For readers who may wonder about the title of this Minute poem, in Greek mythology, Persephone, the beautiful daughter of Demeter and Zeus, is the focus of the story resulting in the division of the seasons, giving us the sweetness of spring and the bitterness of winter. Hades, god of the underworld, did not woo the beautiful Persephone, he abducted her and took her to his underground kingdom. After much protest, Persephone came to love the cold-blooded king of the underworld, but her mother, Demeter, was consumed with rage and sorrow. She demonstrated her anger by punishing the earth's inhabitants with bitter cold and blustering winds. Unless Persephone was returned to her mother's side, the earth would perish.

Hermes was sent to the house of Hades by Zeus to reason with Hades. Hermes entered the kingdom of Hades and successfully negotiated that Persephone could return to Demeter. This was quite the accomplishment for Hermes as Hades was usually cold and selfish. However, before Persephone could leave the underworld, Hades gave her a pomegranate to eat knowing full well that anyone who ate anything while in the underworld could never leave. When Persephone ate the pomegranate seed, she bound herself to Hades and his kingdom. When Demeter found out about the trickery, she was angry but she also knew there was nothing she could do; her loving daughter was bound to the Lord of the Dead. However, Hermes was able to strike a compromise between Hades and Demeter. It was agreed that Persephone would be able to spend part of the year with her husband, Hades, and part of the year in the sunlight with her mother, Demeter.

Thus, when Persephone is with Hades, the earth is wracked by the sorrow of her mother, and it is winter. But, when Persephone returns from the underworld to walk the earth again, Demeter pours forth the blessings of spring to welcome her beloved daughter home.

Stewart, Michael. "Persephone", Greek Mythology: From the Iliad to the Fall of the Last Tyrant. http://messagenet.com/myths/bios/persephone.html (November 14, 2005)

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