The gods and goddesses of the ancient Greek pantheon are beautiful and understandable to people, since they possess many human qualities, they also love and hate, compassion or revenge. Demeter - one of the most revered by the Greek people of goddesses, respect and recognition to which lives to this day.
Who is Demeter?
Demeter is Mother Earth. In different cults one can meet another name of Demeter - the Great Mother. The image of the goddess covers all life. Her body is the house of a person, neither more nor less is the planet Earth itself. The mother goddess was born of the mighty titans Kronos and Rhea. Her brother - thunder Zeus, who desired and seduced her in the guise of a bull. Favorite child - the daughter of Persephone, because of which shed a lot of tears of the grieving goddess.
Demeter is also known under other names, complementing her beautiful image:
- Htonia - underground;
- Ceres (Latin name);
- Virgo (in the form of a constellation);
- Achaea is grieving;
- Sieve - bread;
- Fury;
- Fesmophora is the legislator and patron of legitimate marriages;
- Erinia is vindictive.
The cult of Demeter was common among farmers. She taught people plowing and sowing labor. In the work of the Greek poet Hesiod "The Work of a Farmer," there is a poem-instruction, about how important it is to honor a goddess. The poet tells us that before throwing grains into the ground one must pray to the pure Demeter and the whole range of agricultural works: from touching the handle of the plow and harnessing the oxen to collecting lush, matured ears of corn, to honor the Great Mother in all its splendor.
The symbol of Demeter
The ancient Greek goddess Demeter was portrayed as a beautiful woman with soft features, with wheat-colored hair and in a loose-fitting tunic. The head of the goddess is surrounded by a shining halo. There is another well-known form of Demeter of the Grieving: a mature, exhausted woman in a black robe with a hood over her head. Attributes and symbols of Mother Earth:
- a basket with ripe ears, a wreath of them on his head - a symbol of fertility;
- a burning torch, lit from the volcano Etna - a symbol of finding a daughter;
- pig - an animal, due to its fertility dedicated to the goddess;
- poppy is the flower of Demeter, with the help of which she cured Kelay's son from protracted insomnia.
The goddess Demeter in Greek mythology
The relationship of the goddess with other equally important inhabitants of Olympus is built mainly around the central myth, where the goddess of fertility Demeter does not reconcile with the loss of her daughter and defies all the gods. She is the one who can turn a blooming and beautiful land into a lifeless desert. And the gods, seeing her tough stance, go on a compromise, because she is none other than the Great Mother.
The myth of Demeter and Persephone
Demeter and Persephone (Cora) - loving and very attached to each other mother and daughter spend a lot of time together, they are kindred spirits. It so happened that Hades (Hades) saw the matured Persephone and fell in love. Going to Zeus, Hades began to ask the hands of his daughter, to which the diplomatic Zeus did not answer "yes" or "no". The insidious god of the underworld perceived this as a signal to action and decided to kidnap Cora.
Cora, along with Artemis and Athena, froliced in the meadow and leaned over every fragrant flower, studying their fragrance, feeling the tender smell of unfamiliar Persephone plant moving away from other goddesses to tear off the miracle flower of the daffodil that was raised by Gaia (the goddess of the earth), specifically for the purpose of abduction Persephone Hades. The earth opened and out of it the terrible Hades on a black chariot was kidnapped by a goddess screaming for help. Nobody saw the kidnapping, except the sun god Helios. Mother hurried to the cries of her daughter did not find her.
Nine days distraught with grief Demeter sought her daughter. All nature has dropped, vineyards and all shoots have dried up. Helios took pity on the grieving mother and told about the agreement between Hades and Zeus. Demetra went angrily to her brother and demanded the return of her daughter, or there would be no more blossoming land, and people would die of hunger. The gods conferred and concluded a new treaty, Korah spends the winter with Hades, and the rest of the time with his mother. So there was a happy reunion. But the winter comes, and Demeter again grieves in separation from her daughter until the very spring.
Demeter and Hera
The Greek goddess Demeter is the sister of Hera, the wife of Zeus and Hestia, the virgin goddess. About the relationship of the sisters did not remain any information and sources, but knowing the burning zeal of Hera, we can assume that the relationship was not simple. Sisters are united by the fact that each of them fell a lot of trials and losses. Demeter separated from her daughter, Hera is unhappy in marriage. In all their vicissitudes of fate, Zeus is guilty - husband, brother, father of children in one person.
Demeter and Dionysus
Dionysus, the god of viticulture, winemaking and fertility (the more ancient form of Dionysus-Zagrei), in the Hellenistic period began to be identified with Jehoka or Bacchus, the son of Demeter (in some sources her husband). Goddess of fertility Demeter on the joy that her daughter returned from the underworld, taught the inhabitants of the city Eleusis, where she indulged in grief farming. So, in honor of the goddess, the Eleusinian mysteries arose, to which the cult of Dionysus also joined. The image of the divine child of Dionysus, as an intermediary between the goddess and people, was at the head of the procession.
Demeter and Hades
Hades - the god of the land of the dead is the brother of Demeter. A sad fate befalls not only earthly women, but also goddesses. Both brothers Demeter - Hades and Zeus were cruel and unfair to the sister. And in retaliation for it, Erinia - "avenging" Demeter turns the land world into a kind of underground kingdom. The earth becomes as gray and withered as the abode of Hades. About Demeter in the mountain no one thought and the lamentable result was not long in coming. Brother and already part-time the goddess's son-in-law had to release Persephone to his mother before the snow cover. Balance in nature has been restored.