I posit that Persephone existed independently of Demeter as a goddess able to travel between the realms of the living and the dead, and when she was incorporated into the Greek pantheon, Demeters role in the story emerged to explain this ability. Thus, Lucretius (early/mid first century BCE) interprets Ceres in his philosophical poem On the Nature of Things as a human being who developed agriculture and who was subsequently worshipped as a goddess.. The Greek Goddess of Nightmares and Madness - Greek In this myth there is no mention of Hades at all; he is superfluous to the ownership of the dead by Persephone. Zagreus has other siblings you know? : r/HadesTheGame , , 1999, 115-142. This poem vividly recounts the myth of Demeter and Erysichthon (in contrast to the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, which deals with the abduction of Persephone). Melinoe, was the ancient Greek goddess of ghosts. Claudian even has Zeus intervene to prevent Artemis from pursuing Hades as he carries Persephone to the Underworld. She was the daughter of Persephone and Zeus This interpretation of the myth is borne up by older Greek versions of the abduction myth. Pausanias, Description of Greece 7.21.12. 177.812 Merkelbach-West and Hellanicus, Fragmente der griechischen Historiker (FGrH) 4 frag. Homer, Iliad 14.326, trans. Similarly, in On the Nature of the Gods, the Roman statesman and stylist Cicero (10643 BCE) presents her as a human agricultural innovator who was eventually deified. Kapach, A. Melinoe, Goddess of Ghosts : SMITEGODCONCEPTS - Reddit GREEK MYTHOLOGY DREAMCAST Jessica De Gouw as Macaria, Goddess of Blessed Death ; Lee Pace as Thanatos, God of Gentle Death If were gonna die, bury us alive If youre searching for us, youll find us side by side. Orphic frags. Much later, Claudian (ca. As Linforth noticed, 'It is a curious thing that the name Zagreus does not appear in any Orphic poem or fragment, nor is it used by any author who refers to Orpheus. 118. Richardson, Nicholas J. Melinoe is the Goddess of ghosts and spirits. She was either the daughter of Hades and Persephone or of Persephone and Zeus. Melaina ("The Black One") is the under-earth or chthonic aspect of the Greek Great Goddess, said to bring nightmares. the scholia on Lycophrons Alexandra 1225 (citing Callimachus), where this version of Demeter is called Erinys Tilphosa. WebMelinoe can be a rebellious brat that takes random souls to the surface and constantly butt heads with Hades. After all, mythology is storytelling at its finest. Melinoe Sign up now for weekly facts, the latest blogs, and interesting features. Dani Rhys has worked as a writer and editor for over 15 years. Even Zeus role in the myth is secondary, and closely mirrors the biological structure of the bearing of offspring. Among the invoked deities in the text of the incantation of special interest is the mentioning of the names of the Samothracian gods, otherwise known only from a fragment by the 3rd century BC mythographer and geographer Mnaseas. Here she is one of the major gods who dwells upon Mount Olympusthough unlike many other Olympians, she does not intervene extensively in the narrative. Persephone is not simply the trigger for the seasonal cycle, she is the entire reason for it; she encompasses the full life/death cycle within herself, independently from both her husband and her mother.
