The origin of the seasons

Answer 1

It began one day when Hades was visiting the above world. As he was returning to his home, he spotted Persephone, the goddess of flowers and Demeter's daughter, out with her friends. He became lovestruck, and kidnapped her, taking her to the Underworld. When Zeus heard, he was furrious, and demanded Persephone be released. Reluctant to relinquish the love of his life, he tricked her into eating a pomagranite from the Underworld. The rule was, if you ate food of the dead, you could never leave the Underworld. Without her daughter, Demeter let the crops wither (in reality this was probably a drought), and Zeus decided to make a proposition. He decided that Persephone would spend half a year with her husband, and half a year with her mother. Hades and Demeter agreed. Every season holds a different stage. Summer, Demeter has her child for six months. When Autumn comes, it's because Demeter knows Persephone has to leave soon. In the winter, she is sad, for she must wait six months to see her daughter. In the spring, she's preparing the world for her Daughter's return. So, Persephone spends the summer and fall with Demeter, and winter and spring with Hades.