{"id":5206,"date":"2026-04-27T10:35:37","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T10:35:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/proserpina\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T14:32:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T14:32:14","slug":"proserpina","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/proserpina\/","title":{"rendered":"Proserpina"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"5206\" class=\"elementor elementor-5206 elementor-1979 elementor-bc-flex-widget\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-10fdade e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"10fdade\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-herohlft0 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"herohlft0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c3ceb64 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"c3ceb64\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-96ae5e1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"96ae5e1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Proserpina, Goddess of the Roman Tradition<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e45238a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e45238a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Proserpina is the goddess of the underworld and of rebirth in the Roman <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The passing on of knowledge and narratives across generations.\" tabindex=\"0\">tradition<\/span>. She is the consort of Pluto and ruler over the realm of the dead, yet through her annual return to the upper world she remains bound to the cycles of nature.<\/p><p>In terms of <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The discipline that studies religions comparatively and without confessional commitment.\" tabindex=\"0\">religious studies<\/span>, Proserpina is the embodiment of the transition between life and death, between above and below.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-klsbdg01 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"klsbdg01\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-klshtm01 elementor-widget elementor-widget-html\" data-id=\"klshtm01\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"html.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"iwg-pill-row\"><span class=\"iwg-klasse-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"God \/ Goddess: Personified supreme power in the pantheon of a culture, with clear domains, forces of nature, fate, war, fertility. Worshipped through cults, sacrifices and temple institutions.\">Goddess<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/rome\/\" class=\"iwg-kultur-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Roman religion from the monarchy to late antiquity, syncretistic with Greek and Etruscan layers.\">Rome<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/death-deities\/\" class=\"iwg-tradition-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Gods of the underworld and of death, rulers of the beyond, judges of the dead, guides of souls.\">Deity of the Dead<\/a><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f74855 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"3f74855\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1c30362 elementor-toc--minimized-on-tablet elementor-widget elementor-widget-table-of-contents\" data-id=\"1c30362\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;exclude_headings_by_selector&quot;:[],&quot;no_headings_message&quot;:&quot;Es wurden keine \\u00dcberschriften auf dieser Seite gefunden.&quot;,&quot;headings_by_tags&quot;:[&quot;h2&quot;,&quot;h3&quot;],&quot;marker_view&quot;:&quot;bullets&quot;,&quot;minimize_box&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;icon&quot;:{&quot;value&quot;:&quot;fas fa-circle&quot;,&quot;library&quot;:&quot;fa-solid&quot;,&quot;rendered_tag&quot;:&quot;&lt;svg class=\\&quot;e-font-icon-svg e-fas-circle\\&quot; viewBox=\\&quot;0 0 512 512\\&quot; xmlns=\\&quot;http:\\\/\\\/www.w3.org\\\/2000\\\/svg\\&quot;&gt;&lt;path d=\\&quot;M256 8C119 8 8 119 8 256s111 248 248 248 248-111 248-248S393 8 256 8z\\&quot;&gt;&lt;\\\/path&gt;&lt;\\\/svg&gt;&quot;},&quot;minimized_on&quot;:&quot;tablet&quot;,&quot;hierarchical_view&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;min_height&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;min_height_tablet&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;min_height_mobile&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]}}\" data-widget_type=\"table-of-contents.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-toc__header-title\">\n\t\t\t\tTable of Contents\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--expand\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-label=\"Open table of contents\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-chevron-down\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M207.029 381.476L12.686 187.132c-9.373-9.373-9.373-24.569 0-33.941l22.667-22.667c9.357-9.357 24.522-9.375 33.901-.04L224 284.505l154.745-154.021c9.379-9.335 24.544-9.317 33.901.04l22.667 22.667c9.373 9.373 9.373 24.569 0 33.941L240.971 381.476c-9.373 9.372-24.569 9.372-33.942 0z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--collapse\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-label=\"Close table of contents\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-chevron-up\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M240.971 130.524l194.343 194.343c9.373 9.373 9.373 24.569 0 33.941l-22.667 22.667c-9.357 9.357-24.522 9.375-33.901.04L224 227.495 69.255 381.516c-9.379 9.335-24.544 9.317-33.901-.04l-22.667-22.667c-9.373-9.373-9.373-24.569 0-33.941L207.03 130.525c9.372-9.373 24.568-9.373 33.941-.001z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" class=\"elementor-toc__body\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__spinner-container\">\n\t\t\t\t<svg class=\"elementor-toc__spinner eicon-animation-spin e-font-icon-svg e-eicon-loading\" aria-hidden=\"true\" viewBox=\"0 0 1000 1000\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M500 975V858C696 858 858 696 858 500S696 142 500 142 142 304 142 500H25C25 237 238 25 500 25S975 237 975 500 763 975 500 975Z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-herorght0 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"herorght0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-heroimg00 iwg-hero-image elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"heroimg00\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_rom_proserpina-683x1024.webp\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-5207\" alt=\"Proserpina - Gods from the Roman tradition, historical and illustrative\" srcset=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_rom_proserpina-683x1024.webp 683w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_rom_proserpina-200x300.webp 200w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_rom_proserpina-768x1152.webp 768w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_rom_proserpina.webp 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-32917199 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"32917199\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-26e916cb e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"26e916cb\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-253a40d4 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"253a40d4\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1200c304 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1200c304\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Proserpina<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-11758e7f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"11758e7f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Proserpina embodies the duality of maidenhood and married life, of innocence and royal authority. She is the daughter of Ceres (grain), wife of Pluto and ruler of the dead.<\/p><p>The <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A handed-down narrative about gods, origins and the order of the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">myth<\/span> of her abduction by Pluto explains seasonal changes in plant life and the structure of the year. Her central aspects are fertility, ripeness, transition and the sanction of new life from the realm of the dead. The Eleusinian Mysteries celebrated her role in cosmic regeneration.