![]() There was no rebirth, no dormancy of winter, no emerging life of spring. With no seasonal changes and no renewal, the earth soon became a barren wasteland. When she learned of Persephone’s fate, she stopped. When she realized Persephone had been taken to the Underworld by Hades, she entered a stage of grieving and fury the world had never seen.ĭemeter was the goddess of the seasons. She left her home in Olympus and made a place for herself among mortals. She pleaded with everyone she could to tell her what had happened to her daughter, but no one had the courage to tell her. He carried Persephone off to the underworld, where he held her captive.įor months, Demeter searched for any sign of her daughter. Her shrieks alerted Demeter, but it was too late. The ground opened up, and Hades, riding a blazing chariot, swept in and violently kidnapped Persephone. With Zeus’ permission, he swept in while the maiden was picking flowers with her attendants in a field. Hades, the god of the underworld and brother to Zeus, took a fancy to Persephone. Demeter was a symbol to Greek women and a champion who likely provided them with hope. Often the young bride’s new home was many miles from their family of origin, so it was not uncommon to lose contact with their families. Girls as young as 16 were regularly whisked away from their homes and married off to much older men. The fathers and girls’ arrangements were handled exclusively. ![]() In the Greek culture of the time, it was common for daughters to be betrothed to men two and even three times their own age. As was his ordinary habit, Zeus was an absent father who showed no real interest in Persephone. Regardless of the legitimacy of their relationship, Zeus fathered a daughter with Demeter, Persephone. There is no mythology to answer whether Demeter married Zeus, but the glory and splendor of his wedding to Hera seem to imply that it was the first marriage in Olympus. Demeter, a Story of a Mother’s TriumphĪlthough Hera was married to Zeus, his serial interest in women led him far from her bed. The fly chased the unfortunate creature across two continents before Zeus returned to transform her back to a woman. She sent a relentless gadfly to torment Io, a mortal woman Zeus turned into a cow in an attempt to hide her. She tried to prevent the Titaness Leto from having her twins, Apollo and Artemis, the goddess of the hunt. She was bitterly jealous of his many lovers and fought with him often and punishing those he pursued. Hera, the goddess of marriage and childbirth, constantly fought with Zeus throughout their marriage. His sister Hera was the first and only to whom he was married, but that didn’t stop him from fathering children with all and sundry, willing or not. The honeymoon lasted 300 years, but it wasn’t enough to satisfy Zeus. All of the gods attended, showering the couple with rich and unique gifts, many of which became fixtures in later myths. For her part, Hera was extremely jealous and sought out her husband’s victims and lovers, punishing them indiscriminately. He continued to seduce and rape women throughout his marriage to Hera. ![]() Though Zeus had pursued his sister and sought to possess her by marriage, he never gave up his lusty ways. To hide her shame, Hera agreed to marry him. Thus situated, Zeus resumed his male form and raped her. He deliberately made the bird appear bedraggled and pathetic to win Hera’s sympathy.įooled, Hera took the bird to her bosom to comfort it. He couldn’t win her over, so Zeus did what he does best- he tricked Hera and then took advantage of the situation. Was Zeus married to his sister? Yes, but it’s more complex than that. However, it was not until he met his sister Hera that he found a woman he could not readily have.Īt first, he tried to court her, but Hera, likely aware of his many conquests and poor treatment of women, wasn’t having it. Who was Zeus Married To?Ī better question might have been, what female did Zeus not either rape or seduce? He had a series of lovers and bore children with many of them. Olympus would become a sort of neutral ground, where all the gods could come freely to meet and parley on common ground. Zeus gained control of the skies, while Poseidon would rule the sea. They then divided the World, each taking a portion. ![]() Upon reaching adulthood, Zeus was joined by his brothers Poseidon and Hades, and together they overthrew their cannibalistic father. She then took her son to the island of Crete, where he was nursed by a nymph and defended and kept hidden by young warriors known as Curetes. His wife, Rhea, rescued Zeus by substituting a stone swaddled in the infant’s clothing. This provided him with a way to absorb their strength and prevent them from maturing to fulfill their destiny. Therefore, he swallowed his children the moment they were born. Cronos, king of the Titans, knew that he was fated to fall to one of his own offspring.
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