Once upon a time there lived Persephone, the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, goddess of the harvest. Persephone was a lovely young woman and was admired by all. Hades, god of the underworld, desired the young beauty. As she was picking flowers one afternoon on the plain of Enna, the earth opened up and Hades emerged. He abducted her and swept her away to his underworld. Only Zeus and Helios the sun god saw what had happened.
Poor, broken-hearted Demeter roamed the earth in search of her beloved daughter. Helios then informed her of what had taken place. Furious and woeful, Demeter withdrew from the earth. Without her, the land was not fertile; nothing grew nor bloomed. Zeus ordered Hermes to go to Hades and demand that he let Persephone go. Hades reluctantly agreed.
Before Persephone left the underworld, Hades gave her a pomegranate. She fatefully ate seven of the seeds, which bound her to the underworld for one third of the year. During the other months, Persephone was allowed to return to her mother. When Persephone was with Hades, Demeter mourned and the earth was infertile. Those months were a time of winter. And when her daughter returned to her, the land would bloom and blossom with spring and summertime.
I recently tried a pomegranate for the first time. And I must confess that it is the most delicious fruit I have ever eaten except for raspberries. (Raspberries will always be my favorite.) As I sat on my couch and plucked the juicy little rubies from the fruit, I got to thinking about Persephone.
I don't think I could have limited myself to a mere seven seeds.
I would have eaten them all!
If I had been Persephone, and had eaten them all, I would have probably been bound to Hades and the underworld forever. And the world would have been plunged into an eternal winter.
Luckily I'm just a mere mortal and I can eat as many of those mouth-watering little jewels as I desire. :)
Amore.
I don't think I could have limited myself to a mere seven seeds.
I would have eaten them all!
If I had been Persephone, and had eaten them all, I would have probably been bound to Hades and the underworld forever. And the world would have been plunged into an eternal winter.
Luckily I'm just a mere mortal and I can eat as many of those mouth-watering little jewels as I desire. :)
Amore.
There is nothing like good ol' Greek Mythology..or Pomegranates LOL. They're great for eating and shooting at people. heheh.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your long comment I really enjoyed reading it, I hope you finish your story and publish it. (what is it about anyway?)