ANALYZING THE STORY: PART 1 THE DECENT (THE ABDUCTION)

Demeter and Persephone made at Myrina, 
north-west Asia Minor c. 100 BC

To begin, I have here a link to the version of the Homeric tale cleverly called "Homeric Tale to Demeter" translated by Gregory Nagy.

"Homeric Tale to Demeter" http://www.uh.edu/~cldue/texts/demeter.html

This myth contains 495 lines.  My hope is to read through it line by line and provide a summery while pointing out some things to think about regarding the relationship between men and women of Ancient Greece.

The narrator opens the story saying, "I begin to sing of Demeter, the holy goddess with the beautiful hair/ And her daughter (Persephone) too.  The one with the delicate ankles, whom Hades/ seized.  She was given away by Zeus, the loud-thunderer, the one who sees far and wide"  The first couple of lines very quickly begin to build the traits men and women are measured by.  These two, exceptionally known goddesses, are described by physical traits of beauty and delicacy while Zeus is described by his power and omniscience.  

The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was made by the Greek sculptor Phidias, circa 432 BC on the site where it was erected in the Temple of Zeus, Olympia, Greece.

It is made clear in the beginning that there is a plot taking place between Zeus, Hades and Gaia (the mother earth goddess) in which Demeter knows nothing about.  Zeus gave his consent to Hades taking Persephone, and the earth would help Hades catch her by luring her with the beautiful narcissus flower.  Essentially, one gets the vibe that the mother and the daughter's awareness of the arrangement unimportant.

Narcissus (1912) - John William Waterhouse

The myth says, "Persephone was having a good time along with the daughters of Okeanos, who wear their girdles slung low."  She was picking flowers when she saw the narcissus and in a state of wonder, reached toward it with both hands "to take hold of the pretty plaything."  The earth opened up and Hades lunged forward and seized her "against her will"and put her on his golden chariot.  They drove away as she "cried with a piercing voice."  

A few questions came to me in this section of the myth.  Persephone is portrayed as a very innocent figure.  She was having a "good time" with her friends picking flowers, she is described as flower-faced (which perhaps is describing her virgin state), sees a flower as a "pretty plaything" and is simply seized without the mention of a struggle besides her screaming.  Overall she seems more like a powerless, innocent child than a young woman leading me to wonder, How old was Persephone?.  The daughters of Okeanos also strikes me as an interesting detail to include.  I am assuming their "girdles slung low" could mean one of two things (I unfortunately could not find any information on this).  Perhaps it refers to a way that young women wore their clothing for play reinforcing the idea of innocence OR it implies the exposure of their breast, perhaps to comparatively describe the girls as not so innocent.  If this indeed is the meaning, it reminds me of the awful contemporary habit we have of describing how a girl dresses and what that implies about her character or how she should expect to be treated.  Maybe these sisters are intended to be seen as "not worthy" of Hades or a "bad influence" on Persephone. 

The Rape of Persephone, Christopher Schwartz,
middle to late 1500s

At this pivotal point in the story, Persephone is being carried off by Hades' chariot and is screaming for help.  She cries to her Father Zeus and it says, "But not one of the immortal ones, or of human mortals, heard her voice."  None that is except for Hekatê.  I find this ironic as  Zeus is the one who "sees far and wide."  apparently his auditory capabilities do not match his seeing abilities.  We find out later that at this time Zeus is in the temple because humans are giving sacrifices to him.  This is how they explain him not able to hear her crying to him for help, but they also reiterate that he knows of the agreement for Hades, his brother, to have Persephone.

Hekate & Cerberus, Apulian red-figure krater
C4th B.C., Antikensammlungen, Munich

Hekatê, was the goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, moon, ghosts and necromancy.  She was honored above all by Zeus and held the rare triple dominion in earth, sea, and heaven.  A very mysterious figure known to choose the victor in battles and grant wealth and honor.  She is considered very powerful but is also described as Kourotrophos, 'a Nursing-mother.' Could it be these strong ties to motherhood that made her the only one aware of Persephone's cries?

Part 1 of the story ends with: "So long as the earth and the star-filled sky/ were still within the goddess’s [Persephone’s] view, as also the fish-swarming sea [pontos], with its strong currents,/ as also the rays of the sun, she still had hope that she would yet see/ her dear mother and that special group, the immortal gods."

While not mentioned in the Homeric Hymn, it is implied by various artworks that Persephone is raped by Hades.  Surprisingly, most artists from ancient Greece up to the present choose this violent moment to depict the story.  I find this difficult to understand when it does not seem to be mentioned in the hymn and also because this moment is surrounded by so much alternative, fascinating imagery of Demeter searching for her daughter. Why is there so little imagery of the strong bond between Demeter and Persephone such as the sculpture at the top of this post when that is what the story is about?  

Here are just a few of the countless artistic pieces which illustrate the moment of Persephone's abduction and rape.  Due to the understanding of the "male gaze" (assuming art is to be viewed by males) it can be assumed that this scene is so popular because this image is not threatening to view from a male perspective and can be considered visually exciting and sexual.  From a female perspective however, this scene is terrifying and violent.  In my mind, this imagery makes me rethink how we choose which snapshots of a story we choose to portray.

The Abduction of Persephone, fresco,
The Royal Tomb of Persephone, 4th Century BC

The Abduction of Persephone by Hades,
Terracotta, 40,5 x 43,8 cm
Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts, Brussels

The Rape of Proserpine, Hans Von Aachen, 1587
Oil on Canvas, 109 × 150 cm (42.9 × 59.1 in)

The Rape of Proserpina, Bernini,
marble sculpture, 1622

The Rape of Proserpina, detail

Rape of  Persephone, Tempera painting

Homeric Hymn to Demeter Translated by Gregory Nagy

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

Information on the goddess Hekatê
http://www.theoi.com/Khthonios/Hekate.html
http://www.sacred-texts.com/etc/tu/tu08.htm