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-159dcf9a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"159dcf9a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-48cee66f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"48cee66f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Brief Profile: Proserpina<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f50d82c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3f50d82c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Sources: Ovid&#8217;s Metamorphoses 5, Virgil&#8217;s Georgics, Cicero&#8217;s De Natura Deorum, Apuleius&#8217;s Metamorphoses, hymns to Proserpina, Latin inscriptions and gravestone epitaphs. Secondary literature: Georg Wissowa, Karl Latte, <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"German scholar of religious studies (1931 to 2015); principal work Greek Religion (1977).\" tabindex=\"0\">Walter Burkert<\/span> (on the fusion with Persephone), Hubert Cancik. The worship of Proserpina was strong in the Eleusinian cults, but it was also widespread in private households of Italy, Gaul and Africa.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-18613602 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"18613602\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-262b8a9f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"262b8a9f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Context<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-46dcb7d e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"46dcb7d\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-61d3ab3 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"61d3ab3\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-117c166 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"117c166\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Period of the Texts<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-73997a0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"73997a0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The continuity of the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The passing on of knowledge and narratives across generations.\" tabindex=\"0\">tradition<\/span> across these long spans of time is remarkable and shows a deep, stable cultural rooting. Even in modern times the memory and sometimes also active worship is alive, sometimes transformed, but still recognizable in its basic features.<\/p><h3>Mythological Classification<\/h3><p>Proserpina is the Roman goddess of spring and of the underworld, daughter of Ceres. Her <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A handed-down narrative about gods, origins and the order of the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">myth<\/span>, abduction by Pluto, return, is central to the understanding of the seasons. She is not powerless but ruler of the underworld alongside Pluto. She is an ambivalent figure of transformation.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d47b156 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"d47b156\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ff38c2b elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"ff38c2b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Area of Distribution<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4e49fcc elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4e49fcc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Proserpina was not confined to a particular region or to specific locations, but was universally known and worshipped, or respectfully feared, throughout the entire Roman world.<\/p><p>Whether in large urban centres or in peripheral rural regions, whether among the social elite or among ordinary people, the spiritual or cultural significance of this entity was consistently recognized and universal.<\/p><p>This clearly points to a central role in the self-understanding of the whole people. Trade, migration and cultural exchanges contributed to the geographical spread and to the stable uniformity of the worship.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-db03c39 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"db03c39\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-229a87b e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"229a87b\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1f471fc elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1f471fc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">State of the Sources<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-36b1201 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"36b1201\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Primary sources: Ovid&#8217;s Metamorphoses 5 (the rape of Proserpina), Virgil&#8217;s Georgics and Aeneid, Homer&#8217;s Hymn to Demeter (the Greek counterpart), Cicero&#8217;s De Natura Deorum, Seneca&#8217;s tragedies. Period: 5th century BCE to 6th century CE. Researchers: Georg Wissowa, Karl Latte (Roman religious history), Walter Burkert (Greek <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The academic discipline that studies religions comparatively and without confessional commitment.\" tabindex=\"0\">religion<\/span>), Manfred Clauss (cults). Archaeological evidence: Eleusinian <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A sacred place dedicated to the veneration of a deity.\" tabindex=\"0\">sanctuaries<\/span>, funerary monuments from Roman times, <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A verbal formula intended to inflict misfortune on a person or thing.\" tabindex=\"0\">curse<\/span> tablets bearing the name of Proserpina.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3ae0637c e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"3ae0637c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-31d07739 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"31d07739\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Designation and Spellings<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b7642947 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"b7642947\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a086266 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a086266\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Proserpina is depicted in the various sources and artistic traditions with certain recurring iconographic elements that remain relatively constant over decades and across different geographical regions. These elements are not purely decorative or chosen at random, but are deeply coded in <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A sign that stands representatively for a concept or meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">symbolic<\/span> terms and carry great meaning.<\/p><p>They convey, in a central way, the functions, sources of power, domains and cosmic role of the being.<\/p><p>The overall system is like a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Belonging to the divine and thereby withdrawn from everyday use.\" tabindex=\"0\">sacred<\/span> script or a coded image; it allows the initiated or the culturally educated to grasp and correctly understand the essential deeper meaning. Colours, sacred objects or weapons, bodily attributes, specific accessories, everything is significant and traditionally handed down.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-709a44a8 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"709a44a8\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2f585873 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2f585873\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Description<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-70621c12 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"70621c12\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4296eb49 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4296eb49\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Proserpina was central to religious practice, to everyday rituals and to the daily understanding of the Romans. People turned to this entity in critical or specific life situations or at particular <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An ordered sequence of symbolic actions with religious or cultural meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">ritual<\/span> times of the year, with structured, often elaborate rituals, prayers or <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An offering to a deity to express gratitude, petition, or veneration.