Story 4: The Wrath of a Mother
Mitzi Privett Email Storybook
Tonight when my brothers and I sat down
to read from our mothers journal we chose a story about our Aunt
Demeter. This only seems fitting since we all really love the cooler
months. I guess I am getting ahead of myself, this story will explain
why we have the different seasons. My mother and her sister were in
quite a mess as you will read,this is told by my mother as she was
there with Demeter when all of this took place.
"Sister, sister where are you? I need your help it is an emergency!" , Demeter called. "I am right here behind you. What is going on?", my mother asked. "I can't find my darling daughter Persephone anywhere! I just know that hateful Hera had something to do with it.", said Demeter. My mother said, "Calm down you know how she just loves to run around watching flowers bloom everywhere she puts her foot. She probably just lost track of time. Come on and I will help you find her." So off we go to talk to each of our brothers and sisters and even the dreaded Hera. No one knew where she was nor did any of them remember seeing her at all during the afternoon. As it started to get dark Demeter and I just kept on looking and calling for her. Since neither one of us believe in giving up we began to wander the earth looking for this precious child. We looked high and low for nine days. The longer we wandered the more angry and worried we became. We even began tearing up crops, killing livestock, and whatever else got in our way. On day ten we ran in to our friend Hecate and she told us that Persephone had been taken but she didn't know where. Finally we had exhausted all of our energy and resources, so we went to Helios, the all -seeing sun. He told us that Hades, the lord of the Underworld, had taken her. Since Hades was so powerful we had to really consider our options, I mean a full on rescue was not going to work. As Demeter and I began to talk we reached the conclusion that maybe the best way to handle this whole thing was to quit doing her job. You see Demeter was in charge of the harvest, making the plants grow. By her not doing her job everything began to die and there was nothing to harvest. To make matters even worse she felt so empty and lost without her daughter she covered the whole earth in snow. I was amazed at the feet of snow she poured upon the earth just to show her pain. The snow just seemed to last forever and the Gods and Goddesses began to beg and plead with her to allow the snow to melt and the earth to once again be fertile. Demeter refused to allow this until her daughter was returned to her. I tried reasoning with her, bribing her and threatening her all to no avail. Finally Zeus, Persephone's father, convinced Hades to let his daughter go. When Demeter and I arrived to get Persephone, Hades said, "I am sorry she can't leave with you because she has eaten of the food of the dead." "What!, said Demeter, I want my daughter and I want her now!" Had I not stepped in when I did I believe she would have done some serious physical harm to Hades. "Isn't there some kind of compromise that we can come to?", said my mother. As they all began to think my mother said, "How about joint custody?" "What is that?", said Demeter and Hades together. "Well, said my mother, that would be where that Persephone spends part of the year say six months with each of you." Demeter and Hades took some time and thought it over. Finally they both agreed that would be fine. At last Persephone was reunited with her mother and all was well until it was time for Persephone to return to Hades for his six months. As soon as Persephone entered the underworld all of the leaves began to die and fall from the trees, all of the plants began to die and the cold and snow once again returned. When my mother asked Demeter what was going on Demeter replied, " My heart is cold and empty when I am without my daughter that I pour my emotions onto the earth. When she returns to me all of my happiness returns and the earth shall live again, flowers will bloom, and plants and trees will grow."
At the end of the journal entry my mother said, "The lesson here is two fold, there is a reason for all seasons and be careful to keep track of your children or they may fall in with the wrong type of people.
When the nights reading was over my youngest brother said, "We sure had some strange, yet interesting family members. Who are hearing about next?" I said, "We are learning about Aphrodite, the goddess of love."
Author's Note: I took the original story of Persephone's abduction and told it from the point of view of her mother Demeter. I added my mother into the mix as the ever level headed character and spiced up the story a bit with today's language.
