Persephone is often remembered as the maiden taken into the Underworld, but ancient tradition also knew her as its powerful queen. This workshop moves beyond the familiar story of abduction and return to explore Persephone’s life below the earth, her authority among the dead, and her role as the feared Mistress of the Underworld. In some ancient contexts, even speaking her name carried weight, and titles such as Kore, “the Maiden,” and Despoina, “the Mistress,” could evoke a goddess whose power extended far beyond the seasonal return of spring.
 
Together, we will examine Persephone’s place in ancient Greek religion, funerary belief, mystery traditions, and the imagined geography of the Underworld. The story of Demeter and Persephone will remain part of our discussion, but our focus will be on what happens after Persephone descends: how the maiden becomes queen, how the living approached her, and why she became one of the central divine figures governing the boundary between life and death.