\" tabindex=\"0\">offerings<\/span>.<\/p><p>The <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of religious acts of veneration for a deity or sacred figure.\" tabindex=\"0\">cult<\/span> of Proserpina was firmly regulated in Rome. In 249 BC her worship was officially introduced together with that of Dis Pater, and the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An offering to a deity to express gratitude, petition, or veneration.\" tabindex=\"0\">sacrifices<\/span> at the underground <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An elevated place or table for offerings and religious acts.\" tabindex=\"0\">altar<\/span> of the Tarentum on the Campus Martius followed precise ritual prescriptions. In the Greek-influenced mysteries concerning her model Persephone, specially appointed cult officials conducted the initiations; participation and procedure were subject to strict rules.<\/p><p>The continuity of these practices over many generations clearly shows that the practice was regarded as effective and necessary. The functions were manifold: some were preventive (warding off potential misfortune), some restorative (easing of illness or suffering), some transformative (accompaniment through transitions between stages of life).<\/p><h3>Appearance and Symbolism<\/h3><p>Proserpina is depicted in phases of transition, sometimes young and spring-like, sometimes sombre. She wears a crown and often holds keys. The pomegranate is her attribute (seed of return). Ears of barley and flowers belong to it. Her ambivalence is her strength.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-44e71476 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"44e71476\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3c1fc3f0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3c1fc3f0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Profile: Proserpina<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-84f33b8e e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"84f33b8e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-hqkdc67p elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"hqkdc67p\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The Profile explains Proserpina&#8217;s nature across six dimensions: her mythical origin and distribution, the forms of her worship in religion and <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Practices that seek to intervene in the course of things through particular acts or formulas.\" tabindex=\"0\">magic<\/span>, her characteristic depiction in art and symbols, the significance of <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The pleading or invoking address to a deity or power.\" tabindex=\"0\">invocation<\/span> and respect, related figures in neighbouring cultures and a concluding overview of her cosmic function as goddess of transition.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c5 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c5\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c1 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c1\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-qh9oavvu iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"qh9oavvu\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-awzx8k2k elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"awzx8k2k\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Proserpina's Origin<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-x6rowhv0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"x6rowhv0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Proserpina is the Roman form of the Greek Persephone and derives from Indo-European fertility-goddess myths. The abduction <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A handed-down narrative about gods, origins and the order of the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">myth<\/span> (Latin: raptus) was originally an explanation for seasonal vegetation cycles. In Rome Proserpina was worshipped as the consort of Pluto, independent and powerful.<\/p><p>The earliest evidence goes back to the 5th century BCE but intensified under Greek influence (2nd to 1st century BCE). Eleusinian mystery cults spread her across the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Epoch of Greek and Roman culture, roughly 800 BCE to 600 CE.\" tabindex=\"0\">ancient<\/span> world.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8e3o4kxs iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"8e3o4kxs\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-08rkdgov elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"08rkdgov\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Proserpina's Target Group<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-uwjelx8s elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"uwjelx8s\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Proserpina was <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The petitioning or invoking address to a deity or power.\" tabindex=\"0\">invoked<\/span> by farmers at sowing and harvest, by pregnant women (as guarantor of new life), by mourners (to appease the dead). The Eleusinian Mysteries were strictly secret, but their participants reported Proserpina&#8217;s role as a bearer of hope after death.<\/p><p>In private households people prayed to her for fertility and for the protection of children. The Anthesteria (festival of flowers) was an annual festival in her honour.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-jm2n74ec iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"jm2n74ec\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8vufse4c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"8vufse4c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Depiction<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-mwb9u015 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"mwb9u015\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Proserpina was depicted as a young woman or a mature queen, depending on the phase of the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A handed-down narrative about gods, origins and the order of the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">myth<\/span>, young at the abduction, mature and crowned as ruler of the underworld.<\/p><p>Her attributes are the poppy head (<span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A sign that stands in place of an idea or meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">symbol<\/span> of sleep and death), the cornucopia (abundance), the sceptre, the torch (she shines in the darkness of the underworld). On coins she sits beside Pluto or wears a crown. On gravestones she symbolizes transition and the hope of continued life.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c2 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c2\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-37ss2yr6 iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"37ss2yr6\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3v0wp3wx elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3v0wp3wx\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Activity<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-w3247g2m elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"w3247g2m\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Sphere of action:<\/strong> Proserpina (also Persephone, in Greek) is the underworld goddess of Rome, daughter of Ceres (Demeter) and consort of Pluto (Hades). She symbolizes the transition between the seasons, between life and death.<\/p><p>Her abduction into the underworld and her annual return to her mother explain the alternation of summer and winter. She is not powerless or passive; in many texts she is ruler of the underworld, a wife with a realm of her own.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0qpjal9w iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"0qpjal9w\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6ndoih0o elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6ndoih0o\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Means of Protection<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6684tyh9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6684tyh9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Proserpina was the object of <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The pleading or invoking address to a deity or power.