Bibliography:
"The Abduction of Persephone"
Author:Caroline Bigelow
Webpage: Clio's Realm
Weblink: http://www.musesrealm.net/stories/abductpersephone.html
Image Information:
"She Who Sings"
Artist: Jonathon Earl Bowser
Webpage: Mythic Naturalism
Weblink: http://www.jonathonart.com/aut.html
"Sister, sister where are you? I need your help it is an emergency!" , Demeter called. "I am right here behind you. What is going on?", my mother asked. "I can't find my darling daughter Persephone anywhere! I just know that hateful Hera had something to do with it.", said Demeter. My mother said, "Calm down you know how she just loves to run around watching flowers bloom everywhere she puts her foot. She probably just lost track of time. Come on and I will help you find her." So off we go to talk to each of our brothers and sisters and even the dreaded Hera. No one knew where she was nor did any of them remember seeing her at all during the afternoon. As it started to get dark Demeter and I just kept on looking and calling for her. Since neither one of us believe in giving up we began to wander the earth looking for this precious child. We looked high and low for nine days. The longer we wandered the more angry and worried we became. We even began tearing up crops, killing livestock, and whatever else got in our way. On day ten we ran in to our friend Hecate and she told us that Persephone had been taken but she didn't know where. Finally we had exhausted all of our energy and resources, so we went to Helios, the all -seeing sun. He told us that Hades, the lord of the Underworld, had taken her. Since Hades was so powerful we had to really consider our options, I mean a full on rescue was not going to work. As Demeter and I began to talk we reached the conclusion that maybe the best way to handle this whole thing was to quit doing her job. You see Demeter was in charge of the harvest, making the plants grow. By her not doing her job everything began to die and there was nothing to harvest. To make matters even worse she felt so empty and lost without her daughter she covered the whole earth in snow. I was amazed at the feet of snow she poured upon the earth just to show her pain. The snow just seemed to last forever and the Gods and Goddesses began to beg and plead with her to allow the snow to melt and the earth to once again be fertile. Demeter refused to allow this until her daughter was returned to her. I tried reasoning with her, bribing her and threatening her all to no avail. Finally Zeus, Persephone's father, convinced Hades to let his daughter go. When Demeter and I arrived to get Persephone, Hades said, "I am sorry she can't leave with you because she has eaten of the food of the dead." "What!, said Demeter, I want my daughter and I want her now!" Had I not stepped in when I did I believe she would have done some serious physical harm to Hades. "Isn't there some kind of compromise that we can come to?", said my mother. As they all began to think my mother said, "How about joint custody?" "What is that?", said Demeter and Hades together. "Well, said my mother, that would be where that Persephone spends part of the year say six months with each of you." Demeter and Hades took some time and thought it over. Finally they both agreed that would be fine. At last Persephone was reunited with her mother and all was well until it was time for Persephone to return to Hades for his six months. As soon as Persephone entered the underworld all of the leaves began to die and fall from the trees, all of the plants began to die and the cold and snow once again returned. When my mother asked Demeter what was going on Demeter replied, " My heart is cold and empty when I am without my daughter that I pour my emotions onto the earth. When she returns to me all of my happiness returns and the earth shall live again, flowers will bloom, and plants and trees will grow."
At the end of the journal entry my mother said, "The lesson here is two fold, there is a reason for all seasons and be careful to keep track of your children or they may fall in with the wrong type of people.
When the nights reading was over my youngest brother said, "We sure had some strange, yet interesting family members. Who are hearing about next?" I said, "We are learning about Aphrodite, the goddess of love."
Author's Note: I took the original story of Persephone's abduction and told it from the point of view of her mother Demeter. I added my mother into the mix as the ever level headed character and spiced up the story a bit with today's language.
Bibliography:
"The Abduction of Persephone"
Author:Caroline Bigelow
Webpage: Clio's Realm
Weblink: http://www.musesrealm.net/stories/abductpersephone.html
Image Information:
"She Who Sings"
Artist: Jonathon Earl Bowser
Webpage: Mythic Naturalism
Weblink: http://www.jonathonart.com/aut.html