The Story of Persephone in Pictures

This was part of my Independent Project for University. I created a magazine for children which was all about Greek Mythology. I persuaded my two housemates and one of my friends to take part. Due to the resources I had for the photos, there was a bit of artistic license involved, but it was meant to be my own version to encourage children to learn about mythology! This is my version of the Persephone myth (not quite in as much detail as it is in the project - the story was written out in full), using photographs. Every little detail was researched, and if I changed something it was explained. I think my friends had more fun dressing up than I did creating this!

Persephone was the daughter of the Goddess Demeter. She loved flowers and would often ride into the fields to gather them.

One day she was so caught up in the discovery of a new plant, that she was caught off guard and was kidnapped by Hades. She called out to her mother, but no one came and her horse fled home in terror. 

Demeter began to worry when her daughter did not come home. At the sight of the horse returning with no rider, she appealed to Zeus for help. 

She discovered that Zeus had allowed Hades to take Persephone as his bride. She wept and, in her anger, she refused to allow crops to grow until Persephone was returned. 

Zeus spoke to Hades to persuade him to give up Persephone. Hades told Persephone that she would be returned to her mother. He gave her a pomegranate as a peace offering. She accepted and ate six of the sweet seeds before she was returned to the earth. 

Persephone was returned to her mother, who was delighted to see her. Persephone told Demeter everything. Demeter realised that Persephone was tied to Hades forever as she had eaten the pomegranate, the fruit of the underworld. They appealed to Zeus who decided that Persephone must spend six months of the year in the underworld.

In her sorrow, Demeter only allowed flowers to bloom and crops to grow during the six months that Persephone walked on the earth, therefore creating the seasons.