Elizabeth Superfin, Period 6, 10/13/24

 Elizabeth Superfin, Period 6, 10/13/24

Modern Mythology 2024

Blog Topic: Literacy & Learning

Persephone, Hades, and Demeter. A tale told in various formats a thousand different times. Recently, we have been introduced to a Persephone who is half of a typical arguing couple in the Hadestown musical; we’ve met a Persephone that pursues Hades of her own volition in Lore Olympus on Webtoon. These reimaginings have captured the public, becoming what many people think of even before the original tale comes to mind. They’ve shifted this myth into a tale that gives Persephone agency. Persephone willingly chooses to follow Hades. Persephone willingly eats the pomegranate seed. Persephone is an equal in her relationship, even if she spends an entire song arguing with her husband. Our modern sensibilities prefer that women choose her own destinies, and there is a comfort in seeing this woman, victimized in ancient times, create a fate for herself. But Persephone is not the only woman in this story– why do we, even in the modern age, never focus on the struggles of Demeter?

When we discussed Demeter’s journey in class, as well as the implications of what the “pomegranate seeds” really meant, I thought about how Demeter’s struggles differ wildly based on the version of the story. In many modern retellings, Demeter is portrayed as overreacting to the circumstances. Her daughter chose to be with Hades– she is an overbearing mother who needs to step aside and let Persephone live with her own decisions. In the version of the myth that we view as the original, however, Demeter’s anger is far more sympathetic. Her daughter, the embodiment of springtime– and the embodiment of youth, in turn, as springtime is associated with beginnings– is distracted by a flower, a very childish thing, and then kidnapped, coerced, and accidentally gives half of her immortal life away by unwittingly signing a contract in pomegranate juice. In this version of the story, how is Demeter not in the right? Her precious daughter had her agency taken from her, was coerced into eating “pomegranate seeds,” and the youthful innocence she embodied as goddess of springtime was taken away in exchange for marriage and womanhood. Demeter is grieving her daughter’s “death” in the sense that she has entered the Underworld, and the “death” of her daughter’s childhood too. And yet, in involving mortals in her grief through her dereliction of duty, she is in the wrong as much as she is in the right. As we discussed these nuances, I was reminded of a certain corner of the internet, expert in evaluating whether someone is justified in their actions. And so, I made one more retelling of this classic tale– one with a focus on Demeter, in a quite unconventional format. 

Here is Demeter’s story, in the format of a post on the AITA subreddit.

(For the uninitiated: AITA, aka “Am I The [Jerk],” is a community on Reddit where people tell a story where they may be viewed as a [jerk] and others reply with their opinions on the matter, explaining why they think the OP (original poster) is in the right or wrong. Acronyms referenced here are “ESH” (everyone sucks here), “YTA” (you’re the [jerk]), and “NTA” (not the [jerk]).)

This is the thread of Comments: 

[AITA for causing a mass famine because my brother kidnapped my daughter?

u/goddessoftheharvest127283   4000 years ago

My brother (10000M), let’s call him “H,” kidnapped my daughter (1000F), “P” in order to marry her. P was distracted by a flower, and he kidnapped her, and nobody even TOLD me for nine days while I wandered the mortal realm in search of her. 

Of COURSE I was too busy to do my job. I was grieving for my daughter! The thing is, I work in agriculture, and because I was distracted, a bunch of plants died and so did a bunch of humans. I didn’t MEAN to cause a famine! I’m a grieving mother, how was I supposed to focus on helping seeds grow when my innocent little seedling was suffering away in the underworld with H???

My other brother, “Z,” keeps trying to convince me that I’m overreacting, and has sent some of our other siblings after me to convince me of the same, but I think he’s a fool and he should be more concerned because she’s also HIS daughter and he knows what a basement-dwelling loser H is. They keep saying I should end this famine, but I refuse to do so until I get P back. I don’t think I’m in the wrong, but I want to see what you all think (and whether you have advice on getting her back). 

So, Reddit, AITA?

EDIT: The issue isn’t the incest. Incest is a family tradition. Please focus on the actual issue at hand.

UPDATE: I got my daughter back! Z finally gave up and sent another one of our relatives down to get H to give P back. But H “convinced” her to “eat” a “pomegranate seed” while she was with him, and now my daughter has to spend four months every year with that sleazebag! My sweet, innocent daughter!! Ate his pomegranate seed!!! I’ve let up the famine, for now, but during those four months a year, I don’t think I’ll be able to do anything but grieve. I do feel guilt now, for what I did, but I still don’t think it’s my fault. I taught some people at the newest temple built for me how to grow corn and how to do my secret rites, so I hope that makes up for it.

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u/msfusaroperiod6   2 weeks ago

ESH. OP, you are right to grieve your daughter, especially because she was unjustly taken from you. However, you are not in the right for involving the mortals. It is not their fault that your daughter got kidnapped! You are TA for getting innocents involved, but we hope you get your daughter back soon.

u/ZeusTheThunderGod   4000 years ago

YTA. Z is right, just let go of it already. Women are so annoying🙄

u/EleusianMysteriesOfficial   4000 years ago

NTA!!! You go, queen!!! We think you slayed by convincing Z to get P back, you’re totally not in the wrong. We’re going to reenact you and your daughter’s journey in our cult. Your girlbossing is so admirable, thank you so much for teaching us your rites!!! We’re going to have some visions of the afterlife now, but shhhhhhh, don’t tell anyone. 

u/metaneira    4000 years ago

NTA, I know what it’s like to be scared for your child. Recently this old woman (who was obviously divine in some way) came into my home, and is helping to nurse my son, Demophoon. He is growing really fast, I'm suspicious as to what she is doing with him. I’m going to keep watch tonight to see what’s going on. I hope you get your daughter back.

u/metaneira

So turns out, the woman was a goddess trying to give my son immortal life. But I freaked

out when I saw her put him in the fire and stopped her, and now he will grow old and

suffer. We’re going to build her a temple in apology.

Load 300 more comments]

The post is obviously intended to be humorous (and admittedly the humor makes it slightly unsympathetic to the person I aim to empathize with) but I think it gets Demeter’s story across pretty accurately, and covers that which we discussed in class. In the end, even told jokingly in this Reddit post, Demeter is a mother concerned for her daughter. This is true in any version of the myth. Having learned the tale of Persephone, I can now identify other “pomegranate seed” metaphors in other literature– and in the world around me, I have learned to be more sympathetic to mothers and their concern for their daughters. Maybe, next time that I think my mother is overreacting, I’ll remember Demeter in her grief and rethink the situation from her perspective. 

Maybe.