Each autumn for more than a thousand years, pilgrims from across the Greek and Roman world walked the Sacred Way to Eleusis to witness secret rites that promised a better fate in the world below. At the heart of those rites was the story of a maiden seized from a flowering meadow by the lord of the dead, a grieving mother whose sorrow brought the world to the brink of famine, and a single pomegranate seed that set the seasons turning. This episode brings you the story of Persephone, from the Homeric Hymn to Demeter and Ovid’s retellings to the Eleusinian Mysteries, and how her descent went on to inspire modern Pagan celebrations of the autumnal equinox and the Broadway hit Hadestown.
Content note: This episode centers on a story of abduction and forced marriage. Listener discretion is advised.
Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben with original music by Purple Planet.
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