imagined. They glow of deep-black diamonds (Lines 12-14). The lines show how lavishly Hades lives in the underworld. He is the god of Greek mythology.
What is an example of a dramatic speech?
The “To Be or Not to Be” speech from Shakespeare’s Hamlet is an example of a dramatic monologue. A dramatic monologue is when one character speaks without interruption.
What makes a monologue dramatic?
Dramatic monologues can be found in many types of literature. They are long speeches by one character. They must show the speaker’s feelings, thoughts, or motivation.
What are 2 examples of personification in poetry?
Examples of personification in poetry: A host of golden daffodils Beside the lake, beneath the trees Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Who is best known for dramatic monologue?
Robert Browning, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and Christina Rossetti were early poets. In monologues, a character talks to an audience without stopping. This reveals things about them.
What literary devices are used in the story of Daedalus and Icarus?
Field uses literary devices to adapt the Icarus myth to a contemporary setting. The author starts the poem by saying Icarus died.
What is dramatic monologue in poetry?
A poem written in the form of a speech. It shows the speaker’s history and character. Though Robert Browning is most associated with this form, it is actually much older. Old English poems are often monologues. Two examples are “The Wanderer” and “The Seafarer.” The form is also common in folk ballads. Robert Burns imitated it with satiric effect in “Holy Willie’s Prayer.” Brownings poems are subtle and complex. The reader gradually understands the situation from the speaker’s casual remarks. The subject is less interesting than what the speaker reveals about himself. In “My Last Duchess,” an Italian aristocrat reveals his cruelty to his late wife through a painting of her. The form is similar to novels where the reader decides if the narrator is smart and reliable. Later poets who used the form successfully were Ezra Pound, T.S. Eliot, and Robert Frost. See also monologue.
What literary devices are in the divine image?
The poem uses personification to show how Christ helps people connect with God. The poem starts with abstract qualities like mercy, pity, peace, and love. It then shows how people pray and worship these qualities.
Which of the following lines presents an example of personification?
The line that represents personification is option C. The wind laughed through the trees because it is a non-human object that has a human characteristic.
📹 The myth of Hades and Persephone – Iseult Gillespie
Dig into the Greek myth of Persephone, who is abducted by Hades and is only allowed to leave the underworld every spring.
A few things TED-Ed got wrong: – Persephone did end up falling in love with him – She willingly ate the pomegranate seeds (also she’s a goddess she can’t starve) – This is really the only story where Hades actually did a bad thing – Zeus should take half the credit because he authorized the kidnapping – Btw many women were kidnapped as wives back then. This doesn’t justify it, but rather it wasn’t seen as that bad at the time (also zeus had kids with so many women, and some of them… “unwilling” to participate if you get what I mean)
I feel like Disney helped make this given the portrayal of the gods (Hades looks blue and laughed maniacally). In the myth, Hades took Persephone against her will but he treated her with ABSOLUTE respect. When she was hungry, he offered her a pomegranate and when she ate the seeds she was bound by the technicality with no god being able to take her away. Hades made a deal with the vengeful Demeter that she can spend two thirds of the year with her but must return to the underworld. He loved Persephone, was ethical about being the god of the Underworld, loved Cerberus and was okay with Heracles taking him out so long as he was returned unharmed, and made deals for peace (except for Theseus and the Titans, he hated them). Hades is one of the only decent Greek gods, the rest have a lot of controversy behind them.
This is a rather heart-warming mother-daughter story, it’s just unfortunate that Hades was painted in such a bad light. Sure, ruling over dead people is a creepy job to have, but someone had to do it. He was tasked with the duty of ruling over the underworld, just as simply as Zeus was given the sky and Poseidon the sea. He was a very fair ruler, even kind and helpful on occasion- especially compared to his brothers. \r And in terms of Persephone’s capture, some versions claim that Hades was, in fact, unknowingly struck by Cupid’s arrow causing him to fall deeply in love with Persephone. He then went and got permission from Zeus to take her as his wife. And while at first Persephone wasn’t happy about being taken away from her mother and her life, she did end up loving Hades and they had the purest marriage amongst all the Gods. We should give Hades a little credit. After all, he still generously allowed her to spend a period of the year with her mother despite the whole fruit-eating-thing binding her to the underworld which by the way happened willingly on Persephone’s part as a promise to return to him. He also was the only god to remain faithful to his wife, never dallying with other beings, godly or mortal.
Good story. You did leave out though that Persephone and Hades actually did love each other in the end. Hades did the wrong thing but Persephone always returned to him willingly and he actually really respected her as his Queen. Being the Queen of the damned would be a pretty hard job. And I also found out that the Greeks rarely used Persephone’s name just calling her “The Maiden” because a lot of them feared her as she would usually be the one to collect you once you crossed the River Styx.
You could imagine my excitement when I saw that TED-Ed finally did an animation of Hades and Persephone, my favorite Greek mythology story, only to get them so wildly wrong 😂 in most cases Persephone actually did eventually fall in love with Hades, and willingly ate the Pomegranate. Still, the animation is amazing. Props to the animators.
