Every year before the ancient Greeks sowed their seeds of grain, they celebrated Demeter, the goddess of agriculture. On Earth, each morsel of food was sweet sustenance, while in the land of the dead, it ensured a permanent stay. Demeter tended to Earth’s fields with her beloved daughter, Persephone, who inherited her mother’s passions and grew into a bright young woman. But all the while, a shadowy figure watched from below.
Svake godine pre setve žita, stari Grci slavili su Demetru, boginju zemljoradnje. Na zemlji, svaki komadić hrane bio je sladak zalogaj, dok je u zemlji mrtvih značio osudu na stalni ostanak. Demetra je brinula o poljima na zemlji sa svojom voljenom ćerkom, Persefonom, koja je od nje nasledila iste strasti i izrasla u pametnu mladu ženu. Ali za sve to vreme, odozdo ih je posmatrala senovita prilika.
One day, Persephone was frolicking in a meadow with a freshwater nymph, Cyane. As they admired a blooming narcissus flower, they noticed it tremble in the ground. Suddenly, the earth split, and a terrifying figure arose. It was Hades, god of the dead and the underworld. He wrenched Persephone from Cyane, dragged her into his inky chariot, and blasted back through the earth.
Jednog dana, Persefona se na livadi družila sa slatkovodnom nimfom, Kijanom. Dok su se divile cvetu narcisa, primetile su da podrhtava u zemlji. Odjednom, zemlja se otvorila i pojavila se zastrašujuća prilika. Bio je to Had, bog mrtvih i podzemnog sveta. Otrgnuo je Persefonu od Kijane, odvukao je u svoje mračne kočije i odjurio nazad pod zemlju.
Cyane wept so hard she dissolved, becoming one with the river. By the time Demeter arrived at the scene of the abduction, the crater in the meadow had closed— and Cyane and Persephone had vanished.
Kijana je toliko plakala da se rastopila, postavši jedno sa rekom. Dok je Demetra stigla do mesta otmice, rupa na livadi već se zatvorila, a Kijana i Persefona su nestale.
Demeter sped to Mount Olympus for help. Many of the gods had witnessed the scene. And they knew about the deal that paved the way for it: Zeus, Persephone’s father, had granted Hades her hand in marriage without her consent— or Demeter’s. But when faced with Demeter’s pleas, the other gods stayed silent,
Demetra je pojurila do planine Olimp da potraži pomoć. Mnogi bogovi su svedočili otmici. I znali su za dogovor koji je do nje doveo: Zevs, Persefonin otac, obećao je Hadu njenu ruku, bez njenog ili Demetrinog pristanka. Ostali bogovi nisu se odazvali na Demetrine molbe,
So, she searched alone. In her grief and desperation, she neglected her usual tasks. Crops withered, and a great famine plagued the Earth. As mortals began to perish, the gods grew wary. Who would worship them and offer tributes if the humans disappeared? So, Zeus ordered Demeter to stop her crusade and returned to her duties. But she refused.
te je sama krenula u potragu. Ožalošćena i očajna, zanemarila je svoje uobičajene obaveze. Usevi su se osušili i velika glad zavladala je zemljom. Kako su smrtnici počeli da umiru, bogovima nije bilo svejedno. Ko će ih obožavati i prinositi im žrtve ako ljudi nestanu? Stoga je Zevs naredio Demetri da prekine bojkot i vrati se dužnostima. Međutim, ona je odbila.
Deep below, across the frigid river Styx, and through the halls of the underworld, Persephone was waging her own protest. Hades expected her to serve as his wife and queen. But Persephone rebuffed the god’s advances and refused food. As she longed for her mother’s company, her friends’ laughter, and the sun’s warmth, Persephone grew colder and lonelier. And she was starving. She hungered for satisfying grains, crisp vegetables and fresh fruit. Wandering the ghostly gardens, she contemplated the pomegranates that hung heavily on their branches...
