Don’t Blame Persephone
Blogs
09.16.2014
Don’t Blame Persephone – Have a Moon Cake and Sing
It is fascinating to reflect on the way the ancient Greeks saw the passing of summer and the onset of fall. In the well-known myth, the goddess Persephone is abducted by Hades to live with him in the underworld, where he is king. But her mother Demeter, queen of the harvest, is furious with her husband Zeus for conspiring in this scheme and retaliates by refusing to allow anything to grow. They strike a bargain: Persephone will spend half the year on earth, assuring that life will regenerate each spring, and then return to the underworld for the colder and darker six months.
An intriguing twist in this story is that Demeter almost succeeds in bringing her daughter back full time, except that Persephone is tricked by Hades into tasting some pomegranate seeds. Since anyone eating or drinking in the underworld is forbidden to leave, this is a pivotal moment. It’s tempting to think we could have avoided this whole winter thing if Persephone had resisted the offer. But it turns out that Persephone, in some versions of the myth, actually was enjoying being queen of the underworld and knew perfectly well what she was doing when she took the seeds. In this more nuanced telling, the myth embodies our own ambiguity about the transition into the darker months – not a time to be dreaded so much as a season to be celebrated for its own qualities. We turn inward, hunker down and draw together as the earth sleeps.
In this secular age we see this moment as a purely astronomical event, in which the 23.5º tilt of the earth’s axis presents a constantly changing face to the sun. At the equinoxes the sun’s light and warmth fall directly on the equator, resulting in days and nights of equal length for both southern and northern hemispheres. It would be a big stretch to blame Persephone for all this celestial activity.
Yet, as we make our personal transitions from the brightness of summer into the bittersweet cool of fall it might be helpful for us to keep in mind her fateful decision and embrace the new season with joy. Indeed autumnal celebrations around the world abound. The Druids used to burn a giant wicker man that embodied the spirit of vegetation. The Chinese eat mooncakes filled with lotus, sesame seeds, dried fruit or a duck egg. Closer to home, we at Revels bring together a couple of thousand like-minded souls in a festival of community singing, life-size puppets, a boisterous percussion ensemble and giant electric butterflies as the sun sets on the Charles River. As long as we have to say good-bye to Persephone for another winter, what better way than to give her a royal send-off, wishing her safe passage and a speedy return next March?
Related Stories
See More
Boston Music Intelligencer REVIEW: Going Deeper Underground with “Secret Byrd”
Events Insider REVIEW: Revels Presents Immersive Musical Theatrical Experience SECRET BYRD at
Secret Byrd Spotlight: Owain Park
The Boston Musical Intelligencer PREVIEW: Don’t Tell Anyone About “Secret Byrd”
Revels Fringe Spotlight: Seven Times Salt
Midwinter Revels Children’s Chorus Spotlight: Marina & Lena Nugent
Midwinter Revels Children’s Chorus Spotlight: Jacob & Mira Whiting
Boston Globe REVIEW: Midwinter Revels Serves Up a Frolicsome ‘Feast of Fools’
Theater Mirror REVIEW: Revels Goes Medieval in Swanson’s Swan Song with ‘Feast
Stage and Cinema REVIEW: You’d Be a Fool to Miss this Feast
Broadway World REVIEW: Midwinter Revels – A Journey of Comfort and Joy
Boston Globe HOLIDAY ARTS PREVIEW: A medieval ‘Midwinter Revels’ will suffer these
RiverSing Spotlight: Good Trouble Brass Band
Debra Wise Appointed Associate Artistic Director of Revels, Inc.
