In the Homeric Hymn, Gaia produced this flower as a bait for Persephone so that Hades could lure her away from her companions and have her alone when he took her. Since the bulbous root is quite poisonous in some species, and since the word "narkao" ("narcotic") is the base word for "narkissos", some modern authors now view it as a way of subduing Persephone, basically a kind of date-rape drug (I am a little pissed off by that idea). The Hymn says Persephone "reached out with both eager hands to take the lovely new toy". Some authors interpret the flower as a phallic symbol, with its long straight stalk, and therefore her behavior shows she was subconsciously reaching for Hades all along (I rather liked that idea).

In magickal lore, it is said to have properties of harmony, love and luck. Given the circumstances of the flower being brought forth by another female, her own great-grandmother, I think perhaps this is more what was intended.

One of the flowers Persephone picked on Nysa, its name meaning simply "red". Sacred to several other goddesses as well (especially Aphrodite), it symbolises not only love but sexuality, blood, healing and divination. A very versatile plant. Another interesting idea is that Persephone is represented by roses and Hades by diamonds, thus making them the origin of the most common items of modern romance and marriage. Too cute.

Herbally, it has countless uses, from cough syrup to eye lotion.

One of the flowers Persephone picked on Nysa, its name simply means "yellow".

It has often been used to represent the freshness of Springtime, and in modern days is a common Easter flower. Magickally, it is used to attract love, and burning it as incense can induce visions.

One of the flowers Persephone picked on Nysa, its name simply meaning "purple". Symbolically, it has often been connected to Aphrodite and therefore represents love and lust. I suspect this was the reason she was picking it, because she was a budding teenager and thinking romantic thoughts.

Ancient Greeks also wore them to calm tempers and induce sleep. Magickally, they are now used as protection against evil, and to bring luck and fortune. They can also grant wishes if you gather the first violet of the Springtime. Herbally, the entire plant is edible and very nutritious. It can be used to ease headaches, healing wounds, pain relief, and as a laxative. A highly useful plant.

One of the flowers Persephone picked on Nysa. Named for the Goddess of the rainbow, because of the multitudes of colours in which it appears. In some myths, Iris was similar to Hermes in gathering souls of the dead, but in her case she collected only women.

Symbolically the flower's three petals symbolise faith, wisdom and valor, and therefore has been used magickally to bring these qualities. It is also used to purify an area before rituals. Herbally, it can be used to aid digestion, to cure burns, and many other uses relating to the internal system and skin.

One of the flowers Persephone picked on Nysa. Myth says it was named for a slain hero named Hyakinthos, and therefore represents blood.

Its bulbs are poisonous, like the narcissus. Magickally, it is often used to ease pain and prevent nightmares. Smelling its flowers is used to relieve depression and grief, and also cure hypnotic spells. The flowers are also used in love spells.

Obviously the most important plant in the story. Some authors view it as solely a "food thing", that to eat any food at all in the land of the dead condemned one to remain. This is somewhat borne up by myths from other cultures, wherein the dead would offer a feast to travelers in hopes of tricking them into staying behind.

Greeks, in preparing funeral feasts, did not eat it because it was considered "unclean". At Eleusis, it was a forbidden food during the Greater Mysteries, but indulged in during the Thesmophoria celebrations. The Eleusinian official view of its symbolism was a representation of a blood oath. By taking the seed presented by the god of death, it became symbolic of death entering the body. Modern interpretations call it a fertility symbol representing sex, because of its shape and the abundance of seeds inside a womb-like cavity. In ancient times, it was also referred to as a symbol of "indissoluble marriage". Small wonder it also is considered an aphrodisiac.

Stories vary as to how many seeds Persephone ate, ranging from three to seven. The amount doesn't seem to matter however, since there was never a decisive number in the original Hymn text (it says she was given "the seed of the fruit", which could mean singular or several). I feel that merely the act of eating was the point. Ovid and later authors maintained specific numbers, in order to fully "explain" the length of the seasons.

What I find most interesting is one particular statement that "pomegranate seeds were eaten by souls in the Underworld in order to be reborn", perhaps symbolizing birth in general, literally becoming a new seed in a woman's womb.

