Demeter was the Olympian goddess of agriculture, grain, and bread, the prime sustenance of mankind.
Her cult titles include Sito (wheat) as the giver of food or corn/grain and Thesmophoros ( thesmos: divine order, unwritten law) as a mark of the civilized existence of agricultural society.
In systematized theology, Demeter is a daughter of Kronos and Rhea and sister of Zeus by whom she became the mother of Persephone.
She taught mankind the art of sowing and ploughing so they could end their nomadic existence.
As such, Demeter was also the goddess of planned society. She was very popular with the rural population. As a fertility goddess she is sometimes identified with Rhea and Gaia.
Though Demeter was often described simply as a goddess of harvest, she also presided over the sanctity of marriage, the sacred law, and the cycle of life and death.
She and her daughter Persephone were the central figures of the Eleusinian Mysteries that predated the Olympian pantheon.
In ancient art, Demeter was often portrayed (sitting) as a solemn woman, often wearing a wreath of braided ears of corn. Well-known is the statue made by Knidos (mid forth century BCE).
Her usual symbolic attributes are the fruits of the earth and the torch, the latter presumably referring to her search for Persephone. Her sacred animals were the snake (an earth-creature) and the pig (another symbol of fertility).
Birth
Demeter was the second born child of Kronos and Rhea, after Hestia and before Hera. After her birth, Kronos devoured her and she would remain there, growing, for she was immortal and would never die.
Once Zeus had grown, he fed Kronos a mixture of wine and mustard, which made him disgorge his children.
Demeter was the second to last person to be thrown up. She also fought in the Titanomachy, until the gods won. She would then become an Olympian. Poseidon and Zeus both wanted to marry her, though she refused. She would, however, have affairs with them later on.
Mare
Poseidon had come one day to attempt to make her lay with him. She, in an attempt to escape him, turned herself into a Mare.
Poseidon was confused at first, but then turned into a Stallion, then as result was Arion and Despoina.
YOU ARE READING
The Greek Goddesses
Historical FictionThis book contains history of the greek goddesses collected and re-organized by me. I collected the inner stories of them from many many different sites because i saw some greek mythology lovers in here. So...hope ya'll enjoy.
