Know the mythology about the Goddess of Agriculture!

Demeter is the Olympian goddess of agriculture and the harvest in Greek mythology. Along with her daughter, Persephone, Demeter is one of the central figures of the Mysteries of Elêusis, the most popular religious festival in Greek antiquity prior to Olympus.

Because she is linked to the harvest, Demeter is also associated with the seasons. In one of her most popular myths, it is her grief over her daughter Persephone who spends a third of the year in the nether world that causes winter.

Her happiness in possessing her daughter back in her arms brings back the fertility of the earth in the spring and summer periods. Although she is commonly associated with agriculture, Demeter rules over sacred laws and the cycles of life and death.

Read on to understand about her symbolism, mythology, as well as ways to connect with this goddess through her symbols, herbs, and prayers.

Getting to know the Goddess Demeter

To better know the Goddess Demeter, we will start a walk through the ages. In it, we will discover her origin, her visual characteristics, her family tree, as well as her position among the 12 initial divinities of Olympus. Check it out.

Source

Demeter was begotten by her parents, the Titans Cronos and Reia. According to myth, Cronos swallowed all his children, including Demeter, because, according to a prophecy, he would be stripped of his power by one of them. However, one of his children, Zeus, eventually rescued his siblings from their father's belly, who rejoiced over them.

Visual characteristics

Demeter is usually depicted fully clothed. She has a matronly appearance and is usually seated on her throne or standing haughtily with an outstretched hand. Sometimes it is possible to find depictions of the goddess riding a chariot and accompanied by her daughter, Persephone.

Her connection with Persephone is so intense that often both goddesses share the same symbols and attributes, as is the case with the wreath, cornucopia, ears of corn, bundle of wheat and cornucopia.

Family

Demeter is the second daughter of the titans Kronos and Reia. She has six siblings: Hestia, Gera, Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus, and is the middle child, born after Hestia and before Hera. Through her relationship with her younger brother Zeus, Demeter gave birth to Kore, who would later be known as Persephone, the queen of the underworld.

Because she had multiple partners, Demeter has other children: Arion and Despina, resulting from her union with her brother, Poseidon; Corybas, Pluto and Philomelo with Iasion; Eubuleus and Chrysotemis with Carmánor. In addition, some scholars consider that Demeter may be the mother of the god of wine Dionysus.

Archetype

The archetype recognized in Demeter is the mother. In her mythology, Demeter embodies the role of a protective mother whose life is marked by mourning and sadness after her daughter, Kore, is kidnapped by her brother, Hades.

Moreover, Demeter's name consists of two parts: 'de-', of still imprecise meaning, but probably related to Gaia, the Earth, and '-meter', whose meaning is mother. The meaning of her name points to an undisputed association with the role of Mother Goddess that Demeter possesses.

Goddess Demeter is one of the 12 deities of Olympus!

Demeter is one of the 12 original deities of Olympus, the dwelling place of the gods in Greek mythology. The 12 deities of Olympus, along with Demeter, are Hestia, Hermes, Aphrodite, Ares, Demeter, Hephaestus, Hera, Poseidon, Athena, Zeus, Artemis, and Apollo.

These deities are considered the original ones, and despite the fact that Hades was one of the deities of the first Greek generation (along with Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter and Hestia), since his abode is the Underworld, he is not considered an Olympian deity.

Stories about the Goddess Demeter

There are many Stories about the Goddess Demeter. Many of them narrate her relationship with agriculture and alligate with the earth and the lower world, also known as the underworld or Hades. As we will show, Demeter is also the goddess whose emblem is the poppy and has several titles. Check them out.

Goddess of agriculture

As the goddess of agriculture, Demeter is considered the Queen of Corn, the goddess of cereals, who guarantees the grain for making bread and blesses farmers. According to her myths present in the Mysteries of Elêusis, the moment Demeter meets Persephone is parallel to the moment when the planted crops meet the seeds.

One of Demeter's greatest teachings to mankind is agriculture, without which humans could not survive.

Goddess of the earth and the underworld

Demeter was also worshipped as the goddess of the earth and the underworld. As the goddess of the earth, Demeter was commonly represented in the region of Arcadia as a curly-haired woman holding a dove and a dolphin.

As goddess of the underworld, Demeter was the one who knew the mysteries of what lies beneath the earth, thus being cognizant of the secret of what is about to spring forth, as well as of what will return to the earth when it leaves this life.

In Athens, the dead were called 'Demetrioi', which suggests that Demeter is related to the dead, as well as to the fact that new life can spring from the body of someone who has died.

Poppy Goddess

Demeter is commonly associated with the flower called poppy and so she is considered the poppy goddess. For this reason, the poppy is present in many depictions of Demeter.

The poppy is a typically red-colored flower that grows in the fields of barley, one of the grains associated with the goddess. In addition, this flower is a symbol commonly associated with resurrection and so authors such as Robert Graves suggest that its scarlet color signifies the promise of resurrection after death.

