Hades and Persephone

Hades, Lord of the Underworld, fell in love (possibly as a result of one of Eros' arrows) and kidnapped Persephone by opening the earth beneath her. In the process a few pigs also fell down in the hole. The swineherd, Triptolemus, was a witness to the abduction. Hades convinced Persephone to eat the food of the underworld, the seeds of the pomegranate. Once done, she could never fully leave the underworld. In some accounts, she stayed with Hades of her own free will. For more on Hades and Persephone, go here. [Thanks GINGERRR55]

Sonia wrote me to say:

In Greek mythology Persephone is the goddess of the Underworld. Her name means something like "she who destroys the light" (maybe that's why in the van at the fish market Clarice had na reflection).

While Demeter, mother of Persephone, was looking for her daughter ravished by Hades, all fertility on earth stopped. Finally Zeus sent Hermes down to Hades to make him release Persephone. Before she went back to her mother Hades had given her pomegranate (or in the other version seven pomegranate seeds) to eat. Thus Persephone would always be connected to the Underworld and had to stay there one-third of the year.

The other version of this myth says that it was Hermes who gave Persephone pomegranate to eat. In both versions Persephone ate fruit or its seeds given to her because she wanted to. In the movie during dinner with Lecter and Krendler Clarice said "May I have some wine?" and later repeated "I really would like some wine". It's possible that she wants to stay with Lecter/Hades in his own underworld. One of known figures of Hermes was Hermes Krioforos, worshipped especially in his birthplace, Arcadia, a district of the Peloponnesus. Hermes Krioforos was presented as good shepherd, carrying a lamb on his shoulders.

Pomegranate is an important symbol in Old Testament. It has dual symbolic meaning as fruit of condemnation and forgiveness. Pomegranate can be compared with the apple (pomme) eaten by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The price of knowledge of good and evil is death, Adam and Eve became mortal. In the whole Bible price of knowledge is death. On the other hand from the early Renaissance pomegranate appeared in paintings of Mary and Holy Child (one of Botticelli's or his school paintings presents Jesus with pomegranate in his left hand, Giovanni Bellini also painted Holy Child holding this fruit and sometimes as in Joos van Cleve painting bitten pomegranate is placed on a plate near apples).

Jewish tradition says that human body includes 613 nerves and pomegranate fruit 613 seeds as Torah includes 613 commandments. To eat a pomegranate is to eat human flesh... [Thanks Sonia]