- Question
Was Persephone kidnapped?
Persephone, wife to Hades, daughter of Demeter and Zeus. The myth of Persephone says that she was kidnapped by Hades and that she is allowed to visit her mother Demeter for six months out of the year...or does it? Was Persephone kidnapped, or did she go willingly?
Persephone was kidnapped
This position holds that Persephone was indeed kidnapped by Hades. It argues that she was taken to the Underworld against her will — tricked by Hades and forced into marriage — rather than descending by choice, as the traditional abduction myth recounts.
Persphone was not kidnapped
This position holds that Persephone was not kidnapped by Hades but went of her own free will. It argues that she chose to eat the pomegranate seeds when she could have refused, and that in several tellings — especially older, pre-Hellenic versions — she descended to the underworld willingly.