The Myth of Minthe

Minthe was an Underworld Naiad. She was the daughter of the infernal river god, Cocytus, and the mistress of Hades. Minthe eventually became the sweet-smelling plant we know today as Mint, although there are a few versions of the tale of how this came to be. 

One version tells of how Persephone found out about the affair and went on to turn Minthe into a plant. There is a similar story with a slightly different ending that says Persephone tore the naiad to pieces, and it was Hades who transformed her into the herb.

The other version involves Persephone’s mother, Demeter. In this story, Minthe was with Hades before he abducted Persephone, and when Hades chose to cast her aside and be with his new bride, Minthe became jealous. She would go around bragging about how she was more beautiful and more noble than Persephone. Due to this disrespect, and after the plain hell that Demeter went through when she originally lost her daughter, Demeter trampled the naiad into the earth. Eventually, mint sprung from the spot she was trampled.