| “ | Mother... I wonder... will you even remember me? | „ |
| ~ Zagreus |
Persephone is the goddess of vegetation (particularly grain), and a daughter of Demeter. She married Hades and was noted to be a stately, kind woman as the Queen of the Underworld.
She is Zagreus' birth mother, but has since left for the world above. It is unknown why she left, or if she was successful in her escape, but she did not die. Had she died, she would have returned to the House as he does via the River Styx. Following her departure, Hades forbade all mentions of her in the House, and as such she remains a figure of mystery. She is known only from a flashback sequence triggered by Zagreus sleeping in his room, and from conversations between Zagreus and Nyx. Before the events of the game, nobody in the House except for Nyx and Hades themselves knew that Persephone was Zagreus' mother; by the start of the game, everyone in the House (sans Hypnos) has learned that this is the case. The Olympian gods are, however, still unaware of this fact at the story's start, and do not know Zagreus' true motives in escaping the Underworld. Little is known regarding Persephone's appearance, until Zagreus reaches Greece.
In one conversation, Thanatos mentions that Zagreus has "her (green) eyes. One of them, anyway." Demeter will also confide in Zagreus regarding her daughter. She reveals that Persephone's father was an ordinary mortal and a farmer, and that she called her Kore, although she later took on the name Persephone. She left Olympus at some point in the past, and Demeter attempted to search for her in vain. Demeter seems to pay no heed to rumors surrounding her daughter's disappearance, even doubting her brother Helios when he told her that Persephone journeyed to the Underworld. On the other hand, Hades is unsympathetic to Zagreus' attempts to pry more information about his mother, although he does mention that she always despised the name Kore.
Characteristics and Personality[ | ]
Persephone is the goddess of harvest, daughter of Demeter, wife of Hades, and biological mother of Zagreus. She seems to exhibit many qualities such as her good humor, loving nature, resilience, fairness, sociability, and great courage, leaving her reign as Queen behind and her dwelling in the magnificent Mount Olympus forever.
Persephone grew up with an excessively controlling and manipulative mother who did not let her walk on her own feet and take her own actions, so this was enough for her to crave freedom and become curious and develop an interest in knowing and living new things. She values sincerity and could not bear the constant fights, lies, and betrayals of the Olympians, which led her to hide and move to the Underworld.
She is considered decent company by Nyx, loved by everyone in the Underworld, and they miss her very much. Persephone is very affable, but without losing her prestige, considered reliable and respectable, treating everyone as equals, praising House members for their good work. She is a good leader and could extract the best from everyone, making the dark Underworld a more productive and inviting place.
Persephone is resourceful and adept at adapting to new situations, she has a "green thumb", which explains how she was able to establish herself in an uninhabited area and quickly cultivate various types of vegetables there. She is also skilled at persuading others to achieve her objectives, leveraging her charisma and previous position as the queen of the Underworld to convince the inflexible Charon to give her a ride to her destination, a trait that Zagreus visibly inherited from her.
She is very warm, affectionate, and advises Zagreus, and it is decided that she will return exclusively to him. Although she is very nice, Zagreus says that it is not a good idea to irritate her because it is implied that she inherited the powers of her mother and can be as destructive as when she is angry.
She saw beyond Hades' impetuous figure and saw someone honest and fair. Persephone was like a welcoming gift to him. Neither Hades nor she were particularly pleased with this development, but they ended up falling in love, married, and had their son Zagreus, And later, a daughter named Melinoë.
Physical description[ | ]
Persephone has the appearance of a middle aged woman. She has fair skin, green eyes, and pale blond hair. Her hair bears similarities to Zagreus' hair, and it is tied together with a green ribbon and two lavender plants are tucked into it. When on the surface, she wears a simple dress that is tied with a green ribbon. A rope is also tied in an X on her chest and on her shoulders. She also wears a green shawl, and simple golden bracelets, along with a silver one. She holds a basket full of vegetables on one arm.
In the family portrait, she wears a much longer dress with gold accents, a red and black detailed sash around her waist, and a green ribbon is seen. Her hair is untied, and she wears red and gold earrings that look similar to bloodstones. She wears the same fiery laurels Hades and Zagreus wears.
As Queen of the Underworld, her dress appears slightly longer than her normal dress. She now wears a black dress with white and gold stripes. She wears a belt with a skull with jewel eyes and mouth, and a red and gold cape-like shawl. Two skulls with golden teeth and eyes adorn her shoulders. She wears more jewelry, including a red bracelet, golden rings, golden braclets, and a necklace bearing the symbol of Hades. Her hair is tied with the green ribbon from her surface outfit, but it is now raised similar to a bun. Her crown has a skull on top, and she wears the laurels that Hades and Zagreus also wear.
History[ | ]
Before Hades[ | ]
Persephone's birth was the result of an unknown mortal farmer man's union with her mother, Demeter. Due to her mortal heritage, Persephone was raised in a highly protected and supervised childhood by her mother. Tired of the constant game of lies and deceit among the Olympians, she felt an increasing desire to leave.
At some point, she meets and falls in love with Hades, someone her mother would never approve of as a suitor. She decides to devise a plan with Zeus to meet Hades, but to her surprise, the plan does not unfold as expected, with Zeus staging a kidnapping, with Hades being the culprit. Demeter becomes so desperate for her daughter's return that she unleashes the "Endless Winter," causing the deaths of many mortals.
Once established in the underworld, Persephone served as an exceptional queen. However, she became inconsolable after the death of her son Zagreus and subsequently abdicated her throne as the Queen of the Underworld, disappearing forever.
