PROSERPINA, PROSERPYNA, PROSERPYNE. Proserpina is the Latin name for the Greek goddess Persephone. Pluto, king of the Underworld, complained to Jupiter that he alone had no wife. Jupiter promised him Proserpina, his daughter by Ceres, the goddess of grain and of harvests, and with the collusion of Venus, Jupiter and Pluto planned the abduction. As Proserpina gathered violets and lilies in the valley of Henna in Sicily, Pluto appeared suddenly and carried her off to his kingdom. Her mother Ceres, not to be consoled, sought Proserpina throughout the world, neglected her sacred tasks of giving grains to the world, and all the crops died. Finally, Ceres appealed to Jupiter, who told her that her daughter was now Pluto's queen. Proserpina was restored to her mother, but because she had eaten the pomegranate, of which seven seeds were found in her mouth, Jupiter decreed that she should spend half the year in the upper world and the other half in the lower (Met V.346-571; OM V.1833-1998; Claudian, De raptu Proserpinae; Guillaume de Machaut, Le Confort d'ami, 2353-2516). As queen of the Underworld, Proserpina is one of the aspects of the triple goddess, Trivia. Remigius of Auxerre gives her three names as Lucina in the sky, Diana on earth, and Proserpina in hell (Commentum in Martianum Capellam VII.369.l). As queen of the Underworld, Proserpina is mistress of the Erinyes or the Three Furies--Allecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone, Inf IX.36-48.

Proserpina, Pluto's wife, is queen of "fayerye," MerchT 2028-2029, a borrowing of her portrait in the poem, Sir Orfeo. Proserpina arms May with an answer to her husband's accusations when Pluto restores Januarie's sight, MerchT 2264-2319. Proserpina is "quene of the derk peyne," HF III.1511-1512. Troilus expects to go to her dark realm in pain when he dies, Tr IV.473-476. [Alete: Claudian: Diane: Herenus: Megera: Pluto: Thesiphone]

Proserpina appears once, initially, MerchT 2039; Proserpyna, a spelling variant, occurs once, in final rhyming position, MerchT 2229; Proserpyne, with final syllabic -e, appears once, medially, MerchT 2264; and twice in final rhyming position, with final syllabic -e, HF III.1511; Tr IV.473, both times rhyming with pyne.