Greek Goddess Persephone Costumes

According to Greek mythology, Persephone is the wife of Hades and the Queen of the Underworld. She returns from the Underworld every spring, resulting in the flourishing and growth of crops. As such, she is known as the Goddess of spring. There are several items that you can use to create or enhance a Persephone costume.

The peplos was the garment that women in ancient Greece wore. You can make your own peplos at home by using a large tablecloth, bed sheet or curtain. Make sure that the cloth is long enough to reach the floor when held up to your chin and that it is wide enough to be wrapped around your body 1.5 times. Fold the cloth in half lengthwise and hold it up to your body. There will be open ends at the top, bottom, and one side. Use your hands to mark where your shoulders are. Use a safety pin or brooch to pin the two halves of the sheet together at one of the shoulder spots. Slip the costume on and pin the second shoulder. Tie a piece of cord or string around your waist.

Narcissus flowers are symbolic of the myth of Persephone and can be used to create a costume as the Greek goddess. According to myth, Persephone was out picking narcissus flowers when Hades opened up the Earth and snatched her, bringing her down to the Underworld to be his queen. Narcissus is a genus of flowers that originated near the Mediterranean and bloom from November to April. The most common North American flower of the genus Narcissus is the daffodil. A yellow robe with a crown of daffodils would make a good Persephone costume.

According to myth, Persephone chose to eat a pomegranate that Hades offered her. However, since one of the rules of the Underworld was that no one who ate while there could return to Earth, Persephone could not be reunited with her family. The pomegranate thus symbolizes Persephone's choice and her role in the Underworld. If you are wearing any costume that has a theme of ancient Greece, a pomegranate will make its connection with Persephone clear.

Greek mythology names Persephone as the goddess of spring. According the the stories, after eating the pomegranate, Persephone could return to Earth to visit her mother, Demeter the goddess of bountiful harvest, for a few months every year since she could never fully leave the Underworld. The season we know as spring is the time when Persephone leaves the Underworld and visits her mother. When she leaves to return to the Underworld, Persephone's mother grieves, causing fall and winter. Carrying flowers, fruit or a bundle of wheat will enhance your costume as the goddess of spring.