Download Myths of Demeter Demeter`s birth: In Hesoid`s Theogony a myth that

Myths of Demeter
Demeter’s birth:
In Hesoid’s Theogony a myth that explains the origin of the Gods like the Cosmogony that explains the
origin of the world. This explanation of the Theogony will focus on the origin of Demeter. In the
Theogony first came Chaos the chasm, where primordial beings arose (Powell 82). Then came Gaea who
was mother earth who bore Uranus asexually (Hesoid 126). Uranus was the sky and Gaea was locked in
perpetual intercourse with him. They produced 6 male and 6 female titans; among them were Rhea and
Cronus (Powell 84). Gaea and Uranus offspring couldn’t come into the light because Uranus hated his
offspring (Powell 85). All the children were locked in their mother’s womb, Gaea. Cronus cut off Uranus
genitals and broke sky away making it above the Earth and finally separating Gaea and Uranus (Hesoid
175). Cronus became the first king and feared that one of his children would overthrow him as
prophesized by Gaea and Uranus ((Hesiod, 453). Cronus married his sister Rhea and bore Hestia,
Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus. Cronus ate all his children except Zeus because Zeus was
saved by his mother (Hesiod, 453). Zeus freed his siblings including Demeter. Demeter and her siblings
battled in the Titanomachy and defeated their father Cronus (Powell 95). Eventually Demeter’s brothers
Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon split the rule of the world among them. Demeter and her sisters became
mother goddesses. Demeter is the goddess of Grain and the rich harvest that is associated with the cycle
of life of agriculture. Demeter is one of the twelve Olympians that have a dual nature to be able to give
life and take it away.
Demeter and Persephone
Zeus and Demeter had a daughter named Persephone. Persephone called kore that is a parthenos,
unmarried virgin. One day Persephone was playing outside with the daughters of Oceanus (Homer 4).
Persephone picked the narcissus flower that would open a chasm in the Earth (Homer 8). The myth tells
how Hades, god of the underworld and her uncle rose out of the chasm, abducted and carried her away to
be his bride. Hades had previous permission from Zeus to take Persephone (Homer 3).
Demeter searched for Persephone for nine days holding a pair of torches asking anyone if they knew
where her daughter was but no one spoke out (Homer 42). Demeter filled with so much sorrow could not
eat and on the tenth day a ray of sun broke through the clouds. Demeter pitied by Helius told her that her
own brother Hades took her daughter and the union blessed by Zeus (Powell 239). Demeter filled with
grief and betrayed by her own brothers left Mount Olympus and disguised herself as an old woman
dressed in dark robes (Powell 239).
Demeter in her guise sat at a place where fresh water resided in Eleusis. One day four beautiful sisters
were fetching water, saw Demeter and sympathized with her (Powel 240). They took Demeter to their
mother Metaneira and there Demeter became the nanny to the queen’s son (Powell 241). Demeter decided
to give the baby immortality. Every night Demeter would hold him over the fire to burn away his mortal
parts but one night Metaneira witnessed the event and screamed (Powell 242). Demeter called her a fool
and shed her disguise revealing her true glory (Powell 243). Metaneira knew she offended Demeter and
quickly erected a temple in her honor (Powell 243). Demeter goddess of fertility placed a plague on the
earth refusing to let anything grow (Powell 244). Zeus realizing that Demeter was starving the people
tried to persuade her to let the grains grow by offering glorious gifts (Powell 244). Demeter refused still
distraught that her daughter Persephone was not by her side. Finally Zeus had to abide and persuade
Hades to return Persephone to her mother (Powell 244). Hades agreed but tricked Persephone into eating
the fruit of the underworld before her return to her mother. Persephone naïve ate the pomegranate seed of
the underworld (Powell 245). This was a sacred union between Hades and Persephone which she had to
spend 1/3 of the year in the underworld and 2/3 of the year with Demeter. Demeter had no choice but to
abide by the fate of her daughter and grieves part of the year letting nothing grow on the earth. When
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Persephone returns Demeter is rejoiced and the harvest is plentiful. This myth is an agricultural allegory
that explains the seasons of the earth (Powell 249).
Demeter’s mother Rhea told her to hurry up and let the crops grow and let the mortals survive. Demeter
heeded her mother’s advice knowing that Persephone could not be at her side forever (Powell 248).
Demeter explained the rites of her cult to the kings which included Triptolemus, Diocles, Eummolpus,
and Celeus (Powell 248). She instructed Triptolemus to teach humankind the art of agriculture. Demeter’s
cult the Eleusinian Mysteries grew from this and offered anyone that followed her cult a happy afterlife
(Powell 250).
Demeter and Poseidon
When Demeter was searching for her daughter Persephone, she was pursued by Poseidon (Powell 160).
Demeter changed into a mare and ran to Arcadia. Poseidon finding out that he was tricked decides to
change into a stallion (Powell 160). Poseidon then has his way with Demeter and gets Demeter pregnant.
They bore a horse Arion who later in myths saves the hero Adrastus in the Seven against Thebes myth
(Powell 160). They also had a daughter that named Despoine who was worshipped by the Arkadians
(Pausanias, 8. 37. 1.) Demeter was furious at Poseidon and still mourning her daughter turns the water
black (Photius, 190). This myth is etiological and explains the horse-headed statue of Demeter at the
Peloponnesus (Powell 160).
Demeter and Tantalus
Tantalus invited the Gods to a banquet and offered his son Pelops as sacrifice. He chopped Pelops into
little pieces and offered it as a dish (Powell 540). The Gods all recognized the dish was human flesh but
Demeter still grieving for her daughter Persephone ate the dish (Powell 540). Demeter was so blinded by
her grief didn’t even think about the reality around her. Zeus had Pelops pieces put back into the pot and
out came a child without his shoulder because Demeter ate it. Hephaestus master craftsman fashioned an
ivory shoulder (Powell 540).
Bibliography
Atsma , Aaron J.. Theoi Greek Mythology. N.P. 2000-2011. Web. 20, July 2013.http://www.theoi.com/
Bulloch, Anthony Ancient Greek Mythology. Department of Classics, University of California, Berkeley.
2003-2013. Web. 20, July 2013. < http://www.greekmyth.org/>
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Hephaestion, Ptolemy, New History Book 3 (summary from Photius, Myriobiblon 190) (trans. Pearse)
(Greek mythographer C1st to C2nd A.D.)
Hesiod, Theogony 453 ff (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C8th or 7th B.C.)
Homer. Homeric Hymn 2 to Demeter 1 ff (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C7th or 6th B.C.)
Pausanias, Description of Greece 8. 37. 1. Theoi Greek Mythology. N.P. 2000-2011. Web. 20, July 2013.
< http://www.theoi.com/Olympios/DemeterFamily.html#Poseidon>
Powell, Barry B. Classical Myth. Trans Herbert Howe. 7th ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson, 2012. Print
Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 1. 29-33 (trans. Aldrich) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.)
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