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graphic universe • minneapolis

DEMETER IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT FIGURES IN
GREEK MYTHOLOGY. SHE IS THE GODDESS OF FARMING
(ESPECIALLY CORN AND GRAINS) AND OF THE HARVEST.
FOR THE ANCIENT GREEKS, THE STORY OF DEMETER’S
SEARCH FOR HER KIDNAPPED DAUGHTER PERSEPHONE
EXPLAINS THE CYCLE OF SEASONS. PERSEPHONE’S REUNION
WITH HER MOTHER REPRESENTS THE BEGINNING OF
SPRINGTIME—THE RETURN OF WARM WEATHER AND
BUDDING CROPS. FOR MORE THAN TWO THOUSAND YEARS,
FOLLOWERS OF DEMETER CELEBRATED THE HARVEST OF
THOSE CROPS IN SECRET RITUALS AT THE GODDESS’S TEMPLE
IN ELEUSIS, GREECE.
IN RETELLING DEMETER’S STORY, JUSTINE AND RON
FONTES USED CLASSICAL AND MODERN SOURCES SUCH AS
OVID’S METAMORPHOSES AND EDITH HAMILTON’S
MYTHOLOGY. ARTIST STEVE KURTH USED CLASSICAL GREEK
ART AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL SOURCES TO CREATE THE
VISUAL DETAILS. AND DAVID MULROY OF THE UNIVERSITY
OF WISCONSIN-MILWAUKEE ENSURED HISTORICAL AND
VISUAL ACCURACY.
story by justine and ron fontes
pencils by steve kurth
inks by barbara schulz
coloring and lettering by ray dillon of
golden goat studios
consultant: david mulroy,
university of wisconsin-milwaukee
Copyright © 2007 by Lerner Publications Company
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Fontes, Justine.
Demeter and Persephone : spring held hostage /
story by Justine and Ron Fontes ; pencils by Steve
Kurth ; inks by Barbara Schulz.
p. cm. — (Graphic myths and legends)
Includes index.
ISBN-13: 978–0–8225–5966–5 (lib. bdg. : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0–8225–5966–8 (lib. bdg. : alk. paper)
1. Demeter (Greek deity)—Juvenile literature.
2. Persephone (Greek deity)—Juvenile literature.
I. Fontes, Ron. II. Kurth, Steve. III. Schulz,
Barbara Jo. IV. Title. V. Series.
BL820.C5F66 2007
741.5’973—dc22 2006006769
Manufactured in the United States of America
1 2 3 4 5 6 – JR – 12 11 10 09 08 07
eISBN-13: 978-0-8225-8791-0
 table of contents
a winterless world . . . 6

the dark domain . . . 14

a worried mother . . . 25

the seeds of change . . . 34

the pomegranate problem . . . 38

glossary and pronunciation guide . . . 46

further reading and websites . . . 47

creating demeter & persephone . . . 47

index . . . 48

about the authors and the artist . . . 48

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 glossary and pronunciation guide
ambrosia (am-broh-zhuh): the food of
the gods, made from divine
substances. Humans sometimes
made their own imitation
ambrosia from honey, water,
fruit, cheese, olive oil, and
barley (a grain).
aphrodite (a-froh-dye-tee): the
Greek goddess of love
ares (air-eez): the Greek god of war
athena (uh-thee-nuh): the Greek
goddess of wisdom
charon (kair-ahn): the boatman who
guides souls across the river Styx
into the underworld
demeter (dim-eh-tur): the Greek
goddess of the harvest and of
agriculture
Demophoon (deh-mah-foh-awn): the
son of King Celeus and Queen
Metaneira of Eleusis, taken care
of as a child by Demeter
Eleusis (ih-loo-sis): a city in Greece
northwest of Athens, center of
the Eleusinian mysteries—sacred
festivals dedicated to Demeter
elysian Fields (ih-lee-zhun): a
beautiful part of the underworld
where heroes and poets are sent
after death
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furies: the three female spirits,
Tisiphone, Megara, and Allecto,
of justice and vengeance. Also
known as the Erinyes, their job is
to pursue wrongdoers.
hades (hay-deez): the Greek god of
the underworld
hera (hehr-uh): the Greek goddess of
marriage and childbirth, married
to Zeus
hermes (hur-meez): the messenger of
the gods on Mount Olympus
mount olympus: the home of the
Greek gods and goddesses
persephone (per-sef-uh-nee):
Demeter’s daughter, kidnapped
by Hades
shades: the spirits of dead people
who inhabit the underworld
styx (stiks): the river that encircles
the underworld. Once shades are
ferried across the Styx by
Charon, they cannot return to
the world above.
underworld: the kingdom of the
dead, ruled by Hades
zeus (zoos): the main Greek god, the
ruler of Mount Olympus
 further reading and websites
Bolton, Lesley. The Everything Classical Mythology Book: Greek and Roman
Gods, Goddesses, Heroes, and Monsters from Ares to Zeus. Avon, MA:
Adams Media Corporation, 2002. This who’s who guide introduces young
readers to Greek and Roman mythology.

