Here's how:
* Ceres, the goddess of agriculture, represents the fertility and growth of the earth during spring and summer.
* Proserpina, her daughter, represents the life force that is taken away during winter. When Proserpina is abducted to the Underworld by Pluto, the god of the underworld, the earth is barren and cold.
* Proserpina's return to her mother represents the return of spring, as the earth is revitalized.
The myth suggests that Proserpina spends a portion of the year in the Underworld, causing winter, and the rest of the year with her mother, bringing spring and summer.