\" tabindex=\"0\">invocation<\/span> and protective worship, not as a harmful goddess but as a mediator between life and death. <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A gift to a deity to express thanks, request or veneration.\" tabindex=\"0\">Offerings<\/span> were poppy, honey, fruits and black animals.<\/p><p>In cases of mourning people prayed to her in order to bring the deceased under her rule and to give them peace. Pregnant women wore <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A worn object to which a protective, misfortune-averting effect is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">amulets<\/span> with her image. <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Practices that seek to intervene in the course of things through particular acts or formulas.\" tabindex=\"0\">Magic<\/span> often involved her name for <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A linguistic ritual meant to summon or bind a power.\" tabindex=\"0\">conjuration<\/span> or for protection against evil <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A bodiless being to which agency in the world is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">spirits<\/span>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3lfi7x32 iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"3lfi7x32\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0kg99ga1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"0kg99ga1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Comparable Figures<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-n0fum6kp elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"n0fum6kp\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Persephone (Greek) is the direct model and remains structurally identical. Inanna\/Ishtar in the Mesopotamian context resembles her in the journey to the underworld, but not in the seasonal binding.<\/p><p>In the Egyptian sphere Osiris (male) shows similar functions as judge of the dead and figure of hope. Hel in the Germanic context is a less ambivalent ruler of the underworld.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a584676 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"5a584676\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6d0757bf elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6d0757bf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Proserpina, Parallels in Other Cultures<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-60563f68 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"60563f68\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a93fdd6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5a93fdd6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Proserpina is the Roman adaptation of the Greek Persephone; her <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A handed-down narrative about gods, origins and the order of the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">myth<\/span> was linked with the Roman sowing calendar and the Eleusinian festivals. While Persephone remains the central figure of mourning in the four-seasons <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A handed-down narrative about gods, origins and the order of the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">myth<\/span>, Proserpina takes on additional protective tasks for marriage and household in Roman practice.<\/p><p><p><strong>Jewish tradition:<\/strong> In Jewish <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of the handed-down divine narratives of a culture.\" tabindex=\"0\">mythology<\/span> there is no goddess of the underworld. Sheol is a passive realm of the dead without a personalized ruler. Only in <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A current of Jewish mysticism with principal works such as the Sefer Yetzirah and the Zohar.\" tabindex=\"0\">Kabbalah<\/span> and apocalyptic literature are <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"In the Abrahamic religions, a heavenly messenger being of God.\" tabindex=\"0\">angel<\/span>-like beings mentioned, but no Proserpina analogues.<\/p><p><strong>Graeco-Roman world:<\/strong> Persephone is the Greek original of Proserpina. In shared cults (especially after the 3rd century BCE) the names and functions merged, yet remained structurally the same. Other underworld deities (Hecate) were added without displacing Persephone.<\/p><p><strong>Mesopotamia:<\/strong> Inanna\/Ishtar undertakes a journey into the underworld and is briefly held captive there, but returns, structurally similar to Proserpina&#8217;s seasonal cycle, but more dramatic and less regenerative.<\/p><p><strong>India\/Asia:<\/strong> In Hinduism Kali embodies destruction and regeneration, but does not share Proserpina&#8217;s concrete role as consort of the god of the dead. In early Buddhism such a figure is absent; the underworld is less personalized.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp96567ce e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp96567ce\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp39824e6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cp39824e6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Rape of Proserpina in Detail<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp625c136 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp625c136\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp57771b6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp57771b6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The central narrative concerning Proserpina is her abduction by Pluto, the ruler of the underworld. Ovid recounts it at length in the fifth book of the <em>Metamorphoses<\/em>, and he gives a second, divergent version in the <em>Fasti<\/em>.<\/p><p>According to Ovid&#8217;s account, Proserpina is picking flowers with her companions in a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A sacred grove of trees that served as a place of worship.\" tabindex=\"0\">grove<\/span> near the Sicilian Lake Pergus at Henna. Pluto, struck by an arrow of Amor, catches sight of her, seizes her and descends with her into the depths in a chariot. The ground opens at Lake Cyane, whose nymph resists in vain.<\/p><p>Ceres, the mother, searches for her daughter across the whole earth. In her wrath she renders Sicily barren, according to Ovid. Only the nymph Arethusa tells her that she has seen Proserpina as queen of the underworld. Ceres appeals to Jupiter.<\/p><p>The return, however, fails on account of a condition set by the Parcae: whoever has taken food in the underworld may not return. Proserpina has eaten seven seeds of a pomegranate, observed by Ascalaphus, whom she transforms into an owl for this.<\/p><p>Jupiter brokers a compromise. Proserpina spends part of the year in the upper world with her mother, part in the underworld with Pluto. In the <em>Fasti<\/em> Ovid names a division into halves, in the <em>Metamorphoses<\/em> a ratio of two to one in favour of the upper world.<\/p><p>This fluctuation within the ancient sources themselves shows that the narrative had no fixed <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Belonging to the authoritatively recognized body of scriptures of a religion.\" tabindex=\"0\">canonical<\/span> form. The <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A handed-down narrative about gods, origins and the order of the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">myth<\/span> is closely connected with the Greek Demeter-Persephone material, whose fullest version is offered by the Homeric <em>Hymn to Demeter<\/em>.<\/p><p>Roman literature largely took over the material but preferred to relocate the setting to Sicily, which was regarded as a cult centre of Ceres.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp5c9ee0b e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp5c9ee0b\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp4f63d12 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cp4f63d12\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Proserpina and the Myth of the Seasons<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp39c0a19 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp39c0a19\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp45c5234 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp45c5234\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The narrative of Proserpina&#8217;s divided sojourn was already read in <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Epoch of Greek and Roman culture, roughly 800 BCE to 600 CE.