Hades[ | ]
Although Persephone does not initially appear in the Hades, she is introduced as a mysterious character whose name is considered taboo. When Zagreus discovers her existence and Hades refuses to divulge any information about her, this proves to be the final impetus for him to flee and try to find her. She is the character responsible for the entire plot of game, Hades.
After the first succesful escape attempt, Zagreus will meet Persephone in her secret home. Persephone does not recognise him, and will react with disbelief and anger when he introduces himself as her son, telling him to leave. Zagreus says he does not care if she hates him, but wants answers. She reveals that, at the moment of his birth, he had died, his burning feet sputtering out. Now believing his identity, she reacts with joy.
Zagreus tells her about his journey to the surface, and informs her that Cerberus is doing well as requested by his father when defeating him for the first time. While asking him what convinced him to find her, Zagreus begins to weaken. He assumes it is the weather of the surface affecting him because he is unaccustomed to it, but Persephone explains that he is bound to the Underworld and will return there. Before he dies, she asks that he comes back, however long it takes.
In the next meeting, Persephone says that she never felt that she belonged in the Underworld despite the efforts of those within it to be welcoming. According to the Fates, a child born of surface dwellers could not survive in the Underworld, but Persephone and Hades attempted to have a child anyway. Overcome by grief from Zagreus emerging stillborn, she left the Underworld and began her own home "Above the notice of the Underworld. Beneath the notice of Olympus."
Hades later reveals that the Fates said he would have no heir, and that it was through Nyx's efforts that he survived, likely convincing the Fates to spare him from death. Before he dies, he asks if Persephone would have returned had she known he lived, to which she responds that she would have gone through hell to see him.
Zagreus later suggests that Hades is protecting Persephone since she can not be seen by the Olympians. She is surprised to know that Zagreus is aware of this, and later they make the conclusion that Hades believes that by letting her go will she be safe from the Olympians, who still do not know where she is, preventing a war between Hades and the rest of Olympus. As Zagreus begins to weaken, Persephone sounds regretful.
The next meeting starts with her requesting that Zagreus not return to her afterwards, both for her safety and his. Zagreus is upset by this and argues with her, but she tells him that Hades must know what he is doing and that both of their safety is at risk whenever he visits. When returning in the next run, Persephone will tell him to leave again, but is stopped by him telling her that Hades still loves her. Before dying, he says that knowing she is safe is not enough and that their family is stuck together and has to work through their problems.
After showing proof to her that Hades still loves her, the next attempt shows her packing her things to return to the Underworld, with Charon bringing both her and Zagreus back.
Upon their return, she opens the gates. She tells Hades and Zagreus that she has a plan to resolve the conflict, but needs them to cooperate. To keep appearances up, Zagreus is permitted to continue his attempts to escape the Underworld to find more security flaws while Persephone plans. Persephone's title also becomes Queen of the Underworld instead of Goddess of Verdure and her outfit changes.
Persephone's plan can only begin when Zagreus has formed bonds with 5 (or 6) of the Olympians. Afterwards, Persephone will task him with sending out invitations to each one. The plan is revealed to be a party where all Olympians are invited and she reveals herself to them. She claims to have eloped with Hades and had Zagreus, who then sought out his extended family. They would refuse this, but is later moved by his numerous attempts to escape, leading to them reaching out. She leaves out the involvement of Zeus entirely. Zagreus expresses concern for Persephone's elaborate lie, but Persephone assures him that they likely already know she is not entirely truthful but are willing to let it go to move on with no hard feelings.
Epilogue[ | ]
During the party, Persephone and Demeter spoke during it. Demeter's response was mixed, but she wanted Persephone to return to the surface and to her responsibilities. Zagreus first assumes she is leaving permanently, but she promises to return. In the next few runs, Persephone is not seen in the Underworld but will eventually return.
Affinity[ | ]
Persephone can only be gifted Nectar once she returns to the House of Hades; if this is done, she will give you the Pom Blossom.
Persephone's affinity gauge is maxed out at 9 hearts, requiring the gifting of 6 Nectar and 3 Ambrosia.
Favor[ | ]
Persephone's favor involves her asking Zagreus if she was a good mother. The affinity gauge will unlock once this conversation is triggered.
Codex entry[ | ]
Letter to Hades[ | ]
| “ | Hades: I can no longer tolerate my life here in this place. So, I am leaving, even if it kills me. I won't be returning to Olympus. If there is a place where I belong in this world, it must be somewhere between heaven and hell. Perhaps it's on the coast and has a little garden. Take care of Cerberus; I shall miss him. | „ |
| ~ Persephone |
Interestingly, she does not mention Zagreus in the note at all and instead wishes well for Cerberus. It is the narrator who accidentally tells Zagreus that she was related to him at all, providing him the revelation that spurs Zagreus to escape from the House. Nyx, who was left to care for Zagreus after Persephone's departure, mentions that this fact of his lineage and her and Hades' lies tell him only half the truth. Eventually, it is revealed that Zagreus was initially stillborn, and thus was not named until Nyx convinced the Fates to revive him, hence why Persephone did not mention what was, to her, a tragedy.
Trivia[ | ]
- Persephone is the only character in Hades to have two differents clothes: one as seen on the surface and another as the Queen of the Underworld.
- She's also the only character with two different titles.
- Even though her affinity can only be raised once she comes back to the House, her bond-forged image depicts her in her surface portrait instead of her Queen of the Underworld portrait.
- In Greek Mythology, Persephone is the daughter of Demeter and Zeus. In Hades, Persephone is the daughter of Demeter and a mortal man.
Additional notes[ | ]
For additional information on Persephone that does not pertain to Hades, see Wikipedia's article: Persephone
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