Why Lore Olympus Matters
With over 6 billion reads, Lore Olympus is the most-read webtoon in history and has introduced more people to Greek mythology than any other modern work. Rachel Smythe's retelling focuses on the romance between Hades and Persephone — but takes enormous creative liberties.
Hades — The Romantic Lead
In the webtoon: Hades is a brooding, misunderstood CEO-type who genuinely loves Persephone. In mythology: Hades abducted Persephone — either with Zeus's permission or by force, depending on the version. The "romantic Hades" is entirely modern.
That said, some scholars argue the original myth was less about abduction and more about an arranged marriage (normal in ancient Greece). Smythe's interpretation isn't baseless — she's just reading the myth through a modern romantic lens.
Persephone — From Maiden to Queen
In the webtoon: Persephone starts naive and grows into a powerful queen who embraces her darkness. In mythology: Persephone's transformation is similar — she goes from Kore (maiden) to the dread Queen of the Underworld. Smythe actually captures this arc well.
Apollo — The Villain
In the webtoon: Apollo is a manipulative predator. In mythology: Apollo was the golden boy of Olympus — god of light, music, and prophecy. He had problematic moments (like pursuing Daphne), but he wasn't a villain. This is Smythe's biggest departure from the myths.
The Color System
Smythe assigns each god a signature color — Hades is blue, Persephone is pink, Apollo is purple. This has no basis in mythology but is brilliant visual storytelling that helps readers track the large cast.
What Smythe Gets Right
The family dynamics are solid. Zeus's infidelity, Hera's anger, Demeter's overprotectiveness, the political tensions between Olympians — these all ring true to the myths. The webtoon is an interpretation, not a translation, and it's one of the most compelling modern retellings we have.
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What the Homeric Hymn Actually Says
The oldest full account of Persephone's abduction is the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, probably from the seventh or sixth century BC. Most debates about Lore Olympus come back to it. In the hymn, Zeus has already promised his daughter to his brother without asking Demeter. Persephone is picking flowers with the daughters of Oceanus when she reaches for a narcissus that Gaia has grown as a lure. The earth opens and Hades carries her off in his chariot, screaming for her father. Only Hecate, in her cave, and Helios, who sees everything, hear her.
The hymn does give Hades a speech in his favour. Helios tells the grieving Demeter that Hades is not an unworthy son-in-law, being her own brother and lord of a third of the world. Hades himself tells Persephone that as his queen she will rule all living things and receive the greatest honours. That is the seed of the romantic reading, though the poem never pretends Persephone consented. Lore Olympus builds on this by making the relationship mutual and the abduction metaphorical.
The pomegranate also works differently. In the hymn Hades secretly gives Persephone a single pomegranate seed before she leaves, which binds her to return for part of every year. Persephone later tells Demeter he forced it on her. Ovid (Metamorphoses 5) has her eat seven seeds while wandering in the underworld garden, and the gardener Ascalaphus tells on her. Neither version makes the seeds a free romantic choice. See Persephone and the seasons for how the story explains the year.
Minor Characters With Real Myths Behind Them
Part of the webtoon's appeal is how many minor figures it uses. Several have stories very different from their roles in the comic:
- Minthe. Hades' ex-girlfriend in the comic is a real, if minor, figure. Strabo (8.3.14) says a nymph called Minthe was Hades' concubine and was trampled by Persephone and turned into the mint plant, after which a hill near Pylos was named for her. Ovid has Persephone change a woman into mint, and other sources make Demeter the jealous one. Persephone as the jealous wife is the ancient version; the comic flips the sympathy.
- Thetis. In the comic she is a scheming nymph at Zeus's office. In myth she is a powerful sea-goddess whom both Zeus and Poseidon want until they learn her son will be greater than his father. She is married off to the mortal Peleus and becomes the mother of Achilles.
- Eros. The comic's playful son of Aphrodite matches the later tradition. In Hesiod's Theogony, though, Eros is one of the first beings to appear after Chaos, a cosmic force rather than a child. His romance with Psyche comes from Apuleius (see Cupid and Psyche).
- Hecate. Her role as Hades' blunt operations manager has a real basis. In the Hymn to Demeter she is the only goddess besides Helios who hears the abduction, she goes with Demeter to search, and afterwards she becomes Persephone's attendant.
- Artemis. The comic sets Persephone up in a vow of eternal maidenhood like the one Artemis keeps. Persephone has no such vow in myth, though her cult title Kore (maiden) partly explains the idea.
Persephone Beyond the Romance
Lore Olympus centres Persephone's growth, and ancient sources agree that she becomes a formidable figure. Homer calls her epainē, "dread," and in the Odyssey it is Persephone, not Hades, who sends the ghosts of famous women to Odysseus. She rules beside Hades in dealing with heroes such as Heracles, Orpheus and Theseus. When Theseus and Pirithous go down to kidnap her as Pirithous' bride, they are trapped on seats of forgetfulness. She also fights Aphrodite over the infant Adonis, and Zeus divides the boy's year between them (Apollodorus 3.14.4). In Orphic tradition she is the mother, by Zeus, of Zagreus, whom the Titans tear apart, and the hymn to Melinoe makes her the mother of that ghostly goddess too. None of these episodes is central to Smythe's plot. They show a queen whose power the comic suggests rather than invents.
The Eleusinian cult of Demeter and Persephone was among the most important in the Greek world. Initiates hoped for a better lot after death. Persephone's return from below was not just a love story; it was the basis of a mystery religion (see the Eleusinian Mysteries).
Further reading
- Homeric Hymn to Demeter — the essential ancient source, available in Helene Foley's annotated edition and translation (Princeton, 1994).
- Ovid, Metamorphoses book 5 — the Roman version, in which Venus and Cupid cause Dis to fall in love and Persephone eats seven pomegranate seeds.
- Rachel Smythe, Lore Olympus (Del Rey print volumes) — the collected webtoon, first published on Webtoon from 2018 to 2024.
- Strabo, Geography 8.3.14 — the Minthe story and the hill near Pylos named after her.
- Natalie Haynes, Pandora's Jar (2020) — an accessible look at how women of Greek myth have been retold, including Medusa and Penelope.
Frequently asked questions
Did Hades and Persephone love each other in Greek mythology?
The sources say little about feelings. Their marriage is stable, unusually so for the gods, and Hades is not recorded as unfaithful apart from the Minthe and Leuce stories. Persephone acts as a true queen. Romantic love between them is a modern emphasis, not an ancient theme.
Is Apollo really a villain in mythology?
He is not a villain, but his myths include violent pursuits. Daphne flees him, Cassandra is cursed for refusing him, and Coronis is killed for infidelity. See the lovers of Apollo for the details.
Is Lore Olympus finished?
Yes. The webtoon ended in 2024 after more than 270 episodes. It won the Eisner Award for Best Webcomic in 2022, and print volumes continue to be released.
How many pomegranate seeds did Persephone eat?
One in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, seven in Ovid. Later retellings often use six to match six months in the underworld, but that number is not ancient.