What is Persephone?
[[File:Locri Pinax Persephone Opens Liknon Mystikon.jpg|thumb|[[Pinax]] of Persephone.]] '''Persephone''' ({{lang-el|Περσεφόνη}}, ''Persephonē'') is the goddess of the dead and queen of the underworld in ancient Greek religion and [[Greek mythology|myth]]. She is the daughter of [[Zeus]] and [[Demeter]] and is married to the god [[Hades]], with whom she rules over the souls of the dead. As a vegetation goddess, she presided over the bounty of the [[harvest]] as it emerged during the season of spring. Persephone and her mother [[Demeter]] were the central figures of the [[Eleusinian Mysteries]], which promised initiates a reward in the afterlife. The tale of her being abducted by [[Hades]], during which she was tricked into eating seeds from a [[pomegranate]] (the food of the dead), served to explain the cause of the seasons, and is one prominently featured in ancient Greek literature. Her symbols included the pomegranate, flowers and seeds of grain. During the summer she would rise up from the underworld to be with her mother Demeter. The goddess [[Proserpina]] is her Roman counterpart. [[Category:Greek gods and goddesses]] [[Category:Gods and goddesses of the underworld]] [[Category:Marriage goddesses]]