Homer began his song revealing to his audience that Hades had permission from Zeus to abduct Persephone, daughter of Zeus and Demeter. One day, a glorious narcissus sent by Earth to lure Persephone to her abduction while she was playing and gathering flowers with the daughters of Oceanus. With curiosity Persephone reached for the flower; and at once, Hades sprang from the earth and grabbed her into his car pulled by deathless horses. She cried out for help but not a single soul heard her pleads, except the sun god Helius and Hecate. Meanwhile, Zeus was hiding in his temple to receive offerings from the mortal and to avoid the cries of his daughter. At last, Demeter heard her cries as she wept in torments and wandered about for nine days to look for Persephone. Finally, Hecate suggested that Demeter seek out Helius for the identity of Persephone's abductor. Helius informed her that Hades had permission from Zeus to take Persephone as his wife in the underworld and that Demeter should give up her anguish.
             The weeping goddess disguised herself as an old woman, until at last she came to Eleusis and rested at the Well of the Maiden. There, the four daughters of Celeus who came to fetch water from the well saw the old woman. The old woman told her story that she fled from her captors, the pirates from Crete, and was in need of employment. The maidens presented her story to queen Metaneira who took the goddess in to nurse her baby boy Demophon. Demeter raised the child in the godly way: she plunged him like a firebrand into the flames and would make him immortal only if his own mother, queen Metaneira, have not spied on them. At this, Demeter changed into her true goddess form and directed the queen to build her a temple and establish her rites so that Demeter's blessings will be upon them.
             Still grieving for her daughter, Demeter sent a plague for the earth. Mankind was almost wiped out by a famine, thus ended...