From the 7th century BC onwards the old temples that were made of timber were gradually replaced by stone-built structures adorned with architectural sculptures, such as the reliefs from the temple of Athena at Mycenae (no 2869, Room 7). Over the same time period, the earlier wooden statues (which were in effect plank-shaped images, called xoana) were also substituted by their stone counterparts, which nonetheless, preserved the traditionally stiff and austere shape, such as the statue of Artemis dedicated by Nikandre of Naxos (“Dedication of Nikandre”) to the temple of Apollo on Delos (no 1, Room 7). The same rigid pose is encountered on smaller sculptures depicting the human figure, such as those made of ivory (no 776, Room 7) and also on the funerary (grave) monuments, such as the monument of the brothers Dermys and Kit(t)ylos, portrayed embracing each other tightly, that had been installed over their grave at Tanagra in Boeotia by their father Amphalkes (no 56, Room 8). Similarly stiff is the pose of the female figures that mourn a deceased woman over her bier illustrated on the large clay amphora that also served as grave marker (sema) at the cemetery of the Kerameikos in a different rendering of the dead body of an eminent person (no A804, Room 7). In the Orphic "Rhapsodic Theogony" (first century BC/AD), [62] Persephone is described as the daughter of Zeus and Rhea. Zeus was filled with desire for his mother, Rhea, intending to marry her. He pursued the unwilling Rhea, only for her to change into a serpent. Zeus also turned himself into a serpent and raped Rhea, which resulted in the birth of Persephone. [63] Afterwards, Rhea became Demeter. [64] Persephone was born so deformed that Rhea ran away from her frightened, and did not breastfeed Persephone. [63] Zeus then mates with Persephone, who gives birth to Dionysus. She later stays in her mother's house, guarded by the Curetes. Rhea-Demeter prophecies that Persephone will marry Apollo. This prophecy does not come true, however, as while weaving a dress, Persephone is abducted by Hades to be his bride. She becomes the mother of the Erinyes by Hades. [65] In Nonnus's Dionysiaca, the gods of Olympus were bewitched by Persephone's beauty and desired her. Hermes, Apollo, Ares, and Hephaestus each presented Persephone with a gift to woo her. Demeter, worried that Persephone might end up marrying Hephaestus, consults the astrological god Astraeus. Astraeus warns her that Persephone will be ravished and impregnated by a serpent. Demeter then hides Persephone in a cave; but Zeus, in the form of a serpent, enters the cave and rapes Persephone. Persephone becomes pregnant and gives birth to Zagreus. [66] Mormando, Franco (2011). Bernini: His Life and His Rome. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 9780226538525. A popular folk etymology is from φέρειν φόνον, pherein phonon, "to bring (or cause) death". [18] Titles and functions [ edit ] Painted in around 1631, The Abduction of Proserpina has largely been attributed to Rembrandt. Although the painting remains unsigned, the style and composition is highly indicative of being a legitimate Rembrandt. It is currently displayed as a part of Gemäldegalerie, Berlin permanent exhibit. [4] Rubens [ edit ] Peter Paul Rubens' The Rape of Proserpina, 1636-1637

The Painting: Leighton made this study in preparation for a monumental painting depicting the ancient Greek and Roman myth of Persephone, which he exhibited at the Royal Academy in London in May 1891 (see fig. 1 above). Persephone, the goddess of vegetation, was condemned to spend part of each year in the underworld, among the dead, as the unwilling queen of the god Hades. At the end of this purgatory, she ascended to the upper world and was reunited with her mother, Demeter, the goddess of harvest and agriculture. Their reconciliation symbolized fertility and rebirth, and was associated with the changing of the seasons.