Proserpina and Pluto
- The Ancients used this story to explain the coming of the seasons. When Proserpina was in Pluto the land slowly became infertile and bleak (autumn and winter) because of her mothers’ sadness but when she returned the land and Ceres rejoiced growing flowers and creating fertile land (Spring and Summer).
- The six pomegranate seeds in which she ate were from the pomegranate known as the fruit of the dead. The legend goes that anyone who eats produce of the dead was bound to the land forever even just six small pomegranate seeds. The pomegranate is also one of the symbols of the goddess Proserpina.
- Proserpina's name derives from the Latin word "proserpere" meaning "to emerge.”
- There is a variety of pomegranate called Proserpina
- Proserpina’s role in the Underworld was to prepare the spirits of worthy women to enter Elysium, strewing flowers along the path she would travel
- Proserpina was the emblem of the seed corn, which lies in the earth during the winter, but sprouts in the spring, and in summer bears fruit.
- Pluto rode a golden chariot driven by four black stallions
The Myth in literature
- The rape of Proserpina is found in the poetic styles in Roman literature
- The Metamorphoses is a Latin narrative poem by Ovid. The myth of Proserpina and Pluto is found in book 5
Here, while young Proserpine, among the maids,
Diverts herself in these delicious shades;
While like a child with busy speed and care
She gathers lillies here, and vi'lets there;
While first to fill her little lap she strives,
Hell's grizly monarch at the shade arrives;
Sees her thus sporting on the flow'ry green,
And loves the blooming maid, as soon as seen.
His urgent flame impatient of delay,
Swift as his thought he seiz'd the beauteous prey,
And bore her in his sooty carr away.
The frighted Goddess to her mother cries,
But all in vain, for now far off she flies;
Far she behind her leaves her virgin train;
To them too cries, and cries to them in vain,
And, while with passion she repeats her call,
The vi'lets from her lap, and lillies fall:
She misses 'em, poor heart! and makes new moan;
Her lillies, ah! are lost, her vi'lets gone.
-A translation of part of book 5 of the metamorphose.
Diverts herself in these delicious shades;
While like a child with busy speed and care
She gathers lillies here, and vi'lets there;
While first to fill her little lap she strives,
Hell's grizly monarch at the shade arrives;
Sees her thus sporting on the flow'ry green,
And loves the blooming maid, as soon as seen.
His urgent flame impatient of delay,
Swift as his thought he seiz'd the beauteous prey,
And bore her in his sooty carr away.
The frighted Goddess to her mother cries,
But all in vain, for now far off she flies;
Far she behind her leaves her virgin train;
To them too cries, and cries to them in vain,
And, while with passion she repeats her call,
The vi'lets from her lap, and lillies fall:
She misses 'em, poor heart! and makes new moan;
Her lillies, ah! are lost, her vi'lets gone.
-A translation of part of book 5 of the metamorphose.
The Myth
- Proserpina and Pluto is simply the Romanised version of the Greek myth Persephone and Hades
- There are some variations where Proserpina is tempted by an extremely pretty flower and as soon as she picks it Pluto comes out of the underworld and kidnaps her
- Another part of the full myth is that Ceres at one point becomes the nurse for a young boy during her mourning and grieving and decides to make the child immortal by putting a special enchantment on him and burning all the mortal things out of him. However out of shock the mother takes him out of the fire and gets angry at Ceres. Ceres then changes to her goddess form and demands temples to be set up for her.
- It is also interesting that some variations say that after a while Proserpina gave in and started to enjoy her time in the Underworld married to Pluto. They say that she purposely ate the pomegranate seeds so that she could stay in the underworld and not have to go back to her mother.
- There are also some variations where Pluto comes out of a crack in the ground and takes her through that before going back down into the underworld.
- Other versions also say that Pluto consulted with Jupiter before kidnapping Proserpina and asked to marry her. Jupiter agrees and lets Pluto kidnap her as they both agree that Ceres would never let her go.
- Other versions say that it wasn’t the water nymph Alpheus that told Ceres where Proserpina was but instead it is told that sol the god of the sun. Instead of seeing Proserpina in the underworld he is said to actually have seen the abduction take place, because the sun god sees everything.
- Another variation is that the nymph Cyane was turned into liquid by Pluto because she witnessed the abduction of Proserpina. By turning her to liquid it would prevent her from telling Ceres what happens.
- Arethusa is supposedly the Goddess Artemis who changed to the nymph in order to escape the attention of Alpheus, the river god, however he still pursued her.