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The Gods of Ancient Greece: Demeter Demeter is the goddess of the grain, agriculture, and motherhood. She is the sister of Zeus, and with him gave birth to Persephone. Some myths say that she is married to Poseidon, yet another of her loves was Iasion (or Iasios). The two of them lay in the famous “thrice-ploughed field,” and from that union Ploutos (Greek for “wealth”) is born.
Her most sacred site is Eleusis, where the Eleusinian Mysteries were held in late September. Integral to these rites were the myth of the abduction of her daughter Persephone; in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter you will read more about that. Other festivals held in her honor were the Thesmophoria, in which only married women could participate, and the Haloa, which also honored Dionysos.
In artwork she is often shown with her most common symbol, wheat. She is also seen holding the torch, which she carried while searching for Persephone. From early on her preferred sacrifice is the pig. In one version of the abduction of her daughter, a herd of pigs falls into the crevice with Persephone. However, pigs also poke their snouts into the ground continuously, as if they are looking for something, reminiscent of Demeter’s search for Persephone.
In worship Demeter never receives libations of wine. Instead she is given kykeon; the reason will become clear upon reading the hymn.
Her name is also spelled Damater.
Erinus, “raging”
Karpophoros, “bringing fruit”
Khthonia, “earthly one”
Kourotrophos, “protector of youth”
Lousia, “mild”
Melaina, “black”
(Campbell, pp. 55-56)
As the Homeric Hymn to Demeter is one of the longest Homeric hymns, it is here.
Deo, divine mother of all, goddess of many names,
august Demeter, nurturer of youths and giver of prosperity
and wealth. You nourish the ears of corn, O giver of all,
and you delight in peace and in toilsome labor.
Present at sowing, heaping and threshing, O spirit of the unripe fruit,
you dwell in the sacred valley of Eleusis.
Charming and lovely, you give sustenance to all mortals,
and you were the first to yoke the ploughing ox
and to send up from below a rich and lovely harvest for mortals.
Through you there is growth and blooming, O illustrious companion of Bromios
and, torch-bearing and pure one, you delight in the summer's yield.
From beneath the earth you appear and to all you are gentle,
O holy and youth-nurturing lover of children and of fair offspring.
You yoke your chariot to bridled dragons,
and round your throne you whirl and howl in ecstasy.
Only daughter with many children and many powers over mortals,
you manifest your myriad faces to the variety of flowers and sacred blossoms;
come, blessed and pure one, and laden with the fruits of summer,
bring peace together with the welcome rule of law,
riches, too, and prosperity, and health that governs all.
Translation by Apostolos Athanassakis
This myth tells of Demeter’s epithet of Erinus, “Raging Demeter”
Poseidon was interested in having Demeter for a wife, and so he pursued her. However, the goddess was frantically searching for her lost daughter Persephone and had no interest in such things at the time. In order to escape him, she turned herself into a mare and tried to hide among the other horses in the field. Poseidon was not tricked, though, and turned himself into a stallion in order to mate with her. Demeter was outraged at what Poseidon had done. Her anger was so great that she could not let go of it until she had cleansed herself in the river Ladon. Afterwards she gave birth to the horse Arion.