“I have nothing against you, sire, but I cannot bear to live without the sun and without my mother.”
Hades drew such a long sigh that Hermes was touched. He gave a slight cough to indicate his presence. Hades sprang up, a little embarrassed to have been caught kneeling at his wife’s feet.
“Good morning, nephew, to what do I owe your visit?”
“Good morning, dear uncle, king of the Underworld, and good morning to you too, my beautiful cousin Persephone,” replied Hermes after bowing deeply before them. “It is Zeus who has sent me. You see, we are in a very, very awkward situation. Since you abducted and married Persephone, her mother is so distraught that she no longer does her job. The earth and the men on it are dying.” And the skilled wordsmith began to describe in great detail the catastrophic situation on earth. Hades listened without saying anything, while Persephone wept even more heartily… Hermes concluded his speech with the following words: “Zeus beseeches you to restore Persephone back to her mother.” A long silence ensued, interrupted only by the hiccups and snifflings of Persephone. Hades then turned towards her and said:
“My fair friend, know that if you had been happy with me, I would never have listened to a word of Zeus’ request. But I love you too much to be able to bear your grief any longer. Go back to your mother, since this is what you must do.” He placed a kiss on her hand and left the room.
“He truly loves you!” said Hermes to his cousin. “Lovers like that don’t come often…” Persephone had stopped crying. The idea of seeing the light of day again filled her with happiness. And she, who had not eaten anything for ten days, suddenly felt famished. She took out of her pocket a pomegranate that the god of the Underworld had offered her and bit into it. “Spit that out!” cried Hermes. “Spit it out quickly!” And he snatched the fruit from her and threw it far away. Panic-stricken, Persephone spat out what she had just bitten off. “Have you swallowed any of it?” asked Hermes, trembling.
“No… well, yes, just three little seeds, that’s all…” stammered the goddess. “Is it serious?”
It was far more serious than she could possibly imagine…
To be continued…
EPISODE 60
IN WHICH A MOTHER AND DAUGHTER ARE REUNITED AT LAST
Previously: Hermes has gone to fetch Persephone from the Underworld. Hades has agreed to let her go away again, but she has just swallowed three pomegranate seeds which put her at risk…
Why had Hermes been trembling in this manner ever since his cousin Persephone had swallowed these three seeds of pomegranate? Hermes had grasped her hand at once and had begun to run towards the exit of the cavern. The sun which greeted them as they came out was dazzling. Persephone forgot the matter of the seeds immediately and let her joy explode. She stretched out her arms and began to twirl around in the light air. And she laughed and laughed. Her long hair floated in a crown all around her. As he looked at her, Hermes thought of Hades’ love, a love so great that the god of the Underworld had agreed to lose the young girl so she might regain her smile. He led Persephone away with him. “Come, we still have a long distance to cover.”
As soon as she saw the state the earth was in, this parched earth where nothing grew any longer, Persephone understood how much her mother must have suffered by her absence to abandon her work in this way. Night was falling when Hermes and Persephone came near a great high-columned building of stone. It was the temple of Eleusis. The setting sun cast a splendid red flush on it. Suddenly, a woman appeared on the threshold. She had a thin, wrinkled face and grey hair which fell all over it; she wore filthy and torn clothes. And the red sunlight which lit up her face gave it a troubling aspect. Persephone hesitated for an instant: she did not recognize her own mother, once so beautiful, in this old woman. But Demeter recognized her daughter immediately and rushed into her arms. Hermes moved discreetly a little farther away, to let mother and daughter reunite.
After several long moments, Demeter turned towards Hermes to thank him for having returned her daughter to her. But there was something quite difficult that Hermes still had to do.
“Dear aunt Demeter,” began the little messenger, “Zeus sent me to fetch your daughter from the Underworld and Hades agreed, because of his love for her, to let her go. There is just one thing, though: according to the laws of the Underworld, anyone who has tasted the food of that realm is condemned to remain there for ever.” Persephone gave out a faint groan: she realized now that her misfortunes were perhaps not over yet. “The fact is that Persephone ate three seeds from a fruit that grew in the Underworld…”
When she heard these words, Demeter turned very pale. “I shall never let her go back down there,” she shouted.
