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And though she called out to them-and plaintively called for her mother-no one heard her pleas. The appearance, abduction, and disappearance happened so swiftly that none of Persephone’s companions witnessed the kidnapping. The god swooped down upon Persephone, scooped her up with one arm, and literally and figuratively deflowered her-leaving the plain scattered with blossoms of every color. Hades suddenly appeared, thundering across the plain in his four-horse chariot. Persephone was gathering flowers one day on a plain in Sicily. At Zeus’s suggestion-or with his tacit understanding-Hades resolved to abduct the maiden. Yet he warned Hades that Demeter would never approve this coupling, for she would not want her daughter spirited off to a sunless world. His brother Zeus consented to the marriage-or at least refused to oppose it. And that, dear Shmoopers, is where the seasons come from.Hades, god of the Underworld, fell in love with Persephone and wanted her as his bride.Demeter reluctantly agrees with this, but says that when Persephone is in the underworld, nothing on earth will grow.(Note: the number of months is different in various myths, and sometimes it relates to the number of pomegranate seeds that Persephone eats.).It's decided that Persephone only has to spend part of the year with Hades in the underworld.Zeus sends his mother, Rhea, down to broker a deal with Demeter.Just then, Hecate shows up and consoles Persephone and Demeter from that point on Hecate is Persephone's BFF.Demeter is totally ticked off and says that nothing will grow on earth ever again.Persephone tells her mom how Hades tricked her into eating the pomegranate seeds.It turns out that, if you eat something while you're down there, you have to stay there forever.Demeter is super happy to see her daughter again, but upon seeing her, she immediately asks Persephone if she ate anything while in the underworld.Hermes and Persephone then fly out of the land of the dead in Hermes's chariot.(Note: the number of seeds varies from myth to myth.).
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Hades agrees, but, before Persephone goes, he secretly slips some pomegranate seeds into her mouth.Seeing this, Zeus sends Hermes, the messenger god, down to the underworld to order Hades to let Persephone go.A terrible famine assaults the earth, and people are starving everywhere.Demeter vows that she won't set foot on Mount Olympus and that she won't let anything grow on earth until she sets eyes on her daughter again.She is even sadder than she was before, and she's furious with Zeus.The sun god tries to cheer Demeter up by pointing out that Hades is a good husband for her daughter after all he's a pretty important and powerful god.Helios ends up telling Demeter the whole deal – Zeus gave Persephone to Hades and Hades hauled her down to the underworld.Demeter decides to go ask Helios, the sun god, since he's up in the sky all day and sees pretty much everything.Eventually, Hecate shows up and tells Demeter that she heard the scream too, but that she doesn't know what happened either.The goddess is so upset that she doesn't eat or bathe while she's searching.
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