Myths & Legends 1 By English Author S D Hudson

Myths and Legends are ancient tales of intrigue and fantasy, with an emphasis on the Gods and their battles and challenges in history. In these gently read stories, we escape into a time long past. Rewritten and Performed by English author S D HUDSON

Transcript

Hello.

This is SD Hudson.

Welcome to my story series,

Myths and Legends.

Are you ready?

Then sit back,

Relax and listen as I transport you back to another time and another place.

Persephone and the pomegranate seeds.

A long,

Long time ago when the weather was always warm and always sunny and the flowers were always in bloom and the crops always ready for harvest.

The goddess Demeter tended the countryside like a garden.

She planted seeds,

She watered the green grass and encouraged the trees to put on first blossom,

Then leaves and then succulent fruit.

And whilst Demeter worked so hard,

Her little daughter Persephone would play in the green woods of Sicily picking violets until,

Having bunched them together in her long,

Soft apron,

She walked home hand in hand with her mother at the end of another sunny day as they talked and sang and laughed together.

Meanwhile Pluto looked on.

But although he was a god,

He did not live on the top of Mount Olympus in halls of cloud and sunlight and he did not live on the earth amongst the trees in the field.

Pluto ruled over the kingdom of the dead and he lived under the earth in darkness and in bitter cold.

Not one ray of sunshine ever found its way down into those caverns and tunnels.

But although it was cold and although it was dark,

The thing he hated the most was the loneliness.

Pluto had tried to find a wife but nobody wanted to sacrifice the sunshine,

The flowers or the glittering sea to live in his dismal kingdom below earth.

On this day he had climbed out to the brim of the underworld and peeped out.

The bright light hurt his eyes but the sight of the pretty women hurt him even more.

He saw Persephone as she picked her violets in the Sicilian wood and he decided she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen and he wanted to make her his wife.

But Pluto did not go to Demeter and ask to marry her daughter.

He knew Demeter would say no.

Instead he harnessed his black chariot,

Thundered out into the sunlight and lashing his whip drove his horses at full tilt towards Persephone.

All Sicily shook at his coming and his wills fell trees to the right and the left as he raced through the woods.

Holding the reins in his teeth,

Pluto snatched Persephone by her long hair and her apron spilled all its violets out onto the ground.

Who are you?

What do you want with me?

Let me go.

Help me,

Please,

Mother.

Mother,

Help me.

Persephone cried.

The trees cried too.

Come back,

Leave her alone.

They yelled as their green leaves flushed with red.

But Pluto took no notice.

He just raced back to the underworld with Persephone in tow.

The earth split open as his chariot sped down,

Down,

Down into the dark,

Cold underworld.

And he told Persephone,

Don't cry.

I shall make you my queen.

Be happy.

I'll give you all the riches of the earth,

Gold,

Silver and gems.

And you'll have the love of a king.

What more could you want?

I want to go home,

Sobbed Persephone.

I want to go back to my mother.

When they reached the River Styx,

The place that divides the earth from the kingdom of the dead,

Persephone cried out,

River,

River,

Help me.

I am Persephone.

Save me,

Please.

And the river heard her and knotted itself around the god's legs,

Almost tripping him up.

But Pluto kicked it aside like a dog.

In despair,

Persephone slipped off the belt of flowers she had made and threw it into the tumbling water.

Take that back to my mother and tell her,

She pleaded.

Tell her what's happened.

The river took her belt and hurried away,

And as darkness closed in on all sides,

Pluto reached home with his captive wife.

Meanwhile,

Up on the earth,

Demeter went looking for her daughter.

Persephone,

Darling,

Time to go home,

She cried,

Wondering just where Persephone had got to.

But there was no answer.

Demeter called out and asked everyone she met,

But it was hopeless.

Persephone had disappeared.

All Demeter's work was forgotten as she searched for her child.

Nothing mattered but to find her daughter.

The flowers wilted,

The crops stopped growing,

And as Demeter wept,

The trees wept with her,

Shedding their leaves in brown and yellow tears.

In the days to come,

Demeter searched the world over.

But at last she returned to Sicily and sat down in despair by the river.

Gazing at the water,

She wondered what hope there was left,

When what should come spinning by on the current but a little cord of flowers.

Persephone is in the underworld,

Whispered the water.

I saw her.

Pluto has stolen her away to be his queen.

Demeter was horrified and ran all the way to Mount Olympus and rattled at the gates of heaven.

Zeus,

Lord Zeus,

Help me.

Pluto has stolen away my daughter.

Make him give her back.

Zeus listened to poor Demeter.

You say your daughter was taken by force.

Pluto should not have done that.

But there again.

Oh,

Zeus,

Demeter interrupted him.

If I don't get my daughter back,

How shall I go on decking the earth with flowers and fruit?

