A Hypothesis on Persephone and the Pomegranate Seeds

The Eleusinian Mysteries were as ancient to Ancient Greeks as those people are to us. For 2000 years a consistent set of rites and teachings occurred. Most of us here know the myth about Hades kidnapping Persephone as the explanation for Winter. I would argue that it is instead a medical prescription.

The myth of Persephone and Demeter is 4000 years old. In that time frame oral tradition alters trivial details. Things which weren’t altered are often going to be more important than we knew.

As children we are told that Persephone could not return to the Living because she ate the food of the Dead. But.. that was a general explanation. For 2000 years what the story literally said was that Persephone became Queen of Life and Death by eating THREE POMEGRANATE SEEDS.

Remember the aside about how details which don’t change indicate the detail is more important than we knew? Pomegranate Seeds are more important than we knew.

The Eleusinian Mysteries occurred in a town which appears to have been named for the Goddess of Childbirth Eileithyia. That’s relevant because

Pomegranate Seeds are a contraceptive- millions of Indian women use it to this day and animal studies prove it reduces female fertility by 90+%.

I believe our Myth is a garbled version of a meme handed down through generations of women- When you are done having children as the Maiden of Flowers- eat the Pomegranate Seed to become the Queen of the Black Gate, and live to raise your children and educate your grandchildren.