Discover the story of the Greek myth that tells the plot of Disney’s first princess: Persephone!
In 1934, Disney launched its first princess: Persephone, daughter of Zeus, the king of the gods and lord of Olympus, with Demeter, the goddess of harvest and fertility. The character appeared through the animation “The Goddess of Spring”, a short film that belongs to the Silly Symphonies series, and follows the abduction of Persephone, carried out by the god of the underworld, Hades, who was responsible for bringing humanity a long winter. Look:
The title, which also marks the first time Disney has produced an animated film where a human is seen, as well as the debut use of Character Design Sheets, is an adaptation of an ancient Greek myth titled “Abduction of Persephone.”
Who was Persephone for the Greeks?
Considered the goddess of harvest and fertility, like her mother, Demeter, the Greeks believed that Persephone was responsible for bringing good fruits to the plantations, and for ensuring good vegetation for humanity to enjoy.
Furthermore, due to its achievements, it was also linked to spring, the period of the year in which a series of plants flower. More than that, she was also known as the queen of the underworld for being the wife of Hades.
As a deity, Persephone was worshiped by the Greeks in Antiquity in the agrarian cult known as the Eleusinian Mysteries, where Démeter was the main goddess worshiped. This event, which some believe to have been created by the Mycenaeans and others by the Cretans, was held twice a year: in spring and at the transition from summer to autumn.
The secret religious ritual was established in the city of Eleusis, located in Attica, a region of Mainland Greece around the 16th century BC, as explained by the Escola Kids portal, and only initiates could carry it out in order to guarantee peace in life and after death. death.
Later spread to other parts of the world due to the influence of Greek culture, arriving in places such as Sicily, on the Italian peninsula, the Eleusinian Mysteries remained popular until around the 4th century AD, when Christianity was spread more fervently in the Roman empire.
What is the myth of Persephone?
It is worth mentioning that the cult included reenactments of the Rape of Persephone, a myth that begins by narrating Hades’ trip to Earth in order to analyze the progress of the war between Greek gods and giants, as he was worried about the possibility of the underworld becoming exposed to sunlight due to conflict.
However, upon leaving his kingdom, Hades was shot by a dart thrown by Eros, son of Aphrodite and known as the god of love, making him prone to falling in love. As a result, the god of the underworld fell in love with Persephone, the first he saw after being struck, who, when he saw her, was picking flowers in a meadow.
Willing to live out his days alongside the goddess, Hades kidnapped her, forcibly placing her in a carriage. She was taken against her will to the underworld to marry Hades — a union that some versions of the myth claim was carried out with the permission of Persephone’s father and supreme God of Mount Olympus, Zeus.
However, upon noticing that Persephone had disappeared, Demeter was devastated and searched tirelessly for her daughter. Without finding her, the goddess of harvest and fertility decided to isolate herself in a temple that had been built for her in Eleusis, putting the world into a long winter that led humanity to hunger and misery.
With their suffering, humans reduced their offerings to the gods, which led Zeus to intervene in Hades and Persephone’s relationship, negotiating his daughter’s stay in the underworld by proposing that she spend just half a year away from her mother, Demeter, in order to bring harmony again between the gods and people.
This decision by Zeus gives rise to the seasons of the year, according to Greek mythology, since the period in which Persephone returned to the underworld corresponded to autumn and winter, whereas when she was with Demeter, it was when the sun shone again, the animals came out of their holes and flowers began to bloom, that is, in spring and summer.
Source: Recreio
