The “Pomegranate Theory” In Yellowjackets

The “Pomegranate Theory” in Yellowjackets

Background

The Pomegranate Theory is a fan theory in Yellowjackets inspired by the Greek myth of Persephone and Hades. The story follows Persephone, the daughter of Demeter (the goddess of agriculture), after she is captured by Hades and taken to the Underworld, where she is held against her will. Demeter is devastated by the loss of her daughter, and in her grief she neglects her duties as the agricultural goddess, causing all of the crops to wither and a massive famine to spread across the earth.

In the Underworld, if one consumes any food, they will be stuck there forever. Persephone, knowing this, initially declines all of Hades’ offers of food and drinks, no matter how desperately he attempts to get her to consume them. Eventually, Zeus demands Hades to return Persephone to her mother, but before Persephone leaves the Underworld, Hades tricks her into eating 6 pomegranate seeds. Since Persephone consumed food in the Underworld, she is bound to Hades forever. A compromise is reached that, since Persephone ate 6 seeds, she will have to spend 6 months out of every year in the Underworld, while the other 6 months can be spent on earth.

During this 6 month period each year in which Persephone returns to the Underworld, the earth once again becomes cold and barren of crops and greenery due to Demeter’s sorrow; and in the 6 months that Persephone lives on earth, the weather becomes warmer and the plants thrive. These changes become the 4 seasons. Spring and Summer occur while Persephone is on earth, and Fall and Winter occur while she is trapped in the Underworld.

Yellowjackets’ Connection to Greek Myth

Yellowjackets has been known to reference Greek imagery, particularly in one of the show’s most prominent scenes. While the group is eating Jackie in Season 2, we get dissociative flashes of a lavish feast that looks like this:

In these shots, the group is dressed in Grecian tunics, gathered around a table, consuming fruit and wine in a frenzied, euphoric manner reminiscent of the Greco-Roman Bacchanalia. These ancient Greco-Roman festivals, held in honor of Dionysus (or Bacchus), were originally exclusive to women and became infamous for their wild revelry, rumored to descend into violence and occult rituals. The parallels between the Bacchanalia and the group’s descent into savage feasting in this scene are clear and deliberate. This connection has led fans to speculate that Yellowjackets may draw from Greek mythology in more ways than just this moment.

Fans have speculated that Yellowjackets may incorporate elements of the Persephone myth, particularly the symbolism of the pomegranate seeds. In Greek mythology, consuming food in the Underworld binds a soul to it, and in the show, many characters experience death visions or dreams where they are offered food. According to this theory, the forest represents the barren earth, the dream space the characters enter when on the brink of death symbolizes the Underworld, and the Wilderness entity coaxes them into consuming food represents Hades. If a character eats in this realm, they risk being bound to this mystical afterlife, leading to their death in the real world.

Let’s explore the show’s examples of this:

Jackie’s Hot Chocolate

The first time we see this realm between life and death is when Jackie is dying from hypothermia. After she falls asleep outside, she awakens in a dreamlike space in which Shauna leads her back into the cabin. Here, Jackie is offered a cup of hot chocolate from Lottie which she eagerly accepts and drinks from. This shot of Jackie holding the mug of hot chocolate is the last time we ever see her alive, as she is found dead outside in the snow the next morning.

According to the Pomegranate Theory, Jackie unwittingly traps herself in the ‘Wilderness death realm’ (the Yellowjackets equivalent of the Underworld) by consuming the hot chocolate. The moment she takes a drink, she dies on earth and binds herself to the Wilderness forever. The Cabin Guy also appears in Jackie’s death dream, which could imply that he previously consumed something while in this realm and is now trapped there forever as a result.

It could be nothing, but I think it is also important to note that Jackie’s death marks the first snowfall of Winter, similar to how Winter only occurs when Persephone is trapped in the Underworld.

Lottie’s Food Court Dream

We see this Wilderness death realm (for lack of a better word, very open to suggestions) again when Lottie collapses outside in the snow during her hunting battle with Nat. As she loses consciousness, she finds herself in a shopping mall, where her teammates are gathered around a table in the food court, happily eating. Lottie is offered a box of noodles and begins to scoop up a bite—only to be stopped at the last moment by Laura Lee.

Laura Lee disrupts the illusion, warning Lottie that if she doesn’t leave this dream space, she will die. She physically pushes Lottie, jolting her back to reality, where she reawakens in the snow, still alive.

Lottie’s survival hinges on the fact that she does not eat in this scene. The fact that Laura Lee is the one to intervene suggests she understands the consequences—implying that consuming food in this space would have sealed Lottie’s fate. Because she resists, Lottie is able to return to the living world rather than becoming trapped in the Wilderness’s eerie death realm.

Mari and Jackie Parallels

In 3x02, when Coach Ben holds Mari hostage in the caves, he gives her a mug of hot chocolate from the emergency food kit he found. Notably, the lines spoken as Mari drinks from the cup are identical to those in Jackie’s death dream. I feel like it is no coincidence that, of all the things Coach could have given Mari in this scene, she is given the same drink that Jackie consumes in her death vision. And, just like Jackie, Mari takes a drink (quite a few drinks actually).

Additionally, it appears that this might actually be the same mug that Jackie drank from. The setting of the underground caves might also serve as a representation of the Underworld from the Greek myth, as these caves exist beneath the surface level. So, if you believe the in the Pomegranate Theory, things unfortunately aren’t looking too good for Mari. Even though Mari’s scene does not take place within a dream sequence like the others, the parallels between this scene and Jackie’s death along with the potential foreshadowing of Mari falling into a pit in the ground not long before this might be hinting at Mari’s eventual demise.

Akilah’s Berries

The most recent example of a character eating food within a near-death dream space is Akilah at the end of 3x03. After presumably inhaling too much carbon monoxide in the caves and passing out, Akilah finds herself in the forest surrounded by berry bushes. She begins to rapidly consume them all before encountering a talking llama that reminds her “everything with teeth bites.”

Akilah’s consumption of the berries while in a dream state, along with the llama’s warning (crazy sentence) might be foreshadowing to Akilah’s death in the future.

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You can choose to take this whole theory with a grain of salt, but I personally find it so fascinating and plausible (even if it’s just the show-runners creatively referencing this myth rather than it actually being canon). I feel like this theory will be even more solidified if Mari and Akilah die this season, so time will tell.

In conclusion, if you see one of your favorite characters eating something while in a dream, prepare to mourn.