"Kore"
Korh
(kore, pronounced kor-ee) is a Greek word that
means maiden. It commonly refers to Persephone (Proserpine), daughter
of Zeus and Demeter. Hades fell in love with her & carried her
to the underworld to be his bride. In Creeley's version, Hades has
"goat men" (satyrs) kidnap her for him. Satyrs were lecherous beings,
Greek deities often associated with Dionysus, the God of wine and revelry.
They were symbols of lust and fertility. Half man, half goat/beast they
were regarded as the seducer of nymphs.
Proserpine (Persephone) was the daughter of Jupiter (Zeus) and Ceres (Demeter), goddess of harvests. Jupiter made a deal with his brother Pluto (Hades) the King of Hades. Pluto kidnapped the maiden (korh,kore) Proserpine and took her to the underworld. Her mother was so upset that she made everything stop growing, so Jupiter made a deal with Ceres that Proserpine would spend half the year with her mother & half with her husband in the underworld. This was the explanation for seasons - spring and summer occurred when Proserpine was above with her mom, fall and winter when she was in Hades with Pluto. As Pluto's wife, she presided over the dead.
Love is a driving force. The ancients regarded
it with suspicion. When Virgil wrote "omnia vincit amor" (Love
conquers all), he did not mean love overcomes all the obstacles in our
way. He meant that it conquers all of us. Has
love ever mislead you? Made you act like a fool? Where is it
leading you now?