As well, it seems to have a triple aspect to its symbolism relating to three goddesses who are often depicted with the fruit: Hera, as the symbol of eternal marriage; Aphrodite, as the fertile lover; and Persephone, in the form of death and rebirth. I see it that way, and my personal opinion is that the seeds were meant to be a combined symbol, sex, death, and renewal, all of which are intrinsically connected. As a further note of interest, there are even authors who maintain that the pomegranate is the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge from the Garden of Eden.

In modern magickal uses, it now represents protection from evil and the attraction of money (both are angled toward Hades), and the juice has been used as a ritual substitute for blood, for those who are squeamish.

The main flower described as growing throughout the Underworld.

A member of the lily family, it grow wild across the world. It is said to represent death and also immortality. In ancient times, white asphodel was planted on graves, and considered to be a food of the dead. It could also be used in ritual bathing of the dead. As an herb, it is used for treating infections and as an anti-spasmodic.

This tree is most interesting, being sacred to several other goddesses (mostly moon-related, such as Hekate). Myth states that the trees grew along the banks of several Underworld rivers. It has a healing quality that I find appropriate to Persephone's powers, in that its bark has medicinal properties resembling aspirin.

Also, many witches construct their wands and broomsticks from this wood. Burial mounds near lakes were often lined with willows to symbolise death. Magickally, its uses include divination, love, and protection as well. Herbally, its bark is used in teas and pills for pain relief.

There are two kinds of poplar associated with the Underworld, the black and the white. The black, sacred to Persephone, is said to grow in the Elysian Fields. The white is the tree from which Leuke came. Another Greek name (actually the scientific name) for the white poplar is Acherois, coming from the name of the River Acheron.

The black poplar has been called specifically a "funeral tree". Other cultures used the wood to make coffins, or decorate corpses with masks of the wood. Its leaves, trembling in the wind, are said to send messages to spirits.

Used in magick, poplar leaves represent money (appropriate to Hades), and also are used in flying spells. Herbally, the bark is used for fevers, infections, sore throats, and digestion troubles.

Sacred to Hades, the grove of trees around Lethe were believed to be white cypress. This evergreen tree is symbolic of death and resurrection, eternity and immortality, sometimes also healing and protection. It is closely connected to the "dying god" myths in many cultures, and may explain some modern writers' views that Hades and Dionysos were one and the same, the younger replacing the elder. In ancient Greece, branches of the tree were used in funeral processions.

This is not well-known, but is specific to Persephone. The plant was used in ancient Greece, woven into wreaths to decorate tombs and as protection against ghosts. It was also used in purification baths for the Mystery initiates, along with thyme, marjoram and salt. The salt-water-and-herb baptismal bath was later borrowed, changed only slightly, by Christianity.

Magickal uses include promoting lust and preventing drunkenness, making the plant a shared sacred item with Dionysos. Herbally, it is useful for healing insect bites, to ease coughs, and for minor urinary complaints.

These are generally seen more as a sacred flower of Demeter, but some claim it belongs also to Persephone. Both the flower and the seed pod are found in designs at Eleusis, and on even more ancient statues identified as Persephone. Being another narcotic plant (some varieties produce morphine, heroin, and opium) its hypnotic and death-like qualities are appropriate to Underworld gods. Ancient Etruscans and Minoans featured poppy capsules in funeral rituals.

Yet, because of the poppy's multitude of tiny seeds, it is additionally considered to be a fertility symbol. Those varieties that contain no narcotics are very nutritious seeds. Magickal uses include love, sleep, money and ironically enough, invisibility (which suits Hades).

Referring to any grains -- barley, wheat and rye most prominently, but also corn. These all have a strong significance to Demeter as well as Persephone. They all symbolise resurrection in a very profound way, for each year they are stored carefully away and then replanted and reborn. They were literal life for the mortal population in the form of necessary food. In the Eleusinian Mysteries, Persephone herself was actually called "the grain" to show that she too would arise every year, and that she was the saviour of their eternal souls. Cakes were made in honor of the "Two Goddesses" and eaten as part of initiation rituals -- a ritualised "eating of their flesh" just as later Christian culture does with their Communion wafers.

