Demeter
By: Beau Blackmon
Facts about Demeter
Demeter was the daughter of Cronos and Rhea. She was the god of agriculture. She only had one daughter, her name was Persephone. When Persephone was abducted, she threatened to end all life on earth and destroy all the plants and harvest. She put the world under famine instead of destroying all life. She owned the art of growing and corn. Only women could attend Demeter's fertility festival. That festival was known as Thesmophoria. Demeter's grand festival occured near harvest time and onlu happened every five years. The fields of grain and floor beneath us was all under her protection. Demeter was the god of Earth. She had a companion too who was also considered the god of Earth. Her name was Dionysus. They were both worshipped in a small town known as Eleusis. Eleusis was near Athens. Demeter was older than Dionysus. Men called Demeter the "Good Goddess"
Who is Demeter?
Demeter was the goddess of corn, grain, and harvest. She was the one who made the crops grow each year. She was not only the goddess of agriculture, but also the goddess of Earth.
Demeter's Family
Demeter was the daughter of Cornus and Rhea. She had five siblings: Hestia, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus. Demeter had many companions. Her companions were Iasion, Zeus, Oceanus, Karmanor, and Triptolemus. She had one daughter: Persephone. Zeus was Persephone's father.
Demeter's Daughter Persephone
Demeter's daughter Persephone was abducted by Hades. Hades abducted Persephone to become his wife in the underworld. Demeter didn't like that. Out of her anger for her daughter's loss, she then placed a curse on the world that caused all plants to die and the land to become desolate.
Zeus intervenes.
Zeus was Persephone's father. He saw what was happening to Persephone and what Demeter had done out of anger. He sent Hermes who was his messenger to the underworld to try and bring back Persephone before Demeter destroyed all life on Earth. Hermes accepted the task. Hermes got to Persephone and when he did, he urged her to eat a pomegranate seed. He gave it to her because she had not had any food in awhile. Persephone didn't know that Hermes was tricking her. The seed he gave her was a trick. Anyone who eats the seed must stay in the Underworld.
The Compromise.
Rhea who was the mother of Zeus, Demeter, and Hades. She proposed a compromise that the children had reluctantly accepted. Because Persephone ate there, she had to dwell at least part of every year in the Underworld. Rhea offered that Persephone spend up to sixth months as Queen of the Underworld. The rest of the time would be spent with Demeter.
Greek Mythology: The Story of Demeter
Demeter Greek Goddess of Harvest
Works Cited
Demeter: http://greekgodsandgoddesses.net - Greek Gods & Goddesses, September 19, 2014