This has to be the first time that I have a problem with TED-ED article. Hades is actually one of the few greek gods that is good. He never causes drama like Zeus does and is willing to help heroes if they prove themsleves and doesn’t punish mortals for no reason. The kidnapping aside he treated Persephone well and was generous with her and he agreed to send her to her mother and offered her the pomegranate which she ate it willingly to prove to him that she would return. Also Hades has a beautiful palace in the Underworld with halls full of gold and gems, it certainly isn’t a bleak and depressing place like you guys are depicting here.
It’s been quite a while, since I’ve seen Hades represented in an almost entirely villainous light. Really, the only reason he was feared by the Greeks, was because death was scary in and of itself. Not because you have to spend your afterlife with him, but because that means it’s the end of your life. As far as Greek gods go–at least of the big Olympian 3–Hades is the most responsible, faithful, and respectful. He’s basically the responsible big brother of the Olympians.
Love the fact I’m not the only Greek mythology fanatic here that noticed the major flaw in this retelling of the story. Hades and Persephone were literally like the only couple to have a good relationship in all of Greek mythology. This just depicts Persephone to be more like a prisoner every time she visits Hades rather than her being his equal as Queen of the Underworld. Unsure how anyone could ever overlook this blatantly obvious detail that made the unique myth of Hades and Persephone stand head and shoulders above the rest and gain so much love and attention from the public eye
Not the biggest fan of this “interpretation” of the mythology, I’m not gonna lie. Most versions acknowledge that Zeus was to blame for the majority of this entire issue. Not to mention that Demeter threatening to destroy humanity out of spite/grief is normally painted as a flaw on her part too. Also, I’ve heard a version where Aphrodite and Eros played a part, as well. There’s also the fact that they completely ignored Persephone having any agency at all, or the fact that she loved Hades too.
Why y’all making Hades seem like the worst person in the pantheon? In the original lore, Hades himself didn’t force her to stay down there for the months she wasn’t up top, it wasn’t until when she was practically convinced to see her mother that he tricked her into eating seeds. The jist of it is that Hades isn’t literally satan and the both of them are a loving couple.
Reposting a short excerpt from the Hymn to Demeter, the earliest recollection of this myth we currently have, so hopefully people will stop using Lore Olympus as a legitimate source: “Hermes did not disobey, but straightaway he headed down beneath the depths of the earth, rushing full speed, leaving behind the abode of Olympus. And he found the Lord inside his palace, seated on a funeral couch, along with his duly acquired bedmate, the one who was much under duress, yearning for her mother, and suffering from the unbearable things 345 inflicted on her by the will of the blessed one” It’s very clear in the text that Persephone was deeply unhappy in the underworld and Hades violated her in some way. It wasn’t a love story. You have to consider what this myth meant to the Greeks. The underworld was not a place anyone wanted to be in. Persephone descending into the underworld would not be portrayed as a good thing. The origins of winter would not be tied to a happy love story considering what winter meant for an agricultural society (no food, no warmth, darker nights, etc.).
I heard a slightly different version of this once. Supposedly an older one than the story we know today. It was Persephone who wandered into the underworld and decided to stay for her own amusement. Hades was more or less startled to see her there, but didn’t chase her out and just let her do what she wanted. She became infatuated with him and started following and spending time with him. Over time, they grew close and developed affection for each other and Hades decided to make her his queen. Zeus was on-board with this and agreed to the arrangement, but Demeter demanded she come back. So Hades made the compromise, saying that she won’t be able to leave forever after consuming fruit in the underworld that bound her to it, but can leave temporarily. Same story outcome, but they really did love each other and Persephone was willing to stay with him forever if not for the fact all life on earth would die if she didn’t. I’d like to think this might have been the original version, as it shows Hades didn’t kidnap/force Persephone into marrying him against her will and Persephone wasn’t some helpless girl who couldn’t fight back. She was stubborn and determined to stay with the one she fell in love with.
Wasn’t Hades actually a faithful husband to Persephone? Without comparing him to Zeus? Persephone became the Queen of the Underworld because of this. In fact, when Odysseus made his journey to the underworld, didn’t he actually fear the idea of meeting Persephone more than the idea of meeting Hades himself?
I feel like the people saying that “actually Persephone wanted to be with Hades, she” or make Demeter out to be overbearing or are complaining about how “inaccurate to the original” this telling is, are off the mark. At no point does the original Hymn mention anything about Persephone being into the abduction (at least at first), and that “He seized her against her will”. And given that Demeter nor Persephone consent to Zeus randomly “gave Persephone away” to Hades, Demeter is completely justified in her worry and motherly wrath. It just happens that Hades is the least problematic and most respectful major male god, and Persephone is a girlboss, so they turn out ok. It is also unclear if Persephone consumed the pomegranate knowingly to stay in the underworld, with Hades described as “stealthily” giving it to her because “he did not want her to stay for all time over there”, while there is no mention of Persephone’s wishes, other than being overjoyed at hearing Hades will be nice and she’s going to see her mum again. I’m a massive Persephone X Hades shipper myself, but if we’re talking Hymn accuracy, it’s more “arranged marriage to power couple” than “escape from your controlling mum”. Also, the Hymn is dedicated to DEMETER, and that’s why she’s the protagonist and focus. My take is that she gets to see her daughter and the arranged marriage turned out fine so happy ending
Hades, while feared, was still a respected and decent god among his corrupt family in the pantheon. While in the mythology, Hades and Persephone’s marriage was planned, it grew to become a strong partnership that outlasted and outclassed almost every other relationship in Greek mythology as a whole. They had power and were respectful towards one another. On very few occasions did anyone ever interrupt their relationship, nor did either of them fight or commit adultery. This bond was so prevalent that it is one of the main focuses in many books and other forms of media today. More recent stories even include them getting married on their own terms, and getting to know each other like decent people.