\" tabindex=\"0\">antiquity<\/span> as an explanation for the change of the seasons. The stay in the underworld corresponds to the season poor in vegetation, the return to the mother to growth.<\/p><p>This interpretation is laid out in the ancient texts, for instance when Ovid links the mourning of Ceres with the barrenness of the earth.<\/p><p>The religious-studies research of the 19th and early 20th centuries, especially in the circle of James <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"James George Frazer (1854-1941); British anthropologist; main work The Golden Bough (1890-1915).\" tabindex=\"0\">Frazer<\/span> and the so-called Cambridge Ritualists, built from this a comprehensive theory of dying and returning vegetation deities.<\/p><p>More recent research takes a more reserved stance toward this interpretation. It points out that Proserpina does not die but is abducted and reigns, and that the Mediterranean climatic cycle, with its dry summer and wet winter, does not readily fit the scheme.<\/p><p>Some researchers read the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A handed-down narrative about gods, origins and the order of the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">myth<\/span> rather as a narrative of <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A ritual transition through which someone is admitted into a new status or community.\" tabindex=\"0\">initiation<\/span> and marriage: Proserpina performs the transition from girl to woman, from the house of the mother into that of the husband. The pomegranate, often associated with fertility and marriage, supports this reading.<\/p><p>The two interpretations do not exclude one another. <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Epoch of Greek and Roman culture, roughly 800 BCE to 600 CE.\" tabindex=\"0\">Ancient<\/span> cults could understand the same <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A handed-down narrative about gods, origins and the order of the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">myth<\/span> on several levels. For the worship of Ceres and Proserpina in Rome the agricultural reference was in any case central, as the festival of the <em>Cerialia<\/em> in April shows.<\/p><p>Alongside this there was a more personal <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The lived religious attitude and practice of a person.\" tabindex=\"0\">piety<\/span> oriented toward the beyond, which had its place in the mystery cults and aimed at the individual hope beyond death. How closely these lines were interwoven in the Roman <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of religious acts of veneration for a deity or sacred figure.\" tabindex=\"0\">cult<\/span> can be reconstructed only partly from the fragmentary sources.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpa45d7ca e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cpa45d7ca\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp26d5ef9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cp26d5ef9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Cult and Mysteries of Ceres and Proserpina in Rome<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp09178ee e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp09178ee\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp875fb57 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp875fb57\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>In Rome Proserpina was rarely the sole object of the cult. She appears mostly together with Ceres. The most important <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A building serving the worship of one or more deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temple<\/span> of the two goddesses stood on the Aventine, <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Handed over to the sacred through a religious act and thereby raised out of the everyday.\" tabindex=\"0\">consecrated<\/span> according to <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The passing on of knowledge and narratives across generations.\" tabindex=\"0\">tradition<\/span> in the early fifth century before our era, together with Liber.<\/p><p>This Aventine <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of religious acts of veneration for a deity or sacred figure.\" tabindex=\"0\">cult<\/span> was regarded as the plebeian counterpart to the patrician triad on the Capitol and thus also possessed a social and political dimension.<\/p><p>A form of its own belonged to the <em>sacra Cereris<\/em>, a Greek-influenced <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of religious acts of veneration for a deity or sacred figure.\" tabindex=\"0\">cult<\/span> that according to Cicero was attended to by Greek priestesses from southern Italy and was open exclusively to women. This <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An ordered sequence of symbolic acts with religious or cultural meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">ritual<\/span> stood in connection with the Eleusinian conceptions but transferred them onto Roman soil.<\/p><p>Alongside this, in republican Rome a mourning ritual for Ceres and Proserpina was performed in times of crisis, which according to Livy could be suspended in cases of severe public distress, because mourning was regarded as inappropriate in such moments.<\/p><p>From the imperial period a nocturnal festival is also handed down, the <em>Saecular celebration<\/em> observed at irregular intervals, in which, among other things, <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A gift to a deity to express thanks, request or veneration.\" tabindex=\"0\">offerings<\/span> to Proserpina as underworld goddess played a role.<\/p><p>The state of the sources on the details of these rites is limited, since mystery cults deliberately did not <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The transmission of knowledge and narratives across generations.\" tabindex=\"0\">record<\/span> their contents in writing.<\/p><p>What we know stems predominantly from allusions in Cicero, from Christian polemic and from epigraphic and archaeological testimonies. The exact <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The fixed order of worship of a religious community.\" tabindex=\"0\">liturgy<\/span> remains largely unknown. Comparable structures are found with the Greek <a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/persephone\/\">Persephone<\/a>, whose Eleusinian <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of religious acts of veneration for a deity or sacred figure.\" tabindex=\"0\">cult<\/span> is somewhat better documented.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp3f2b3a9 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp3f2b3a9\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp2b5008f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cp2b5008f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Proserpina in the Visual Arts and on Sarcophagi<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp9688396 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp9688396\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp1c2e52e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp1c2e52e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The rape of Proserpina is among the most frequently depicted myths of Roman art. The <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A recurring thematic element in art or narrative.\" tabindex=\"0\">motif<\/span> is especially widespread on sarcophagi of the middle and late imperial period. The scene typically shows Pluto wrenching Proserpina onto his horse-drawn chariot, accompanied by Minerva, Diana and the resisting Cyane.<\/p><p>The choice of precisely this motif for the funerary context is revealing: the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A handed-down narrative about gods, origins and the order of the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">myth<\/span> of the involuntary transition into the underworld and the partial return offered a pictorial language for death that expressed not only loss but also hope.