Did Persephone consent?
In Greek mythology, Persephone is an influential and fascinating figure who has captivated the imagination for centuries. She is the daughter of Demeter, the goddess of agriculture and harvest, and is often depicted as a beautiful maiden with a crown of flowers and a sheaf of wheat. However, her story is far more complex and captivating than her appearance might suggest.
Persephone was abducted by Hades and taken to the underworld, where she became his queen. This led to a cycle of planting and harvesting that persists in many cultures today. In this essay, we will explore and examine her abduction by Hades and whether her abduction was rape.
The goddess Persephone has long fascinated the imagination; she is the embodiment of spring. Who was this Greek goddess who personified the season of spring? Persephone is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She was also known as the goddess of vegetation and agriculture, specifically grain (Cartwright 2016).
Persephone is best known for her abduction by Hades and for the explanation of the seasons. In many myths, Persephone is known by various names. The names include Kore and Mistress of the Erinyes (McCall 2021).
Hades’ abduction and the birth of the seasons
Persephone is perhaps best known for the myth about her abduction. Hades, the ruler of the underworld, fell in love with the young goddess and carried her away with him when he saw her picking flowers in a meadow (Cartwright 2016). Some accounts of the myth state that Zeus consented. In some ancient Greek societies, women lacked rights and were considered the property of their fathers. In those societies, the father consents to and arranges his daughter's marriage to a man of his choosing. Thus, it is not surprising that Zeus gave his consent in some accounts of the myth.
In all versions of the myth, Demeter mourns the loss of her daughter, searches for her, and neglects the harvest. Because of her neglect of the harvest, there was widespread famine across the earth, and to stop humanity from starving, Zeus ordered Hades to return Persephone to her mother (Britannica 2020). If Zeus granted Hades his consent, as some myths suggest, and then quickly rescinded it, it suggests that a girl or woman is nothing more than a convenient asset to her father or other male relatives. However, Demeter’s reaction also suggests that agriculture and earth goddesses were once powerful deities and that women wielded power at one time. Whoever controls the food controls the people, and thus Demeter and Persephone are a reminder that once upon a time, perhaps in prehistory, women ruled.
Persephone would have been able to return to her mother if she had not eaten any of the food from the underworld. Still, Hades, despite being the Lord of Death and ruler of the underworld, was cunning and placed a pomegranate in Persephone’s mouth, knowing that she would be compelled to stay with him. In another version of the myth, he gave her a pomegranate seed to eat. However, a compromise was made, and because Persephone ate part of the fruit, she had to spend the winter months with Hades and the spring with her mother (Cartwright 2016).
This myth symbolised the seasons in Greece, suggesting that Persephone's 6-month stay in the underworld explained why Greek fields were barren after harvest, before the rains, when they were ploughed and sown (Britannica 2020).
Did Persephone consent, or did she not?
Persephone seems to have been a pawn in a game of chess between the men in her life: her husband, Hades, and her father, Zeus.
This myth illustrates how young girls can be abused by the male family members in their lives and how sometimes you cannot trust your father. Luckily for Persephone, she and her mother were very close. Zeus appears to have complete authority over Persephone in the Homeric myth and can give her away in marriage. Persephone states later in the hymn that Hades took her against her will (Daifotis 2017). The Homeric Hymn to Demeter conveys that Zeus granted Hades permission, and Persephone explains to her mother that she was taken against her will, thereby accounting for the argument that she did not consent and had no control over her body. In myths in which Hades either places the fruit in Persephone's mouth or tricks her, the fruit demonstrates that she lacks control over her body, i.e., she could not and did not consent. Thus, by tricking her into eating the pomegranate, Hades shows that he has control of Persephone’s body without her consent.
Persephone does not gain control of her body; in fact, Hades obtains ownership of her body, and he determines her fate. This myth highlights the power dynamics between men and women in ancient Greek society and the role of consent in relationships. The idea that Hades took Persephone against her will suggests that she had no say in her fate and that her father and husband could make decisions for her without her input. This raises questions about the agency and autonomy of women in ancient Greece and how they were limited by societal norms and expectations.
The myth of Persephone highlights how women were portrayed in ancient Greek society. In the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, Persephone is depicted as a powerful and independent figure who can negotiate with her husband and demand that he release her from his grasp. However, this portrayal of Persephone occurs after Hades abducts her and illustrates that victims sometimes must attempt to appeal to their captors. Even though she demands that Hades release her from his grasp, she is still his prisoner and wife by force.
In contrast to the myth of Persephone in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, the myth of Hades and Persephone in the Hercules: The Legendary Journeys episode “The Other Side ” follows the myth loosely. Hades does kidnap Persephone, but it is implied that he does this after Demeter refuses to permit him to marry Persephone. The episode demonstrates that Persephone and Hades are in love and loosely follows the myth, with Demeter neglecting the harvest and Hercules entering the underworld to retrieve Persephone. In the episode, Persephone is not tricked by Hades but eats the fruit because she is hungry. Nevertheless, the seasons are established by Persephone spending six months with Hades and six months with her mother.
The two depictions of Persephone highlight the diverse ways in which the myth is received and how two distinct cultures interpret social roles. In the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, Persephone is depicted as a nuanced figure, both powerful and influential and an independent figure who can negotiate with her husband and demand that he release her from his grasp. Yet she remains his wife, demonstrating that even with the power move of demanding her release, Persephone is still owned by the men in her family and by society in general. In “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys”, Persephone is portrayed at first glance as a victim, but the episode suggests that she is a strong and determined woman who is not willing to accept her fate passively, who has agency over who she loves and who she wants to be with, and who has a choice about whether she wants to be married to Hades. HTLJ’s Persephone chooses both Hades, whom she loves, and her mother, whom she is close to and also loves.
Finally, both depictions of Persephone demonstrate that the myth of Persephone is complex and multifaceted and has been interpreted in unusual ways throughout history. The myth of Persephone and its depiction of her abduction in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys illustrate that consent and agency are complex and multilayered and that women’s experiences and perspectives are not always represented in a straightforward or binary manner. Overall, the myth of Persephone serves as a reminder of the importance of interpreting myths with sensitivity to their historical and cultural contexts.
All images are from Pixabay
References
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Persephone.” Ec” Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Apr. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Persephone-Greek-goddess
Cartwright, Mark. “Persephone.” World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 4 March 2016.
Daifotis, Melanie. “The Myth of Persephone: Body Objectification from Ancient to Modern” (2017).
McCall, Hannah. “Persephone: Goddess of Spring and Queen of the Underworld”” Aril 2021 https://www.thecollector.com/persephone-goddess-of-spring-and-queen-of-the-underworld
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