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THE FIRST FAMILY OF OLYMPUS

:# Demeter: A Tale of RebirthDemeter, the goddess of corn and harvest, of agriculture and country life, was a fertilitygoddess, a strong mother, always ready to nourish the Earth and make it fruitful. She was

central to one of the most powerful classical myths explaining the cycle of the seasons.

Despite its c<>mmercial and cultural jcleveloprnent ovel' the centuries, the

centrxl and western Mecliterraneanlerrrrrinerl tlrrorrgltotrt rrntiqr.rity ltn ltgti-cultural legion clepenclent

t"i"

esticatecl aninrals.

Althotrgh foreign tracle

proviclecl some essential

goocls as n'ell as lranyIrr-rtrlies. it rvas n<>t strfll-ciently clevelc>pe cl t()

supply tl'rc' claily neccls

of a grorving p()pLl-

luce. l)emcter. as

thc gc>clcless ofaglicr.rltr.rlal fcrtility,re presentecl .tn cssen-

tial lif-e-fblce. She was

probebly basecl in the

Dr()st ancient cr-tltttre

of tl're r-egion ancl was

ofien :rssoc:iatecl withtlre plevious g,enL'rll-

tions of the gocls as

rnlrch as n ith theOlympians. For theGreeks, slte was soffle-times iclentical to Rhea, oreven Gaia. the Earth her-

self. Later, when the Greeks ancl

Rornan.s incorporatecl aspects

of Egyptian legencls into theirown rnythology, Demeterwas also iclentifiecl with

,;.H

4:il;t

/ J"/

Isis, who was, likc- her, a

f'ertility (see pege l5).Althor,rgh she rarely

goclcless <>f lel>irth encl

appeers in the eclven-

tures of the clcities rrncl

heroes, l)enrctel rvas

popular aur<>ns bothgocls ancl hunren-

kincl. Shc wltsalways u'eIc<>rne on ()lymptrs,

lrtrt she pref-elrccl t() .stllv t>rr the'

tserth. rvhele sltc r,r,anclclccl fl'eelv.

lookirr.q efte l the r'or-rrfie lcls. The

islencl ol Sicily ancl the cotrntrl'sicle ofAttica vucrc legalclecl rrs her par-ticr-rlur'

hor-r-rcs. Shc rvas typically leptesentccl

u''e'aring a cr()\\'n n-rrrclc of clrts rif cor-rt.

holcling e ligl'rtccl torch or u c<>r'nr.rcopie in

onc hancl encl e poppy in thc otltcr'. lruttlrelc s,cre othcr. stlengcr inr:r.qes of her..

In Sicily she wes ofien sh<>n'n hcl'u ilvvcilecl ir-r bleck uncl lvith tl-rc Ircltcl of e

Ixl'sc: this clcpiction is probalrly cor.r-

ncctecl rvith the story tl-rat l)osrjiclon. the

see s<>cl. cotrplecl n'ith lter w'hen tltevhacl b<;th clisgi.risccl the nrse l'"'e s .rs

h<>r.ses. Rcceuse r>f tl-ris semc st<>ry. shc

is sonretirnes show'n carlying a clol-

pl"rin, the flsh that was i)<>seicl<)n's c()r.n-

panion. In a rnorc llrul tnrclition she

c<>ulcl lre shown clressecl us a c()untlv-

ln this 2nd-century rc Greek sculpture,

Demeter holds a horn of plenty in one

hand and a bouquet of corn and poppies

in the other, both of which symbolize the

fertility of nature.t4

re ,ee#I ffit;

DEMETER

SffffiWr .;.]&ir:;ffi

TALE OF DEATH AND REBIRTH

Finally Zer-rs relentcd. He agreecl that Haclcs

shoulcl be made to give up his l>ride pr'ovided that

she hacl not eaten anything in the Llncler-world: itwas impossible to retLlrn to Earth alter eating the

fbocl of the cleacl. Unfcrrtunately Persephone had

su'allowed seven ponreflranate seecls. Even Hades

dicl not know this, ll-rt she was betrayecl byAscalapirtrs, onc of F{aclcs' Ilarclcners. Detnetertr,rrnecl him intc> an owl in ltcr anger, rn,l'rich is whythe bird is a synibol of ill omen.

