ne would tell her the truth, neither god nor mortal men; and of the birds of omen none came with true news for her. For nine days Demeter searched, with flaming torches in her hands, for Persephone (Homer). On the tenth day of her search, Hecate came to her and told her that, while she had heard Persephone yelling for help, she did not see who it was that had bore her off. Together they went to Helios, where Demeter beseeched him to tell her where her daughter had been taken; he told her cloud-gathering Zeus [who] gave her to Hades, her fathers brother, to be called his buxom wife. In diguise, she goes into town, and is met by four daughters, whose household takes her in. She shows herself to them, and takes care of their infant son. She nursed the boy during the day, but at night put him in the fire, to make him immortal. His mother sees this happen, upon spying one night and is upset about it. And the bright goddess, lovely-crowned Demeter, heard her, and was wroth with her. . . cast [the child] from her to the ground, for she was terribly angry in her heart (Homer). Demeter leaves then, and that household sought to appease the goddess by having a temple built for her. Demeter herself withdraws from the rest of the immortals, pining for her daughter. Then she caused a most dreadful and cruel year for mankind over the all-nourishing earth: the ground would not make the seed sprout, for rich-crowned Demeter kept it hid. Zeus notices this and sends Iris to Demeter, to have her come and see him. She doesnt heed this, so he sends many other immortals to her, [Y]et no one was able to persuade her mind and will, so wrath was she in her heart; but she stubbornly rejected all their words: . . . [shed] never set foot on fragrant Olympus nor let fruit spring out of the ground, until she beheld with her eyes her fair-faced daughter (Homer). Zeus, upon hearing this, sends the Slayer of Argus to Hades, to hopefully sweet-talk him into let...