Other titles by Goddess Demeter

The goddess Demeter has several titles and attributions. Among her main titles are:

- Aganippe: the mare who destroys with mercy;

- Anesidora: one who sends gifts;

- Chloe: "the green one", whose infinite powers bring fertility to the earth;

- Despoina: "the mistress of the home", a title also given to gods such as Hecate, Aphrodite and Persephone;

- Thesmophoros: the lawgiver, related to the secret festival restricted to women called Thesmofórias;

- Loulo: the one connected to the wheat sheaves;

- Lusia the bather;

- Melaina: "the black one";

- Malophorus: "she who carries the apple" or "she who carries the sheep";

- Thermasia: "the ardor".

If you wish to work with any specific area of Demeter's work, call by one of the titles that relates to the area in which you need help.

Relationship with the Goddess Demeter

Demeter has different types of relationships, both with mortals and with gods. Some of these relationships bore fruit, as is the case with her relationship with Iasion. In this section, you will learn about how Demeter is related to the Cult of Elêusis and get information about her love encounters. Read on to learn about them.

Goddess Demeter and Elêusis

When Demeter searched for her missing daughter, Persephone, she found the palace of Ceilus, the king of Elêusis in Attica. Upon visiting the palace, she assumed the form of an old woman and asked the king for shelter.

Upon accepting her into his palace, Cleus charged her with the task of nursing his sons Demophon and Tryptolemus. As a token of gratitude for the shelter, the goddess attempted to make Demophon immortal by anointing him with ambrosia and leaving him over the fireplace flame to burn away his mortality.

However, the process was interrupted when his mother saw the scene and screamed in despair. In return, she taught Tryptolemus the secrets of agriculture. In this way, mankind learned to grow their food.

Goddess Demeter and Iasion

Demeter fell in love with a mortal named Iasion when she was still young. After seducing him during a wedding, she had sex with him in a field that was plowed three times.

Since Zeus did not think it appropriate for a goddess to have a relationship with a mortal, he sent lightning to kill Iasion. However, Demeter was already pregnant with the twins Pluto, the god of wealth, and Philomelo, the patron of the plow.

Goddess Demeter and Poseidon

Demeter also had forced sexual relations with her brother, the god Poseidon. In Arcadia, Poseidon took the form of a stallion known as Poseidon Hippios, who forced a sexual encounter with the goddess who was hiding in a stable to escape her brother.

After the result of the rape, Demeter dressed in black and sought retreat in a cave to purify herself from what had happened. As a consequence, the world suffered from a period of scarcity and famine as all crops died.

As a consequence of the non-consensual sexual encounter with her brother, Demeter became pregnant with two children: Arion, a horse who could speak, and Despina, a nymph.

Goddess Demeter and Erisicton

In the myth with Erisicton, king of Thessaly, Demeter once again becomes enraged and causes a famine in the world. According to the myth, King Erisicton ordered all the trees in one of Demeter's sacred groves to be cut down.

However, upon seeing an ancient oak tree covered with crowns and prayers to Demeter, Erisicton's men refused to cut it down. Enraged, Erisicton took the axe and felled the tree himself, killing a droid that dwelt in the oak.

When Demeter heard about this, she cursed the king and summoned into him the spirit that personified hunger called Limos. The more the king ate, the hungrier he became. As a result, he sold everything he had in exchange for food and ended up dying feeding himself.

Goddess Demeter and Ascalabus

During her search for Persephone, Demeter stopped in Attica, exhausted by her incessant search. A woman named Misme took her in and offered her, because of the heat, a cup of water with pennyroyal and barley grains.

Being thirsty, Demeter drank the drink with a certain desperation, which provoked the laughter of Misme's son, Ascalabo, who mocked the goddess and asked if she wanted a bigger jug of that drink. Affronted by the young man's insult, Demeter poured the rest of her drink over him, turning him into a lizard, an animal despised by men and gods alike.

Goddess Demeter and Minta

Minta was a nymph who was Hades' lover before he kidnapped her sister Demeter's daughter. After Hades married Persephone, Minta kept bragging about her relationship with the lord of the underworld and how she was more loving than Persephone.

Irritated on hearing the nymph's speech, Demeter trampled her underfoot and from the earth emerged a refreshing aromatic herb known as mint.

Symbols of the Goddess Demeter

The cult of the goddess Demeter is wrapped in a specific symbolism that has been preserved in her myths. Among the main symbols related to the goddess are the sickle, wheat, seeds, apple and cornucopia. Understand her relationship with Demeter and her myths below.

Scythe

The sickle is a symbol of Demeter closely linked to agriculture, one of the Goddess' main attributes. Besides having the power to mow weeds, the sickle is also the instrument used to harvest the sheaves of wheat at the height of summer.

Demeter is also called Khrysaoros, the Lady of the Golden Blade, since she wielded a scythe of this color.

Wheat

Wheat is one of the grains associated with Demeter. During the harvest festival, the goddess would use her golden-bladed sickle to harvest the first sheaves of wheat from the harvest. Wheat is a symbol of prosperity, fertility, and abundance, some of the attributes related to Persephone. You can leave sheaves of wheat in your home to attract these energies into your life.

