Demeter and Persephone
Peoples’ perspectives on events and things, or this case characters or symbols in a mythological story, range from a variety of ideas. From reading other peoples views on things you can learn new things and see things in a different light. In this assignment, using the myth we chose we had to break down the three interpretations of three characters or symbols in the myth. The natural interpretation of the characters is how they are in the myth naturally, like who, why, what, where, and when. Then the social part is the part where we tell how the characters relate to us as a family or community and the psychological part is how we can relate to them or how they are emotionally. Everyone’s perspectives may be different, but all in all in the end they should relate or be somewhat the same. The myth I chose was the myth about Demeter losing her daughter, Persephone, to Hades, who steals her to be his wife.
There is Demeter, who naturally is a mother who loses her daughter, Persephone, to Hades, who steals her. Now on a social level, Demeter is like any mom who has a daughter. She is also kind of the backbone and/or structure to the family. But when tragedy strikes everything changes. So, psychologically after Persephone is lost, she is in grief and suffering; she becomes depressed.
Then we have Persephone, who is daughter of Demeter and she is stolen or kidnapped by Hades who wants her as his wife. After a while she eats a pomegranate seed, which is like her accepting her fate of being with Hades. Then every spring she is able to come back home and she brings with her life, and makes everything come alive and when she goes back down everything dies. That is like the seasons. When she is up it is spring through fall and everything is green and lush, but then it becomes winter and all the plants lose everything when she goes back down. That is her natural state.
On her social state she is a youthful daughter, unmarried and a virgin. At the same time on a different level she could be a girlfriend who is in love, which could change how others see the myth as it goes on. And she is stolen or kidnapped to become a young bride or in the case where she is a love struck girlfriend she could have gone willingly, except the fact that they say she was stolen could relate to being forced into a marriage or relationship which would account for the mother grieving as well.
Psychologically she is lost and confused and, maybe even though she was kidnapped, might grow to be in love. Along with that after she is stolen and married possibly, then when she comes back people know she is soiled, dirty or been deflowered. And then she is unwanted by any other person and may see herself as the guilty one and be afraid of everyone being ashamed of her.
Hades naturally is god of underworld and has stolen Persephone from her mother, Demeter, and made her his wife. He gives her a pomegranate seed that she eats as if accepting her fate to be his and stay with him. Socially, he is pretty bad because he is seen as a rapist, a kidnapper, thief and stranger. On the other side he can be unknown to the naked eye. For all we know he could be a lover, boyfriend, and husband and not bad especially if you think about his psychological side. Lonely, yes. Creepy, at first, but you can look deep and maybe find a loving and caring side of him that people may not portray because he is seen as God of the Dead, which really doesn’t sound like the person with that job would be all that great of a character.
So there are a few of the main characters of this myth. With Demeter and Persephone there could be a few more other ways of relating them to us. But when it comes to Hades someone could lose themselves in so many ways of depicting him. And reading the diverse way others do would open your eyes to new ways of seeing the myth.
There is Demeter, who naturally is a mother who loses her daughter, Persephone, to Hades, who steals her. Now on a social level, Demeter is like any mom who has a daughter. She is also kind of the backbone and/or structure to the family. But when tragedy strikes everything changes. So, psychologically after Persephone is lost, she is in grief and suffering; she becomes depressed.
Then we have Persephone, who is daughter of Demeter and she is stolen or kidnapped by Hades who wants her as his wife. After a while she eats a pomegranate seed, which is like her accepting her fate of being with Hades. Then every spring she is able to come back home and she brings with her life, and makes everything come alive and when she goes back down everything dies. That is like the seasons. When she is up it is spring through fall and everything is green and lush, but then it becomes winter and all the plants lose everything when she goes back down. That is her natural state.
On her social state she is a youthful daughter, unmarried and a virgin. At the same time on a different level she could be a girlfriend who is in love, which could change how others see the myth as it goes on. And she is stolen or kidnapped to become a young bride or in the case where she is a love struck girlfriend she could have gone willingly, except the fact that they say she was stolen could relate to being forced into a marriage or relationship which would account for the mother grieving as well.
Psychologically she is lost and confused and, maybe even though she was kidnapped, might grow to be in love. Along with that after she is stolen and married possibly, then when she comes back people know she is soiled, dirty or been deflowered. And then she is unwanted by any other person and may see herself as the guilty one and be afraid of everyone being ashamed of her.
Hades naturally is god of underworld and has stolen Persephone from her mother, Demeter, and made her his wife. He gives her a pomegranate seed that she eats as if accepting her fate to be his and stay with him. Socially, he is pretty bad because he is seen as a rapist, a kidnapper, thief and stranger. On the other side he can be unknown to the naked eye. For all we know he could be a lover, boyfriend, and husband and not bad especially if you think about his psychological side. Lonely, yes. Creepy, at first, but you can look deep and maybe find a loving and caring side of him that people may not portray because he is seen as God of the Dead, which really doesn’t sound like the person with that job would be all that great of a character.
So there are a few of the main characters of this myth. With Demeter and Persephone there could be a few more other ways of relating them to us. But when it comes to Hades someone could lose themselves in so many ways of depicting him. And reading the diverse way others do would open your eyes to new ways of seeing the myth.
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