Eventually a cornpronrisc was reached.

Persephone wor-rlcl remain the bride of Hades ancl

q'r>r:lcl live with him fbr six r-nonths of the year, butfor thc other six rr-xrnths she was allowed to retLlrn

to her rnotirer. When Perscphone was on the

Earth, Demcter was happy ancl macle the worlclfl-uitfirl, lrtrt dr-rring the tin-rc l-rer daugl'iter spent

with Hades, l)erreter nronrncd and nothing greu'.

Tl'ris myth appealecl to the Greeks and

Rolrans on many levels. Not only is it a tor-rching

story of the love between a r.uothel and clar-rghter,

l)Llt it als() explolcs tl-re natural cyclc of seas<>nzrl

clcath ancl rebirtl'r. In cloing so, it aclclresscs onc oflrtrlrankincl's essential f-ears - that the Earth rnightce:rse to bc fcrtile ancl the barren winter monthsncvcr cncl. Tl're ir-rvolvenrcnt of thc Olympiangocls. ancl l)cnrctcr's cle.sire t() see hcr datrghter

agair-r after a long, l<>nely winter', macle itincvitablc, in vcry lrtrmun tcnns, that spring u,ouldrcappear cach ycar.

Thc worship of l)emctcr wrls wiclespreacl.

Most cities ancl islancls tolcl t:rles of hel visit tothcnr cltrling hel krng scarch firr hcr dar.rgl'rter, lrr-rt

of all these places Sicily arrcl liletrsis wcre the twcr

nl()st sacrccl tr> her. In Sicily therc was a lruge,

annual fcstival in her lronottt, during which ltuilsvn,erc sacril'iced by Lake Cyane. Thc celcbrltti()n iitEleusis was tlrc n.rost in'rportant rcligior-rs cvcnt inGreccc. In Rorr.rc, wherc l)cnretcr was known as

Cercs, thcle was an annual f'estival in her honourin Aplil cluring which rnarriecl vlrolnen wor-rlcl give

up clilnk ar-rcl intelcourse for a wcek - thns

abstaining fl-<>nr both lcpnrcluctivc acts ancl pl-rysi-

cal pleastrrc - ancl r.l,otrlcl palaclc thr-ouglt thcstreets at night carrying torches.

ln this delicate Sth-century ec Greek vase painting, a woman

brings an offering to an altar. Like the other Creek gods,

Demeter was propitiated with offerings and sacrifices, typically

of pigs and sheep. ln Rome, where she was known as Ceres, her

worship was particularly important to women.

59

Nature SpiritsThe Creeks and Romans saw nature as full of divinity. They

helieved that some spirits inhabited rivers and forests and others

personified natural forces. These beings were

popular subjects for Greek and Roman art.**tr8

Nature spirits feature in theearl iest survivi ng classicalmyths. And even in later, moresophisticated times, the Creeksand Romans felt a strong con-nection to the natural world.

Many of these spiritsbelonged to a specific place.For example, almost all rivers,

springs and fountains had theirown individual guardian spiritsor gods. Other figures weremore generic. The Nereids, chil-dren of Pontus and Gaia, andthe Oceanids, children of twoTitans, were sea nymphs; theDryads and Hamadryadspresided over woodlands; whilethe Oreads were responsible forhills and mountains. There werealso minor nature gods withmore specific duties. Triton, for

p*+r*,,

This sleeping

woodland spirit

was carved in

Greece in the 3rd

century Bc.

example, wasresponsible forcalming storms;Priapus was the god ofgardens and sexualorgans; and Aurora wasgoddess of the dawn.

The chief of these diversespirits was Pan, god of thecountryside and of goatherdsand shepherds. He lived in wild

placesaccompa-

nied by satyrs,

male naturespirits who were

half-man and half-goat. With his horns and

hairy goat's legs, he was so uglythat no nymph would have himas a mate, but he made beautifulmusic on his pipes.

tLrl,

tr

m

w()men, riding ()n an ()x, with a basket on her left

ann, ancl a hoe in her right hand. In a less rustie

context she was secn clriving a chariot pr:lled ltya pair of clragons.

