Hello everyone!

Welcome back to the Stories Podcast.

This week we have a special double feature for you.

The episode you're listening to now is a story from Greek mythology about the origin

of winter time.

If you subscribe to our show, you'll also get a reading of the night before Christmas,

one of our holiday favorites.

To subscribe, just go to storiespodcast.com, slash subscribe, and follow the simple steps.

And now Persephone's Winter.

Enjoy!

In the land of ancient Greece, the people believed in a mighty pantheon.

A pantheon is a group of gods, each with different names and personalities.

There was Poseidon, the Earth Shaker, and the God of the Sea.

There was Aphrodite, the perfectly beautiful goddess of love, who was born from jealousy

and seafoam.

There was Aries, the God of War, terrible to be holed with his spear and his sword and shield.

But today's story starts with Demeter, the goddess of the harvest and the bringer of

the seasons.

Demeter was very entwined with the Earth and all the things that grew from the soil.

Her breath made the trees grow tall and her bright ringing laugh made the flowers bloom

in all of their colors.

When she was happy, the fruits would grow huge and juicy and delicious, and the vegetables

...