Midwinter Revels Performer Spotlight – Rosalba Solis
Midwinter Revels Performer Spotlight – Carolyn Saxon
Stage and Cinema REVIEW: Let the Revels’ Sun Shine into Your Home
The Arts Fuse REVIEW: “Midwinter Revels” — Unity, “Behold How Good”
New England Theater Mirror REVIEW: ‘Midwinter Revels’ Brings Together Multiple Cultures for
WBUR REVIEW: Revels is back with a more inclusive, rebranded holiday spectacular
Boston Globe REVIEW: A ‘Solstice Celebration’ for everyone
Midwinter Revels Chorus Spotlight – Heather Koerber Nunes and Jake Nunes
Chorus Auditions for The Midwinter Revels: A Celebration of the Solstice
Midwinter Revels – A Celebration of the Solstice
Revels Spring Sing Artist Spotlight: Dr. Kathy Bullock
Revels Spring Sing Artist Spotlight: Claire Dickson
In Memory of Ashley Bryan
Common Pursuits in Different Suits
The Sleepless Critic: ‘Christmas Revels In Celebration of Winter Solstice’ a clever
The Arts Fuse: “The Christmas Revels 2021” — As Usual, Rising in
Joyce’s Choices: The Christmas Revels
New England Theater Mirror: Christmas Revels Returns to Sanders Theater
Revels, Inc. Names Elijah Botkin as New Music Director
Boston Globe Review: The ‘Christmas Revels’ celebrates a new direction
Behind the Scenes at Revels
Thanks Giving
Meet Arkansas Light, Christmas Revels Production Stage Manager
Artist Spotlight: Ken Field
Volunteer Spotlight: Haley Fisher
The Sleepless Critic Review: Christmas Revels 50th virtual anniversary delivers mirth, merriment,
Review: Christmas Classics – Virtual Editions and Good as New!!
Boston Globe Review: This virtual Christmas Revels is a virtual triumph
Volunteer Spotlight: Rachel Grygorcewicz
Volunteer Spotlight: Nick Browse
Volunteer Spotlight: Ross Hall
Volunteer Spotlight: Harvey Cohen
Volunteer Spotlight: Cathie Ghorbani
Volunteer Spotlight: Mari Young
Volunteer Spotlight: Julie Smith
David Zooms to Perkins
Volunteer Spotlight: John Recroft
MAYDAY! MAYDAY! MAYDAY!
Review: Christmas Revels Brings Its Special Cheer to Depression Era America
BWW Review: THE CHRISTMAS REVELS: A Long Tradition of Community Forged Through
Theater Review: The Christmas Revels – American Version
REVIEW: Nearly 50, Christmas Revels is better than ever
REVIEW: This Christmas Revels goes to the American heartland
Thanksgiving
Solstice Duality
Happy Spring!
REVIEW: Christmas Revels Celebrates the ‘Other’ Great White North
REVIEW: ‘The Christmas Revels’ points north
Theater Review: The Christmas Revels – A Wonderful Nordic Celebration
Just Add Audience
The Longest Day
A Magical Experience: The Making of a CD
Malibu 2018
REVIEW: Revels’ ‘Venetian Celebration’ glitters
REVIEW: Old World Music, Comedy from Renaissance Era Lights Up Christmas Revels
St. Nicholas in Bohemia: Mikulas Eve
REVIEW: A handsome ‘Christmas Revels’ brings the party to Venice
A liberating holiday performance
The Master of the Revels
The Solstice Stands Revealed
Revels is here! Revels is here!
Striding Arches
Moonlighting with Shakespeare
What Blizzard?
Christmas Revels Enchants with Celebration of Acadian, Cajun Cultures
The Holy and the Broken Hallelujah Or How I learned to stop
This Acadian-Cajun Christmas Revels lets the good times roll
Annual Christmas Revels’ production fills the stage with delight
A Music Director Reflects
Fenway’s Ritual Earth
Welcome to Our New Music Director
Reflections on Malibu
‘Christmas Revels’ finally makes it to Wales
Christmas Revels – Looking Back and Looking Forward
Dylan Thomas: the intersection where poetry and drama meet
Revels Music Director George Emlen Announces His Retirement
Giving Voice
A Revels Director in Wales
Summer solstice: the year’s circus act
The Boston Globe profiles harpist Maeve Gilchrist and Revels FRINGE
Reporting on Education at Revels
The Great Flying Machine Race
The Wheel of the World
What’s Your Version of the Revels Elephant?
Farewell from Steve
Summer Camp
Fuse Theater Review: The Christmas Revels – Charming English Music Hall Edition
The Boston Globe Review: For Christmas Revels, a welcome return to Victorian
Events Insider Review: Christmas Revels Brings Victorian Dance Hall Celebration to Sanders
TAB Newspapers Theater Review: Revels transports audiences to Victorian England
The Crystal Palace
Don’t Blame Persephone
From the FRINGE: Who’s Maeve Listening to?
Solstice Fires
Patriot’s Day – My Favorite Holiday
A Forum on Arts Funding
Spring Forward
The Itinerant Musician
Welcome to the Revels blog
Stay up to date
with Revels.
with Revels.
Sign up to receive email updates on performances, events, and news coming from Revels.