Hi my name is Alex and I'm going
to tell you about Demeter. Demeter is the goddess of harvest. She is the
daughter of Cronus and Rhea. It was Demeter's
job to make sure the crops grow every year. Demeter is the goddess of
the earth, of agriculture, and of fertility in general. Sacred to her
are livestock and agricultural products, poppy and narcissus.
Her daughter Persephone was abducted by Hades to be his wife in the underworld.
Demeter, in her anger laid a curse on Hades for the crops to not grow.
Since Persephone ate in the underworld Hades had a
Claim on her. Persephone had to spend four months of each year in the
underworld. Demeter grieves her daughters absence, and withdraws her gifts
from the world, creating winter. Her return brought the spring.
Demeter is also known for founding the Eleusinian mysteries. These were
huge festivals held every five years. They were important events for many
centuries. Yet, little is known of them as those attending were sworn
to secrecy. The central tenant seems to have been that just as grain returns
every spring after its harvest and wintery death, so too the human soul
could be reborn after the death of the body.