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One of the most interesting myths in Greek mythology is the story of the Greek goddesses Demeter and Persephone (Proserpina in Roman mythology). Demeter is the goddess of fertility and harvest and the ultimate example of mother’s love. Persephone, her daughter, was kidnapped by the god Hades and became queen of the underworld. In this way, mother and daughter were the symbol of the strength of love and rebirth after death.
who was demeter
The goddess Demeter was the daughter of the Greek titans Cronus and Rhea, and the sister of Zeus, Hades, Hera, Poseidon, and Hestia. Demeter was among the Olympic gods, that is, the twelve main deities of the Greek cult, whose abode was Mount Olympus.
Demeter was one of the oldest and most important divinities because she was considered the mother goddess, protector of crops, goddess of agriculture and fertility. In fact, her name derives from the Greek word meter , which means “mother”. The growth of plants and crops depended on it; therefore, mortals used to revere and worship her.
With Zeus, Demeter had her daughter Persephone and, through her, she demonstrated the great power of maternal love.
The myth of Demeter and Persephone
The myth of Demeter and Persephone is described in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, a collection of epic poems dedicated to various gods dating from the seventh century BC. C. Although they were attributed to Homer, in reality, the author of this work is unknown.
The kidnapping of Persephone
The myth relates that Persephone was a beautiful young woman who was walking and collecting flowers in the countryside, somewhere in Sicily or Asia Minor, accompanied by her friends, the nymphs. Suddenly, the earth trembled and a crack opened, from which Persephone’s uncle, Hades, god of the underworld, appeared riding his chariot on black horses. Hades took Persephone and made her his wife. Supposedly, Hades had fallen in love with her niece and had asked Zeus for her hand, who accepted without consulting Demeter.
The search for Persephone
Demeter heard Persephone’s cry for help and, when she arrived at the place, she found the petals of the flowers that her daughter had collected. Desperate, she began to search for her, trying to find out her whereabouts. For nine days she did not eat or drink anything; in her concern, she abandoned her divine duties, which resulted in a great drought and famine on Earth. The fields dried up and the crops did not grow.
One of those days she met the goddess Hecate, and she, who had listened to Persephone, took her to speak with Helios, the sun god , who saw everything that happened on Earth. Helios told her that Persephone was in the underworld with Hades. Grief-stricken at the loss of her daughter and furious with Zeus for giving her up, she became an old woman and stayed to live in the mortal world.
Demeter’s Fight
While wandering the world looking for her daughter, Demeter found the daughters of King Celeus and Queen Metaneira, who took her to their palace without knowing her true identity. Later, when she revealed her origin, she ordered them to build a temple in her honor. She spent a year there, away from the other gods.
The Olympian gods, and particularly Zeus, needed human offerings and worship; however, during famine and despair, mortals cast aside their beliefs. Zeus, seeing the consequences that Demeter was causing in the world, sent the messenger god Hermes to convince her to return to Mount Olympus. In this way, the earth would flourish again, the seeds would germinate, and humanity could survive.
However, Demeter stood her ground. He did not allow the crops to grow and refused to go to Mount Olympus until he had his daughter back. Finally, Zeus sent Hermes to the underworld with a message for Hades, ordering him to release Persephone.
The return of Persephone
Hades agreed to return Persephone, but before releasing her, he offered her pomegranate seeds to eat, which Persephone accepted. When Demeter got his daughter back from him, they both hugged each other full of happiness.
However, happiness was not complete: Hades had deceived them. By eating the pomegranate seeds, Persephone had been bound to Hades by an old enchantment: whoever ate food from the underworld now belonged to the domain of the dead. Persephone was now due to the realm of the dead, but Hades made a concession with Demeter. From that moment on, Persephone spent half the year in the world of the living and the rest in the world of the dead, as queen of the underworld.
Finally, mother and daughter returned to Olympus and the drought and famine ended: the fields were fertile again, the plants flourished and life on Earth prospered again. And Persephone lived forever between both worlds.
The cult of Demeter
This myth of Demeter and Persephone gave rise to a festival called the Eleusinian Mysteries. The Eleusinian mysteries were a series of secret rituals that were celebrated every year, from approximately 1600 BC. C. to 392 d. C., in Eleusis, Greece. This was the place where the temple dedicated to Demeter had been built and later became the main site of veneration for the goddess.
In these rituals there was a procession, fasting, the story of Demeter and Persephone was narrated, and life after death was celebrated, in commemoration of the trip that Persephone made to the underworld every year. Only those initiated into the mysteries could participate in the festival. It is believed that magical knowledge was transferred during these rituals, so famous heroes like Heracles took advantage of them to go to the underworld and escape unharmed.
This myth demonstrated the unbreakable bond between a mother and her daughter and also served to explain the passing of the seasons. When Demeter was with his daughter, the earth flourished and harvests were made. This marked spring and summer. Instead, when Persephone went to the underworld, the plants lost their leaves and the earth became barren, thus marking autumn and winter. It is also important to note that, in ancient Greece, the phrases “to marry Hades” or “to go with Hades” meant the death of the person.
Other related myths
The story of Demeter and Persephone also appears in other Greek legends, for example, in the myths of Heracles and Theseus. In one of the twelve feats of Heracles he had to go down to the underworld to capture Cerberus, the three-headed dog of Hades; there he found Theseus. Theseus and his friend Pirítoo had decided to kidnap Helen and Persephone, because they were daughters of Zeus, and marry them; However, when they went to look for Persephone in the underworld, Hades caught them. Although Heracles was able to save Theseus, he was unable to free Persephone or Pirithous.
Sources
- Morales, F. Greek Mythology: The Greek Myths from the Origin of the Universe to the Most Fascinating Gods and Heroes . (2022). Spain. Flavio Morales.
- Anonymous. (2012, October 22). Homeric Hymn to Demeter . magical tales. Available here .
- Lopez, LM (2013, May 19). Demeter, goddess of agriculture . Available here .
- Joshua, M. (2012, January 18). The Eleusinian Mysteries: The Rites of Demeter. Available here .
