THE ORIGIN OF SPRING AND WINTER

(Greek Mythology of Hades and Persephone)

Hades, one of Zeus brothers, is the great ruler of the Underworld. Once he fell in love
with Persephone, the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, the goddess of grain, agriculture, and
fertility. Therefore, he asked for consent to his brother, Zeus, to allow him to marry his daughter.
But Demeter knew if her daughter married to Hades, she had to stay in the Underworld forever.
So she did not give her consent for Hades marrying her daughter. Knowing this, Hades intended
to abduct Persephone and took her as his wife.
One day, Persephone played in the field. That time spring was eternally reigned on the
land. When she played in the blossoms, Hades suddenly appeared. His four-horse chariot was
thundering across the land. Hades scooped Persephone with an arm and took her as fast as the
light of a thunder that no Persephones companions around her realized that. The earth before
Hades opened up and drove his chariot down to the earth. As Hades and Persephone disappeared
in the depth, the earth closed again.
When Demeter came to collect her daughter but she did not find Persephone. Desperate
by her daughter missing, Demeter searched her daughter days and nights. However, she did not
find her so she destroyed the lands, the crops, and livestock.
One day, Demeter was told by Helius that her daughter was abducted by Hades, the God
of the Underworld. Demeter herself did not give her consent of Hades marrying her daughter.
Therefore, she refused to return to the Mount Olympus and preferred to live disguising as a
mortal. She forbade the trees to bear fruit and earth to nurture vegetables and plants.
Since there was not enough food, mankind was almost extinct. Zeus feared that if
mankind was extinct, there would be no offer from mankind and this would be the ruins for the
Gods and Goddesses for they existed from mankinds offer. Therefore Zeus persuaded Hades to
return Persephone to the world. Zeus agreed but before Persephone left the Underworld, he gave
her a pomegranate fruit because she had never eaten since she was abducted. But it was only a
trick. Anyone who tastes the food of Hades must remain in the Underworld.
Because Persephone had eaten there, she had to dwell in Underworld for part of the year.
Therefore she stayed in Underworld for half of the year and another half on earth. Demeter
agreed to return to the Mount Olympus, but she made a deal that during Persephone dwelled in
the Underworld, the earth became colder and less fertile and when she dwelled on the earth, the
land became fertile again.
That is why the earth experiences winter, or autumn, in half part of the year and spring, or
summer, in another half.