Persephone was NOT hopeless in all this. Her mother was controlling and kept her hidden in her garden. Hades was loving and treated her as his equal in every version I’ve read. There are many different versions of this myth and none of them keep Persephone hopeless, they always add that she was a badass in Hades (the underworld). Guiding the dead, creating new realms. Also, as a goddess she wouldn’t need food for sustinence and wouldn’t have eaten the pomegranate seeds without knowing full well what that would mean. Many versions show she ate the seeds on purpose in order to stay with her loving husband who gave her freedom. Some say Hades tricked her, or even Hermes did, but I don’t think so. She’d know what eating food from the underworld would do. This is a very very very basic retelling of the myth and leaves out a lot. If even say gets some of the details wrong.
It is important to remember that myths across all cultures will always have a different version. This version seems to be closer to the original Greek interpretation of the myth with some modern telling thrown into the mix, that doesn’t make this version wrong though. In a way, no version of a myth is right or wrong, a mythology has no canon. Imagine it like this, you and a group of 5-10 others read a philosophical poem. Due to the nature of the poem being philosophical, it can have many different meanings and therefore several different interpretations based on the person who read the poem’s life experiences. The reason myths have such different tellings though is because they were passed down through oral tradition. For example, the original Herakles (better known as Hercules by his Roman name) could’ve been a contestant in a tournament to win a woman’s affection who did better than average, but memory is such a fickle thing and things change over time, in this case, drastically. So after centuries and many generations Herakles became the hero we know today.\r \r In short, when studying mythology you must learn to be understanding. When discussing myths with another person they will likely have a different version of the myth than you do and that still doesn’t make either version wrong.
I have read from greek stories that Demeter was actually an overbearing and very strict mother. So, I literally believe that Persophone actually loved Hades and Hades was the only one who can get her out of her mother’s control. Hades was kind enough to come to an agreement with the seasons AND he was loyal. Get you a man like Hades though. He’s not a murderer and a sadist too, but he gave them a resting place where price is due. He provided justice rather than eternal pain tbh.
Might I add that if anyone is to blame, it is Zeus since he was approached by a lovelorn Hades and willingly granted Hades permission to marry Persephone, as well as the fact that she was gifted a pomegranate by Hades who told her not to be sorrowful as she was about to depart back to Demeter, since they had grown to love each other during her time in the underworld. This is one of the few relationships in Greek Mythology that actually did work out, so it annoys me when I see a bastardised version of Hades according to Christian belief.
I don’t like how Hades is portrayed in this article, since he’s LITERALLY the only Greek God with a healthy and stable relationship with his wife, sure, he kidnapped her at first but as they get to know each other, Persephone began developed a strong, sincere and caring feeling’s for Hades while Hades fell in Love with her at first sight, he even made her the QUEEN OF THE UNDERWORLD, they’re literally the One and only Wholesome Greek Power Couple.
I read the Homeric Hymn to Demeter again. The list of inaccuracies in the article is long. -Hades’s chariot is golden, not dark. -Zeus didn’t just approve of the kidnapping, he outright ordered it to happen. -Only Helios witnessed Hades kidnap Persephone. He also comforted Demeter by telling her that Persephone would be married to one of the strongest Gods. This also happened BEFORE her “crusade”, not during. -Demeter did not “crusade” but, rather, disguised herself as an old nurse caring for the infant Demophoon who was the son of King Celeus and Queen Metaneria, burnt his mortality little by little, got caught doing so by the Queen who freaked out, revealed her Godhood, ordered the royal couple to build her a temple and retreated into it. THEN that’s when the crops started to not grow. Adding on to this, the Gods noticed the lack of sacrifices and tried to pay Demeter to leave but she’d only accept Persephone herself. -Hades genuinely loved Persephone, and even though she was kidnapped, Persephone grew to love him back. She also can’t starve because she’s immortal. The pomegranite is the only thing that Hades is truly guilty for, as he snuck them into her mouth to bind her to the underworld.
Never heard this version before. Hades is actually moral compared to his younger brother Zeus (that guy who will “make love” with everything that has a hole and lives – no joke). I read it that Persephone and Hades really behaved like a real couple, except that Persephone was sad because she misses her mother. Hades let’s her go in order not only so the mortal realm can florish, but because he’s a reasonable guy – except that out of fear of her never returning to the Underworld, he gives her a couple of pomegranate seeds to swallow so she can bind her to his realm and always return.
