Pandora: the first mortal woman in Greek mythology, a sort of an Ancient Greek Eve. Following the instructions of Zeus, who wanted to punish Prometheus for stealing the fire from the gods and giving it to the humans, she was molded by Hephaestus and endowed with gifts by all the other Olympian gods. One of these gifts was a jar full of all the evils and diseases which existed in the world. Once Pandora married Epimetheus, she lifted the lid of this jar and set them all free, thus marking the end of the Golden Age of Humanity.
Proserpine: daughter of Zeus, the chief god, and Demeter, the goddess of agriculture; she was the wife of Hades, king of the Underworld. In the Homeric “Hymn to Demeter,” the story is told of how Proserpine was gathering flowers in the Vale of Nysa when she was seized by Hades and removed to the Underworld. Upon learning of the abduction, her mother, Demeter, in her misery, became unconcerned with the harvest or the fruitfulness of the earth, so that widespread famine ensued. Zeus therefore intervened, commanding Hades to release Proserpine to her mother. Because Proserpine had eaten a single pomegranate seed in the Underworld, however, she could not be completely freed but had to remain one-third of the year with Hades, and spend the other two-thirds with her mother.
The Lady of Shalott: Elaine was a maiden isolated in a tower on an unnamed river that flowed to Camelot. Those who were nearby knew little about her, and she spent her days weaving images in front of a mirror that showed her the world, quite literally watching as life passeed her by. Supposedly, there was a curse upon her, which prevented her from taking part in life beyond her tower. Through this window is how Elaine saw Lancelot, riding by without exchanging a single word with the Lady, but she fell in love with him nonetheless. Her curse came to fruition when she abandoned her work and attempted to look beyond the mirror, out a window, to follow where he was going. In doing so, her death was imminent, and she took to the river in a boat, where she died before arriving at the palace.