Are pomegranates from the underworld?

Symbol of death and fertility In Greek mythology, the pomegranate was known as the ‘fruit of the dead’ as it was said to have arisen from the blood of Adonis. Hades, God of the underworld, used pomegranate seeds to trick Persephone into returning to the underworld for a few months of every year.

What happens when Persephone ate the pomegranate seeds?

By eating a few pomegranate seeds, Persephone tied herself to Hades—the pomegranate being a symbol of the indissolubility of marriage. Inconsolable at the loss of her daughter, the corn goddess Demeter prevented the earth from bearing fruit unless she saw her daughter again.

What tree represents Persephone?

POMEGRANATE TREE Myth 2 : Rape of Persephone. Haides the king of the underworld abducted Persephone for his wife. She refused to eat while she remained with him, until he tempted her with the seed of the pomegranate.

When did Persephone eat the pomegranate seeds?

When Zeus heard what had happened, he thought long and hard before making his judgment. Finally he declared, “Because Persephone ate six of the twelve pomegranate seeds, let her live for six months of every year in the Kingdom of the Dead. For the other six months, let her live with her mother on the earth…

Did Hades trick Persephone into eating the pomegranate?

Hades complies with the request, but first he tricks Persephone, giving her some pomegranate seeds to eat.

How many seeds of pomegranate did Persephone eat?

seven pomegranate seeds
Persephone ingests seven pomegranate seeds, a departure from the single seed in the Homeric Hymn and the three seeds in Fasti (4.607–8), where, as Fantham observes (1998: 207), the number of seeds is equivalent to the months spent in Hades.

How many pomegranate seeds did Persephone eat?

What’s the truth about pomegranate seeds?

The skin of the pomegranate is thick and inedible, but there are hundreds of edible seeds within. Each seed is surrounded by a red, juicy and sweet seed covering known as an aril. The seeds and arils are the edible parts of the fruit — eaten either raw or processed into pomegranate juice — but the peel is discarded.

What are facts about Persephone?

Persephone. The tale of her being abducted by Hades, during which she was tricked into eating seeds from a pomegranate (the food of the dead), served to explain the cause of the seasons, and is one prominently featured in ancient Greek literature. Her symbols included the pomegranate, flowers and seeds of grain.

Why did Persephone eat pomegranate?

While she was away, nothing in the world flourished. When the other gods and goddesses found out what Hades had done, they forced him to let her go. Before he did, he gave Persephone some cursed pomegranate seeds, which she ate and was forced to return to Hades for a whole season every year, which is Winter.

What fruit did Persephone eat?

Persephone was a Greek goddess of grain and spring. Also sometimes referred to as Kore. A daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She was kidnapped by Hades and he makes her eat a pomegranate, a fruit of the underworld.

What is the story of Persephone and the pomegranate?

In Ancient Greek mythology , the pomegranate features prominently in the story of Persephone and her marriage to Hades, the god of the Underworld. Hades kidnapped Persephone and took her to the Underworld to be his wife.