Acclaimed classicist Natalie Haynes is back on History Hit. This time she explores one of the most powerful and enduring myths of the ancient world: the story of Demeter and Persephone.

Our journey begins with the kidnapping of the young goddess Persephone by Hades, the dark Lord of the Underworld. Natalie unravels the layers of this story through the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, a miraculous survival of ancient literature.

Traveling from the heart of Athens to the rugged mountains of Epirus, Natalie investigates how this myth mirrored the lives of people in Ancient Greece. Looking at incredible artefacts discovered around the Mediterranean, she reveals how the myth reflects the dramatic transitions of marriage, where young girls were led into the homes of strangers. She travels on the River Acheron, one of the mythical rivers of the Underworld, and goes underground to explore the possible site of the oracle to the dead - to investigate how the ancient world viewed the grim nature of the afterlife.

Natalie traces the footsteps of Demeter, the goddess who refused to eat, wash, or return to Olympus until her abducted daughter was restored to her. For the Greeks, this wasn't merely a tale; it was an explanation for the survival of their civilisation.

But as Demeter's famine takes hold and the gods are deprived of their sacrifices, Zeus is finally forced to intervene. Is Persephone doomed to spend eternity in the dark, or can she return to the light?

In episode 2, ‘The Mystery’, Natalie explores the dramatic end to the tale, the secret, sacred world of the Eleusinian Mysteries, and how this story has captivated artists for two millennia.