Demeter, goddess of the Agriculture, Harvest and Fertility

Today we will explain about Demeter, goddess of Agriculture and an important figure on the agricultural rituals of Ancient Greece.

Who was Demeter in the Greco-roman Pantheon?

According to Herman Steuding (1961) and Ángel María Garibay K. (2020), Demeter was a terrestrial and maternal divinity. She was the goddess of fertility and protector of cereals, the Greeks main food. The first fruit of all crops was offered to her, for the reason that she was the divinity who taught men agriculture.

On her known offspring, Robin Hard (2009) explains that Demeter had a love affair with Zeus, from whose union was born Persephone, the goddess of spring and queen of the underworld. Later, she had an affair with her nephew Iasion o Iasio, son of Zeus with Electra, to whom she met at the wedding of Cadmus and Harmonia; from this union were born Pluto, god of wealth, and Philomelus, god of the animal mating. Unfortunately, that union was considered by Zeus as an offense; in consequence, the king of the gods killed his son with lightning.

The abduction of Persephone

Demeter was mostly known for the myth of Persephone's abduction, since she was responsible of the abrupt climatic changes that announce the arrival of each one of the seasons, as well as of an universal famine.

In his Hymn to Demeter, Homer (1995) points out that the climate changes were a reflection of the emotions that the mother goddess felt when she saw that most of the gods and humans refused to give her information about the whereabouts of her daughter; these emotions reach a chaotic point when Helios and Hecate narrate the situation that occurred in the moments prior to the disappearance of the young woman. Enraged, Demeter orders that nothing grow on the ground, that the leaves of the trees dry up and the flowers fade. That scenario gave way to what the Greeks considered the first winter.

The rest of the gods, fearful that they could no longer receive sacrifices from the humans, tried to come to terms with Demeter through gifts and pleading; Demeter was firm in her purpose though, at the end, she agreed to the deal both Zeus and Hades offered: her daughter would stay three-quarters of the year with her on the surface, and the remaining period with Hades on the underworld.

Cult in Greece

Along Persephone and Hades, Demeter has had an important role in agricultural cults as the goddess of agriculture and cereals. One of the main cults that reflect this importance are the Thesmophoria, carried out exclusively by women; these festivals were celebrated in the region of Attica during the fall, with the objective of promoting fertility (Cartwright, 2019).

Another well known cult to Demeter were the Eleusian Mysteries, held in the city of Eleusis, located a few kilometers from Athens. Although they are famous for the high secrecy handled by the celebrants, the little information obtained indicates that this cult was celebrated twice a year. According to Yidy Páez Casadiegos (2007), the first celebration, or Lesser Mysteries, were carried out during the months of February and March, and it was focused on the preparation of the initiates in the Eleusis' Telesterion with purification rites. The second celebration, or Greater Mysteries, took place during the months of October and November and was devoted on the celebration of the Mysteries that Demeter shared with the inhabitants of Eleusis, especially with their king, Demophon. This great celebration began with a procession from the Eleusinion in Athens to the Telesterion in Eleusis; at their arrival, the celebrants began a dance of masks that recreated the myth of the abduction.

Demeter was invoked under the epithets of Kloe (the greenish yellow, for the plants), Carpophoros, Themoforos (legislator), Silos and Julos (distributor of fruits and seeds, protector of crops) (Steuding, 1961: 55).

Cult in Rome

Concepción Masiá Veriscat (2017) and Luciano Pérez Vilatela (2014) point out that the main Demeter cults were adopted by the Romans due to a great famine that occurred in 496 BC. Under the name of Ceres, Demeter was worshiped in the regions of Sicily and on the Aventine Hill in Rome; her cult spread among the commoners, who organized the Cerialia annually.

These agricultural festivals were held for seven days in the month of April, aiming to celebrate fertility and the harvest. They began with a ritual that consisted of tying embers to the foxes' tails, which they let loose in the Circus Maximus; likewise, pigs, rams and wild boars were sacrificed, and garlands of daffodils and myrtles were placed (Pérez Vilatela, 2014: 98).

