The great goddess of fertility, Demeter, had a young daughter, Persephone. Once the beautiful Persephone, together with her friends, Oceanids (daughters of Ocean and Tefis), carelessly frolicked in the blooming Nyseus valley, on the shores of the Saronic Gulf, not knowing that her father, the great thunderer Zeus, decided to give her as a wife to his gloomy brother Hades, the ruler the underworld.
Hades, seeing the blooming beauty of Persephone, decided to immediately kidnap her. To this end, he asked the goddess of the Earth Gaia to grow a flower of extraordinary beauty. The goddess agreed, and a wondrous flower did not hesitate to grow in the Nissei valley, the heady aroma of which spread far around him. Persephone, seeing the flower, stretched out her hand to him, but as soon as she plucked it, the earth immediately opened up: on black horses in a golden chariot appeared from the ground the lord of the kingdom of shadows Hades, who seized the young, unsuspecting Persephone, and in in the blink of an eye he disappeared with her on his fast horses in the bowels of the earth. Persephone only managed to scream out of horror … However, except for Helios, the sun god, no one saw how gloomy Hades kidnapped Persephone.
The goddess Demeter, hearing the cry of her daughter, hurried to the Nissean valley, but in vain: Persephone was nowhere to be found. A deep grief over the loss of her only daughter took possession of the mother's heart. Dressed in dark clothes, for nine days, unaware of anything, she wandered the earth, shedding bitter tears. No one could help her in her grief … On the tenth day, she came to the god Helios, with tears in her eyes, begging him to say where her daughter was.
- Great goddess, you know how I honor you … Know, mighty Zeus gave your daughter to wife to the lord of the kingdom of shadows, - Helios answered her. - Conquer your heavy grief, goddess; because the husband of your daughter is great….
The goddess Demeter was even more saddened. Angry with Zeus, she left the gods and light Olympus. Having assumed the form of a mere mortal and donned dark clothes, the goddess wandered between mortals for a long time, not ceasing to shed bitter tears. Without her beneficial power, all growth on earth ceased: the leaves on the trees wilted and flew; the orchards did not bear fruit, the green vineyards withered, and the formerly fertile fields were empty … Hunger reigned everywhere: everywhere there was crying and groans …
Finally Demeter came to the city of Eleusis. At the city walls, she sat down in the shade of an olive tree on the "stone of sorrow" at the very "well of the virgins." The daughters of the king of Eleusis - Keleus - saw her and brought Demeter to her mother, Metaneira. As soon as the goddess touched the door jamb with her head, the whole house literally lit up with a wondrous light: Metaneira immediately realized that her daughters were not brought to the house just a mere mortal …
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Demeter remained with Keleus. Soon she ordered to build a temple in Eleusis, at the source of Callikhora, staying to live there. At this temple, Demeter herself instituted the festivities.
However, sadness for her dearly beloved daughter did not leave her. The land was still barren, and hunger grew stronger and stronger … Death threatened all living things … Then the cloud-extinguisher Zeus sent to Demeter the messenger of the gods - the rainbow goddess Iris, who flew on her rainbow wings to the Eleusinian temple of Demeter, begging her to return to bright Olympus … Demeter in no way heeded her requests. Then the great Zeus sent Hermes, quick as thought, to his gloomy brother Aida. Hades agreed to let Persephone go to her mother, but first gave her a pomegranate grain to swallow - a symbol of marriage. Persephone ascended her husband's golden chariot with Hermes, and in the blink of an eye they reached Eleusis.
Forgetting everything with joy, Demeter rushed to meet her daughter, embracing her, and together with her returned to Olympus. Then the great Zeus decided that for two thirds of the year Persephone would live with her mother, and for one third - in the kingdom of her husband Hades: this is why Persephone is not only the goddess of fertility, but also the goddess of the dead.
As soon as Demeter found her beloved daughter, the great goddess returned fertility to the earth: once again the forests were covered with tender spring foliage; flowers bloomed in emerald meadows, and soon the whole nature awoke!
But every year Persephone leaves her mother, and each time Demeter plunges into sadness, again putting on dark clothes. Then the whole nature grieves about Persephone who has gone underground: the leaves turn yellow on the trees in autumn, the flowers fade, the fields empty, and winter comes … Nature falls asleep for a while to wake up again in the joyful splendor of spring - when she returns to her mother from the joyless kingdom of Hades beautiful Persephone. Then the great goddess of fertility, with all her joy, generously shower people with her gifts, blessing the labor of farmers with a rich harvest!