Editing Minthe (section)

== Culture ==
The word used in ancient Greek texts to describe Minthe in relation to her affair with Hades is {{lang|grc|παλλακή}} (''pallakḗ''), translating to 'concubine' or 'young girl'.{{sfn|Liddell|Scott|1940|loc=s.v. [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0057:entry=pallakh/ παλλακή]}}{{sfn|Beekes|2010|page=1147}} In ancient Greek culture, a ''pallake'' referred to a man's unmarried consort; she was of lower status than a legally married wife, but stood higher than a common prostitute or a ''[[hetaira]]''.{{sfn|Babiniotis|2009|loc=s.v. παλλακίδα}}

In ancient Greece, mint was used in funerary rites, together with [[rosemary]] and [[Myrtus|myrtle]], and not simply to offset the smell of decay;{{sfn|Graves|1955|page=[https://archive.org/details/greekmyths0000robe_b5f5/page/122/mode/2up?view=theater 123]}} mint was an element in the fermented [[barley]] drink called the ''[[kykeon]]'' that was an essential preparatory [[entheogen]] for participants in the [[Eleusinian Mysteries]], which offered hope in the [[afterlife]] for initiates.{{sfn|Kerenyi|1967|page=40, 179f}} Minthe might have originated from Demeter's mystery cults, alongside figures like [[Baubo]] and the daughters of [[Celeus]].{{sfn|Hopkinson|1994|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=xNzUGMlQM80C&pg=PA193 193]}} On the other hand, it has been argued that the myth is of Hellenistic (323 BC to 31 BC) origin instead.<ref name=":brill" /> It is probable that it emerged as a local story at Hades's shrine near Mount Minthe due to some special connection between the plant and the god.{{sfn|Forbes Irving|1990|pages=268–269}}

The mint was highly valued due to its aromatic properties and its capacity as a condiment that brings out the flavour of many foods. Mint was used as an appetising spice, for perfume-making, woven in wreaths, and it would be hung up in rooms in order to improve and fresh up the air.<ref name=":brill">{{cite encyclopedia | encyclopedia = [[Brill's New Pauly]] | publisher = Brill Reference Online | last = Hünemörder | first = Christian | location = Hamburg | title = Mint | editor-first1 = Hubert | editor-last1 = Cancik | editor-first2 = Helmuth | editor-last2 = Schneider | translator = Christine F. Salazar | url = https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/brill-s-new-pauly/mint-e806300# | doi = 10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e806300 | date = 2006 | access-date = April 8, 2023}}</ref> It also was regarded as a powerful [[aphrodisiac]], hence Minthe's role in becoming the lover of Hades; at the same time it was used as a contraceptive method,{{sfn|Cyrino|2010|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=7gyVn5GjXPkC&pg=PA64 64]}} as it was believed that consuming it before the act would prevent a pregnancy.{{sfn|Detienne|1994|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=4r0-EAAAQBAJ&pg=PA74 74]}} Thus the mint, a plant of sterility, was seen as the opponent of Demeter, the goddess of fertility, argues Detienne.{{sfn|Detienne|1994|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=4r0-EAAAQBAJ&pg=PA75 75]}}

Forbes Irving meanwhile disagrees with this interpretation, as Minthe's connection to Demeter is already established via the kykeon, and while it is true that Hades and Minthe's relationship is a barren one, since no children are produced from the couple, the same is true for Hades and Persephone's.{{sfn|Forbes Irving|1990|pages=268–269}} The [[pomegranate]] fruit, central to the myth of Hades and Persephone's marriage, was also both a fertility symbol and a birth control method just like the mint.{{sfn|Cyrino|2010|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=7gyVn5GjXPkC&pg=PA64 64]}}