![]() I want to shed light on the role Persephone played in ancient societies as well as the role she occupies in pop culture today. Via user Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg) on Wikimedia Commons. Sometimes Persephone’s story manages to represent all of these interpretations at once. Somehow, the story has also come to represent an alternative tale of love, agency, and feminine empowerment. The more you learn about her, the more complicated and compelling she becomes. She represents a duality of chaos and tragedy paired with femininity and beauty, at once the goddess of spring and simultaneously the queen of the Underworld. To some, P’s story is a tragic tale of violence and stolen innocence, to others, a heartbreak between mother and daughter, to others still, a twisted love story. I’ll be approaching the primary sources and archaeological evidence with a modern feminist perspective, meaning every small detail and variation will be put under the microscope, as this is often where elements of gender roles and societal expectations can be found. Persephone’s story contains themes which can be potentially triggering for some readers, as there are multiple mentions of abduction and violence against women, so proceed with caution when reading this article. Each tells the story of P with subtle but culturally significant shifts. To understand her story I’ve used four main primary sources: the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, Ovid’s Fasti Book Four, Ovid’s Metamorphoses, and Claudian’s Rape of Proserpine. Throughout the article I’ll be using the names Persephone (Greek) and Prosperina (Latin) when referring to specific iconography or versions of the myth, but when talking more generally I’ll just call her P. This article will focus on the current cool-girl of mythological figures, the Graeco-Roman goddess Persephone/ Proserpina. ![]()
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