AN INTRODUCTION

The Return of Persephone, Lord Frederich Leighton, 1891

The tragic story of Demeter and her daughter Persephone is one of the most remembered stories in ancient mythology.  Perhaps this is due to the traumatic events that take place within the plot or maybe it is because, on a universal level, it depicts what the strong bond of love looks like between a mother and a daughter.    

I, myself, was exposed to this story as a young girl.  While I did not understand a great deal of the content within it, the illustrations of a mother desperately looking for a daughter lost to the depths of hell stuck with me.  Now, as a young woman, I hope to revisit and re-explore this story with new understanding.   

Using my feminist perspective and a little critical thinking, I hope to ask you provoking questions and shed new insight on this timeless story.  So here is my first question...What do you know about this piece of mythology?  

Information on the image and the artist Lord Frederich Leighton
http://www.leedsartgallery.co.uk/gallery/listings/l0033.php

  

Homeric Hymn to Demeter Translated by Gregory Nagy

http://www.uh.edu/~cldue/texts/demeter.html