Demeter

Greek Daughter of Cronus and Rhea, one of the 12 great deities of Olympus. With her brother Zeus, she became the mother of Persephone. Demeter was goddess of Earth, agriculture, and crops, especially corn, who, in ancient rites, presided over the harvest. Her Roman name is Ceres. Demeter and Persephone Demeter is most famous for her suffering over the loss of her daughter Persephone. Unbeknownst to Demeter, Zeus had promised Persephone to Hades, god of the Underworld. One day, when the maiden was gathering flowers in the fields of Nysa, the Earth opened and Hades seized Persephone and dragged her underground. Demeter suffered great grief at the loss of her daughter. She wandered the Earth, searching for her child, until at last Helios (the Sun, who sees everything) told her what had happened. In anger and grief at the treachery of Zeus, Demeter left Olympus and went to live among mortals, disguised as an old woman. Demeter's sojourn at Eleusis was the chief episode in the course of her wanderings on Earth. Meanwhile, the Earth suffered from Demeter's grief and bore no fruit. Finally Zeus sent Hermes into the kingdom of Hades to bring Persephone back to her mother. Before leaving the underworld, Persephone had been persuaded to eat four seeds of a pomegranate. In ancient mythology, to eat the fruit of one's captor meant that one would have to return to that captor or country, so Persephone was doomed to return to the underworld for four months of the year. She was allowed to spend the remaining two-thirds of the year with her Earth Mother, Demeter. There was great rejoicing on Earth at Persephone's return, for now Demeter allowed the Earth to bear crops once again. This myth has its basis in the four seasons of the Northern Hemisphere. The time when Persephone goes underground is winter; the time when she returns is spring, which leads to the fruit of summer and the seeds of autumn, which in turn lead inevitably to the new growth of the next spring. Demeter's Suitors Demeter, the corn goddess, was loved by Zeus and bore him a daughter, Persephone. The sea god, Poseidon, pursued her even after she had turned herself into a mare and hidden in a flock owned by King Oncus of Arcadia. Demeter bore Poseidon a daughter, Despoena. Demeter, in turn, loved Iasion, and bore him a son, Plutus. Zeus, jealous of Iasion, struck him with a thunderbolt. Some say that Iasion lived for a long time with Demeter and introduced her cult into Sicily. Demeter at Eleusis Demeter wandered the Earth in search of her daughter, not knowing that Hades had carried her off into the underworld. One day Demeter arrived in Eleusis, at the palace of King Celeus. Demeter disguised herself as an old woman, wearing a hood. The king's wife, Metaneira, welcomed Demeter and asked her to look after her newborn son, Demophon. Demeter nourished the infant on ambrosia (food of the gods) and each night placed him in the fire in order to destroy all that was mortal in him, so that he would grow up like a god. One night, Metaneira spied upon her nurse and saw her place the child in the fire. Metaneira screamed with terror. Demeter was angry at the intrusion. Demeter threw back her hood and revealed herself as the goddess. She demanded that a temple be built for her in Eleusis. In some accounts Metaneira's screams broke the magic spells and the child was destroyed in the flames. Before she left the palace of Eleusis, Demeter showed her gratitude to Celeus and Metaneira by giving Triptolemus, Celeus's elder son, the first grain of corn. She taught him how to sow it and harvest it. In some accounts Triptolemus is identified with Demophon. Demeter and the Eleusinian Mysteries According to legend, Persephone was the embodiment of the corn seed that hides underground until its rebirth in the spring, when it returns to Demeter, Earth Mother. The disappearance and the return of Persephone were the occasions of great festivals in ancient Greece, among them the Eleusinian rites, whose secrets were so closely guarded that little is known about them today. Some experts believe the rites, or mysteries, fostered the idea of a more perfect life after death, and thus helped to lay the groundwork for the coming of Christianity, which upholds the idea of everlasting life.