In thc spring, a ptegnrnt pig wes srrcrificed

t() her, no cloubt partly because pigs were

legarcled as highly f'ertile owing to the size of tl-reir

litters, and partly because pregnant sow.s are noto-

r-iotrs fbr tl're darnage they can do to new crops. In

Sicily she was also of'ferecl a ram that was led

thlee tir-r-res aror.rnd a flelcl befbre having its throat

cut in ritr-ral fashion.

Demeter f'eatr-rres in one clf the urost it.ttpor'-

tant classical r-r-ryths, whicl-r explains the annual

cycle of the seasons, the rhythms of sowing ancl-

...,,,... .'.., -:. ...... . ..ffi:.,:$:li.i#

haruesting, the contra.st l>etween sulttmer and winrter. Altl-rough the etnphasis might change in accor-

dance with local tradition, this tale of Denretcr ancl

Persephone reutainecl ttnusttalll, consistet-tt

throughor-rt the classical pericxl.

Zens rernained close t() Demetcr, his sistel,

even after his marriage to Hera, ancl was. indeed,

tl-re fathel of her d;rr-rghter, Persephone. Althourgl-r

Hera was orclinarily cleeply jealous of Zeus's rela-

tionships with otl-rer q,'or-nen, thet'e are no stot'ies

of her feeling resentnlent towards Demeter. This is

becar.rse it u,as acceptable for Olynpian gods to

lrc involved in inr'esttrotts ttnions.

I)en-retet' was a n-iore carefttl :tnd devoted

mother than any of the other godclesses, ancl she55

THE FIRST FAMILY OF OLYMPUS

clotecl on her clatrghter, the lteatrtifitl Persephone.

Demeter arrangecl fbr l-rer to lle l>rought up inSicily ancl eclttcatecl encl accourpanied lty a troLlpe

of nymphs (yor-rng f-emale natllre spirits).

Hacles, gocl of the Uncler-world, r.vas attractecl

to Persepirone ancl with ti-re tacit approval of Zer,rs,

her fatl-rer ancl l-iis lrrother. he cleciclecl to abduct

her. In one version ol this story, Aphrodite, the

goclcless of love, cleliltrately caltsecl Hades to fltllin love with Persephone, becattse she was Leluc-

tant to see too tnany itttl'active yottng wolllenchc>ose to re main cha.ste. Hacles f or.rncl

l'ersephone gathering flowcrs near the slopes of

Mount Etna. Ignoring her cries, he swept her lrpinto his chariot ancl carried her away. On the

shores of Lake Cyane in Sicily he struck the

grotrnd and it openecl up fbr him so that he cor-rld

carry his victirn down into his kingclorn.

Demeter searchecl for Persephone throtrghor,rt

Sicily, by day and even by night using torches litf}om tl-re volcano of Mor,rnt Etna, ll-rt without sr,rc-

cess. Therealter she wanclerecl, half macl, across

the w<>rlcl lcxrking fbr her chilcl, or at least firr ncws

of her. l)r-rring these searches she refirsecl to per-

fbm any of her cltrties, encl as a result crops f:rilecl,

f:lrrn aninrals became inf-ertile, ancl the worlcl suf-

fcred fl-orn clesperate farnine.

Aftcr wanclering for rnonths, l)emeter guve in

to clespair', ancl sl're sat ()n a rock in Attica for nincclays, weeping. This r'ock was tlaclitionally the

fbtrnclation stone of Eleusis, r.vhich bccaure the site

<>f I)erneter's grcatest sanctllaly (see page 58).

