Iconography: Persephone

Persephone is one of my favourite Goddesses throughout history and mythology. Persephone is the Goddess Queen of the Underworld, wife to God Hades, and also the goddess of spring growth in Greek Mythology, making her an interesting mix of influence and a show that you can be both queen of the underworld, and obsessed with flowers.

Often depicted as 'The Maiden' or 'Kore' in the Wicca belief of the power of three (Maiden, Mother, and Crone) Persephone was born to Demeter as the Goddess of Spring's bounty. Depending on the mythology, Persephone was kidnapped by Hades as his wife, and Demeter searched the world for her using fellow Goddess' Hecate's torches. It is said that during this time of searching, the agriculture of the Earth was unable to flourish and because of this Zeus was forced to allow Persephone to return to her mother. However, because she had tasted the food of the Underworld (a pomegranate - the same fruit that bore the ill will and booted Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden) she was forced to spend forever half in the Underworld with him. Her return to the Earth was marked by flowering of meadows and the growth of new grain (ie. Spring and Summer) and her return to the Underworld saw the dying of the plants you see in Autumn and Winter.

Due to the dual personalities of Persephone she has become somewhat a feminist and cultural icon. Many young adults novels have been written about her, including Stephen King's novel Duma Key. In Wonder Woman, Persephone is a fierce warrior on the Island of Themyscira, and in both The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions she is the wife of The Merovingian - a powerful program that handles exiled Matrix programs. They are seen at a rave club called Club Hel (ie. the Underworld).