“Wait! Don’t lose your temper! All along the way here, I have been thinking the matter over, and I believe that I have come up with an idea: your daughter only swallowed three seeds, so I propose that she spend three months of the year with Hades in the Underworld and the rest of the time with you. What do you think?”
The goddess Demeter did not have time to reply, because Zeus appeared just then. “Well done, Hermes. Not only have you succeeded in your mission, but the suggestion you have just made seems to me ideal. It shall be so.” Then he turned towards Persephone and said in her ear: “You’ll see; you will be quite happy to be able to get away from your mother now and then. And after all, Hades has been a very attentive lover towards you…” Persephone smiled and accepted.
Demeter was furious at the idea of having to be separated from her daughter once more, but this time she would have to yield. So she shouted at Zeus: “Well, then, during the three months that my beloved daughter will be taken away from me, I too will take myself away from the world, and I will cease to work while I wait for her return.”
This is how, from that day onwards, and during three months of each year, when winter sets in, nothing grows any longer on earth. While Demeter bewails her daughter, who joins Hades in the Underworld, the plants fall asleep, the trees no longer have leaves and the flowers and the fruit disappear. Afterwards, as soon as the goddess finds her daughter once more, it is spring: everything blossoms anew and everything grows on earth. The goddess works and works, summer arrives with its fruit and ripe grain. Then Demeter begins to dread once more her daughter’s departure. Autumn comes, the leaves turn yellow. And it is time for Persephone’s sojourn in the Underworld. Demeter locks herself up during the three long winter months and weeps. The soil waits. It waits for the return of the beautiful Persephone in the springtime. Hermes went back to Olympus very pleased for having managed to bring prosperity back on earth. While he was flying towards the palace, he thought about the mysteries of love. “People in love are capable of absolutely incredible things. I would very much like to know where love comes from.”
To be continued…
EPISODE 61
IN WHICH DEATH SEPARATES TWO LOVERS
Previously: Persephone has been reunited with her mother Demeter but she returns every year to rejoin Hades in the Underworld during the three winter months.
Hermes had been invited to the wedding of young Orpheus. He had a particular fondness for this handsome young man. Orpheus was the first baby that Hermes had seen being born. He still remembered that magical night when he had accompanied his sister Artemis to the home of the nymph Calliope, who was giving birth to her child. On that night, Hermes had discovered the mysteries of birth. Furthermore, Orpheus became the most extraordinary musician in the world when he grew up. He played every instrument so gracefully that all men and all beasts were entranced by his music.
The celebration took place in a beautiful clearing. The tables had been set in the middle of the meadow. There were flowers everywhere. There was even a small brook flowing past. Hermes was awestruck when he met the young woman whom Orpheus was going to marry. She was called Eurydice and her eyes were as black as her hair. She had stuck white and purple flowers in her long plaits and a golden headband secured the blue veil which hung loo
se upon her head. The graceful Eurydice did not take her eyes off Orpheus. And Orpheus never stopped singing glorious tunes to her, accompanying the singing with his lyre. Watching the two young people in love, Hermes thought that being loved made one beautiful. Yet the more he looked at them, the less he understood from where this love was born. Why did these two love one another? That was a mystery…
Eurydice had wandered a few paces away from her husband. Orpheus was singing and playing his lyre. In order to be able to dance better, Eurydice had untied the laces of her sandals. Her naked feet stepped lightly onto the grass as she twirled around. All of a sudden, she stepped onto a snake hiding in the grass. In a flash, the snake bit her on the ankle. Eurydice let out a faint scream and fell on the ground. Orpheus hurried to his beloved, took her in his arms, yet life was fleeing away from her already. Eurydice’s lips turned pale and the snake’s venom reached her heart. The young woman died. Orpheus’ grief burst out violently. Weeping, he clutched his wife against his body. And all the guests wept with him.