Symbolically, all grains represent the Great Mother's blessings upon her people and this holds true in many cultures. As well, the Eleusinian Mysteries featured the sacred drink kykeon, made from barley, honey, water and pennyroyal mint, which was drunk by initiates to purify and prepare for initiation.

Some very well-researched authors declare that the barley was purposely tainted with the hallucinogenic fungus ergot (a black patch which grows on the grain, then drops off and re-sprouts as a tiny mushroom), and therefore the initiates experienced uncanny drug-induced visions. Ancient writings seem to bear this out, with their descriptions of the physical effects of drinking the kykeon -- shaking, sweating, nausea, etc. Demeter herself requested this drink when searching for Persephone, possibly in an attempt to have a vision of her missing child.

In modern magickal uses, grains are considered protection against evil. Barley is also used in spells for healing, anti-negativity, and love. Corn is good for luck and divination. Rye is used in fidelity spells. Wheat is used for fertility and also for attracting money.

These bushes are described as being in groves in the Elysian Fields, and were carried in the processions to Eleusis every year. It is also sacred to Hades due to a deal he struck with Dionysos. When the younger god came to the Underworld to retrieve the soul of his mortal mother Semele, Hades required a life for a life. So Dionysos offered a living plant, one sacred to himself, and gave Hades the myrtle.

It symbolises youthfulness, enduring love, peace, and even as a magical way to communicate with the dead. The wood is used in funeral rites as well. Myrtle berries ripen to a brilliant red, and are also reputed to be a sexual symbol, as they are similar in shape to the clitoris.

Entrances to the Underworld were believed to be hidden by fig trees, and people in ancient Greece would not sleep beneath them. The fruit was forbidden at Eleusis during some ceremonies.

Of course this is a very sexually symbolic fruit as well, the red moist interior being reminiscent of female genitalia, and the word "sykon" ("fruit of the fig") being a euphemism for "vagina". Dionysian fertility rituals in Greece and Rome featured a phallus made of fig wood. Satyrs, because of these beliefs, were seen as being very attracted to fig trees.

Magickal uses include divination, overcoming impotence, and love charms, as well as safe travelling and safe homes. This is yet another fruit claimed to be on the "Tree of Knowledge" in Eden.

Mostly based on the story of Demeter's condemnation of the earth and how, even though she killed everything else, beans still grew. She was furious at this and it came to be seen as a metaphor for Hades (hence his unusual title "Kyamites" = "he of the beans").

Beans were eaten at funerals, symbolising the seed that would eventually grow into a new life. Romans believed ancestral spirits lived inside beans, and they held a yearly ceremony to honour them.

Magickally, they are used for protection, exorcism, potency, love, and also to reconcile misunderstandings. The latter may come from the ancient Greek method of using coloured beans to draw lots (as in the story of the Olympian brothers themselves).

Not at all based on the concept of much later Roman mythology, which claims a nymph named Minthe became Hades' lover, and was then killed by either Demeter or Persephone.

The sacredness of this plant is based entirely on the contents of the far more ancient kykeon drink taken by initiates at Eleusis. The mint used was specifically pennyroyal, called "blechon" or "glechon" in Greek. The Greek word for ordinary mint is either "sisymbron", or sometimes "dysosmos" (which means literally "ill-smelling").

I cannot emphasise this strongly enough:
The word "mint" comes from Latin only, in the form of the nymph's name, and is therefore a much later addition, not at all part of the origins of the Hades' and Persephone's tale.

Pennyroyal oil in very large amounts can kill, and has been used as an abortive drug. Leaves boiled into the kykeon merely enhanced flavour and added a slight amount of hallucinogenic power to an already potent drink.

Other types of ordinary mint (spearmint, etc.) usually symbolise freshness and purification, and were sometimes used in funeral rites to prevent decay (or at least odours). Herbally, most other types of mint can be used for soothing the stomach in teas or medicines. Magickally, pennyroyal is used in spells for strength of body, protecting against evil and making business deals (how very ironic), but also for protection and peace. Other types of mint have magickal uses that include prosperity and money spells (another Hades thing) and protection, and also to call forth good spirits. Sometimes it has been used to magickally promote lust, and I think perhaps this stems from the myth of Minthe pretty directly, even though it's totally erroneous.