Coming to Peace with Bad Persephone Retellings

Confession. I have an axe to grind with depictions of Persephone in popular culture. The bad boy/good girl trope, the romance bordering on bad erotica, the endless vilification of Demeter... It drives me bonkers. Before setting out to write this post, I was working on a compilation of modern misconceptions about my Goddess. Then I felt a little tap on my shoulder.

"It's alright."

Persephone's quiet dignity has always awed me. How can She tolerate all the nonsense that people write about Her? Then I heard that little voice again.

"It's alright. I'm still being honored."

She's right, of course. The outrage that I feel over pop culture depictions of my Goddess says more about my own baggage than it says about my Goddess. No matter how cliche the retellings, Persephone is having a moment in popular culture. Every hit Webtoon or romance novel is a reminder of Her grasp upon the modern imagination. If all the attention is bringing Her new followers, how can I, of all people, complain? I came here from Hadestown, after all. 

This is something I've wrestled with for a long time. I've prayed about it, cried about it, even attempted to read Lore Olympus to see the other side (bad idea). But that doesn't take away the pain. Because Persephone's pain in the original myth is my pain.

I'm going to get personal here. The story of a girl surviving sexual abuse will always be more relatable to me than any straight-centric  romance. If Persephone chose to marry Hades, She's no longer a fierce survivor who overcame unspeakable circumstances. As my friend once put it, "She's just Hades' goth girlfriend."

Growing up Catholic, there were no Gods or saints like me. There were no Gods for the girls forced to grow up too quickly. There were no Gods for the girls who felt that innocence was a privilege they missed out on. There were no Gods for the girls struggling to rediscover their ability to be a carefree child. 

Until Persephone.

I see so much of myself in Her story. How can the original abduction myth can truly be considered "unfeminist" when it lights a torch for survivors? Pretending that sexual exploitation doesn't exist will never make it go away. Greek myths are raw, messy, twisted, morbid, and painfully human. They are echoes of a violently patriarchal culture, trauma preserved in storytelling. 

And yet... No one has a monopoly on how Persephone's story should be told. By discouraging others storytellers from reinventing Her myth, we prevent people from finding the Goddess in their own way. Not only does that harm our community, it's an act of hubris.

So, after some gentle reprimands from my dear Dread Queen, I'm doing my best to balance my strong opinions with being openminded. It isn't easy. I wish that more people would realize how hard it is for survivors to interact with myths that deal directly with sexual violence. I wish more people would realize how hard it is to explore the age gap, the power imbalance, the murky consent, the potential exploitation.

But everyone has a right to interact with Persephone's story. By focusing on my own relationship with Her, I forgot about the beautiful experiences of other followers. We each have something to learn from each other, don't we? Everyone is on their own path and deserves to be respected. 

Even if they like Lore Olympus.