A procession of worshippers bring sacrifices to Demeter in a Creek

marble sculpture dating from the end of the 4th century sc. The person

at the front of the procession is offering her a spring lamb.

t, .r;:ji :ri*lt:'ar5-:l:,

C," . :..,:#.iWil.,.i;irilB,,*, #,$ffi,. lF;;'+"iffi

DEMETER A TALE OF DEATH AND REBIRTH

She was rescued fiom her misery by tl-re kindness

of Celeus, king of Attica, ancl his wife Metancire,

who took her home and comforted her, even

though they believed she was just a mad oldworran. In gratitude she curecl Demophon, their

infant.son, who was dying of a fever. She wanted

to make him immortal and lrcgan to perfbrm a

rnagic ritr-ral, which included laying tl-re lrcy in tl-re

file to burn away his mortality, ltut she was inter-

rupted by his mother, who was terrified by the

sight of her son in the flre. Although Demopl-ron

therefore remained mortal, l)emeter blessed him.

She also blessed Celeus's ancl Metaneira's other

son, Triptolemus, and when he was old enough

she instructed hirn in tl-re art of agriculture, so that

he was able to pass on the skills to humanity.

After tlis interlude Demeter retLlrned t()

her search. Accounts vary as to who finally tolcl

her the trr-rth abor-rt her clar-rglrter's disappearance:

sorne versions say that it was Arethusa, 3 river

nymph; anothel that it was Hecate, the goddess ofghosts and witches; ancl some that it was a shep-

herd who l-reard the tale from another who had

witnessed Persephone's abdr.tction first-hand. As

soon as shc received this crr,rcial infbrntation,

Demeter rushed to Olympus to demand that Zeus

exelcise his powers and restore their daughter tc-r

her. Zeus triecl to persuacle her that Hades, an

Olyr-r-rpian and a powerful god, was a sttitable hus-

bancl for Persephone, but Demeter remained res-

olute in her desire to have her daughter back. Her

n-iourning, anci therefbre the fatline, continlled.

57

Persephone among the dead

Demeter was a daughter of Cronus and Rhea and a sister of Zeus. Tothe Greeks she was the goddess of the harvests, of corn and of all

Iiving plants. Every year she ripened the golden grain and in late

summer the people offered thanks to her for the bounty of the earth'

She lived in the mountainous island of Sicily with her only daughter

Persephone. Persephone grew up to become one of the most beautiful

girls in the land, but although she was the daughter of a great goddess

she lived a quiet country li[e, sheltered from the quarrels and rivalries

of Olympus. Then, one day, without warning, their peaceful, happy

life was violently changed.

Persephone had gone out walking alone and did not return. Nightfell, but there was no sign of the girl and no message from her.

Demeter waited and waited but at last she summoned her servants.

'search the fields and the hills and valleys,' she commanded them.

'Some terrible accident must have happened to prevent Persephone's

return. Search well and you will be rewarded.'

For days the searchers came and went, but they brought no news to

cheer grief-stricken Demeter. They ranged wider and wider over the

mountainous island of Siciiy. Demeter herself joined them, lightingtorches from the fires of the volcano Etna s<.r that she and her helpers,

need not rest, even during the long, weary nights. But there was no

sign of Persephone. She had vanished without trace.

At last Demeter's quest took her across the sea to other lands, and

she forgot in her sorrows the mrtrtals she should have served. The

corn crops faiied, the plants and trees died, and the land became barren

under her neglect.In the course of her wanderings Demeter came to Eleusis, a town

about ten miles to the north-east of Athens. She had disguised herself

as an old woman for she did not wish to be recognized and she was

welcomed, as ail strangefs wefe, by I{ing Celeus and his wife Metaneira.

In talking to them she learned that their new-born child Demophoon

was in need of a nurse.

'I have to rest a rvhile here, for I am very weary,' Demeter told them.

'Will you let me occuPy my time as the nurse you need ?' Though this

was the reason she gave to them, she was also beginning to give uP

hope and perhaps she felt that caring for the baby would help to make

up for her own loss.

Celeus and l\{etaneira accepted the offer gladly, and for a time

Demeter seemed to be content with her new life. But though out\r'ardly

2)

she was calm and placid, the loss of Persephone

and the years of searching had made her bitter.Abas, the eldest son of Celeus, liked to tease

her, but would sometimes go too far. One day,

stung to sudden ^nger,

Demeter forgot herrole as nurse among the mortals and invokingher magical powers, she turned Abas instantlyinto a lizard. She watched him scuttle away outof sight into a crack in the walls of the room.Demeter's anger passed as quickly as it had begunand she was almost immediately alarmed and

horrified by what she had done. She decided tomake amends to Celeus and his wife, and at thesame time to repay them for the kindness they

had always shown her, by casting a benevolentspell on their youngest child. Lifting the babyfrom his cradle, she crossed to the hearth and heldhim over the fire. In this way she could burnaway his mortality and make him an immortal.