I only do it out of joy,

And without Persephone there is no joy.

Let the earth wither and die for all I care.

Zeus shivered at the thought.

The little people on earth would quickly stop paying tribute to the gods if their crops stopped growing and their trees died.

It's not up to me,

He said gruffly.

There are rules,

Demeter.

If Persephone eats anything while she's in the underworld,

She cannot come up to earth.

That is the rule.

Then what are you waiting for?

Said Demeter.

Send your messenger this instant.

And although Zeus sent Hermes,

The fastest flying of all the gods,

Demeter sped ahead of him that day,

Pulling on his sleeve and begging him to hurry.

Meanwhile,

Below the earth,

Pluto laid in front of Persephone a delicious feast.

He knew if she ate one mouthful she would stay with him forever.

I'm too miserable to eat,

Sobbed Persephone.

Let me go.

Why don't you let me go?

It's so dark and gloomy in here.

But Pluto did not agree.

Now that Persephone was on the throne beside him,

It was bright and cheerful.

Hosts of ghosts came streaming through the darkness to gaze at his new bride,

And Pluto was very happy indeed.

But you must eat,

My dear,

Just try a little something.

He held up a dish of limes,

An almond cake,

A cup of broth,

And tempted her to eat.

I'd rather die than eat your food,

Said Persephone,

Even though she was very,

Very hungry.

Just a little taste,

Pluto persisted,

Holding up half a pomegranate all red and juicy and smiling with seeds.

He forced open her fingers and sprinkled twelve seeds into her palm.

Persephone was so very hungry,

For days now she had pined for her mother,

Hoping she might find her,

But her mother had not come,

And she was desperate for something to eat and drink.

She lifted the seeds to her lips.

Stop!

Hermes,

Messenger of the gods,

Came skimming through the air in his winged sandals.

Noble Pluto,

Zeus the Almighty commands you to let Persephone go.

Or am I too late?

He looked at the feast laid out in front of the two thrones.

Yes,

Yes,

You're too late,

Crowed Pluto.

No,

No,

What do you mean?

Cried Persephone.

Six little pomegranate seeds fell from the palm of her hand.

Have you eaten any of those?

Demanded Hermes,

And Persephone burst into tears.

She has,

She has!

Cried Pluto triumphantly,

She's mine forever.

Only a few,

Pleaded Persephone.

What difference does it make?

Pluto,

You're a rascal,

Said Hermes,

You should have told her.

I'm sorry,

Persephone,

There's a rule,

You see.

You have accepted Pluto's hospitality and eaten his food,

So now you must stay here forever.

And hate you forever,

Pluto,

Cried Persephone,

Because you tricked me.

When she said this,

Even Pluto turned a little pale.

He loved Persephone and wanted her to love him in return.

I only stole you away because I was so lonely,

He said,

Hanging his head.

And Hermes felt sorry for them both.

Let Zeus decide,

He declared.

When Zeus heard what had happened,

He thought long and hard before making his judgment.

Finally he declared,

Because Persephone ate six of the twelve pomegranate seeds,

Let her live for six months of every year in the kingdom of the dead.

For the other six months,

Let her live with her mother on the earth and let no one argue with the judgment of Zeus.

And that is why in the summertime,

The flowers bloom,

The grass is green and the trees wear blossom,

Leaves and fruit.

Demeter,

You see,

Is happy.

When she and her daughter walk hand in hand and talk and sing and laugh,

The evening primroses open up to see them pass by.

But in the autumn,

Persephone travels down to the underworld to keep her bargain with Pluto.

First she learned to pity him.

Then she learned to love him and now the underworld is much brighter and warmer during the six winter months.

But up on the earth,

Demeter misses her daughter and the trees flush red when she calls Persephone's name.

Then they drop their leaves and the flowers wither.

The crops stop growing and the earth and the people wait for Persephone to turn again when spring comes once more.

The End Thank you for listening.

I hope you enjoyed this story.

If you did,

Please consider listening to my Tales of the New World.

Fantasy stories of an anthropomorphic haven high at the top of Motherby Hill.

Reviews

Great story! I don’t think I will ever look at the seasons, the same again!

Very enjoyable! Will listen to more. Thank you Stephanie 🙏🏻🌺

Such a delightful and most enjoyable tale. Thank you 🙏🦋

That was a very bitter sweet Tale. Most beautifully told.
I shall listen to your other stories as well. Thankyou.
🐨🍃🇦🇺💕☺

Thank you for narrating this story. It was very enjoyable.

Love your voice and how you bring these stories to life, this story is one of those I thought I knew but didn't 😇
Thanks again for putting it together

Thanks SD 🙏🏼

I love Greek mythology and I loved this story but we’re I come from Pluto is called Hadise

Wonderful.

Make more, make more