The myth of Persephone and Hades has always interested me. I knew the whole myth.
Which is as follows: Hades fell in love with Persophone, who is the daughter of Demeter, the earth goddess. He developed a plan to kidnap her and bring her down to the underworld to live with him. Demeter, after learning this, was extremely distraught. The whole earth seemed to die in her grief. Demeter asked Zeus for help in getting her daughter back. Zeus said that she would be able to get Persephone back only if Persephone didn't eat anything while she was in the underworld. Hades, knowing this, tricked Persephone into eating three or four pomegranate seeds. By eating these, she was bound to the underworld and be his wife. It is said that she is only to return to the earth, to Demeter, for half of the year and spend the other half down in the underworld, being the Queen. Demeter is so alive and happy during the time that Persephone it up on the earth and when she returns, Demeter is heart broken. Since she is the earth goddess, the earth and nature reflect on her feelings. This is how the seasons began.
But after reading Ovid's version, I do believe that a crucial part in the myth was left out in the other versions that I have read. Ovid says that Cupid shot one of his arrows to Hades and that is how he fell in love with Persephone and became obsessed with her. This little bit of information is interesting to me in the way that the gods and goddesses can be affected by Cupid's arrows. This one human emotion, love, can consume even supreme beings. There are quite a few myths where Cupid shoots his arrows at gods/goddesses and they fall in love with the first person they see. Such a human quality that they are succumb to. They are not above falling in love or being heart broken by love. In this aspect they are just as human as you and me.
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