Persephone's Pomegranate (from the 'Mythology of Fruit' series)

Persephone was the daughter of Demeter, goddess of the harvest, and Zeus, the king of the gods. One day, while she was picking flowers, she was abducted by Hades to the underworld.

When her father, Demeter, finally got her back he asked her if she had eaten anything while she was there. Persephone admitted that she had eaten a pomegranate seed at the urging of Hades just before she left.

This was a trick by Hades – anyone who ate his food was required to remain in the underworld. Because of this, Persephone was required to spend half of each year in the underworld as the wife of Hades, and half of the year with her mother Zeus.

While Persephone is with Zeus in Olympus the ground is fertile and the crops grow – Spring and Summer. When she returns to the Hades and the underworld, the ground becomes colder and less fertile – Autumn and Winter.

So according to the myth, it was a one pomegranate seed that sealed Persephone’s fate as Queen of the Underworld and the ushering in of Autumn and Winter, when the seeds lie underground awaiting again the fertile warm months of Spring and Summer.

Artist Details

Artwork ref: 7147
Artist: Jo Tricker
Title: Persephone's Pomegranate (from the 'Mythology of Fruit' series)
Media: Glass
Theme: Section 1: 3D Small Works, any medium, open theme
Sale Price: $440