The ancients believed that those who did not properly honor Demeter risked starving to death. 440 BCE) showing the ascension of Persephone from the Underworld Persephone (left) is guided by Hermes (center left) and Hecate (center right) as Demeter stands to the side (right) waiting to receive her The Metropolitan Museum of Art Public Domain Roles and Powersĭemeter was above all the goddess of agriculture, responsible for the cultivation and harvest of grain. It is for this reason that Eleusis became Demeter’s most important cult center and the home of the Eleusinian Mysteries.Īttic red-figure bell-krater attributed to the Persephone Painter (ca. But because she had tasted food during her time in the Underworld, Persephone had to spend the other part of the year with her infernal husband Hades.ĭuring her long search for Persephone, Demeter stopped at Eleusis, a city in Attica, where she taught the local people about agriculture and her secret religious rites. To prevent a famine, Persephone was allowed to return to her mother for part of the year. 1754) The Metropolitan Museum of Art Public Domain Demeter’s Search for Persephoneīy far the most important myth of Demeter involved her search for her daughter Persephone, whom Hades, the god of the Underworld, had abducted to be his bride.ĭemeter was devastated by her daughter’s absence-so much so that she left the crops to wither and die. The Return of Neptune by John Singleton Copley (ca. Finally, Demeter was the mother of Pluto (the personification of wealth) by her mortal lover Iasion. Demeter also coupled with Poseidon, the god of the sea, and gave birth to the immortal horse Arion. The most famous of her offspring was no doubt Persephone, born from her union with Zeus. Roman statue of Demeter (2nd century CE) British Museum, London / Orangeaurochs CC BY 2.0 Who were Demeter’s children?ĭemeter had relatively few consorts, and thus relatively few children. Other times, Demeter was depicted with her favorite animals, especially piglets and bullocks. In art and literature, Demeter was often shown alongside her daughter Persephone, or, occasionally, with other gods such as Poseidon. She was generally represented as a modestly robed woman wearing a headdress. 340 BCE) Altes Museum, Berlin / Bibi Saint-Pol Public Domain Key Factsĭemeter was easily recognized by her attributes of wheat (or corn), a torch, and sometimes a sickle. Her most important cult center was at Eleusis in Attica, though she had many sanctuaries throughout the Greek world.Īpulian red-figure hydria showing Demeter (right) with Metanira (left) by the Varrese Painter (ca. Rarely meddling in others’ affairs, Demeter was among the most beloved and least controversial of all Greek deities. Her most famous daughter was Persephone-the bride of Hades and the mistress of the Underworld. One of the children of the Titans Cronus and Rhea, Demeter was the sister of Zeus, Hestia, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon. She was also a goddess of women, family, law, and the Mysteries (secret religious rites). Demeter, Persephone, and the Eleusinian Mysteriesĭemeter was one of the Twelve Olympians and the goddess of fertility and agriculture.
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