Another myths of Demeter

While Demeter / Ceres is known from the myth of the abduction of Persephone, there are other myths related to the steadfast personality of the deity:

• The punishment of Ascalabus. Ascalabus was a member of a noble family of Eleusis, which received the goddess during her wanderings in search of her daughter. Because she was thirsty, the family's matriarch offered Demeter a drink, who accepted her offer and eagerly consumed the contents. This action made Ascalabus mock her; as punishment, the goddess spilled the contents on the young man and transformed him into a lizard (Hard, 2009: 185).
• Demeter in Eleusis. While, disguised as an old woman, she was looking for her daughter , Demeter stayed in the palace of the kings Keleus and Metanira as a nurse to Demophon, with whom she became fond; wanting to grant him immortality, the goddess anointed the baby with ambrosia during the day and, at nightfall, deposited him on the red-hot coals. That ritual was interrupted by Metanira, to whom Demeter revealed herself in her divine form. Consequently, she taught the Eleusinians the rituals to be performed in her honor from now on, and to Triptolemus, one of the sons of the kings, the art of agriculture (Hard, 2009: 182).
• The damnation of Erysichthon. Erysichthon was a cruel and ruthless king of Thessaly who respected no one, not even the gods, whom he particularly despised. He attempted to cut down a sacred tree outside Demeter's temple, but the goddess stopped him; she warned him of the imminent punishment he would receive if he continued his nefarious attitude. However, her warnings were in vain: Erysichthon mocked the goddess and threatened to kill her. In relentless anger, Demeter condemned him to an eternal famine.

Consulted sources

• Cartwright, Mark, y Villa C., Diego. 2019. "Deméter", in: World History Encyclopedia. Consulted on August 4th, 2021. English version of the cited article.
• Garibay K., Ángel María. 2020. Mitología griega. México. Editorial Porrúa. Colección "Sepan cuántos...", núm. 31.
• "Eresictón de Tesalia", in: Wikipedia. Consulted on August 5th, 2021. English version of the cited article.
• Hard, Robin. 2009. El gran libro de la mitología griega. España. Editorial La Esfera de los Libros S.L.
• Homero. 1995. "Himno a Deméter", in: Gordon Wasson, P., Hoffman, Albert, y Puck, Carl A. P. El camino a Eleusis. Una solución al enigma de los misterios. México. Fondo de Cultura Económica - Breviarios. Pp. 95 - 120. Original version of the book.
• Masiá Veriscat, Concepción. 2017. Mitología romana. España. Albor Libros.
• Páez Casadiegos, Yidy. 2007. "Deméter - Perséfone: Etiología y epifanía en los Misterios de Eleusis", en: A Parte Rei, Revista de Filosofía. Núm. 53, enero. Obtained from: https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=2786619
• Pérez Vilatela, Luciano. 2014. "Vestigios del culto a Ceres en la" Valentía" romano-republicana", en: Quaderns de prehistòria i arqueologia de Castelló, núm. 32, p. 95-115. Obtained from: http://repositori.uji.es/xmlui/handle/10234/114188
• Steuding, Herman. 1961. Mitología griega y romana. España. Editorial Labor. Original version of the book.

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Another Mythological Notes

• Greco-roman mythology: A brief introduction.
• Greek and Roman Mythology: Their differences.
• Creation, according to greco-roman mythology.
• Gaia and Uranus, the primordial divinities.
• The Titans, the predecessors of the gods.
• Titanomachy: Titans vs. Olympians.
• Prometheus, the titan who defied Zeus.
• Pandora, the lady of the amphora.
• The Twelve Olympians: From Greece to Rome.
• Zeus, the king of the gods (and the womanizers).
• Hera, the goddess of marriage and birth.
• Hades, the god of the Underworld and Wealth.
• Persephone, goddess of Spring and queen of the Underworld