As the seasons shift and the chill of autumn begins to settle over Istanbul, Türkiye, I’m reminded of how ancient cultures explained the changing of the seasons. In an era lacking modern scientific understanding, mythology provided a framework for interpreting natural events. Driven by an insatiable curiosity, ancient people crafted stories to explain the mysteries around them. Among the fundamental questions was the cycle of seasons – a crucial factor impacting agriculture, survival and the rhythms of daily life.

Tale of Hades, Persephone

In Greek mythology, this mystery finds its answer in the tale of Hades and Persephone. Hades, the god of the underworld, rarely left his shadowy realm beneath the earth. Content with his solitary kingdom, he avoided the lively surface world. However, on one fateful day, Hades ventured up and encountered Persephone, the daughter of Zeus, the god of the sky, and Demeter, the goddess of the harvest and fertility. Captivated by Persephone’s beauty and grace, Hades was overwhelmed by an instant, intense love. Yet instead of wooing her, he chose a darker path: he kidnapped her, taking her back with him to the underworld. This act would forever change Persephone’s destiny, binding her to both the world of the living and the underworld.

Persephone’s abduction left her devastated, trapped in a world of shadows. She repeatedly pleaded with Hades to release her, but escape from the underworld was impossible. Meanwhile, her mother, Demeter, was frantic. Demeter scoured the earth for her missing daughter, searching tirelessly for nine days and nights. Refusing to rest or take sustenance, she appealed to gods, mortals and even creatures of the earth, asking if anyone knew of Persephone’s whereabouts. The earth began to reflect Demeter’s sorrow; crops withered, rivers dried and a terrible drought spread across the land.

Birth of seasons

At last, Helios, the sun god who sees everything, reveals the truth to Demeter: her daughter has been taken by Hades, with Zeus' permission. Betrayed by her husband and crushed by her daughter’s fate, Demeter withdrew from her divine role as the earth’s caretaker. In her absence, the earth became barren; plants refused to grow, animals ceased to reproduce and humanity faced a devastating famine. Deprived of human offerings, even the gods grew concerned, as they relied on these tributes to maintain their power.

Recognizing the severity of the crisis, Zeus, the god of all gods, intervened. He sent Hermes, the quick-footed god of travel, commerce and cunning, to the underworld to negotiate Persephone’s release. After much persuasion, Hades reluctantly agreed, though he was reluctant to part with his beloved Persephone. However, Hades was cunning: he offered Persephone a pomegranate before her departure, knowing that anyone who consumed food in the underworld would be bound to it forever. Persephone, unaware of this rule, ate several seeds as a parting gesture, forever tying her fate to the underworld.

When Persephone returned to her mother, Demeter was overjoyed. But upon learning of the pomegranate seeds, her joy turned to sorrow. She knew that the rule of the underworld would bind Persephone there for part of the year. In her love for her daughter, Demeter struck a compromise with Hades: Persephone would live half a year with her mother on the earth’s surface and the other half with Hades in the underworld. Thus, when Persephone is with Demeter, spring and summer bloom in celebration; the earth becomes fertile, flowers blossom and new life flourishes. When Persephone returns to Hades, autumn and winter descend as the earth withers and becomes dormant, reflecting Demeter’s sorrow at their separation.

This myth, both tragic and cyclical, captures the eternal rhythm of life and death, growth and dormancy, warmth and cold. Through the love between mother and daughter and the conflict between the gods, ancient Greeks explained the natural cycle that we continue to experience each year. As we observe the shifting seasons, we’re reminded of this age-old story, one that gave early humans comfort and understanding of the world around them, just as it reminds us of the delicate balance between life’s light and shadow.