HADES AND PERSEPHONE GREEK MYTHOLOGY SERIES

Opposites being romantically attracted to one another is a popular modern trope within the romance genre, which seems to be why there is such a fascination with the relationship between the ultimate and original two polar opposites being joined, whether it was consensual or not.Īs for the issue of consent, Lore Olympus deals with the problematic aspects of Hades and Persephone’s story by altering the way in which they meet. This is exactly what the archetype of the beauty and the beast is based upon. They represent darkness and light as, if one were to oversimplify their roles, Hades is the god of death and Persephone is the goddess of life. Hades and Persephone are, in a sense, emblematic of the relationship between the yin and the yang. This taboo is exactly what seems to make romanticizing the two mythological characters fascinating. They begin a tentative romance that has yet to reach fruition after eighty-five episodes due to their age difference and the general taboo of their coupling ( Episode 1). Hades is a grumpy, wealthy bachelor and Persephone is a college student studying to become a sacred virgin.

HADES AND PERSEPHONE GREEK MYTHOLOGY SERIES

The widely popular web series takes place in a modern-day Olympus where the Greek gods still rule over the mortal realm and have adopted human technological advances, such as cars and phones. The weekly webcomic series Lore Olympus(2018–) by Rachel Smythe is a modern retelling of Greek mythology that mainly focuses on the story of Hades and Persephone, framing it as a slow-burn love story. My thesis is not only that the rape of Persephone tends to be romanticized in modern culture, but also that this is due to the fetishization of this “beauty and the beast” archetype of romance. Hades, perhaps the evilest figure in Greek mythology, fills the role of the beast well, while Persephone, a sweet and innocent young woman, fits the role of beauty. This may be largely due to the resemblance of the rape of Persephone to the tale of beauty and the beast. This change does not seem to occur with other mythological rape stories, which raises the question of why modern versions of Greek mythology insist upon romanticizing the story of Hades and Persephone. He writes that she was “Terrified, in tears,” and Cyane, in her plea to Hades, describes what she has seen of Persephone with “this girl, frightened and forced.” (Ovid Metamorphoses 5.399–419) However, many modern adaptations and iterations of their story frame their relationship as just that- loving and consensual. Even Ovid, who typically highlights comedic aspects of mythology over the more serious ones, still emphasizes how cruel the story of Persephone is. It seems obvious to say that their story is in no way a romantic or loving tale, as their marriage occurred against Persephone’s will and without her consent. As told by the Homeric Hymn to Demeter (7 th or 6 th century BC) and, much later, in the canonical version by the Roman poet Ovid (43 BC – 17/18 AD) in the Metamorphoses, it is a story of stolen innocence and the division of a loving family, with the only cause being Hades’ rapacious lust.

The story of the abduction and subsequent rape of Persephone, the young and beautiful goddess of spring, at the hands of Hades, the king of the Underworld, is a famous and heart-wrenching tale. Colleen White on Faith and Spectacle: Examining Quo Vadis (1951)Ĭontemporary graphic novels romanticize the element of rape in the myth of Persophone in a way quite alien to the Greek and Roman sources of the story, argues Chloe Warner (’20) Persephone, by Rachel Smythe, from Lore Olympus, Episode 3 (2018).Ron on Faith and Spectacle: Examining Quo Vadis (1951).Geometry Dash on The Story of Hades and Persephone: Rape and Romance.

AnonymousPerson on The Story of Hades and Persephone: Rape and Romance.Katrina Faulkner: Elizabeth Jane Weston, The Pidgeon and the Painting (1606).Carl Hamilton: Elizabeth Jane Weston, The Flea and the Soldier (1606).Jack Tigani: Elizabeth Jane Weston, The Geese and the Cranes.Nicholas Morris: Elizabeth Jane Weston, The Sow and the Dog.Lexi Chroscinski: Elizabeth Jane Weston, The Captured Lark.

Jocelyn Wright: Elizabeth Jane Weston, The Lion and the Frog.Metrics and Style in Ovid’s Metamorphoses.

Hades and persephone greek mythology