The Myth of:     Athena     Demeter     Persephone

Demeter

In Greek, the name Demeter means "mother". Demeter is the legacy of the Great Mother Goddess. She governs fertility and regeneration; life, death and rebirth; planting and harvest; the great cycle of nature and of humankind. She is the true definition of abundance and generosity. Demeter is the mother, giver of life, caretaker of the young, the sick and the helpless and the bearer of loss.

Whether you choose to mother and nurture children, animals, a project or a business, is not relevant. What matters is your using these much-needed attributes that reside within you, to extend continuance of nurturing and mothering in the world.

Demeter's Story

Demeter was the mother of the first-generation Olympians and the most generous of all goddesses. The Great Demeter was beloved for her service to humankind in giving the gifts of harvest. She was credited with teaching humans how to grow, preserve and prepare grain. This goddess fulfilled the roles of mother and provider of food. She was the nurturer of humankind.

Demeter's union with Zeus, king of the gods, produced a daughter, Goddess Persephone, to whom Demeter was eternally bonded. Persephone was the delight of her mother's life and the focus of her attention. One day, while Persephone was picking wildflowers, the earth opened under her, and she was abducted by her uncle Hades, who took her to the Kingdom of the Underworld. When Demeter Heard Persephone screaming, she ran to the meadow, but could not find the young goddess.

These events, and failing to recover her beloved daughter, plunged Demeter into dark depression. The Great Mother goddess renounced her divine duties - which included bringing fertility to the land and wandered the earth searching for Persephone. As Demeter's grief deepened, she ceased to function, causing famine to sweep over the land. Just as the end of humankind stood on the horizon, Zeus, who was under much pressure to remedy the situation, commanded his brother Hades to return Persephone to her mother.

Symbol: The Sheaf of Wheat

Demeter was frequently associated with images of the harvest, including flowers, fruit, and grain. Wheat, symbolizing the bread of life, nourishes and sustains the body. She makes fertile the fruit and the grain, which represent abundant love and a generous heart to grow and give nourishment to the world. Now you have your own sheaf of wheat.


See the Demeter Doll