Grotto of the Ancients

The Goddess of the Harvest, Demeter, had a lovely daughter named Persephone. She was the maiden of the Spring. Persephone loved to go for walks with her friends, until one day when she wandered off from them. The Lord of the Underworld caught sight of Persephone and fell instantly and madly in love with her. He mounted his golden chariot drawn by black horses and went off to get her.

When he took Persephone, she let out a terrible scream that traveled for miles-on-end. Her mother caught the cry for help on the wind. Demeter went as fast as she could, looking everywhere for her precious daughter, but Persephone was not to be found. No one would answer her questions as to what had happened, until finally the Sun took pity on the poor mother and told her. Demeter stopped doing her Godly duties and walked around on the earth in despair. Without her, the earth was doomed. There was no rain, and none of the crops grew without her Godly touch. There was a wide-spread drought that could not end until she got back her daughter. Seeing this, Zeus sent Hades down into the Underworld to tell the Lord that he must give his lovely bride back.

Persephone was ecstatic when she heard that she was going to see her mother again. Before she left, her husband tricked her with a pomegranate which she ate. This meant that Persephone had to return to the Underworld, which she did not know. He gave it to her...thinking only of his love for her. Off she went to see her mother, and it was a very emotional meeting. They told one another everything which they had gone through in each other's absence.

When Demeter heard of the pomegranate seed, her heart sank once again. She told her only daughter what it meant. Demeter cried up to the Heavens with shattering cries...one of which was heard by Rhea, Zeus' mother. Rhea summoned her son from Olympus. It was at last decided that Persephone would live the Winter with her husband in the Underworld...and the Spring and Summer with her mother. Hearing this raised both women's spirits. Demeter knew now that her daughter was not completely lost to her. Finally, Demeter returned to her place as the Goddess of the Harvest, and the people rejoiced.

Thus, when the brutal coldness of winter strikes, it is the sadness of Persephone which causes its sting. And likewise, when the beauties and joys of Spring emerge, it is the celebration of the Maiden which grants it such majesty!

I chose the goddess, Persephone, because I am an eternal lover of nature! Nothing makes me happier than a beautiful Spring afternoon with children playing in the yards, hummingbirds buzzing around the feeders, the sweet smell of honeysuckle in the air...*sigh*...or even an unexpected May thunderstorm where I can sit on the front porch, cuddled up with a good book...smelling the rain as it beats down on the rooftop!

Please feel free to call on me for any of your homesteading needs! If I don't have the answer...I will find it. My philosophy on life is simply, "BLOOM where you're planted!" Geocities has allowed us all a wonderful place to set down roots. Get involved with your community...get to know your neighbors!

Persephone offers you help with web page design, graphic design, HTML programming, and tips on how to build a better site!

In Ancient Greece - the Muse of epic poetry and eloquence. Her name is translated from Greek as having a beautiful voice. She was the mother of two sons: Orpheus - the greatest musician of Ancient Mythology, and Linos - legendary poet.
She also left a trace in music, having an instrument named after her. Calliope - steam organ, musical instrument with steam whistles played by pressing keys.

Annastacia discovered Geocities while working on her Master's degree in teaching. In her spare time she writes poetry and dabbles in photography. Her website, Integrating Technology With Education, is full of resources and advice for teachers.
Like the Muse Calliope, she is famous for eloquence - a necessary professional characteristic for a certified chat hostess.

An Oread, or mountain nymph, she had a reputation among her companions for loquacity and was often posted to detain Hera while Zeus had relations with her sister nymphs. While Echo continued her chatter, the nymphs would slip away undetected. Hera learned of this deception and punished Echo so that she could only repeat the final words spoken to her. She had no power of initiating a conversation.

After she had lost her voice she happened one day to encounter the beautiful youth Narcissus. She immediately fell in love with him and began following him. Narcissus was not capable of loving anyone and had been cruel to his would-be lovers, mostly male. He considered Echo a nuisance, particularly since she had what he must have thought a weird habit of repeating what he said. He turned coldly away from her each time she came near. Echo pined away until finally she disappeared altogether; only her voice remained.

You can find mention of Flora in Spenser's Faerie Queene as well as in several poems by Keats. The following excerpt is from Wiliam Drummond's 1616 poem, Phoebus Arise :

31 Now Flora, deck thyself in fairest guise;
32 If that ye, winds, would hear
33 A voice surpassing far Amphion's lyre,
34 Your stormy chiding stay;
35 Let Zephyr only breathe
36 And with her tresses play,
37 Kissing sometimes these purple ports of death.
38 The winds all silent are,
39 And Phoebus in his chair,
40 Ensaffroning sea and air,
41 Makes vanish every star;
42 Night like a drunkard reels
43 Beyond the hills to shun his flaming wheels;
44 The fields with flow'rs are deck'd in every hue,
45 The clouds bespangle with bright gold their blue;
46 Here is the pleasant place,
47 And ev'ry thing save her, who all should grace.

The story of Flora begins with the story of Chloris, a nymph, and Zephyrus, the west wind. Zephyrus had always admired the young nymph, and one spring day decided to have her for himself. Zephyrus abducted Chloris and raped her. Aphrodite took pity on Chloris and immediately granted her a gift. The nymph began to change before the eyes of the west wind. She gradually took the shape of Flora, the new goddess of flowers and fertility, and her body was partially made of flowers.

Zephyrus' lust immediately changed to love and Flora found it in her heart to forgive him and love him as well. From that moment forward, Zephyrus and Flora were deeply in love and inseparable. Zephyrus also became protector of plants and trees.

Lily chose Flora as her goddess because Flora is the representation of flowers and spring. Lily has a great love of flowers! However, Flora also overcame tragedy and hardship on her road to becoming a goddess. Sometimes building a home page and settling in to a new community, whether in real life or cyberspace, is hard. Lily is here to try to answer all your questions and to just be a friend.

You can e-mail Lily or visit her home page full of folk tales and poetry, Celtic Lore & Wicca.