Day, Nancy. Your Travel Guide to Ancient Greece. Minneapolis: Twenty-First

Century Books, 2001. Day prepares readers for a trip back to ancient
Greece, including which cities to visit, how to get around, what to wear,
and how to fit in with the locals.

Hamilton, Edith. Mythology. Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 1942. Hamilton’s
classic book focuses on the stories of Greek gods and heroes, but it also
covers Roman and Norse myths.

Macdonald, Fiona. Gods and Goddesses in the Daily Life of the Ancient
Greeks. New York: Peter Bedrick Books, 2001. Macdonald provides an
introduction to the traditions and religious beliefs of the ancient Greeks,
with photographs, illustrations, and detailed diagrams.

MythWeb. http://www.mythweb.com/index.html. This site, with a searchable

encyclopedia, provides students with information on gods, goddesses, and
places in Greek myth.

creating demeter & persephone

In retelling this ancient story for modern readers, Justine and Ron Fontes drew
upon classical and modern sources such as Metamorphoses by the Roman poet
Ovid (43 B.C.–ca. A.D. 17), Edith Hamilton’s Mythology, and the New Larousse
Encyclopedia of Mythology. Artist Steve Kurth used classical Greek art, such as
painted vases and stone carvings, and anthropological sources to create the story’s
visual details. David Mulroy of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee ensured
historical and visual accuracy.

original pencil sketch from page 30

 index
Aphrodite, 32 Hades: given the underworld by Zeus, 8;
Apollo, 33 judging souls, 16–22; kidnapping
Ares, 9, 32 Persephone, 12–14
Artemis, 33 Hera, 8, 27, 32, 33
Athena, 9, 32 Hermes, 33, 34, 36, 37

Bacchus, 9, 33 Mount Olympus, 8, 9, 10, 27, 29, 32, 34

Cerberus, 14, 15, 36, 42 Persephone: kidnapping of, 12–14;

Charon, 15, 16, 36
Demeter: at Eleusis, 28–30, 44; giving
gift of agriculture, 44–45; and
harvest celebrations, 6–7, 8, 40, 41;
reunion with Persephone, 37;
searching for Persephone, 24–26
Demophoon, 29, 44, 45
Elysian Fields, 16, 17, 22–23, 34
Furies, 18–19
marriage to Hades, 34, 40; return to
Earth, 35, 37, 43
Poseidon, 8, 9, 32
Rhea, 39
Styx, 15, 16
Zeus: dividing the world, 8; as part of
Persephone’s kidnapping, 10, 11, 34;
as ruler of Mount Olympus, 8, 27, 32

about the authors and the artist

justine and ron fontes met at a publishing house in New York City, where
Ron worked in the comic book department and Justine was an editorial
assistant in children’s books. Together they have written nearly 500
children’s books, in every format from board books to historical novels.
From their home in Maine, they also launched Sonic Comics with their
first graphic novel Tales of the Terminal Diner. Other published projects
include The Trojan Horse: The Fall of Troy, Atalanta: The Race
against Destiny, and The Wooden Sword. Lifelong library lovers, the
Fonteses long to write 1,001 books before retiring to read.

steve kurth was born and raised in west central Wisconsin. He graduated
with a BFA in illustration from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
Steve’s art has appeared in Hercules: The Twelve Labors and in numerous
comic books, including G.I. Joe, Micronauts, Ghostbusters, Dragonlance,
and Cracked magazine.

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