<\/p><p>Alongside this there are wall paintings, for instance from Pompeii, and mosaics that show the rape or the enthroned Proserpina as ruler of the underworld.<\/p><p>As queen of the underworld she often wears a diadem or polos, occasionally ears of grain or the pomegranate as an attribute. In her function as ruler she sits beside Pluto on the throne, often with the three-headed dog Cerberus at her feet.<\/p><p>The reception continues far beyond <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Epoch of Greek and Roman culture, roughly 800 BCE to 600 CE.\" tabindex=\"0\">antiquity<\/span>. The most famous modern treatment is the marble group <em>Ratto di Proserpina<\/em> by Gianlorenzo Bernini from the years around 1621 to 1622, which captures the moment of the seizure with great dynamism.<\/p><p>In painting, among others Rembrandt and later the Pre-Raphaelites, for instance Dante Gabriel Rossetti with his <em>Proserpine<\/em>, took up the theme. The material also found use in music, for instance in Baroque operas. Together, the archaeological and art-historical testimonies make Proserpina one of the most pictorially documented figures of Roman <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A handed-down narrative about gods, origins and the order of the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">myth<\/span>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp1d56957 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp1d56957\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp521bb21 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cp521bb21\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Etymology and the Relationship to Persephone<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp47a25ab e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp47a25ab\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp88c9301 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp88c9301\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The name Proserpina is not entirely clear in terms of language history. The <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Epoch of Greek and Roman culture, roughly 800 BCE to 600 CE.\" tabindex=\"0\">ancient<\/span> folk etymology connected it with the Latin verb <em>proserpere<\/em>, to creep forth, and interpreted it as referring to the sprouting forth of the seed. This explanation is found in Cicero and in Varro.<\/p><p>Modern linguistics regards it as a secondary interpretation. It is more probable that <em>Proserpina<\/em> represents a phonetic reshaping of the Greek name <em>Persephone<\/em>, possibly mediated through an Etruscan intermediate stage. On Etruscan mirrors the figure appears under the name <em>Phersipnai<\/em> or similar forms, which makes a mediation through Etruscan plausible.<\/p><p>The Greek name <em>Persephone<\/em> itself is likewise regarded as opaque and probably stems from pre-Greek times. The Greeks already knew numerous variant forms such as <em>Persephatta<\/em> or <em>Pherrephatta<\/em>, which points to an old, hard-to-interpret name. The numerous variants show that the figure was never wholly fixed in linguistic terms in the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The passing on of knowledge and narratives across generations.\" tabindex=\"0\">tradition<\/span>.<\/p><p>In Roman religion Proserpina was early on merged with the native conception of the underworld, but was also equated with the Italic goddess Libera, the female counterpart of Liber. This identification is not consistent and shows how different strands of tradition converged in the figure.<\/p><p>For the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The discipline that studies religions comparatively and without confessional commitment.\" tabindex=\"0\">study of religion<\/span> Proserpina is therefore a good example of how a Greek <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A handed-down narrative about gods, origins and the order of the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">myth<\/span> was fitted into the Roman system through mediating cultures and in the process combined with existing native elements. A complete separation of the Roman from the Greek figure is hardly possible in the surviving sources.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpa0b2c61 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cpa0b2c61\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp1225fc8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cp1225fc8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Proserpina as Ruler of the Underworld and in Curse Practice<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp3d58d11 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp3d58d11\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp9a4fb59 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp9a4fb59\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Beyond her role in the myth of the seasons, Proserpina possessed an independent function as ruler of the realm of the dead. In this role she appears in a genre of sources that is especially revealing for Roman everyday life: the curse tablets, in Latin <em>defixiones<\/em>.<\/p><p>These texts, mostly scratched onto small lead tablets, were deposited in graves, wells or springs and called upon underworld powers in order to harm an opponent, to influence a trial or to recover stolen property.<\/p><p>On numerous surviving tablets Proserpina is invoked together with Pluto or Dis Pater. She appears there under various epithets, occasionally also in fusion with other underworld figures.<\/p><p>The language of these texts is formulaic and follows recognizable patterns, which suggests that there were models or specialized authors. For research the <em>defixiones<\/em> are valuable because they document a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The lived religious attitude and practice of a person.\" tabindex=\"0\">piety<\/span> beyond the official state cults and show how people turned concretely to the gods.<\/p><p>Proserpina was moreover associated with reward and punishment in the beyond. In the mystery conceptions that become tangible, among other things, in the so-called Orphic-Bacchic gold tablets, an underworld queen plays a role as the instance before which the deceased soul prevails or fails.<\/p><p>Whether these tablets mean Proserpina in the narrower Roman sense or a more general Greek-influenced underworld goddess is difficult to decide in the individual case.<\/p><p>Overall this group of sources shows that Proserpina was not merely a literary mythological figure but the addressee of actual ritual practice, which extended from love magic to the hope of the beyond.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-36dd7469 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"36dd7469\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-13760ab4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"13760ab4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Further Links<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-28c87796 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"28c87796\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5d6538df elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5d6538df\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/rome\/\">Rome, Culture<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/pluto\/\">Pluto, Husband and King of the Underworld<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/persephone\/\">Persephone, Greek Original Form<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-grl4kl40 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"grl4kl40\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bzsbfrmh elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"bzsbfrmh\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Research Literature<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2c13224a e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"2c13224a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0eymh9ub elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0eymh9ub\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<footer class=\"iwg-literatur\" data-nosnippet=\"true\"><ul><li><span data-nosnippet>Beard, Mary \/ North, John \/ Price, Simon: <em>Religions of Rome<\/em>. Cambridge University Press, 1998.<\/span><\/li><li><span data-nosnippet>Foley, Helene P. (ed.): <em>The Homeric Hymn to Demeter: Translation and Commentary<\/em>. Princeton University Press, 1994.