The great goddess Demeter had a beautiful young daughter, Persephone. Persephone's father was the great son of Cronus himself, the thunderer Zeus. One day, the beautiful Persephone, together with her friends, the Oceanids, frolicked carefree in the blooming Nisei Valley[3]. Like a light-winged butterfly, the young daughter of Demeter ran from flower to flower. She picked lush roses, fragrant violets, snow-white lilies and red hyacinths. Persephone frolicked carelessly, not knowing the fate that her father Zeus had assigned to her. Persephone did not think that she would not soon see the clear light of the sun again, nor would she soon admire the flowers and inhale their sweet aroma. Zeus gave her as a wife to his gloomy brother Hades, the ruler of the kingdom of the shadows of the dead, and Persephone was supposed to live with him in the darkness of the underworld, deprived of the light of the hot southern sun.
Hades saw Persephone frolicking in the Nisei Valley and decided to immediately kidnap her. He begged the Earth goddess Gaia to grow a flower of unusual beauty. The goddess Gaia agreed, and a wondrous flower grew in the Nisei Valley; its heady aroma spread far and wide in all directions. Persephone saw a flower; So she reached out and grabbed it by the stem, and now the flower was plucked. Suddenly the earth opened up, and the lord of the kingdom of the shadows of the dead, the gloomy Hades, appeared from the ground on black horses in a golden chariot. He grabbed young Persephone, lifted her onto his chariot and in the blink of an eye disappeared on his fast horses into the bowels of the earth. Persephone only managed to scream. The cry of horror of the young daughter of Demeter was heard far away; it reached both the depths of the sea and the high, bright Olympus. No one saw how the gloomy Hades kidnapped Persephone, only the god Helios the Sun saw him.
The goddess Demeter heard Persephone's cry. She hurried to the Nisei Valley, looked everywhere for her daughter, asked her friends, the Oceanids, but she was nowhere to be found. The oceanids did not see where Persephone had disappeared.
Heavy grief over the loss of her only beloved daughter took possession of Demeter’s heart. Dressed in dark clothes, for nine days, unaware of anything, without thinking about anything, the great goddess Demeter wandered around the earth, shedding bitter tears. She looked for Persephone everywhere, asked everyone for help, but no one could help her in her grief. Finally, on the tenth day, she came to the god Helios the Sun and began to pray to him with tears:
- Oh, radiant Helios! You ride around on a golden chariot high in the sky all over the earth and all the seas, you see everything, nothing can hide from you; if you have even a little pity for the unfortunate mother, then tell me where my daughter Persephone is, tell me where to look for her! I heard her scream, she was kidnapped from me. Tell me who kidnapped her. I've looked everywhere for her, but I can't find her anywhere!
The radiant Helios answered Demeter:
“Great goddess, you know how much I honor you, you see how I grieve, seeing your grief.” Know that the great cloud suppressor Zeus gave your daughter as a wife to his gloomy brother, Lord Hades. He kidnapped Persephone and took her to his kingdom full of horrors. Overcome your heavy sadness, goddess; After all, your daughter’s husband is great, she became the wife of the powerful brother of the great Zeus.
The goddess Demeter was even more saddened. She was angry with the thunderer Zeus because he gave Persephone to Hades as his wife without her consent. She left the gods, left the bright Olympus, took on the appearance of a mere mortal and, donning dark clothes, wandered among mortals for a long time, shedding bitter tears.
All growth on earth ceased. The leaves on the trees withered and fell off. The forests stood bare. The grass has faded; the flowers dropped their colorful corollas and dried up. There were no fruits in the gardens, the green vineyards dried up, and the heavy, juicy grapes did not ripen in them. Previously, the fertile fields were empty, not a blade of grass grew on them. Life on earth froze. Hunger reigned everywhere: crying and groans were heard everywhere. Death threatened the entire human race. But Demeter did not see or hear anything, immersed in sadness for her dearly beloved daughter.
Finally, Demeter came to the city of Eleusis. There, near the city walls, she sat down in the shade of an olive tree on the “stone of sorrow” near the “well of virgins.” Demeter sat motionless, like a statue. Her dark clothes fell in straight folds to the ground. Her head was bowed, and tears rolled from her eyes one after another and fell onto her chest. Demeter sat like that for a long time, alone, inconsolable.
The daughters of King Eleusis, Kelei, saw her. They were surprised to notice a crying woman in dark clothes at the source, approached her and asked with sympathy who she was. But the goddess Demeter did not reveal herself to them. She said that her name was Deo, that she was from Crete, that she was taken away by robbers, but she fled from them and after long wanderings came to Eleusis. Demeter asked the daughters of Kelei to take her to their father's house, she agreed to become their mother's servant, raise the children and work in Kelei's house. The daughters of Keleus brought Demeter to their mother, Metaneira.
