Greek
Persephone
The Greek goddess of spring growth, who spends part of the year below ground and part above.
In Greek myth Persephone is the daughter of Demeter, goddess of the harvest. In the best-known story she is taken to the Underworld by Hades and becomes its queen, while her mother's grief leaves the earth bare. Because she eats pomegranate seeds there, she must return below for part of each year, and her return is linked with spring.
Tellings differ on the details, including how many seeds she eats (so how long she stays below) and how she came to be there. Many retellings keep it gentle: a daughter and mother who are reunited, and a season that comes round again.