Juniors try pomegranate seeds

DCHS Journalism

Adrienne Pauls

September 07, 2008

In Junior English, Mrs. Breth gave the class a fruity treat.

The class is studying Greek and Roman mythology and recently read the story of Demeter and Persephone. Demeter is the goddess of harvest, and her daughter Persephone is the goddess of spring.

When Hades, the god of the Underworld, saw Persephone, he wanted her as his wife, and so he got his wish by asking Zeus, the god of all. This made Demeter angry and sad because she missed her daughter. So Demeter, being the goddess of harvest, did not take care of the crops, which made the earth a dark and dead place. This forced Zeus to tell Hades that he had to allow Persephone to come back to her mother.

Hades agreed under one condition: that Persephone eat a meal with him. She wasn't very hungry, but she was anxious to leave, so she only ate six pomegranate seeds. This was a big mistake because the rule in the Underworld is if you eat there you must stay there. So Zeus and Hades made an agreement: since she ate only six seeds, she would stay in the Underworld six months and then return to earth six months. This is how the Greeks then explained their seasons.

Summer is when Persephone was on Earth and Demeter was happy. Fall was Demeter dreading Persephone's leaving, and winter was the time that Persephone was gone, which made Demeter sad. The spring was Demeter anxious for her return