Kelei's daughters did not think that they were introducing a great goddess into their father's house. But when they brought Demeter into her father’s house, the goddess’s head touched the top of the door, and the whole house was illuminated with a wondrous light. Metaneira stood up to meet the goddess; she realized that her daughters had brought her to her not a mere mortal. Kelei's wife bowed low before the stranger and asked her to sit in her place as queen. Demeter refused; she sat down silently on the simple maid's seat, still indifferent to everything that was happening around her. Metaneira's maid, the cheerful Yamba, seeing the deep sadness of the stranger, tried to cheer her up. She cheerfully served her and her mistress Metaneira; Her laughter sounded loud and jokes fell. Demeter smiled for the first time since the gloomy Hades kidnapped Persephone from her, and for the first time she agreed to taste food.
Demeter remained with Kelei. She began to raise his son Demophon. The goddess decided to give Demophon immortality. She held the baby at her divine breast, on her lap; the baby breathed the immortal breath of the goddess. Demeter rubbed him with ambrosia, and at night, when everyone in Kelei's house was asleep, she wrapped Demophon in swaddling clothes and placed him in a brightly burning oven. But Demophon did not receive immortality. Once Metaneira saw her son lying in the oven, she was terribly frightened and began to beg Demeter not to do this. Demeter was angry with Metaneira, took Demophon out of the lech and said:
- Oh, unreasonable! I wanted to give immortality to your son, make him invulnerable. Know, I am Demeter, giving strength and joy to mortals and immortals.
Demeter revealed to Kelea Metaneira who she was and assumed her usual form as a goddess. Divine light spread throughout Kelei's chambers. The goddess Demeter stood, majestic and beautiful, her golden hair fell over her shoulders, her eyes burned with divine wisdom, and fragrance flowed from her clothes. Metaneira and her husband fell to their knees before her.
The goddess Demeter ordered the construction of a temple in Eleusis, at the source of Callichora, and remained to live in it. At this temple, Demeter herself instituted festivals.
The sadness for her dearly beloved daughter did not leave Demeter, and she did not forget her anger at Zeus. The land was still barren. The hunger became more and more severe, as not a single grass grew in the farmers' fields. It was in vain that the farmer's oxen dragged the heavy plow across the arable land - their work was fruitless. Entire tribes perished. The cries of the hungry rushed to the sky, but Demeter did not heed them. Finally, sacrifices to the immortal gods stopped smoking on earth. Death threatened all living things. The great cloud suppressor Zeus did not want mortals to die. He sent the messenger of the gods, Iris, to Demeter. She quickly rushed on her rainbow wings to Eleusis to the temple of Demeter, called her, begged her to return to the bright Olympus in the host of the gods. Demeter did not heed her pleas. The great Zeus also sent other gods to Demeter, but the goddess did not want to return to Olympus before Hades returned her daughter Persephone to her.
Then the great Zeus, quick as a thought, sent Hermes to his gloomy brother Hades. Hermes descended into the horror-filled kingdom of Hades, appeared before the ruler of the souls of the dead sitting on the golden throne and told him the will of Zeus.
Hades agreed to let Persephone go to her mother, but first gave her a pomegranate seed, a symbol of marriage, to swallow. Persephone mounted her husband's golden chariot with Hermes; The immortal horses of Hades rushed, no obstacles were scary to them, and in the blink of an eye they reached Eleusis.
Forgetting everything with joy, Demeter rushed towards her daughter and embraced her. Her beloved daughter Persephone was with her again. Demeter returned with her to Olympus. Then the great Zeus decided that for two thirds of the year he would live with his mother Persephone, and for one third he would return to his husband Hades.
The Great Demeter restored fertility to the earth, and everything bloomed and turned green again. The forests were covered with tender spring foliage; the flowers were colorful on the emerald grass of the meadows. Soon the grain fields began to sprout; the gardens bloomed and fragrant; the greenery of the vineyards sparkled in the sun. All nature awakened, All living things rejoiced and glorified the great goddess Demeter and her daughter Persephone.
But every year Persephone leaves her mother, and every time Demeter plunges into sadness and again puts on dark clothes. And all nature grieves for the departed. The leaves on the trees turn yellow and are torn off by the autumn wind; The flowers fade, the fields become empty, and winter comes. Nature sleeps to wake up in the joyful splendor of spring when Persephone returns to her mother from the joyless kingdom of Hades. When her daughter returns to Demeter, then the great goddess of fertility with a generous hand showers her gifts on people and blesses the work of the farmer with a rich harvest.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru