Ceres

Roman An ancient goddess of living things, of grains and other plants. The cult of Ceres appears to predate 600 b.c. when she was likely seen as a foundation goddess, a variation of the Earth Mother. Ceres provided protection for the life cycle of plants, a very important function in an agricultural society. Legends give Ceres credit for being the first to harvest grains. Romans celebrated Ceres during the festival of Cerialia on April 19, which was part of the oldest Roman religious calendar. Despite her ancient popularity, Ceres was one of the first deities of Italy to be influenced and finally absorbed by Greek mythology (see Hellenization). According to one prominent story, the citizens of the young city of Rome were under attack by their neighbors from Etruria. The leaders consulted an oracle, who advised them to bring to Rome worship of the Greek goddess Demeter and the god Dionysus. The worship of those two deities would save Rome from the attackers. In about 496 b.c., the Romans built a temple on the Aventine Hill and dedicated it to Demeter and Dionysus, whom they came to call Bacchus. From that time on, the identity of Ceres, her responsibilities, and her cults merged into those of Demeter. Most of the myths of Ceres, the stories and family relationships, were those of Demeter using the Roman names for the Greek gods. In this form, Ceres was the mother of Proserpina. The word cereal, which in its broadest sense means grass or edible grains, comes from the name of this Roman goddess. In astronomy, Ceres is the largest known Earthorbiting asteroid, 1,000 kilometers in diameter, which was discovered in 1800.