Of all the versions of this myth you animated one that was quite biased towards Hades. Most of the version I saw stated that Hades was in love with her (sometimes voluntarily, sometimes by cupid arrow) and that Perspehone loved him back too. Or at least respected each other. Plus she usually had some sort of her own agenda. Besides Hades was one of the kindest gods from all the mythos we heard about the other ones. And especially if we compare him to his brothers.
in a different version of the story I heard,Persephone was a beautiful goddess loved by many and even other gods, Demeter told aphrodite to avoid Persephone and one day when Persephone with the nymph, Aphrpdite and her son made Hades fall in love with Persephone by shooting him with an arrow. so in this version Hades wasn’t involved at all and he was merely a victim of aphrodite
Triptolemus, also known as Trip or Buzyges, was a handsome prince, the son of king Celeus and queen Metanira. Triptolemus, a prince of Eleusis who directed Demeter to Helios (and subsequently, helped her find Persephone), was justly rewarded by the goddess: she gifted him with a beautiful red-and-gold winged chariot (pulled by two pythons), and taught him the arts of agriculture. Afterwards, Demeter sent him on a mission to educate the whole of Greece. When Triptolemus taught Lyncus, king of Scythia (and demigod son of Hades), the arts of agriculture, Lyncus refused to teach it to his people and then tried to murder Triptolemus. As a result, Demeter turned Lyncus into a lynx, and made Triptolemus become immortal as God of Agriculture, Farming and Summer as the immortal Lieutenant of Demeter. In addition, when Persephone became Hades’ wife, Hades had three immortal children: Macaria (Nymph of the Underworld), Melinoe (Princess of the Underworld) and Zagreus (Prince of the Underworld).
Looking deeper into the origins of demeter and persephone and the other tales of persephones further time with hades, its obvious that while a surprise and not something she asked for, it became a part of her to the core. Persephone even has nicknames calling her things like “persephone bringer of death”. She is likely a much older goddess than greece or probably even rome (meaning she vastly predates hades), with her and her mother being connected goddess connected with both life and death.
When I was a child, my father would recount to me old myths, most commonly Greek ones. (This was the start of my love for Greek mythology) and he told me this story in the kitchen one day, as he was making a birthday cake for me. I always remembered this myth and went over it many times, and as soon as I saw the article title, I rejoiced. This myth is one of my favorites.
What if I told you that Persephone wasn’t Hades’ wife but the daughter he had with Demeter!? And their fighting over her is like fighting over custody of a child.\r Since Hades was all the way down in the Underworld, Zeus took her in and acted as her father so that she didn’t feel like she only has one parent.\r After finding out the truth, she ran away to Hades, and she ate the pomegranate on purpose so that she couldn’t be separated from her father again. \r He taught her how to rule the Underworld so that one day she could be in his place.
So there’s been a major debate within this myth amongst scholars, and that’s Persephone herself (also let’s get this out of the way right now, what Hades did, though wrong in our time, wasn’t really wrong or even kidnapping back in ancient Greece as he did obtain her fathers blessing and performed a very common wedding act by taking his bride back to his home, so because of that, we can’t really say Hades was a villain in this either). As for why I brought up the debate with Persephone, it falls into the pomegranate itself, where there’s a very high probability she consumed the fruit on purpose due to how she was known as one of the most intelligent Goddesses of all on top of how common knowledge it was that consuming food of the Underworld would bind one to it, so she’d have known well in advance that eating the fruit would bind her to the Underworld. So with that, there’s a good chance that she wanted to stay (which is why she’s also known as the most feared of the Death Gods, where it was Hades and Dreaded Persephone, where some scholars believe Persephone isn’t even her true name, but that to speak her true name is so terrifying, they gave her the title of Persephone).
Fun facts, In the surface world Persephone is known as Kore and she actually liked living with Hades and did not want to leave. In some stories she actually went willingly and when she was told to leave she purposely ate the pomegranate . Also Hades is only the god of the Underworld, the god of death is Thanatos and the goddess of souls is Psyche
Hades wasn’t barren and was the richest domain of all of them. Matter of fact Hades was also the god of wealth and created gardens that rivaled the heavens which Persephone would use those gardens to put the people she deemed worthy of reincarnation. Also in the oldest version of the mythology, Hades offered Persephone the pomegranate.
I’m glad this animation doesn’t romanticize Hades and Persephone. This was never a love story, it was a story of a mother loosing her daughter to a kidnapping marriage. Honestly, anything about Hades and Persephone being lovely dovey and romantic is almost surely a total lie made up by people online. Another thing that people seem to forget is, in Ancient Greece, girls were often married off when they were teenagers, or had just hit puberty (the youngest I’ve found is Twelve )So yes, this isn’t too far off, all things considered
Hades always gets a bad rap these days (especially after Disney’s hercules) even though hades is by far the most likeable of the Greek gods as he does his job very well and doesn’t do ruin the lives of mortals for no reason unlike 90% of the other gods . Him kidnapping persephone is the only bad thing he ever did and even so hades and persephone have the best relationship out of all the gods.
