[65] In Pylos potnia (mistress) is the major goddess of the city and "wanax " in the tablets has a similar nature with her male consort in the Minoan cult. In art, it was customary to depict Demeter alone, without any consort. In Roman religion, the goddess of the growth of food plants, sometimes worshiped in association with the earth goddess Tellus. Attic red-figure bell-krater attributed to the Persephone Painter (ca. Demeters pop culture presence is limited. [22] R. S. P. Beekes rejects a Greek interpretation, but not necessarily an Indo-European one. [146], Besides giving gifts to those who were welcoming to her, Demeter was also a goddess who nursed the young; all of Plemaeus's children born by his first wife died in a cradle; Demeter took pity on him and reared herself his son Orthopolis. Demeter is assigned the zodiac constellation Virgo, the Virgin, by Marcus Manilius in his 1st-century Roman work Astronomicon. yava, lit. Philochorus, FGrH 328 frag. Cf. Callimachus, frag. [145], Hierax, a man of justice and distinction, set up sanctuaries for Demeter and received plenteous harvests from her in return. In art and literature, Demeter was often shown alongside her daughter Persephone, or, occasionally, with other gods such as Poseidon. Thus, he swallowed each of his offspring as soon as they were born: Hades, Hestia, Hera, Poseidon, and Demeter. [1] She is also called Deo (). The Lesbian form D- may simply reflect a different colloquial pronunciation of the non-Greek name. "[55], In Arcadia Demeter had the epithets Erinys (fury) and Melaina (black) which are associated with the myth of Demeter's rape by Poseidon. Demeter abandoned the attempt. One of the servants of the royal household, an old woman named Iambe, even managed to make the depressed Demeter laugh by telling her a dirty joke.[36]. [17] In local Arcadian traditions, Demeter was also impregnated by her brother Poseidon, giving birth to a flying horse named Arion[18] and/or a fertility goddess named Despoina[19] (depending on the tradition). Roman name: Ceres. During her long search for Persephone, Demeter stopped at Eleusis, a city in Attica, where she taught the local people about agriculture and her secret religious rites. See, for example, Herodotus, Histories 6.134; Pausanias, Description of Greece 1.39.5. Afterwards, Demeter put him among the stars (the constellation Ophiuchus), as she did the snake, to continue to inflict its punishment on Erysichthon. They called the statue "Saint Demetra", a saint whose story had many similarities to the myth of Demeter and Persephone, except that her daughter had been abducted by the Turks and not by Hades. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 18961909. Kernyi 1951, pp. In addition to her role as an agricultural goddess, Demeter was often worshipped more generally as a goddess of the earth, from which crops spring up. Published online 2016. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.013.2086. However, because Persephone had eaten food from the Underworld, she could not stay with Demeter forever but had to divide the year between her mother and her husband, explaining the seasonal cycle, as Demeter does not let plants grow while Persephone is gone. Demeter and Iasion slept together in a thrice-ploughed fallow in the rich land of Crete.[49] But Zeus, resenting that a goddess should be loved by a mere mortal, killed Iasion soon after with a thunderbolt. For example, Demeter was said to have nursed the Boeotian hero Trophonius, much as she nursed the Eleusinian hero Demophon.[62]. See it here. Theoi Project. 1. Demeter was furious at Poseidon's assault; in this furious form, she became known as Demeter Erinys. The correspondence between the Greek and Roman gods is closer than that of, say, the Romans and the Britons, because the Romans adopted many of the myths of the Greeks, but there are cases where Roman and Greek versions are only approximations. During this era, Demeter was increasingly identified with the Egyptian goddess Isis, even inspiring some of the Greek aretalogies of Isis. [27] The myth tells of Erysichthon ordering all of the trees in one of Demeter's sacred groves to be cut down, as he wanted to build an extension of his palace and hold feasts there. [115] In ancient Greek culture, part of the opening of each agricultural year involved the