<\/span><\/li><li><span data-nosnippet>Caldwell, Richard S.: <em>The Psychology of Religion. A Jungian Perspective<\/em>. Routledge, 1991.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/footer>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-iwgkw2-add-proserpina e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"iwgkw2-add-proserpina\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-iwgkw2-add-proserpina-t elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"iwgkw2-add-proserpina-t\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>As a <em><span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A being venerated as divine within a religion.\" tabindex=\"0\">deity<\/span><\/em> of the Roman tradition, Proserpina corresponds to the Greek Persephone and divides her year between the upper world and the underworld; her <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of religious acts of veneration for a deity or sacred figure.\" tabindex=\"0\">cult<\/span> shaped the sowing festivals and the <em>libri Sibyllini<\/em>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Proserpina, Goddess of the Roman Tradition Proserpina is the goddess of the underworld and of rebirth in the Roman tradition. She is the consort of Pluto and ruler over the realm of the dead, yet through her annual return to the upper world she remains bound to the cycles of nature. In terms of religious [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5207,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"Proserpina","_yoast_wpseo_title":"Proserpina: Roman Queen of the Underworld","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Proserpina, the Roman goddess of the underworld and spring, carried off by Pluto. Her myth, the cycle of the seasons and her cult.","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_angie_page":false,"gefaehrdungsstufe":"","wesen_kultur":"","wesen_klasse":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[79,86,108],"class_list":["post-5206","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cultures","category-gods","category-rome"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v28.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Proserpina: Roman Queen of the Underworld<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Proserpina, the Roman goddess of the underworld and spring, carried off by Pluto. Her myth, the cycle of the seasons and her cult.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/proserpina\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Proserpina\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Proserpina, the Roman goddess of the underworld and spring, carried off by Pluto. Her myth, the cycle of the seasons and her cult.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/proserpina\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"iWell Guard\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-05T14:32:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_rom_proserpina.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1536\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"16 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/proserpina\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/proserpina\\\/\",\"name\":\"Proserpina: Roman Queen of the Underworld\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/proserpina\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/proserpina\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/goetter_rom_proserpina.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-27T10:35:37+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-05T14:32:14+00:00\",\"description\":\"Proserpina, the Roman goddess of the underworld and spring, carried off by Pluto. Her myth, the cycle of the seasons and her cult.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/proserpina\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/proserpina\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/proserpina\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/goetter_rom_proserpina.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/goetter_rom_proserpina.webp\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":1536,\"caption\":\"Gods from the Roman tradition.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/proserpina\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Start\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/home\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Proserpina\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"iWell Guard\",\"description\":\"Schutz vor dunklen Einfl\u00fcssen\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Ittermann electronic GmbH\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/Ittermann-Logo-1182x237-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/Ittermann-Logo-1182x237-1.png\",\"width\":1182,\"height\":237,\"caption\":\"Ittermann electronic GmbH\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/pantip.com\\\/profile\\\/9367242\",\"https:\\\/\\\/micro.blog\\\/iwellguard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.diggerslist.com\\\/iwellguard\\\/about\",\"https:\\\/\\\/skitterphoto.com\\\/photographers\\\/2870314\\\/iwell-guard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/iwellguard.wordpress.com\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/06\\\/iwell-guard\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/hub.docker.com\\\/u\\\/iwellguard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.com\\\/iwellguard\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/bit.ly\\\/m\\\/iwellguard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/entre-vos-mains.alsace.eu\\\/profiles\\\/iwellguard\\\/activity\",\"https:\\\/\\\/gravatar.com\\\/reallybeded8fd34\",\"https:\\\/\\\/naijamatta.com\\\/iwellguard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.goodreads.com\\\/iwellguard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/profile.hatena.ne.jp\\\/iwellguard\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/experiment.com\\\/users\\\/iwellguard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/wakelet.com\\\/@iWellGuard82270\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.chordie.com\\\/forum\\\/profile.php?id=2555664\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instapaper.com\\\/p\\\/17757966\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.mapleprimes.com\\\/users\\\/iwellguard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/businesslistingplus.com\\\/profile\\\/iwell-guard\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/telegra.ph\\\/iWell-Guard-06-06\",\"https:\\\/\\\/pbase.com\\\/iwellguard\\\/iwellguard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/b.hatena.ne.jp\\\/iwellguard\\\/20260607#bookmark-4788405196491818882\",\"https:\\\/\\\/fliphtml5.com\\\/home\\\/iwellguard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/anyflip.com\\\/homepage\\\/cmiwl#About\",\"https:\\\/\\\/transfur.com\\\/Users\\\/iwellguard\",\"http:\\\/\\\/delphi.larsbo.org\\\/user\\\/iwellguard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/jobs.lajobsportal.org\\\/profiles\\\/8380803-iwell-guard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/md.chaosdorf.de\\\/s\\\/jfbe5SBdJD\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lingvolive.com\\\/en-us\\\/profile\\\/9ecaeaca-ce11-4e51-9e71-01d55e2bff36\\\/translations\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fitday.com\\\/fitness\\\/forums\\\/members\\\/iwellguard.html\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.mymeetbook.com\\\/iwellguard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/pxhere.com\\\/en\\\/photographer-me\\\/5040798\",\"https:\\\/\\\/disqus.com\\\/by\\\/iwellguard\\\/about\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/pastelink.net\\\/hjwciqwq\",\"https:\\\/\\\/pubhtml5.com\\\/homepage\\\/scjhn\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.bitchute.com\\\/channel\\\/2O2eOKzNqujT\",\"https:\\\/\\\/audiomack.com\\\/iwellguard\"]},{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/proserpina\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/proserpina\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Ralf Ittermann\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ee2a27f1cac3406c7c6fb5820cb7349f\"},\"headline\":\"Proserpina\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-27T10:35:37+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-05T14:32:14+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/proserpina\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":3178,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/proserpina\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/goetter_rom_proserpina.