DID YOU KNOW: THE IV SEASONS
Image generated by : Gencraft
Every year while finally summer decides to toss away that lovely yellow dress and wrap itself in the warming clothes of autumn, I can't help but recall one of the most creative yet disturbing stories where emotions prove their power not only on humans but on Gods too. And what can be more powerful than love ? If its impact on mortals can lead to destruction, can you imagine what such affliction can do to a divinity? Well, the impact can turn a whole world apart.
Curious to see how this story goes?
It is told that the Goddess of agriculture, fertility, and the harvest "Demeter" had a lovely daughter called "Persephone", and since the apple rarely falls far from its tree, Persephone was none other than the goddess of spring growth, a title that suited her heritage but her beauty too, as it was said that her beauty had an enchanting quality, drawing the attention of gods and mortals alike. Her youthful and radiant appearance represented the spring bloom and the renewal of life, rare features that caught the attention of the lord of the underworld "Hades". Who decided to abduct the spring goddess to his realm while she was happily gathering flowers in the meadows, making her his wife and the queen of the underworld.
After the disappearance of her daughter, Demeter wandered the earth day and night heartbroken neglecting her duties as the goddess of agriculture, causing crops to wither and famine to spread over the world. Seeing the sufferance of his people, and responding to their calls for mercy, Zeus decided to interfere by sending his messenger Hermes into the underworld, to tell Hades to send back Persephone to gather with her mother again. Hades accepted the request, but before his wife left, he offered her pomegranate seeds, a tricky move because once you have eaten the food of the underworld you are bound to come back.
As a result of his move, Persephone would spend a part of the year with her mother, Demeter, and the other part in the underworld with Hades. This arrangement seems to be, for the Greeks, the reasons why the seasons change when Persephone is with her mother, happiness fills the world in the spring, as the earth blooms and becomes fertile, then comes the summer where Persephone prepares her return to Hades. Once gone the world endures Demeter’s grief causing the earth to wither, as witnessed in autumn and winter.
It is true that when this story is being told today, the mind is baffled to believe such events, explanations that were given in a time when technology couldn’t serve these people's questions, a truth that we may have conquered today. But Hades and Persephone’s myth has a profound impact not only on how humans were always curious and creative about nature but also on the power of emotions and their destructive or constructive power, over the environment you are generating for you and those around without even being aware. And most importantly, this ancient story of Hades and Persephone, reminds us that love may be powerful, but balance is paramount, an equilibrium that should carefully be maintained in all aspects of life.
Meryem !