Group+4+-+Persephone+and+Demeter

= __Persephone and Demeter__ = 
 * Who is involved? **
 * Persephone- Goddess of Innocence/ Spring/ Vegetation
 * Demeter- Goddess of Harvest
 * Hades- God of the Underworld


 * What type of myth? **
 * Curious/ Explanation- explains the seasons changing and why crops die in the winter

**What happens?**
 * Persephone is Demeter's daughter
 * One day, Persephone is in a meadow, picking flowers
 * Hades, the God of the Underworld, kidnaps her and takes her to the Underworld because she was beautiful
 * It was believed that the moment you eat something in the Underworld, you must stay there forever
 * Meanwhile, Persephone refuses to eat at first, but her hunger gets the best of her
 * She eats 6 pomegranate seeds, so she would have to stay there forever
 * Back on Earth, Demeter is extremely upset from her daughter's disappearance
 * This causes the crops to wither and die
 * Zeus is concerned about the state of the crops, so he sends Hermes to get Persephone back
 * Hermes learns that Persephone ate 6 pomegranate seeds while in the Underworld. He proposes that if she marries Hades, she can stay 6 months year, rather than 12
 * Hades takes him up on his offer
 * Each spring, Persephone comes to earth, and leaves each fall
 * In the spring and summer months, Demeter is so happy, that she makes all the flowers grow
 * Demeter cries each fall when her daughter leaves, causing the crops to die, explaining autumn and winter

**What is the purpose?**
 * This myth provides an explanation of how and why the seasons change each year
 * It explains why the crops would die during the fall and winter, but flourish and be plentiful in the spring and summer
 * This gave people a sense of comfort, because they knew what was going on in the world, instead of being afraid that the gods were angry

**Modern day connections**
 * Today, there is a fragrance line called Demeter
 * Also, there is a popular Greek restaurant in New York City called Persephone
 * There is even a Persephone Magazine
 * In addition, there is a company called Demeter that promotes bio-dynamic farming