[1] The Rape of Proserpina by the Italian artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini, a large Baroque marble sculptural group, executed between 1621 and 1622 Despoina and "Hagne" were probably euphemistic surnames of Persephone, therefore Karl Kerenyi theorizes that the cult of Persephone was the continuation of the worship of a Minoan Great goddess. [109] [110] It is possible that some religious practices, especially the mysteries, were transferred from a Cretan priesthood to Eleusis, where Demeter brought the poppy from Crete. [111] Besides these similarities, Burkert explains that up to now it is not known to what extent one can and must differentiate between Minoan and Mycenean religion. [j] In the Anthesteria Dionysos is the "divine child". Minthe was a Naiad nymph of the river Cocytus who became mistress to Persephone's husband Hades. Persephone was not slow to notice, and in jealousy she trampled the nymph, killing her and turning her into a mint plant. [78] [79] Alternatively, Persephone tore Minthe to pieces for sleeping with Hades, and it was he who turned his former lover into the sweet-smelling plant. [80] In another version, Minthe had been Hades's lover before he met Persephone. When Minthe claims Hades will return to her due to her beauty, Persephone's mother Demeter kills Minthe over the insult done to her daughter. [81] The Persephone statue is a prominent sculpture that depicts the Greek mythological figure of Persephone, the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, and the queen of the underworld.Wittkower, Rudolf (1955). Gian Lorenzo Bernini: The Sculptor of the Roman Baroque. London: Phaidon Press. ISBN 9780801414305. Of the four deities of Empedocles' elements, it is the name of Persephone alone that is taboo – Nestis is a euphemistic cult title [e] – for she was also the terrible Queen of the Dead, whose name was not safe to speak aloud, who was euphemistically named simply as Kore or "the Maiden", a vestige of her archaic role as the deity ruling the underworld. Nestis means "the Fasting One" in ancient Greek. [33] Epithets [ edit ] The epithets of Persephone reveal her double function as chthonic and vegetation goddess. The surnames given to her by the poets refer to her role as queen of the lower world and the dead and to the power that shoots forth and withdraws into the earth. Her common name as a vegetation goddess is Kore, and in Arcadia she was worshipped under the title Despoina, "the mistress", a very old chthonic divinity. [18] Günther Zuntz considers "Persephone" and "Kore" as distinct deities and writes that "no farmer prayed for corn to Persephone; no mourner thought of the dead as being with Kore." Ancient Greek writers were however not as consistent as Zuntz claims. [19] Goddess of spring and nature [ edit ] It was made to be inserted into a cavity over a tomb and is believed to represent the Greek goddess Persephone. It is thought it shows her emerging from the underworld where, according to Greek mythology, she spent a third of the year with Hades.

The Persephone statue can be found in various museums and public spaces around the world. Some notable locations include the Louvre Museum in Paris, the British Museum in London, and the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. In the religions of the Orphics and the Platonists, Kore is described as the all-pervading goddess of nature [21] who both produces and destroys everything, and she is therefore mentioned along with or identified as other such divinities including Isis, Rhea, Ge, Hestia, Pandora, Artemis, and Hecate. [22] In Orphic tradition, Persephone is said to be the daughter of Zeus and his mother Rhea, rather than of Demeter. [23] The Orphic Persephone is said to have become by Zeus the mother of Dionysus / Iacchus / Zagreus, [18] and the little-attested Melinoë. [c] Queen of the underworld [ edit ] Seated goddess, probably Persephone on her throne in the underworld, Severe style c. 480–460 BC, found at Tarentum, Magna Graecia ( Pergamon Museum, Berlin) In Orphism [ edit ] Hades abducting Persephone, wall painting in the small royal tomb at Vergina. Macedonia, Greece A fragment study of Proserpina's head, long thought to be by Bernini but probably created by a related artist, is in the Cleveland Museum of Art. [27]So, the next time you come across the Persephone statue, take a moment to admire its splendor and delve into the enchanting tales it represents. It’s a window into the past and a nod to the incredible skills of the ancient sculptors who brought this magnificent figure to life. FAQs Erksine, A.; etal., eds. (2017). "THE ROYAL COURT IN ANCIENT MACEDONIA: THE EVIDENCE FOR ROYAL TOMBS". The Hellenistic Court. Bristol. p.410. {{ cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( link)