Persephone
August 2021

O Queen of Peace
Of the Grave. O Slave
to Love: Enchained by six seeds
Of your desire, surrounded by
Five rivers of fire, and the soft susurrus
Of one million dead. Lips as dark
As a fresh-cut wound; flesh
As pale as the skull of the moon; and hair
As black as the granite throne; as the lintel stone
Above the bed on which he broke you.
O Unbroken She: O Persephone...

- from Persephonic Hymn by Jack Grayle, in his astonishing book The Hekataeon

"My child, tell me, surely you have not tasted any food while you were below? Speak out and hide nothing, but let us both know. For if you have not, you shall come back from loathly Hades and live with me and your father, the dark-clouded Son of Cronos and be honoured by all the deathless gods; but if you have tasted food, you must go back again beneath the secret places of the earth, there to dwell a third part of the seasons every year: yet for the two parts you shall be with me and the other deathless gods. But when the earth shall bloom with the fragrant flowers of spring in every kind, then from the realm of darkness and gloom thou shalt come up once more to be a wonder for gods and mortal men. And now tell me how he rapt you away to the realm of darkness and gloom, and by what trick did the strong Host of Many beguile you?"

- Demeter speaks to Persephone,
from Homeric Hymn to Demeter (trs. H. G. Evelyn-White)

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Beautiful quality fine art print from original pencil drawing.

277 x 400mm
(approx 10mm white border all round)
on 297 x 420 mm paper.

Printed on heavyweight 315gsm archival watercolour paper, with Epson UltraChrome HD inks.
Signed and editioned and backed with board in a transparent sleeve.

Limited edition of 50 ONLY

All large prints come beautifully wrapped in tissue and ribbon, in a robust flat card pack. Can also be shipped anywhere with a hand written gift message included.

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(With thanks for the beautiful face of @noa_the_model on Instagram)