A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

204 PERSEPHONE. PERSEPHONE.
PERSE ('Iepcrm), a daughter of Oceanus, and became doomed to the lower world, and an agreewife of Helios, by whom she became the mother ment was made that Persephone should spend one
of Aeetes and Circe. (Hom. Od. x. 139; Hes. third (later writers say one half) of every year in'lTeog. 356, 956.) She is further called the mo- Hades with Pluto, and the remaining two thirds
ther of Pasiphae (Apollod. i. 9. ~ 1, iii. 1. ~ 2; with the gods above. (Apollod. i. 5. ~ 1, &c.; Or.
Hygin. Praef.), Perses (Apollod. i. 9, in fin.), and Met. v. 565; comp. DEMETER.) The place where
Aloeus (Tzetz. ad Lyc. 174). Homer and Apol- Persephone was said to have been carried off, is
lonius Rhodius (iv. 591) call her Perse, while different in the various local traditions. The Siciothers call her Perseis (comp. Tzetz. ad Lyc. 798) lians, among whom her worship was probably inor Persea. (Virg. Cir. 66.) [L. S.] troduced by the Corinthian and Megarian colonists,
PERSEIDES or PERSEIUS (HEpcrdisEr s, believed that Pluto found her in the meadows near
rleposi'dvs1, l'epce7oss, or nlepi'os), a patronymic Enna, and that the well Cyane arose on the spot
of Perseus, used to designate his descendants. where he descended with her into the lower world.
(Hom. II. xix. 123; Thucyd. i. 9.) But it is also (Diod. v. 3, &c.; comp. Lydus, De Mens. p.
used to designate the descendants of Perse, viz. 286; Ov. Fast. iv. 422.) The Cretans thought
Aeetes and IHecate. (Val. Flacc. v. 582, vi. that their own island had been the scene of the
495 ) [L. S.] rape (Schol. ad lIes. Theog. 913), and the EleuPERSE'PHONE (rlepo'opdn), in Latin Pro- sinians mentioned the Nysaean plain in Boeotia,
serpina, the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. (Hom. and said that Persephone had descended with
II. xiv. 326, Od. xi. 216; IIes. Tlteog. 912, &c.; Pluto into the lower world at the entrance of the
Apollod. i. 5. ~ 1.) Her name is commonly derived western Oceanus. Later accounts place the rape
from iepsev &dvovz, " to bring " or " cause death," in Attica, near Athens (Schol. ad Soph. Oed. Col.
and the form Persephone occurs first in Hesiod 1590) or at Erineos near Eleusis (Paus. i. 38.
(Theog. 913; comp. Honm. Hymn. in Cer. 56), the 5), or in the neighbourhood of Lerna (ii. 36. ~ 7;
HIomeric form being Persephoneia. But besides respecting other localities see Conon, Narr. 15;
these forms of the name, we also find Persepliassa, Orph. Argon. 1192; Spanheim, ad Callimn. Hyvmn.
Philersephassa, Persephatta, Phersephatta, Pherre- in Cer. 9).
phassa, Pherephatta, and Phersephoneia, for which The story according to which Persephone spent
various etymologies have been proposed. The Latin one part of the year in the lower world, and another
Proserpina, which is probably only a corruption of with the gods above, made her, even with the anthe Greek, was erroneously derived by the Romans cients, the symbol of vegetation which shoots forth
from proserpere, "to shoot forth." (Cic. de Nat. in spring, and the power of which withdraws into
Deor. ii. 26.) Beingtheinfernalgoddessof death, she the earth at other seasons of the year. (Schol. ad
is also called a daughter of Zeus and Styx (A'ollod. Tlheocrit. iii. 48.) Hence Plutarch identifies her
i. 3. ~ 1); in Arcadia she was worshipped under with spring, and Cicero (De Nat. Deor. ii. 26) calls
the name of Despoena, and was called a daughter of her the seed of the fruits of the field. (Conip.
Poseidon, Hippius, and Demeter, and said to have Lydus, De Alens. pp. 90, 284; Porphyr. De itsit.
been brought up by the TitanAnytus. (Paus. viii. A\ysmph. p. 118, ed. Barnes.) In the mysteries of
37. ~~ 3, 6, 25. ~ 5,) Homer describes her as the Eleusis, the return of Cora from the lower world
wife of Hades, arid the formidable, venerable, and was regarded as the symbol of immortality, and
majestic queen of the Shades, who exercises her hence she was frequently represented on sarcopower, and carries into effect the curses of men phagi. In the mystical theories of the Orphics,
upon the souls of the dead, along with her hIus- and what are called the Piatonists, Cora is deband. (Hom. Od. x. 494, xi. 226, 385, 634, 11. ix. scribed as the all-pervading goddess of nature, who
457, 569; comp. Apollod. i. 9. ~ 15.) Hence she both produces and destroys every thing (Orph.
is called by later writers Juno Inferna, Averna, llymn. 29. 16), and she is therefore mentioned
and S/ygia (Virg. Aen. vi. 138; Ov. Met. xiv. along, or identified with, other mystic divinities,
114), and the Erinnyes are said to have been such as Isis, Rhea, Ge, Hestia, Pandora, Artemis,
daughters of her by Pluto. (Orph. Hymn. 29. 6, Hecate. (Tzetz. ad Lye. 708, 1176; Schol. ad
70. 3.) Groves sacred to her are said by Homer Apollon. Rhod. iii. 467; Schol. ad T/zeocrit. ii. 12;
to be in the western extremity of the earth, on the Serv. ad Aen. iv. 609.) This mystic Persephone
fiontiers of the lower world, which is itself called is further said to have beconme by Zeus the mother
the house of Persephone. (Od. x. 491, 509.) of Dionysus, Iacchus, Zagreus or Sabazius. (HeThe story of her being carried off by Pluto, against sych. s. v. Za'ypeus; Schol. ad Eiurip. Or. 952;
her will, is not mentioned by Homer, who simple Aristophi. Ran. 326; Diod. iv. 4; Arrian. Exiped.
describes her as his wife and queen; and her abduc- Al. ii. 16; Lydus De lens. p. 198; Cic. de NAct.
tion is first mentioned by Hesiod (Theog. 914). Zeus, Deor. iii. 23.) The surnames which are given to
it is said, advised Pluto, who was in love with the her by the poets, refer to her character as queen of
beautiful Persephone, to carry her off, as her mother, the lower world and of the dead, or to her symD)emeter, was not likely to allow her daughter to go bolic meaning which we have pointed out above.
down to Hades. (Comp. Hygin. Fab. 146.) Pluto She was commonly worshipped along with Demeaccordingly carried her off while she was gathering ter, and with the same mysteries, as for example,
flowers with Artemnis and Athena. (Comp. Diod. with Demeter Cabeiria in Boeotia. (Paus. ix. 25.
v. 3.) Demeter, when she found her daughter ~ 5.) Her worship further is mentioned at Thebes,
had disappeared, searched for her all over the earth which Zeus is said to have given to her as an acwith torches, until at length she discovered the knowledgment for a favour she had bestowed on
place of her abode. Her anger at the abduction him (Schol. ad Efusrip. Phoen. 687): in like manner
obliged Zeus to request Pluto to send Persephone Sicily was said to have been given to her at her wed(or Cora, i.e. the maiden or daughter) back. Pluto ding (Pind. Nets. i. 1 7; Diod. v. 2; Schol. ad Tleoindeed complied with the request, but first gave crit. xv. 14), and two festivals were celebrated in
her a kernel of a pomegranate to eat, whereby she her honour in the island, the one at the time of