18 Comments
User's avatar
Joscelyne Mei's avatar

Wow! I should be getting to bed but I’m glad I read this as my late night fairytale. This was beautiful, your haiku, your retelling of one of my favorite myths and I also loved that deeper cyclical connection of death and rebirth. On a silly side note, they should make a pomegranate emoji!

nadia g's avatar

thank you so so much my darling Joscelyne! i love that you read it at nigh too, so fitting!! and wow never thought of that, but i completely agree, a pomegranate emoji would be so juicyyyy

Hannah's avatar

This is one of my favourites of yours Nadia! This is so well written and detailed and beautifully executed! I enjoyed it so much thank you xx

nadia g's avatar

Thank you so much Hannah, your words always put a smile on my face xx

Amour ✧'s avatar

I like all the contradictions in Persephone’s story, the in between paradoxes of who she is— love a woman with mystery. Also enjoyed the art++ 💫🤍

nadia g's avatar

Thank you so much✨ Yes, the contradictions and mysteries in Persephone’s story are what make her so timeless! And so happy you enjoyed the art!🖤

Cynthia's avatar

Love Love. 💙🌀💙

nadia g's avatar

Thank you so much for feeling this piece with your heart 💙

wildflower's avatar

I love the Persephone-myth! So well written. Fantastic haikus!! Thank you for sharing this, nadia!! 🤍

nadia g's avatar

I'm so happy you resonated with the Persephone myth! She's endlessly inspiring. Thank you for your kind words my dear🌑🌸

O.'s avatar

Aaaaaaa. Loved this so much. Sitting in candlelight actually puts one into a different brain wave state (much closer to Theta) - I learnt this from a book of psychic spells in witchcraft. We can access depths of creativity, insight and subconscious gold in these states that we don't get to taste in our everyday, normal conscious mind state. Love all the suggested practices but especially that one ;) It feels to me like accessing our own Underworld, by sitting in candlelight to think + write by hand in a notebook by candlelight.

nadia g's avatar

Yes yes yes! Candlelight shifts everything, such a poetic and powerful way to connect with the deep self. Thank you for reflecting this so beautifully ✨🕯

pie's avatar

really feel your passion bleeding through this essay ! Amazing and beautiful knowledge. Thank you Nadia ! 💌

nadia g's avatar

Aww, thank you💌 That means a lot, I poured a lot of heart into it, so it’s a gift to know it reached you.

jennae's avatar

such a beautiful and embodied retelling of persephone, i love her!! this is so deep and rich with stunning myth. well done my greek goddess friend ♥️

nadia g's avatar

my fellow ocean-hearted myth-lover! so grateful for your words, always♥️ Persephone does bring so much richness and depth🌺

User's avatar
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Apr 25, 2025
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nadia g's avatar

That's a great question! my high school level exposure to Ancient Greek might not be sufficient to explain the nuances of this fully, but the short answer is that there were tonal differences in how the two were pronounced (and also regional and temporal variations) to distinguish between the god's name and the underworld's name. In modern Greek, however, both words sound the same! Over time, the tonal distinctions faded, and the pronunciation simplified, so the words are now homophones in the modern language.

User's avatar
Comment deleted
Apr 25, 2025
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nadia g's avatar

I love that interpretation! This name similarity, too, seems like it places the god as a personification of the space, not simply its ruler, or necessarily separate from it. Thank you for sharing this perspective, it’s so interesting!