One thing I am, is a stickler for a good story. And it is no secret that there are great stories to be found within the Greek Myths and Legends. In many cases there are multiple versions of many of the myths, and the story of Persephone and Hades is no different.
One thing that holds true in either of the tales is that Persephone was kidnapped by Hades, and Zeus was his accomplice. But the version that I drew from for the inspiration of this image was slightly different. For instance Persephone’s mother was present during the kidnapping. It is said that Demeter, Persephone’s mother and Goddess of the harvest and agriculture, went mad looking for her daughter. With the help of the deity of magic and witchcraft, Hekate and Helios the sun god, she learned of how Hades and Zeus planned and executed the kidnapping of her precious daughter.
Armed with this information, Demeter went to Hades to beg him to return Persephone to her and the world above ground. Hades consulted with his conspirator, and both he and Zeus decided to allow Persephone to live on earth for six months each year, while the rest of the time she would be at Hades’ side in the Underworld. But Hades being, well Hades, had to make sure that Persephone would indeed return to the Underworld. In ancient mythology it is said that to eat the fruit of ones captor means that the prisoner would have to return to their captor. So Persephone was persuaded to eat four seeds of a pomegranate, and as such she was condemned to return to the Underworld. But each year, she was allowed to return to her mother Demeter, for the remaining 2/3’s of the year.
This particular rendition of the Myth of Hades and Persephone tells of the coming of Spring and Winter. When Persephone returns to earth, it is springtime. When she makes her way back down to Hades in the Underworld, it is winter. And for my image, as the title would suggest, it depicts the resurgence of Persephone to the world above.
There is much to this story, like in many Greek Mythologies, that touch on off shoots of other myths. I have chosen to leave them out. So I encourage you to visit the site I gathered this information from (see mention below) to learn more about it.
Model for the image was provided by www.photomanipulation.com
Image is also comprised of 13 pieces from 8 different open sourced paintings, found online.
The source for the story of Hades and Persephone can be found @ www.greekmyths-greekythology.com