Literature

Two Greek Myths

Paul Nathan Negrean

21 May 2024 — 1 min read

Some Greek myths may be difficult to understand. I'll try to make two of them clear so that you may fully understand their meanings.

The Myth of Persephone & Demeter

Demeter, the “goddess” of the harvest, had a daughter named Persephone, whom she loved very much. One day, Hades, the god of the underworld, fell in love with the young woman and kidnapped her, starving her until she had no choice but to eat food from the underworld that made her a permanent resident of that place. Because of her daughter's disappearance, Demeter became sad and all the plants died and withered away. An agreement was made between Zeus and Hades that if the latter would allow Persephone to see her mother for half the year, she would marry him. This was agreed upon, and the deal was accepted by both parties.

This myth was created to explain the seasons of the year in that part of the world. Their explanation is that in half of the year, when Persephone is with Hades, the seasons are autumn and winter because Demeter is separated from her daughter. The other half, when Persephone is with her mother, is spring and summer because Demeter is happy to be with her daughter and thus causes all the plants to become green and healthy.

Daedalus and Icarus

Daedalus the inventor and his son Icarus were trapped by the king of Crete. Wanting to see his homeland again, the inventor created some wings that enabled him to fly. He built his son a pair and instructed him to follow him and not to stray too close to the ground, nor too close to the sun. His son, being foolish, went too high and fell to the earth due to the wax holding his wings together melting.

The moral of the story is to always listen to your parents and follow their instructions.

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