In
Greek mythology,
Persephone (, ; ), also called
Kore or
Cora (; "the maiden"), is the daughter of
Zeus and the harvest goddess
Demeter, and is the queen of the
underworld.
Homer describes her as the formidable, venerable majestic princess of the underworld, who carries into effect the curses of men upon the souls of the dead. Persephone was abducted by
Hades, the god-king of the underworld. The myth of her abduction represents her function as the
personification of
vegetation, which shoots forth in
spring and withdraws into the earth after harvest; hence, she is also associated with spring as well as the fertility of vegetation. Similar myths appear in the
Orient, in the cults of male gods like
Attis,
Adonis and
Osiris, and in
Minoan Crete.