| Demeter | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real Name |
Demeter, Deo, Ceres |
|
First Appearance |
Ancient Greece |
|
Created by |
Greek Folklore |
Origin[]
Demeter was the Olympian goddess of the harvest and agriculture, presiding over crops, grains, food, and the fertility of the earth. Although she is mostly known as a grain goddess, she also appeared as a goddess of health, birth, and marriage, and had connections to the Underworld. She is also called Deo. In Greek tradition, Demeter is the second child of the Titans Rhea and Cronus, and sister to Hestia, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus. Like her other siblings but Zeus, she was swallowed by her father Chronos as an infant and rescued by Zeus.
Through her brother Zeus, she became the mother of Persephone, a fertility goddess. One of the most notable Homeric Hymns, the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, tells the story of Persephone's abduction by Hades and Demeter's search for her. Demeter searched everywhere to find her missing daughter to no avail until she was informed that Hades had taken her to the Underworld.
In response, Demeter neglected her duties as goddess of agriculture, plunging the earth into a deadly famine where nothing would grow, causing mortals to die. Zeus ordered Hades to return Persephone to her mother to avert the disaster. However, because Persephone had eaten food from the Underworld, she could not stay with Demeter forever but had to divide the year between her mother and her husband, explaining the seasonal cycle, as Demeter does not let plants grow while Persephone is gone.
According to Ovid, the sirens were the companions of young Persephone. Her mother, Demeter, gave them wings to search for Persephone when she was abducted by Hades. However, the Fabulae of Hyginus has Demeter cursing the sirens for failing to intervene in the abduction of Persephone.
Notes[]
- A ship named after the Greek goddess, the Demeter was a Russian sailing vessel responsible for bringing the vampire count Dracula from his homeland in Wallachia to the seaside town of Whitby in England.