If I’m not wrong, I think she ate 3 pomegranate seeds, which denotes the 3 months she’s in the underworld for. And yes, like so many others have stated here. Hades and Persephone loved each other in the end. In fact Persephone was pretty cool with all the Queen of the dead thing and Hades respected her a lot. One godly couple who isn’t so messed up all the time
So, I am currently reading “A Touch of Darkness” and “A Game of Fate” (I am reading them together when I know they are the same story just told from different points of view because each one has different information and story lines that is actually really intriguing. Gotta say, I like Hades’ point of view better since it seems to build more on the world and less on Persephone’s personal struggles) so I was kind of surprised to see this article on my home page when I have never watched a article from this website before.
I mean a ton of ppl are talking about how hades is actually super chill and while I will admit he’s way better than most of the Greek gods he’s definitely not some angel. Not in every myth but in a few he does some pretty questionable things. So while I do think he’s one of the better ones, he’s still not without fault. (Also love the animation)
I feel a lot of the commenters here are a little too attached to OSP’s specific telling of this myth. (And I say this as a huge fan of OSP). While I do feel that Hades being characterized here as a cackling villain who “demanded” Persephone is a little much, a version of the myth which focuses on the tragic elements and the violence and coercion of the kidnapping is a perfectly valid interpretation. The nature of mythology is that it is told in different ways every time, there isn’t a canon for the gods. So Hades and Persephone don’t always need to be depicted as couple goals.
Their LOVEstory has many versions. This visualisation of the myth is not accurate and can be misleading. Plus Hades was more faithful to Persephone than his brothers, Zeus and Poseidon, and genuinely loved her. I suggest that everyone should reseach more about the story of the King and Queen of the underworld!
So if we want to look at this historically… Demeter and Persephone’s cult was actually a EXTREMLY old cult that worshiped them as underworld goddess. When the Greeks came and discovered the cult they took on the deities as earth goddesses. Persephone has another name “Kore” witch just means madden or girl. BASICLY she was a super scary underworld goddess that cult members were too afraid to say her name. youtube.com/watch?v=Ac5ksZTvZN8&t=616s
This is overlooking several details, and so many things are just wrong about it (not just the pronunciation of Demeter). They do the thing most modern retellings do and make Hades seem way worse than he actually is. And making Persephone seem like she is some mild, naive, nature girl. But there are also inaccuracies in why Persephone ate the pomegranates, exactly how they affected her, the deal that was made. And leaving out things like the temple that was built for Demeter, who, and what Persephone actually is, etc.
You know coming back here and after seeing some of the comments, is it just me or is it the story and the relationship of Hades and Persephone is heavily romanticized by almost everyone here?! Not saying it’s bad, but like just because Hades is painted in usual bad light here doesn’t mean that is the case, multiple versions of the same story exist and your free to choose its canonical stance on it as long it’s real and true, idk I’m just seeing too many complaints and biased towards their “gooder” version of the story is all…
There is a more ancient version of the mith, the oldest one, and probably the most likely to be true, where Persephone (Then called Kore, that means young girl) was literally la-la-looing aroud and kind of saw an entrance to a dark place (probably the doors of Thanatos or the future doors of Orpheus) and went like “aight, imma check this out”, and ended up in the underworld and she saw many interesting things and misterious places, and decided to stay; meanwhile Hades is following her aroud full mode “Excuse me?? Young lady??? Why are you her???” and it’s just a really stressful time him, he decides he has to be her host, since she is, like, his brother’s daughter, and so royalty, falls for her and she falls for him, meanwhile her mom is throwing the tantrum of the millennium on the surface.
“Persephone… I look at the face I love most and I can’t get enough of it! … Why are you’re lips so red? Did Hades give you anything to eat before you left?” “Just some pomegranate…” “Pomegranate?!? How many seeds?” “Just four” ” gasp Hades has tricked you! Now you will have to spend four months of the year with him!” “Oh don’t be angry mother! I’ll be with you most of the time.” “What will I do without you? For those four months, I’ll wither the plants! I’ll cover the Earth with snow!!!” “Oh Mother! I’ll be coming back!” ” sigh Only then will I make the plants blossom again. It will seem like a miracle. And everyone on Earth, people, plants, birds, will know that my Persephone has returned.” “Persephone: a story from Greece” from “Animated Tales of the World”
An indefinite winter halts all growth and causes widespread famine, could metaphorically represent the last Ice Age and its eventual end. This ancient tale encapsulates the dramatic shift from a harsh, unyielding climate to more stable, seasonal cycles, mirroring the transition from the desolate cold of the Ice Age to the rebirth of spring and summer once it concluded. Such myths not only explain seasonal changes but may also reflect broader environmental recoveries, suggesting a deep, historical understanding of nature’s long-term patterns woven into our cultural narratives.
You know this story is flawed with the idea that Persephone thought hades was terrible. In fact she was happy with hades because all he wanted was someone to take care of the underworld and Cerberus while ghe did other things. Such as dealing with the other gods such as thanatos or heroes like Hercules. In actuality, Hades, Persephone, and Demeter all blamed Zeus since he gave the idea of kidnapping persephone to hades. Hades thought that kidnapping people was the norm since his brothers were doing exactly that according to his mycean version and his brother’s stories. Hades was an actually pretty compassionate and helpful god so to make him look like a villain and Zeus as just a deal maker is flawed.
