Who is queen of the Underworld and goddess of Spring; Demeter's daughter?

• A. Hera
• B. Persephone
• C. Athena
• D. Demeter

Answer: (B)

Persephone is the figure who fits both roles. She is the daughter of Demeter, the goddess of agriculture, and she becomes queen of the Underworld by marrying Hades. Her connection to Spring comes from the myth of her yearly return to the surface after spending part of the year with Hades in the Underworld; her return signals the awakening and growth of spring. Hera, while the queen of the gods, is not Demeter’s daughter and isn’t associated with the Underworld or Spring in this way. Athena is the goddess of wisdom and warfare, not linked to Demeter’s family or to the Spring cycle. Demeter herself is the mother, not the ruler of the Underworld. So Persephone best fits both the Underworld queen and Spring goddess roles as Demeter’s daughter.