The word ἐννεσίῃσι ( ennesiêisi), which Nagy renders as 'at the behest', also appears in Theogony 492, where Evelyn-White translates it as 'suggestions'.Įvelyn-White's and Rayor's renditions of the same word in the Hymn imply permission granted, where, respectively they have: 'by leave ' and 'with a nod '.Įdgar's version 'with the abetting' makes it more conspiratorial between Zeus and Hades.Īthanassakis's 'By Zeus's counsels' denotes advice or a strong suggestion to the prospective bridegroom.Ĭashford straight-up makes Zeus the mastermind of the scheme, 'For Zeus had contrived it'.Įvelyn-White also uses the clause 'the behest of Zeus' in his translation of the Hymn, although this is in Line 359, where the messenger-god Hermes has been sent to Hades with the command that Persephone, whose mother has been inconsolably searching after her, should be restored to Demeter in the upper world.Īnd Aidoneus, ruler over the dead, smiled grimly and obeyed the behest Hippois athanatoisi Kronou polyônymos huios Here is a transliteration of it into Roman script: This is what is being translated above, from Evelyn-White's edition of the Greek text: Lord of the Many Dead, stole the unwilling girlĪway on his immortal horses, with a nod from Zeus. Was carrying her away with his immortal horses, against her will.īut her father's brother, Kronos' son of many names, Host of Many, was bearing her away by leave of Zeus on his immortalĬhariot-his own brother's child and all unwilling.īy Zeus's counsels, his brother, the All-receiverĪnd Ruler of Many, Kronos's son of many names, So he, that Son of Cronos, of many names, who is Ruler of Many and Unwilling was Persephone, but her father's brother, Sovran and Lord ofĪll, many-named Son of Kronos, with the abetting of Zeus, bore her Some other translations render it as follows: The son of Kronos, the one with many names. She was being taken, against her will, at the behest of Zeus,īy her father's brother, the one who makes many sēmata, the one who the 500s BC), the relevant portion thereof being when Hades nabs Persephone in Lines 30-32: Your Wikipedia reference appears to have come out of the translation by Gregory Nagy, from Harvard University's Center for Hellenic Studies, of the Homeric Hymn to Demeter (written c. The source of the quote, however, is Roman, from Hyginus' Fabulae, regarding which see below. There is indeed a perspicuous ancient report of Hades following the expected custom of asking for his prospective bride's hand in marriage from her father. But that's not how the story really goes. The wording of that sentence in the Wikipedia article is the source of the confusion here, as it could be read to mean that out of the blue (as it were), Zeus accosted Hades and issued him this directive of 'obtaining' Persephone.

In one way or another they all say simply that Zeus gave Persephone to his brother, and that the giveaway method was the fairly common worldwide practice of bride-kidnapping, which in some instances would happen with the consent of the bride's father, often with the mother having no say in the matter. No Ancient Greek source that I have come across explicitly mentions Hades asking for Persephone.

Greek hades and persephone