At that very moment Metaneira passed the doorand saw what Demeter was doing. With a cry ofhorror, she rushed in and snatched the babyfrom the goddess. Without realizing it, she brokethe spell before its purpose could be achieved,

and the little Demophoon died as his motherclutched him in her arms.

Demeter knew that norv she must reveal hertrue self. No one would believe an old nurse's

! f ,,,{,

r;)l#'ry

"r.i& ffi, "p,xttd,- ,.-,Sd

r-.9

\i \--l;1

,,*s

"t1,,l-,

.,l

story, especially as Abas, too, rvas lost for ever.Throrving off her dark cloak, she stood beforeMetaneira as a goddess. Strangely enough,Demetet herself gained joy from this time ofsorrow in a quite unexpected way. Another ofMetaneira's sons, Triptolemus, had news ofPersephone and when he found out who the oldnurse really was, he hurried to tell her what hehad heard.

On the day she disappeared, Persephone hadbeen gathering flowers in the fields. A shepherdboy guarding his flock nearby had noticed herand stood watching as she moved slowly fromclump to clump, picking a few flou,ers from eachplace. Suddenly, a tall man driving a goldenchariot drawn by trvo black horses snatched upthe girl and carried her off, vanishing as cluicklyas he had come into a great crevasse that openedat that moment in the hiliside. The shepherd hadnot seen the man's face - he had been much toofrightened - but Demeter guessed who it musthave been. FIer brother, Hades, Lord of theUnderworld, was holding her only daughterprisoner among the dead.

Demeter rvas happy to learn that Persephonewas still alive, but very angry at the trick whichhad been played on l-rer. If I{ades held Persephone,it was most likely with Zeus's knowledge andconsent. Full of rage, she left F,leusis and con-tinued her t'anderings. All this tin-re the landremained barren for Demeter refused t() restorethe earth to its former abundance. Flou,-ers

withered while they were still in bud, and blightand disease attacked any plant that managed topush its way through the hard, cold grgund.

It seemed as if the rvhole of mankind wouldperish from lacli of food, and even the gods rveredeprived of the sacrifices and gifts u'hich theyhad come to expect. At last Zeus ected. FIe senthis son l-Iermes u,ith e mes.sage to Hldes, de-manding Persephone's release. There was onecondition: she could only leave if no food hadpassed her lips durins l.rer time in the Underrvorld,for anyone r,vho l-ras eate n the ftrod of the dcadowes allegiance to Ilades, their king.

Hermes founcl Persephone sitting pale and sad

beside FIades, staring out into the shador.r's. Abunch of dead, dricd florvcrs still lay in her handsand evcry nou, and then she pluckecl absent-mindedly at their petais.'I have eaten nothing since tl-re d,ly I rvas draggedfrom my home,' Pcrscphonc said. 'lir,cry daythey bring me f<rocl, tempting me rvith fruits

z8

more beautiful than any I have seen in the worldabove. But I know it is the food of the deadthey offer me, and wiil taste bitter as ash. Ohl{ermes, take me back to the sunlight!'

So Hermes carried Persephone back to theentrance of the Underworld, back past Cerberus,rvho licked her hand in farewell, back across thethick waters of the Styx to the coid fields ofSicily where Demeter was waiting for her. AsPersephone stepped down from Hermes's chariotit was as if the rvorld was born again. The harshwinter rolled away like fog, leaving the country-side green and fresh, with the young corn springingand flowers and blossoms adding all kinds ofbrilliant colours. Joyfully, Demeter andPersephone went home.