Duboko ispod zemlje, preko ledene reke Stiks i kroz prolaze podzemnog sveta, Persefona je vodila sopstveni protest. Had je od nje očekivao da mu služi kao žena i kao kraljica. Međutim, Persefona je odbila njegova udvaranja, kao i hranu. Dok je čeznula za društvom svoje majke, smehom prijatelja i toplinom sunca, Persefoni je bilo sve hladnije i bila je sve usamljenija. I umirala je od gladi. Žudila je da se zasiti žitaricama, svežim povrćem i voćem. Lutajući kroz sablasne vrtove, razmatrala je narove koji su obešeno visili sa grana...
Meanwhile, Demeter continued her hunt. She appealed to the all-seeing sun god, Helios, whose rays had long warmed her crops. Indeed, when Helios drew his golden chariot across the sky that fateful day, he saw what happened— and he knew of the deal. Out of respect and sympathy for Demeter, Helios told her of Hades’ demands, Zeus’ betrayal and Persephone’s abduction.
U međuvremenu, Demetra je nastavila svoju potragu. Obratila se svevidećem bogu sunca, Heliju, čiji su zraci odvajkada grejali njene useve. Kada je Helije tog sudbonosnog dana u svojim zlatnim kočijama prošao nebom, video je šta se desilo i znao je za dogovor. Iz poštovanja i saosećanja prema Demetri, Helije joj je rekao za Hadove zahteve, Zevsovu izdaju i Persefoninu otmicu.
Furious and heartbroken, Demeter sped to Mount Olympus and confronted Zeus, demanding their daughter’s return. But Zeus declined: in her ravenous hunger, Persephone had eaten a few seeds from the pomegranate that grew in the underworld. Though a meager amount, it was enough to ensnare her in Hades forever. Demeter wouldn't accept this fate. She swore that if she wasn’t reunited with Persephone, the fields would never be fertile again, and the distinction between the Earth and the underworld would soon dissolve. So, they made a pact. For two thirds of every year, Persephone would return to the land of the living, But for the remainder, she would stay in the world of the dead.
Slomljenog srca i ispunjena gnevom, Demetra se na Olimpu sukobila sa Zevsom, zahtevajući da se njena ćerka vrati. Međutim, Zevs je odbio. Osetivši strašnu glad, Persefona je pojela nekoliko semenki nara koji je rastao u podzemnom svetu. Iako mala količina, bila je dovoljna da je zauvek zarobi u Podzemlju. Demetra nije prihvatala ovakvu sudbinu. Zaklela se da, ako ona i Persefona ne budu opet zajedno, polja nikada više neće biti plodna, a zemlja i podzemlje uskoro se neće razlikovati. Stoga su sklopili pakt. Dve trećine svake godine, Persefona će provesti u svetu živih. Međutim, ostatak vremena, biće u svetu mrtvih.
When Persephone ascended to Earth, she and her mother rejoiced. Together, they showered the fields with rain and nurtured them with sun. For mortals, Persephone’s arrival came to herald the start of spring. But her descent always came too soon. Each time she returned to Hades, Demeter mourned, and the earth grew cold, dark, and unyielding, ushering in the winter months. Knowing Demeter couldn’t be roused from her grief, the humans stored their crops, stoked their fires, and awaited Persephone’s safe return. And so it was that her transit marked the gradual turning of the seasons and the bittersweet compromise between life and death.
Kada bi se Persefona uzdigla na zemlju, ona i njena majka bile su radosne. Zajedno su polja osvežavale kišom i obasjavale suncem. Za smrtnike, Persefonin dolazak označavao je početak proleća. A njen odlazak uvek je prebrzo stizao. Kad god se vraćala u Had, Demetra je tugovala, a zemlja, koja je postajala hladna, mračna i jalova, bila je glasnik zimskih meseci. Znajući da Demetru ne mogu otrgnuti iz žalosti, ljudi su čuvali plodove, skladištili ogrev i čekali da se Persefona bezbedno vrati. I tako je njen prelazak obeležavao postepenu smenu godišnjih doba i gorko-slatki sporazum između života i smrti.