The Homeric Hymn to Demeter is an Ancient Greek hymn dating to the late seventh or early sixth century BCE. It tells the story of the abduction of Persephone, the daughter of the fertility goddess Demeter, by Hades, the god of the Underworld. In the narrative of the hymn, Demeter searches for Persephone, and forces the gods to return her for part of the year by causing mortals' crops to fail, threatening them with starvation. The hymn also tells the story of the origins of Demeter's cult at Eleusis in Attica, and serves as an aetiological myth for the seasons.