The happiness of their reunion was to be short-lived. In the Underworld, Hades called everysirade and spirit befrrre l.rim, cluestioning andquestioning until at last he f<rund one whoansr.l'ered him in the riglit rvay. Ascalaphus hadseen Persephone pick a pomegranate from the treein the garden to quench her thirst, and hadwatcl-red rvhile she accidentally sv,'allowed sevenof the tiny pips. Hades r,vas delighted and at onceclaimed Persephone back as his bride. Zeusagreed tl'rat the bargain must be kept. Horvever,Demetcr did not give up.'Until my daughter is returned to me once more,tl.re earth shall remain as barren as the driesrdesert,' she declared, wrapping her cloak tightlyaround her to shut a-way her divine power fromthe r.vclrld.

An urgent discussion began among the godsand at last agreement was reacl-recl. For ninemonths of each year Persephone rvould iive v'ithher mother, but for t1.re remaining three she must,return to Ilades and rr-rle as quecn of the Under-world. With this compromise Demeter had to becontent, for tl're alternative was to be parted fromher beloved daughter frrrever.

Demcter ne\/er came to terms r.vitl-r tl-re monthsr>f separation. E,r'cry yeer rvhile l.rer clrrughter u'asaway she rvent into mourning. The flor.versrvitl.rered, the trees shed their leaves and the earthgrew cold and bare. Iiven the birds were silent.But evcry ycar, on Perscphone's return, the springcame again. Flou'ers sprang up rvhetever sl-re

u'al1<ecl, the new lear.es brolie their buds and t1"re

birds flew about her heacl, rvelcomir-rs her rviththeir calls. Only when the crops had safely ripenedand the grape s l.racl bcen gathercd in did Perseplioneleave once more t,rr hcr rvinter am()ng the shadcs.

(i () l) \ (; () l) l) L: s \ L \

ANC ESTRYr- -sCnonus & Rnrl

tDeurrrn

* godr.! gOOOeSS

l* man

* *oman

':3 DEMETER * ZEUS

':T PERSEPHONE

# DEMETER/CERESEarth goddess in ancient Greece, spectfically the goddess ofuegetation and fuifulness of the land. Her equiualent inRoman mythology was Ceres.

emeter means "mother,1 eartti' and she wasil

" sometimes identifiedwith Gaia (Earth). Her culticmyths explain the annual cycle

of the seasons, the growth and

withering of vegetation, the

inconsistency of harvests, and

the dilference between summer

and winter. Her main influencewas over corn, the staple food ofthe Greeks.

Demeter was a devoted,

caring mother, and the most

important story in her

mythology concerns her

relationship with her daughter.

Demeter was especially close to

her brother Zeus (incestuous

relationships arnong the gods ofOlympus were acceptable), and

their union producedPersephone. \X/hen their

daughter was still very young,and without consulting Demeter,

Zeus agreed that Hades, king ofthe Underworld, could marryher. Some years later, whilePersephone was picking flowers

in a meadow with the daughter

oF Oceanus, the groundsplit aparr as she bentdown ro pick anarcissus. Hades rode

up in his chariot drawn iby dark blue steeds and

kidnapped her.

Demeter was inconsolable

when she discovered that her

daughter had vanished, and withtwo burning torches began

searching the earth for her. She

refused to eat or wash, as didPersephone, who was piningaway in Hades' gloomy kingdom.

\,Vhen all looked hopeless,

Demeter met the earth goddess

Hecate who knew aboutPersephone's abduction. She tookDemeter to the sun god Helius,who told her that Persephone

had in fact married Hades and

was queen of a vast realm. In her

despair, Demeter sent a famineircross the Earth lasting

^ye^rand threatened to destroy

manind. To placate her, Zeus

sent Hermes to fetch her beloved

daughter from Hades, but before

Persephone departed, Hades gave

f)rrrarreR, EAR'f H GoDDEss

A marble copy of a 4th century ac

original.

her some pomegranate seeds tobind her to his realm. From thenon, Persephone returned to the

earth each year in spring, like thecorn itself, but she always wentback to Hades at the beginningof winter.

There are similar legends

:rbout the Roman goddess Ceres,

including stories oF how she

wandered through the worlddistributing grain and advising

men how to grow it. The word"cereal" derives from her name.

Malcolm Day