The legend of Persephone and Hades is a rather odd romance, to say the least. From the forceful abduction to the arranged marriage, to even the twisted concept of love at first sight, their relationship has influenced various modern novels. In Abandon by Meg Cabot, Pierce is a young woman who finds herself catching the eye of a rather persistent gentleman who will stop at nothing to bring her back to the Underworld. InThat Fatal Kiss by Mina Lobo, their romance is retold by both Hades and Persephone, both of whom fell in love with each other, despite everything that’s happened. There are a lot of different stories inspired by the legend, with both Persephone and Hades at the center of it.

In Greek mythology, Demeter was the goddess of the seasons, agriculture, and nature. She helped changed the four seasons on earth, and was rather content living with her daughter, Persephone. Though Persephone was chased after by the gods Apollo and Hermes, Demeter denied them both. And instead, Demeter shielded her daughter from them. However, Hades somehow got through, and kidnapped Persephone, where he forced her to live in the Underworld. Demeter was distressed by her daughter’s disappearance, so much so that she refused to work the earth. Zeus, who saw the suffering the people on earth were going through, told Demeter where to find her daughter. He also eventually forced Hades to give Persephone back. However, Hades managed to trick Persephone into eating six pomegranate seeds, which forced Persephone to spend the winter and fall months in the Underworld. This was the story of how the four seasons were made.

Persephone has been used to represent the vegetation on the earth. Just as during the spring, she blooms and stays with her mother on earth, and when fall and winter befalls them, she has to recede back into the Underworld. Even so, because Hades made her Queen of the Underworld, she not only represents the earth, but also the souls of the dead as well. She was worshipped alongside her mother, Demeter, throughout cults such as Asia Minor and Libya. Despite this, she was also revered as the Queen of Death, and has been known as both the daughter of Zeus and the River Styx. She also has two children, a daughter called Melinoe, who is the goddess of ghosts, and Zagreus who, in some stories, later became Dionysus.

In a way, the relationship between Persephone and Hades laid the foundation for Western civilization’s take on paranormal romance. There are many variations of the story in Europe and Asia, and many authors have even given their take on it, whether it be by removing the non-consensual elements in the story, or simply by making it into some kind of erotica. However, though their relationship can be taken as stalkerish, perhaps even abusive, in most accounts, Hades does truly love his wife. Still, it’s a question that has continually beset writers for a long time, and will continue to do so. Though we may never know the answer, in the end, it’s our own interpretations that make the story just as intriguing.