Episode 273: The Dark Descent into Hell - Tracing the Origins of Persephone and Other Underworld Goddesses

The dragons aim to please where possible, so this episode was born out a question asked by a long term listener. In recent years, the story of Persephone's abduction by Hades and eventual, conditional, release from the underworld has gained a new surge of popularity. Whether you're horrified by the graphic violent kidnap and rape version or enamoured of the Olympian pantheon's power couple, there is something about the myth and about Persephone herself which captures the imaginations. Jules and Madeleine take a deep dive into the (likely) origins of the (probably) much more juicy story and theorise about how it became the myth we now know. Comparing Persephone with Inanna, Ishtar and Astarte, the dragons trace the recurring myth of the Goddess' descent into the underworld.