As he did with all the dead, Hermes accompanied Eurydice’s shade to the Underworld. When he returned from the realm of Hades, he discovered that Orpheus’ distress had not ceased to increase. Orpheus cried day after day, inconsolable for having lost his love.
“You, who guide the dead to Hades’ realm,” Orpheus said to him, “help me bring back my beloved to the world of the living. I cannot go on living without her.”
But Hermes did not have the right to bring a living person to the realm of the dead. He replied: “Zeus alone can grant you leave to go to the Underworld.”
Orpheus immediately made up his mind to go and persuade Zeus. He went to the palace of Olympus and brought his lyre with him. When he was in the presence of the gods, he began to play and to sing. His song had a sad beauty unlike any other. His music moved all the gods and goddesses.
“Are you aware that the journey to the Underworld is dangerous?” Zeus asked him.
“Yes, I am,” answered Orpheus. “But to live without Eurydice is even more dangerous.”
Zeus smiled. He knew well that being in love sometimes allowed one to overcome every obstacle. “So be it, then. Hermes, take Orpheus to Hades,” he said.
The journey to the Underworld seemed short to Hermes, because all along the way Orpheus sang of his love for the beautiful Eurydice. When they arrived before old Charon, young Orpheus did not tremble. He continued to play. And Charon, who had at first refused to let this living man board the boat of the dead, fell, little by little, under the music’s spell. He agreed to carry Orpheus to the opposite bank of the Styx. Hermes was left speechless before Orpheus’ courage. But he thought that, before Cerberus, the terrible dog of the Underworld, Orpheus would be frightened and give up. Would the force of this love be enough to bring Eurydice back to life?
To be continued…
EPISODE 62
IN WHICH WE SEE THAT THE LACK OF FAITH CAN COST DEARLY
Previously: Eurydice was bitten by a snake on her wedding day and she is now dead. Her husband, Orpheus, is inconsolable. He goes to fetch her from the Underworld.
Hermes dreaded the meeting between Orpheus and Cerberus, the terrible dog of the Underworld. Orpheus himself, however, was not afraid. He knew that no human being had ever gone as far as this, yet his love seemed to protect him from everything. He descended from Charon’s boat untrembling. And when Cerberus, the monstrous dog, pointed his three gaping mouths towards him, he did not flinch. No, he continued to sing of his love for his beautiful vanished wife. The dog stopped, listened, and then slowly it stepped back. Orpheus’ music had succeeded in what no one else had ever succeeded in doing: softening the beast’s heart. Cerberus lay down; with his heads resting on his paws and with drooping eyelids, he listened to the sweet melody.
When Hermes and Orpheus arrived at Hades’ palace, Orpheus’ face still showed no fear. One thing alone occupied his mind: to find his wife again. He looked at all the shadows that surrounded him, seeking Eurydice among them. Hermes, who had prepared a long speech to beguile Hades and Persephone, was not allowed time to talk. As soon as the god of the Underworld and his wife entered, Orpheus began to sing. And there too the music touched Persephone and Hades in the deepest recesses of their hearts. Tears flowed down Persephone’s face and Hades broke into a slight cough to conceal his emotion. Little by little, the music spread everywhere in the Underworld. When they heard the song of Orpheus, the Danaids stopped filling up their barrel, Sisyphus stopped pushing his heavy stone and Tantalus was no longer either thirsty or hungry. The music reached even the remotest parts of Tartarus, where the Cyclopes and the hundred-handed Giants were imprisoned. These monsters let their forge grow cold, the better to listen to the song.
The shadows of the dead had all drawn near. And suddenly, one of them took a step forward. It was Eurydice. Orpheus recognized her immediately and his song was transformed. The sweet and doleful music became lively and joyful. Orpheus sang for a long while of love, and then he fell silent. Persephone murmured a few words in her husband’s ear. Hades rose to his feet and said: “Orpheus, your courage, your love and your art have conquered us. I will grant you leave to do what no human being has ever had the right to do before: you shall take Eurydice with you back to the light. But only on one sole condition: do not turn around before you have departed from the Underworld. Do not look at her before you are returned to the light, or you shall lose her for ever.” A murmur rose from the throng of assembled shades. A murmur of surprise, but also of hope: if Eurydice could return to life, why not they also? “Leave now; Eurydice will follow you,” said Hades.
