What is the moral of the story of Demeter and Persephone?

Answer 1

Demeter is the Greek goddess of agriculture. Persephone is supposed to be her daughter. According to the Greek myth, Hades wanted to marry Persephone and take her to the underworld, making her the Goddess of the underworld. This caused Demeter such agony that she let the world start to die off. Zeus couldn't take the world being so dead, and he sent Hermes to retrieve Persephone. Hades, before releasing her, tricked her into eating 6 pomegranate seeds which forced her to return to the underworld for 6 months out of every year. While Demeter and Persephone are together the world flourishes, while they are apart, Demeter lets everything die.

Answer 2

Hades wanted a wife. Took Persephone away from her mother, Demeter, the goddess of growth and harvest. Demeter grieved. Nothing grew on the earth. Everyone protested. Zeus persuaded Hades to let Persephone return to her mother for part of the year. When she is with Demeter, she stops grieving and plant growth is restored. For part of the year Persephone is with Hades and growth stops again. So we have seasons. For further details see Persephone in Wikipedia or links below.

Answer 3

In one obscure myth Persephone was accredited with creation of mankind from clay (in place of the usual Prometheus). A divine dispute ensued over which god should possess him, with the result that he was awarded to Zeus and Gaia in life, and to Persephone in death.

Answer 4

No special mention is made of how Persephone was born, but as Demeter is a goddess it was likely without pain (her sister Hera's daughter was Eileithyia goddess of childbirth, relieve of pain and the labor pains).

Answer 5

She became very upset and mourned greatly, causing the earth to fall into a 'death like' state (Autumn and Winter) until her daughter was returned to her.

Answer 6

It explains why there are seasons.