LEGEND OF THE DESCENT
An excerpt from: The Encyclopedia of Wicca and Witchcraft by Raven Grimassi

Legend of the Descent is a popular myth in many Wiccan/Witchcraft Traditions. The legend deals with the Great Goddess descending into the Underworld. In some accounts she seeks out the return of her consort, her other half. This consort figure is typically the Harvest Lord or Slain God character of Pagan religion. In other accounts the Goddess descends into the Underworld to seek fulfillment and the attainment of secrets yet unknown to her. The earliest accounts of such a mythos are found in ancient Sumerian legends such as the tale of Inanna, as well as in Greek myths that tell of Demeter and Persephone.

In the mythos of the Legend of the Descent the Goddess must pass through several gateways into the Underworld where she is challenged by guardians. Each one extracts a form of payment that symbolizes various aspects of the Goddess that she must sacrifice or set aside in order to progress deeper into the Underworld. At the end of her journey the Goddess joins with the God, and each deity extends their inner secrets to the other, a joining of the balance of male and female mysteries. In most versions of the Legend, the God and Goddess make love and from their union is later born the Child of Promise, an important figure in pre-Christian religion.