Seeds

Demeter is considered the Queen of Grains, since it was through her that mankind learned to grow their food. Seeds are symbols of prosperity, fertility and abundance. They awaken when they are deposited on the Earth, another area of dominion of this powerful goddess.

You can put different seeds inside a clear glass jar to attract prosperity to your home. When you prepare it, ask the goddess Demeter for help so that you never lack food in your home.

Apple

In one of her titles, Demeter is Malophorus, the one who carries apples. Therefore, this fruit is associated with this goddess as an attribute of abundance, the result of a bountiful and promising harvest. Because of this association, you can offer an apple to Demeter when you need to call for her presence or ask for her help.

Cornucopia

The Cornucopia is a symbol of abundance, plenitude and fertility, which is horn shaped and filled with seeds, flowers and freshly picked fruits of the season.

In one of her myths, Demeter is accompanied by her son, Pluto, the god of agriculture. This god usually carries with him a cornucopia, as a symbol of the plenitude attained with a successful harvest.

Further information about the Goddess Demeter

After understanding her symbols, relationships and main myths, we present other information about the Goddess Demeter.

Much of the following information will be related to her worship and so we have included her herbs, colors, incense and other relevant topics for you to connect with this mother goddess. We have also included a prayer and invocation to Demeter.

Worship of the Goddess Demeter

The Cult of Demeter was widespread in Greece. In Crete, inscriptions dating from the years 1400-1200 before the Common Era already mentioned the cult of the two queens and the king, who are often interpreted as Demeter, Persephone and Poseidon. In the Greek mainland, the cult of the two queens and Poseidon were also widespread.

The main cults to Demeter are known in Elêusis and its best-known festivals are the Thesmofórias, which took place between October 11 and 13 and were intended for women only, and the Mysteries of Elêusis, which were open to initiates of any gender or social class.

In both festivals, Demeter was worshipped in her Mother aspect and Persephone as her daughter. Presently, she is venerated in neo-pagan religions such as Wicca and Neo-Hellenism.

Food and beverage

The foods sacred to Demeter are grains, her mythological symbols. In general, foods whose base is wheat, corn and barley, such as breads and cakes, preferably whole-grain, are used in libations to this goddess.

In addition, pomegranate is the fruit commonly linked to her myths and those of her daughter, Persephone. Her drinks, meanwhile, include pomegranate juice, pennyroyal tea, grape juice, wine, and drinks that include mint/mint as an ingredient.

Flowers, incense and colors

Demeter is closely associated with the flower called poppy. In addition, Neopagan practice associates her with all yellow and red flowers and the daisy. Her sacred incenses are oak, myrrh, frankincense, olibanum and mint.

In addition, it is also possible to burn pomegranate peels in her honor. Demeter's sacred colors are gold and yellow, which refer to the wheat fields, as well as green and brown, which symbolize the fertility of the earth.

Sign and chakra

Demeter is associated with the sign of Cancer and especially with the sign Virgo. She represents the fertile and caring side of Cancer, as well as the methodism and organization of Virgo.

Being related to crops and agriculture, Demeter is connected to the base chakra. Also called by Mūlādhāra, this chakra is aligned with the basic needs of the body such as food, as well as being connected to the earth and stability.

Prayer to the Goddess Demeter

The following prayer is a personal prayer created by me. Use it to ask Demeter for help:

"O Sacred Demeter, Queen of Grains.

I call your name holy.

Awaken the seeds of my dreams,

So that I may nurture and reap them gladly.

I call your name Anesidora

To send me your gifts

And may they come at a good time.

I call it by name Chloe,

So that your fertility in me always echoes.

Lady of the Harvest,

May my life be governed by your holy laws.

That I may understand my cycle,

And that just as the seed finds its home in the earth,

"May in your lap I find an abode"

Invocation to the Goddess Demeter

To invoke Demeter in your underdog or during your rituals, you can use the following invocation, also by me:

I call upon your name, Queen of Grains,

The one whose fruits satisfy the hunger of humanity.

Hear my call,

Mighty Queen, whose gifts are agriculture and fertility.

Teach me your secrets, that I may assist you in your quest,

Protect me from all evil with your crown of corn,

Whose light the thickest darkness never dims.

You who have the power to change the seasons

I call upon you to bring light into my life,

Just like the sun does in the summers.

Awaken the seeds from their slumber,

Protect me from the winter cold,

For I am your son/your daughter,

And for your presence here I wait.

You are welcome!

Goddess Demeter is the Greek goddess of cultivation, fertility and harvest!

The Goddess Demeter is the Greek goddess of cultivation, fertility and harvest. As we have shown throughout the article, it is through one of her main myths that the cycle of the seasons takes shape, a fact that narrows its relationship with the attributes related to agriculture.

Demeter also rules the grains and it is her power that determines the degree of fertility of the earth. One of her titles is Sito, the giver of food and grain and she is also associated with sacred and secret festivals for women.

Because of these attributions, you can connect with this goddess when you need to connect with the seasons and nature around you. Call upon her also when you wish to promote more fertility and plant the seeds of your dreams so that you can then reap them.