Demeter, << dih MEE tuhr, >> was a goddess of fertility in Greek mythology. Her name comes from the Greek words for Mother and Earth. Demeter was associated especially with grain. For this reason, the Romans later identified her with their harvest goddess, Ceres.
Demeter was a daughter of Cronus, ruler of the race of gods and goddesses called Titans, and his sister Rhea. Demeter had children by Zeus, king of the gods, and Poseidon, god of the sea. In Arcadia, in southern Greece, both Demeter and Poseidon were worshiped in the form of horses.
The only significant myth about Demeter tells of her search for her daughter Persephone. Persephone had been kidnapped by Hades, the god of the underworld, to be his bride. For details of this myth, see Persephone.
Demeter’s greatest festival, the Eleusinian Mysteries, took place in Eleusis, near Athens. However, many communities celebrated other rites honoring Demeter. The Eleusinian Mysteries were held shortly before the autumn planting. A rule of secrecy surrounded the festival, and so few details about it are known. However, the rite must have been concerned at first with the death and rebirth of grain. Those who participated in the ceremony were promised happiness in an afterlife.
