Kore

Kore is the original name of the maiden of the spring.  She was thought to be a carefree and cheerful girl, much loved by her mother, Demeter.

KoreIt is told that she strayed from her friends, completely lost in looking at the beautiful flowers, when Hades rose up through the earth, took  her by the wrist, and carried her with him to the underworld.  After she was kidnapped she was known as Persephone, Queen of the Dead. Modern Goddess scholars have retold this story changing Her role from victim to Her freely choosing to serve the dead in the Underworld and returning to her Mother each Spring.

Demeter wandered the earth for a very long time looking for her, leaving her world of green behind, causing winter to come and turn her world cruel and cold while she lamented the loss of her beloved daughter. She went to Zeus and demanded that her daughter be returned to her.  Zeus declared that Persephone be returned to her mother, but only if she hadn't tasted the food of the dead. However, she had eaten  a few pomegranate seeds. Because of this she was to only be allowed to return to Earth for a part of the year.

PomegranateIt is said that Kore enjoyed both the Underworld and her life on Earth. She felt sorry for the lost souls there wandered about so to guide them.

When she returns to Earth in the Spring she is The Kore and the fruits of the Earth begin to bloom, which marks the beginning of spring. 

The Kore is then,  a symbol of the budding and dying of nature.  She is the Maid or the Maiden. Her attributes can include a torch, a crown, a scepter, and stalks of grain.