Mad with joy, Orpheus stammered his thanks and set off hastily on the journey back. Hermes accompanied him. Orpheus could hardly believe his happiness.
“How is it possible? So have I really succeeded?” he would cry to Hermes.
“But of course, of course, calm down now,” Hermes would reply.
Orpheus was burning with impatience, he wanted to turn round and take his wife in his arms. “Hermes, you are quite sure that she is following us? Tell me, Hermes, can you see her?” Orpheus would say, losing patience.
And this is how it went for the entire journey. They climbed into Charon’s boat, who was astounded to see one of the dead going out again. Once they had reached the other side, Orpheus leapt out of the boat, while Hermes stayed a little behind to talk with Charon. Only a few paces remained before their exit from the Underworld. They could already make out the light of day.
Yet Orpheus was in doubt. What if Hades had tricked him? What if it wasn’t Eurydice who had followed him? He reached the light and, unable to restrain himself any longer, he turned round to look at his wife. Alas! Eurydice had not completed the journey; she was still under the shadow of the dead. Orpheus had looked at her… He just had time enough to see her whole, as she stretched out her arms towards him in a gesture of despair, and then she disappeared in the Underworld for all eternity.
A few moments later, Hermes came out in his turn. He discovered Orpheus sprawled on the grass, weeping. He immediately understood what had just happened and a great anger seethed up inside him. No! This was far too unfair! Hermes needed to understand. Love had been stronger, it had vanquished every obstacle. Who was it who determined life and death in this manner? He made up his mind to return to Pausania and penetrate the mysteries of men’s fate.
To be continued…
EPISODE 63
IN WHICH HERMES DISCOVERS THE EXISTENCE OF THE MOIRAE
Previously: Thanks to the power of his love, Orpheus has succeeded in getting permission to bring Eurydice back to life. But he looked at her too soon, before she had come out of the Underworld. And now he has just lost her for ever. Hermes wishes to understand who determines the fate of men and he goes back to see Pausania.
“Look at you, how you’ve grown!” said old Pausania when she saw Hermes appear at the end of the road. “So this is why you don’t come to see me any more… You already have the
answers to all your questions.”
“Oh, no, good nurse,” sighed Hermes, “I always have questions which keep turning and turning in my head. The more things I see, the more I understand, and the more questions I have.”
Pausania smiled: “The day when you shall no longer have questions in your head will be a very sad day for you.”
The messenger of the gods looked at Pausania’s wrinkled face and a profound serenity settled in him. She was wisdom itself and she was going to help him see.
“Dear Pausania,” he asked her, “why are there men and women who die just as their lives have barely begun? Please, I would like to know who decides the life and the death of human beings.”
Pausania raised her hand to draw the head of the young god onto her lap, as she was wont to do to lull him to sleep, and she said: “Come, we will pay a visit to the three Moirae. You will understand.”
When Hermes reopened his eyes, he did not know where he was. This place was neither house nor cave, and yet he could not see the sky.
“Where are we?” he whispered in Pausania’s ear.
“No one knows that, my child. It is a mystery…” answered the old nurse gently. “Look!”
Very close nearby, three women were sitting with their backs turned to them. They all three wore long white dresses made out of a soft and light fabric, similar to a spider’s web. Their long, loose white hair almost touched the ground. They did not speak to one another, yet Hermes could guess that their hands never stopped fiddling about. From time to time, one of them would rise, always the same one. She would approach an immense wall on which signs had been engraved. She would indicate one of the signs with a pointed stick which she held in her hand and she would return to her seat. At that, the hands of the three old women seemed to grow restless once more. Hermes observed this strange scene for a long moment. He could understand nothing as yet, but everything about the attitude of these three women fascinated him.
The Adventures of Hermes, God of Thieves Page 16