Why did Persephone eat that pomegranate seed?
As seasons shift and the Spring Equinox approaches, science gives us an explanation. The earth rotates on its axis, and the side that faces the sun has daylight and the other side is in the darkness of night. However, the Earth also revolves around the sun with a tilt in the axis, and this gives us the seasons. When the tilt brings more direct sunlight to the Northern hemisphere for more hours of the day, it brings summer to the Northern hemisphere. The sometimes complicated stories of science allow us to understand the seasons and make sense of the world.
Myths and legends also allow us to understand and make sense of the world. These stories hold knowledge and wisdom in a different way. The Greek myth of Persephone is an origin story that explains why we have seasons. If you remember the Greek story, you do not need science to tell you that the world has seasons. You will remember Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.
You might dismiss the Greek myth in favor of the scientific explanation, but you would lose the rest of the wisdom captured in the story.
Enjoy my original version of this Greek myth. I’ve reimagined the story of Persephone and Hades… and the origin of the seasons.
Listen to the Podcast: “Persephone and the Seasons” re-imagined by Dr. Joel Ying, MD
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