Hades did some messed up stuff in this story but it mainly wasn’t all his fault and he actually promised Persephone all that he could give as the god of the dead and let her leave willingly to go see her mother to comfort her. But he believed she wouldn’t come back if she went to Demeter so he gave her a pomegranate that would bind her to the underworld. This was more out of fear then malicious intent to keep the separated.
Wasn’t part of the story taken from the fact that in Greek culture there was a sort of ritual kidnapping of the bride by the groom, and the pomegranate was related to a ritual of eating food in the husband’s home? I remember that figuring into the complications of interpreting the myth. Could be wrong though, never studied ancient Greece.
In one version i heard of this story, Demeter spoke to the sun god (thought it was Apollo, but may have been Helios) to request he bring Persephone back, to wich he answered that Persphone would be happy/well treated, as the realm of the dead was much greater than the realm of the living. In that version, Zeus says to Demeter that he gave their daugther to a god, not to a mere mortal or demigod. And the pomegranates, Persphone was suppose to have only one, but instead she ate 3, and for that we have 3 months of winter.
Although hades is one of the better gods, it doesn’t mean he’s infallible. Given the fact that the Greek gods were literally supposed to always be making human mistakes and how much worse everyone else is, I wouldn’t be surprised he’d kidnap someone. Everyone wants to romanticize the fact he made her queen and rarely cheated but come on, thats the bare minimum.
You know something about Persephone and Hades that I love? When some random lady came to the underworld to try to seduce Hades, Persephone killed her. Then when some random dudes came to kidnap Persephone, Hades killed them. They love each other and are extremely protective of each other. The reason for their relationship being so healthy in myths might be because the Greeks didn’t even write or say their names half of the time because of fear of grabbing their attention. So if Hades did anything bad like what Zeus does or Persephone and Hades get into some big argument or something it probably wasn’t even spoken of. But I still like to think that in a world where Christians treat Hades and Persephone like demons. The supposedly heavenly gods are the ones cheating and killing their partners. I’m looking at you Zeus, Aphrodite, Apollo, and Hera.
Kinda great that one of my favorite goddesses gets a article on my birthday but…I wish this would have gone into how POWERFUL Persephone became as queen of the dead. The Homeric Hymn to Demeter talks about how Hades promised her he’d be a good husband and how she would get all the powers and offerings as befit her station. There’s no real excuse for abduction in modern terms, but at least he made the deal worth her while.
Going to join the general Chorus here and say that I prefer versions of this story that acknowledge that – while their relationship doesn’t meet modern standards of consent – Hades and Persephone are by far the happiest and healthiest couple of the Olympians. Persephone was a co-regent with Hades, respected and recognized as the Queen of the Underworld, a position she preferred to being the idealized perfect child of an overbearing mother. She is Fairest Persephone come Beltane, Dread Persephone come Samhain, and of these two roles she greatly prefers the latter. Overly Sarcastic Productions does this story and their relationship much better.
Inaccurate portrayal of hades. He isn’t the villain that other media portray him to be. He’s honestly the most moral Greek god who actually cares about his job over messing with mortals. The worst thing he did was torture 2 mortals who came down to the underworld to steal and marry persephone after he was married to her. And yes he kidnapped persephone, but that just how it was back then and Zeus told him to do it to avoid the disapproval of Demeter after giving hades persephones hand
People need to stop commenting “actually, Hades and Persephone loved each other” because mythology is incredibly old, and especially with a myth as widely spread among different people and commonly told as this one, there are bound to be different versions, so there is often no “actually” in mythology. It’s fine to prefer a version where Hades and Persephone fall in love, but you shouldn’t say it’s the only version and this one isn’t right.
An actually faithful article about this myth? In THIS economy? The story is ment to teach us about the seasons and not to wed off the daughters without asking the mother’s advice. It’s not ment to fit modern life. Personally I like to imagine they learned to love each other, but that is my own preference.
Ugh…. This version of the story has a very noticeable Disney tone to it….. Which is not good, since Hercules is basically the most poorly researched Disney Movie (Still a good movie, just that the facts are all wrong). And we have to really keep in mind that, Hades and Persephone are basically the most functioning couple in Greek mythology by a long shot.
1.Hades isn’t the god of the dead Thanatos, hades is gods of the underworld I think he is actually more of a judge god 2.Persephone wasn’t sad to be with hades in-fact she actually turned out to love hades 3. Despite what Disney have you believe hades in mythology is a pretty benevolent god compared to the gods on mount Olympus, he is certainly better than Zeus the worst thing he does is agree to kidnap Persephone Did you do the research?
Persephone actually fell in love with Hades after a while and she likes being a queen of death (who wouldn’t like it? Your partner is god king of cool edgy place, he never ever cheats on you (in contrast any other god is cheating on their partner… Usually with mortals… coughing Zeus *coughing*), he admires and loves you and he has got cute sweet puppy named Spot (yes Cerberus in Greek means Spot).) Persephone actually has eaten the pomegranate because she wants to be with him, but her mother wants to be with her daughter so Hades agreed on therms of half and half year to be ok with his mother in law.