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Cultures\",\"Gods\",\"Rome\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"description\":\"Proserpina, the Roman goddess of the underworld and spring, carried off by Pluto. Her myth, the cycle of the seasons and her cult.\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Proserpina: Roman Queen of the Underworld","description":"Proserpina, the Roman goddess of the underworld and spring, carried off by Pluto. Her myth, the cycle of the seasons and her cult.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/proserpina\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Proserpina","og_description":"Proserpina, the Roman goddess of the underworld and spring, carried off by Pluto. Her myth, the cycle of the seasons and her cult.","og_url":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/proserpina\/","og_site_name":"iWell Guard","article_modified_time":"2026-06-05T14:32:14+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":1536,"url":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_rom_proserpina.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"16 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/proserpina\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/proserpina\/"},"author":{"name":"Ralf Ittermann","@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/ee2a27f1cac3406c7c6fb5820cb7349f"},"headline":"Proserpina","datePublished":"2026-04-27T10:35:37+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-05T14:32:14+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/proserpina\/"},"wordCount":3178,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/proserpina\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_rom_proserpina.webp","articleSection":["Cultures","Gods","Rome"],"inLanguage":"en-US","description":"Proserpina, the Roman goddess of the underworld and spring, carried off by Pluto. Her myth, the cycle of the seasons and her cult."},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/proserpina\/","url":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/proserpina\/","name":"Proserpina: Roman Queen of the Underworld","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/proserpina\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/proserpina\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_rom_proserpina.webp","datePublished":"2026-04-27T10:35:37+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-05T14:32:14+00:00","description":"Proserpina, the Roman goddess of the underworld and spring, carried off by Pluto. Her myth, the cycle of the seasons and her cult.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/proserpina\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/proserpina\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/proserpina\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_rom_proserpina.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_rom_proserpina.webp","width":1024,"height":1536,"caption":"Gods from the Roman tradition."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/proserpina\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Start","item":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/home\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Proserpina"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/","name":"iWell Guard","description":"Schutz vor dunklen Einfl\u00fcssen","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/#organization","name":"Ittermann electronic GmbH","url":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ittermann-Logo-1182x237-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ittermann-Logo-1182x237-1.png","width":1182,"height":237,"caption":"Ittermann electronic GmbH"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/pantip.com\/profile\/9367242","https:\/\/micro.blog\/iwellguard","https:\/\/www.diggerslist.com\/iwellguard\/about","https:\/\/skitterphoto.com\/photographers\/2870314\/iwell-guard","https:\/\/iwellguard.wordpress.com\/2026\/06\/06\/iwell-guard\/","https:\/\/hub.docker.com\/u\/iwellguard","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/iwellguard\/","https:\/\/bit.ly\/m\/iwellguard","https:\/\/entre-vos-mains.alsace.eu\/profiles\/iwellguard\/activity","https:\/\/gravatar.com\/reallybeded8fd34","https:\/\/naijamatta.com\/iwellguard","https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/iwellguard","https:\/\/profile.hatena.ne.jp\/iwellguard\/","https:\/\/experiment.com\/users\/iwellguard","https:\/\/wakelet.com\/@iWellGuard82270","https:\/\/www.chordie.com\/forum\/profile.php?id=2555664","https:\/\/www.instapaper.com\/p\/17757966","https:\/\/www.mapleprimes.com\/users\/iwellguard","https:\/\/businesslistingplus.com\/profile\/iwell-guard\/","https:\/\/telegra.ph\/iWell-Guard-06-06","https:\/\/pbase.com\/iwellguard\/iwellguard","https:\/\/b.hatena.ne.jp\/iwellguard\/20260607#bookmark-4788405196491818882","https:\/\/fliphtml5.com\/home\/iwellguard","https:\/\/anyflip.com\/homepage\/cmiwl#About","https:\/\/transfur.com\/Users\/iwellguard","http:\/\/delphi.larsbo.org\/user\/iwellguard","https:\/\/jobs.lajobsportal.org\/profiles\/8380803-iwell-guard","https:\/\/md.chaosdorf.de\/s\/jfbe5SBdJD","https:\/\/www.lingvolive.com\/en-us\/profile\/9ecaeaca-ce11-4e51-9e71-01d55e2bff36\/translations","https:\/\/www.fitday.com\/fitness\/forums\/members\/iwellguard.html","https:\/\/www.mymeetbook.com\/iwellguard","https:\/\/pxhere.com\/en\/photographer-me\/5040798","https:\/\/disqus.com\/by\/iwellguard\/about\/","https:\/\/pastelink.net\/hjwciqwq","https:\/\/pubhtml5.com\/homepage\/scjhn\/","https:\/\/www.bitchute.com\/channel\/2O2eOKzNqujT","https:\/\/audiomack.com\/iwellguard"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/ee2a27f1cac3406c7c6fb5820cb7349f","name":"Ralf Ittermann","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/073c0153e350a5005b68eb752b445fea71f6b24a26da9449ad7e155e6b446c9d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/073c0153e350a5005b68eb752b445fea71f6b24a26da9449ad7e155e6b446c9d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/073c0153e350a5005b68eb752b445fea71f6b24a26da9449ad7e155e6b446c9d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Ralf Ittermann"},"givenName":"Ralf","familyName":"Ittermann","jobTitle":"Gesch\u00e4ftsf\u00fchrer und redaktioneller Verantwortlicher","url":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/author\/claude\/","description":"Ralf Ittermann ist Gesch\u00e4ftsf\u00fchrer der Ittermann electronic GmbH und redaktioneller Verantwortlicher des iWell-Guard-Lexikons. Er verbindet langj\u00e4hrige Erfahrung in der Pr\u00e4zisionsfertigung mit medialer Praxis und religionsgeschichtlicher Quellenarbeit.","worksFor":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Ittermann electronic GmbH","url":"https:\/\/ittermann.de\/","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"K\u00f6hlergasse 16-18","postalCode":"99842","addressLocality":"Ruhla","addressCountry":"DE"}},"knowsAbout":["Religionsgeschichte","Mythologie","Mediale Praxis","Energetische Diagnostik","Schutzpraxis","Volksglauben","Westliche Esoterik"]},{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/proserpina\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/proserpina\/"},"author":{"name":"Ralf Ittermann","@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/ee2a27f1cac3406c7c6fb5820cb7349f"},"headline":"Proserpina","datePublished":"2026-04-27T10:35:37+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-05T14:32:14+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/proserpina\/"},"wordCount":3178,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/proserpina\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_rom_proserpina.webp","articleSection":["Cultures","Gods","Rome"],"inLanguage":"en-US","description":"Proserpina, the Roman goddess of the underworld and spring, carried off by Pluto. Her myth, the cycle of the seasons and her cult."}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5206"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5206\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5207"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}