Why I Hate the Persephone Myth...and What I'm Going To Do About It.
Persephone's Retelling
Around age 10, I discovered Greek mythology, and at 13, I first encountered the myth of Kore, or Persephone. Greek mythology portrays her as the offspring of Demeter, goddess of the harvest, and Zeus, King of the gods. (Let’s disregard the unusual incest.)
With age came awareness of social dynamics, romantic relationships, and gender bias. I realized I didn’t like the characterization of Demeter and Hades, Persephone’s eventual husband. (more incest)
I feel like it would be appropriate to mention my first introduction to this myth. Lore Olympus.
When I first discovered this Webtoon, I was thrilled. I was in the seventh grade and had already known bits and pieces about Greek mythology, my first introduction being the movie Hercules starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson back in 2014. I became hooked on mythology, using the internet to research anything I could find until I discovered Lore Olympus at 13. But as time went on and I was on the other end of being 14 years old, I dropped the comic and Webtoon as a whole.
During that time, I had grown up, gained knowledge, and had experience, which leads me to my main point. When I picked up the comic and began to reread and catch up. During this reread, I realized the characterization bothered me, specifically with Persephone herself, her mother, Demeter, and Hades.
The dynamic between these characters, most people are familiar with in this myth. Despite most versions of the myth portraying Hades as a kidnapper or rapist, people portray Demeter as demonized and Hades as a savior. (who was also her uncle…ew)
I’m not saying I am strictly against this version of the myth, but why is the demonization of Demeter in the mainstream so common? The first time I read this myth, Persephone wasn’t even the main character; it was her mother. They used Persephone as a plot device to explain the seasons’ origin. In other cases, depending on the version you read, she’s not always just a plot device. Not only that, but almost every retelling portrays Hades as saving Persephone from her overbearing, controlling mother. While this is a real dynamic that appears in the real world. Seeing the same thing over and repeatedly makes me question why he is a savior when, in the myth, not only did he kidnap his niece, he also tricked her into staying half the year with him in the underworld.
Another thing I noticed is the weird passive role given to Persephone in every popular mainstream retelling. Yes, she is a victim, but after a while, it gets tiring to see the same thing repeatedly. She is always a character being acted upon instead of making her own decisions. People regard Hades as this hero who saves her and gives her a better, darker, freer life, allowing her to bloom into womanhood instead of discovering it on her own. See how creepy that earlier sentence sounds? That’s exactly the way I see mainstream retellings, or at least the way it comes off to me.
Don’t get me wrong, I do not mind the romantic storyline as long as there is no relation between the two, but I am deeply confused and triggered by the constant infantilization (Persephone), demonization (Demeter), and glorification (Hades) of these characters and I don’t plan on just complaining about it.
One day during a rant, which took place inside my head, I got the idea to create my Persephone retelling in book form. I thought: How could I honor the original myth, avoid what I complain about, and add my twist to the story?
Here is how I answered my questions:
1. Give Persephone Agency—FROM THE START
Instead of being stolen, what if she descends not for love or Hades but for her own motives and selfish desires? This leaves room for her original naïve characterization to stick without making her a passive goddess being acted on versus a goddess who has autonomy and will and uses it.
2. Rethink the Myth’s Structure
Previously, I mentioned her being ‘acted upon’. Maybe her transformation is from her decisions and mistakes instead of being kidnapped or manipulated into eating pomegranate seeds. I could pull in trauma metaphors, permanent consequences, lessons around maturity or turn her descent into a metaphorical inner journey.
3. Reclaim Demeter as More Than a Clingy, Controlling Mother
While on its own, there is nothing inherently wrong with this trope, what if we take one of the original meanings of this story and reuse it with a twist? A mother protects her child from gods who can and will destroy what they don’t understand.
Let her be complex. Let her be right about something because in the mythology and the real world, she would have been.
4. De-center Hades
Not entirely; he is and will always be an important piece of this story, but he does not have to be the character that causes her to transform, the being that acts on her, at least not in my version of the story. He plays an important part, but that part is not solely or predominantly in her journey but in the overall plot of the story.
Personal Story Note: Don’t worry, their love story will happen, but it will be a slow burn and authentically grown without that “older-man and younger-woman” insane age gap, ‘WhoWha’ perverted, bull crap 😂
These are some of my thoughts on this topic. I will explore on my Patreon more specifically. There you will see graphics, illustrations, deals when the book is officially done, behind-the-scenes comic illustrations of the characters, limited offers to read the pre-edited and completed version, and much more.
More essays like this are to come!
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