Hades and Persephone are the only cupule in Greek mythology that don’t imbody the term “train wreck” because hades was understanding of the reason why his wife had to leave and actually gave her the thumbs-up to leave the underworld ignored to prevent the whole frozen wasteland situation. in fact, if you watch this article – youtube.com/watch?v=Ac5ksZTvZN8&t=887s – it gives you a mythologically actuate version of the story
I’m pretty sure that’s not how the actual myth goes, sure there are variations but they all agree the blame was on Zeus since he married his daughter Persephone to Hades and Demeter was also blamed for being petty enough to let the world die, there are some variants where Persephone found herself in the underworld but overall Hades and Persephone is the best couple they were faithful with each other and treated each other as their equals, as well as loving each other
There’s an aspect of the myth that seems like it was either left out or maybe was part of another version. Hades did not originally love Persephone or intend to kidnap her. He was shot by cupid’s arrow because Aphrodite didn’t like the fact that he was outside of love’s control/touch. Then he saw Persephone and in his mental state kidnapped her. This leads to some discussions about consent because he was literally under the influence of someone else. However, he does treat Persephone well and certainly doesn’t mistreat her. They do indeed fall in love. That’s the version of the story that I remember reading at least.
You decided to transform the story of Hades and Persephone, one of the most beautiful love stories regarding gods of the Greek mythology, changing completely their relationship and the character of Hades, just to get another story about “Powerful and independent women”. You literally ignored the story of the banquet celebrating the defeat of Typhon which was THE SOLE REASON Hades went to the surface and discovered Persephone, the underworld seeds that HADES GAVE TO HER, which made everyone who ate them stuck in the underworld, unless Hades himself allowed the person to leave, which he did solely because of his love for Persephone. Also the deal was 50/50 time, not 2 thirds and Demeter was always depicted as an over-protective mother. In a website that it’s sole reason is to teach, it’s a shame to shape a story like this just to fit a better or different idea
This is a heavily edited version of the tale. Hades asked for her hand in marriage from her father Zeus as a show of respect to both of them, it was Zeus that said “hey, um, Demeter is a bit of a helicopter parent so… yeah you have my go ahead, just grab her when her mother isn’t around.” Persephone and Hades actually got along and had the best relationship among the gods. If anything Demeter was in charge of the seasons, She made the plants grow out of happiness when her daughter came back. Persephone’s one and only true role is the ruler of the underworld alongside Hades. Her full title is Kora before marriage (meaning maiden) and Dread Persephone after marriage.
This is just a straight-up diversion from what actually happened. – Zeus ordered Hades to kidnap Persephone, and the vast majority of the blame is shifted onto him, not Hades; – Persephone didn’t just eat pomegranate seeds, Hades snuck them into her mouth before she left (which he actually gets held accountable for in the original hymn); – Hades and Persephone actually liked each other, they never cheated on each other (like Zeus), and Hades treated Persephone as his equal Can we stop depicting Hades as a bad guy, please?
There is a famous webtoon called LORE OLYMPUS which is based on love story of persephone and Hades with a modern twist. The story of each side character aka other greek gods is mesmerising too. Y’all gonna love reading it, trust me. Also the animations with bg music is superb. Overall it is one of the best greek mythology illustration i’ve ever read.
This is a version of the events, though the true myth is rather murky. There are suggestions that Phersephone predates hades as a diety of death. Though something that is fairly clear is that they had one of, if not the healthiest relationship of all the gods For those of you interested in a more indept review: youtu.be/Ac5ksZTvZN8
last time I checked Demeter barely looked at all and was told rather quickly what happened. all she did was sulk in a temple and nurture a child by burning his mortality. it was the other gods that went to the underworld to ask for Persephone to come back to the mortal realm (Hades readily agreed and no pact was made). the only reason that Persephone has to return for a third of the year is because of the pomegranates. Hades is a chill god that is pretty easy going and loves (dread)Persephone very much.
so, i see a lot of confussion between ppl on comments about the myth. Truth is, that there are multiple versions of it, but essentially there are two. A previous one whose connotation is more of a “matriarchal” civilization where Persephone on her own goes down to Hades, and a second one where Hades takes her and abuses her multiple times. However, I had never heard a story where Persephone took the pomegranate on her own, usually that happens in “the first myth” which is pretty much erased from any history book you’d find in a high school.
Though I like this article doesn’t forget it was Zeus the one who allowed Hades to take Persephone and I like how I finally find an animated article of the myth, I think the rest of it is not accurate. I mean, Hades was actually a very ominous deity, but all he was is the Lord of the Dead, so he probably was pretty hardcore, but still he was a pretty chill dude and he loved Persephone. The kidnapping is the down-side, but they had a pretty good marriage.
It’s crazy how ppl just ignore Hades and romanticize this story. The story is inspired by the kidnappings that would happen to young girls who were married off and Demeter is supposed to represent the Greek women who had no say when their daughters were married off to older men, she represents their desperation and anger for their daughters. But people love talking abt how “Hades is better” than other gods cuz he doesn’t cheat on his wife., please💀 Demeter was no control freak or a bad mother, and Hades was no “good guy” just bc he was loyal to the girl he forced to love him.
