proserpine

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. In Roman mythology, one of the greater goddesses, the Greek Persephone or Kora, daughter of Ceres, wife of Pluto, and queen of the infernal regions. She passed six months of the year in Olympus with her mother, during which time she was considered as an amiable and propitious divinity; but during the six months passed in Hades she was stern and terrible. She was essentially a personification of the changes in the seasons, in spring and summer bringing fresh vegetation and fruits to man, and in winter harsh and causing suffering. She was intimately connected with such mysteries as those of Eleusis. The Roman goddess was practically identical with the Greek. Compare cuts under Pluto and modius.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. goddess of the underworld; counterpart of Greek Persephone