Dato curioso: los dioses no necesitan comer por lo que no sufren hambre, tal vez el único alimentos que tal vez necesiten es ambrosía y es ambiguo porque muchos otros ni la prueban y no mueren, además, como odio que olviden que Hades es el dios de las riquezas, además, dónde están los campos Elíseos y las joyas y corona que Persefone usaban. Muy en desacuerdo con el vídeo.
The Hades x Persephone fanbase is really trying hard to convince people that they’re the least dysfunctional couple and Hades was one of the nicer Gods. But that doesn’t mean that they’re actually any good. The fact that she was abducted and forced is still true. Persephone is a badass and eventually made the odds in her favour, however that doesn’t mean that the circumstances are great. Read multiple sources instead of clinging onto the feelgood version of the myth.
Nah lore olympus rotted yalls minds 😭🤚 look im a huge fan of hades and Persephone, its one of my favorite myths but the original story is NOT a love story. Its abt the bond between a mother and daughter, which is why GOOD STUFF happens (i.e. spring) when they’re reunited. I love modern interpretations of Hades and Persephone having been in love and I think its perfectly fine for myths to evolve and change! That’s kind of how they work. But please acknowledge the intent of the original myth.
Thank you for Highlighting that at the end of the day, Persephone didn’t consent to being Queen of the underworld. So many people act like Hades and Persephone are a powercouple in the original Texts because of the Lack of affairs and similar powerlevel. Like there’s nothing wrong with writing a Version like this but don’t pretent that homeric Hymne to Demeter depicted a love Story.
this myth depends or what is the source, because i really don’t recall now who write, but in one version, it was “persephone which orchestrate the kidnap, like she “asked zeus” to give hades the idea it was her which wanted to marry hades but her mother was too over protective and never allowed anyone get close to persephone, then she give zeus the idea of “kidnap”, other tale also says which at first hades didn’t wanted to do but was persephone which encoraged him to do, in most cases she wanted to marry him and leave her mother because of how too jealous and too control was her mother.
I feel like people forget that Persephone was worshipped as a death god first and foremost. It really bothers me that she’s always depicted as sine flowery spring goddess, when that was never her job, it was just backstory that doesn’t reflect how she was actually worshipped. Give me Queen of the Dead Persephone.
TED as a viewer understand the work that goes into these productions but I think many of us would like to see the side of the story that is more accurate to the sources rather then the twisted version that appears in modern media. Most of us who have a deeper knowledge of Greek mythology know a less influenced version.
It’s impossible to determine which story was the original telling when it came to the mythology of Hades and Persephone. Some claim that Persephone was miserable and hated Hades for kidnapping her and the only reason why she ate the pomegranate was because she was starving and did not know that would ultimately sealed her fate in the Underworld forever. Others claim that Persephone eventually fell in love with Hades and did not want to leave him, despite Zeus’s orders so she chose to eat the pomegranate knowing that would forever bound her to the Underworld with Hades. Which account do you believe? 🤷♂️
idk if they’re tryna say their own version of the story,because that’s simply not how the story was,yes hades kidnapped her,yes hades fed her the pomegranate,but with or without the pomegranate she loved him,it simply ensured that she’ll eventually come back to him(which is still bad yes,but it is human in a way,being afraid of losing someone that you do something bad)it was more of a beauty and the beast situation,where the captured fell in love with the capturer,so no persophene did not hate hades or see him as a bad person as the article implies.
Heres a summary: Persephone marries Hades(Zeau Brother) and goes to Hades. She is not allowed to eat but she eats 6 pomegranate seeds. Because of this, She must stay in Hades 6 months of the year, and Mount Olympus 6 months. Demeter mourns Persephone for 6 months by not growing any crops. This is how winter started.
If you’re gonna comment correcting facts, please state if those facts are from either Hesiod, Ovid, Homer, Pseudo-Apollodorus, etc. (or from some contemporary lore) to judge on the reliability of your facts. For example, Ovid isn’t too much reliable ‘cause he isn’t Greek but Roman & sometimes wrote with propagandas. To be specific with Ovid… we all know the popular backstory of Medusa but it was Ovid’s invention. Medusa was always just a gorgon in the Greek original.
1. Perséfone means bringer of death, 2. in myth it was stated that although she missed her mom she was happy with hades 3. they skip over major important parts that brings context 4. this type of abuse was sadly the norm 5. the gods did not ignore Demeter they all pleated with her even before the famine
Demeter never went on a “crusade.” She, in fact, was told almost immediately of what happened by Helios (You even detailed that she asked the gods), and so she went and tried to burn away a baby’s mortality, only for the mother to walk in. Demeter became even madder and demanded a temple be made in her honour, and she just slept and cried in it. Zeus never went to tell her to stop, because he was afraid of facing consequences. It was every other god who went. It was also not two thirds, it was an ambiguous time frame. Two sevenths, a quarter, a half, etc. So, in essence, this is a retelling that serves to glorify Demeter and vilify Hades.