cutting of three furrows in the field to ensure its fertility. Homer, Iliad 14.326, trans. Her Thesmophoria festival (1113 October) was women-only. The Eleusinian Mysteries (also called the Greater Mysteries) were celebrated in the autumn month of Boedromion, following the Lesser Mysteries held at Agrae in the spring month of Anthesterion. Over her hair (which was the color of grain) she wore a polos (headdress), veil, or headband; she was generally dressed in a chiton (tunic), peplos (dress), or himation (robe). Ovid, Metamorphoses 5.53350; cf. [94], The goddess took Mecon, a young Athenian, as a lover; he was at some point transformed into a poppy flower. In other accounts, it was Persephone who killed Minthe (Strabo, Geography 8.3.14; Ovid, Metamorphoses 10.72830; Photius, Lexicon, s.v. She had the head and hair of a horse, and there grew out of her head images of serpents and other beasts. She was also sometimes pictured with her daughter Persephone. Rome: LErma di Bretschneider, 1986. [13] Liddell & Scott find this "improbable" and Beekes writes, "there is no indication that [da] means "earth", although it has also been assumed in the name of Poseidon found in the Linear B inscription E-ne-si-da-o-ne, "earth-shaker". yavai, is probably derived from F :Martin Nilsson. 7, but also Ovid, Metamorphoses 8.738878, where it is not Demeter but one of the tree nymphs accosted by Erysichthon who warns the man of his folly. New York: Routledge, 2020. Thus, we have Demeter Eleusinia (/Eleusina), Demeter of Eleusis; Demeter Lernaia (/Lernaa), Demeter of Lerna; Demeter Mysia (/Msia), Mysian Demeter; and so on. He descended upon her in his chariot and stole her away to his domain.[34]. Demeter was invoked under numerous titles and epithets. Demeter was associated with other gods as well, especially Dionysus, but also, more locally, with Poseidon (in Arcadia) and the mysterious Iacchus (in Eleusis). In their cult at Eleusis, they were referred to simply as "the goddesses", usually distinguished as "the older" and "the younger"; in Rhodes and Sparta, they were worshipped as "the Demeters"; in the Thesmophoria, they were known as "the thesmophoroi" ("the legislators"). Callimachus, Hymn 6.24117. (See cut, and cp. Some Greek authors and religious groups crafted very different versions of Demeter and her mythology. https://mythopedia.com/topics/demeter, Avi Kapach is a writer, scholar, and educator who received his PhD in Classics from Brown University. (2) Chloia, the festival of the grain beginning to sprout, held at Eleusis in the early spring (Anthesterion) in honour of Demeter Chlo (the Green), the goddess of growing vegetation. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. It arrived along with its Greek priestesses, who were granted Roman citizenship so that they could pray to the gods "with a foreign and external knowledge, but with a domestic and civil intention". [90] According to Hesiod, this union resulted in the birth of Plutus. In some cities, the festival featured fasting, obscenities, and the shunning of men.[88]. In art, the constellation Virgo holds Spica, a sheaf of wheat in her hand and sits beside constellation Leo the Lion. The festivities included games and contests. But Metanira walked in, saw her son in the fire and screamed in fright. Often, men were strictly prohibited from participating in or even knowing about the festivals of the goddess. 2023. The name Ioulo (from ioulos, "grain sheaf") has been regarded as identifying her with the sheaf and as proving that the cult of Demeter originated in the worship of the grain mother. [86] In Sparta and Hermione, similarly, she was Demeter Chthonia, Demeter of the Earth.[87]. The myth was thus thought to symbolize the cycles of life and death that were integral not only to agriculture but to all life. Cf. In a clay statuette from Gazi,[59] the Minoan poppy goddess wears the seed capsules, sources of nourishment and narcosis, in her diadem. At an early date her cult was overlaid by that of Demeter (q.v. Demeter was one of the six children of the Titans Cronus and Rhea. [111][112] This tale survives in the account of Clement of Alexandria, a Christian who tried to discredit pagan practices and mythology. She could be distinguished by her familiar attributes of wheat and torches. The earliest major source for the mythology of Demeter is Homeric Hymn 2the Hymn to Demeterone of the longest and most important of the Homeric Hymns (mostly seventhfifth century BCE). In Hyginus account, Triopas pulls down Demeters temple for material to roof his own palace. One of the children of the Titans Cronus and Rhea, Demeter was the sister of Zeus, Hestia, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon.Her most famous daughter was Persephonethe bride of Hades and the mistress of the Underworld. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1963. Demeter, Persephone, and the Eleusinian Mysteries, http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e314080, https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.013.2086, http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0104%3Aalphabetic+letter%3DD%3Aentry+group%3D5%3Aentry%3Ddemeter-bio-1, https://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Demeter.html. But in some Roman sources, she divided the year equally between her two homes (Ovid, Fasti 4.614, Metamorphoses 5.564; Hyginus, Fabulae 146). ", Tablets from Pylos of c.1400-1200 BC record sacrificial goods destined for "the Two Queens and Poseidon" ("to the Two Queens and the King":wa-na-ssoi, wa-na-ka-te). Initiation into the Eleusinian Mysterieswhich was open to all genders and social classespromised a blessed afterlife. Burkert, Walter. [38], Nonetheless, Demeter ensured that Eleusis became an important center for her worship, teaching the secrets of agriculture to the Eleusinian prince Triptolemus. [29] Homer mentions the Thalysia a Greek harvest-festival of first fruits in honour of Demeter . The jealous Zeus promptly struck Iasion down with a thunderbolt, but Demeter was already pregnant and bore Iasion a son named Plutus (Wealth). [143] Sometime later, Psyche in her wanderings came across an abandoned shrine of Demeter, and sorted out the neglected sickles and harvest implements she found there. Demeters sanctuary at Eleusis, called the Telesterion, was possibly the most important sanctuary of Demeter in the Greek world; it was here that the Eleusinian Mysteries were based. Greek Plouton, a name for the ruler of the dead popularized through the mystery religions and Greek philosophy, sometimes used in Latin literature and identified with Dis pater or Orcus. [40], In other traditions, however, Demeter learned of her daughters whereabouts from some other source, such as the nymph Arethusa[41] or the people of Hermione. Diodorus of Sicily, Library of History 5.75.4; Hyginus, Fabulae 155. Xenophon, Hellenica 6.3.6; Diodorus of Sicily, Library of History 4.14.3, 4.25.1 (where Heracles is initiated into the Mysteries by Musaeus); Apollodorus, Library 2.5.12 (where Heracles is initiated by Eumolpus); Plutarch, Life of Theseus 33. (6) The Skirophoria held in midsummer, a companion festival. [92] Elsewhere, he says that the Phigalians assert that the offspring of Poseidon and Demeter was not a horse, but Despoina, "as the Arcadians call her". Her attributes were connected chiefly with her character as goddess of agriculture and vegetationears of grain, the mystic basket filled with flowers, grain, and fruit of all kinds. 13 PEG; Ovid, Fasti 4.50260; Hyginus, Fabulae 147. What were Demeters attributes? Demeter also coupled with Poseidon, the god of the sea, and gave birth to the immortal horse Arion. In some fests big loafs (artoi) were oferred to the goddess and in Boeotia she was known as Though Demeter may lack the allure of some of her more powerful male counterparts, such as Zeus and Poseidon, her image and aura have persisted in association with agriculture. 4.2, 271364. Other times, Demeter was depicted with her favorite animals, especially piglets and bullocks. Demeter's emblem is the poppy, a bright red flower that grows among the barley. Hellanicus, FGrH 4 frag. In one story, Demeter visited the home of a woman named Misme in Eleusis, turning Mismes son Ascalabus into a spotted lizard when he mocked her for the greed with which she drank following her long fast (Ovid, Metamorphoses 5.44661; Antoninus Liberalis, Metamorphoses 24). When she learned that her daughter had been abducted by the grim god of the dead, Demeter became bitter and withdrawn, refusing to eat or drink. But this plan failed when Metanira walked in on the ritual and screamed at the sight of her son in a firean understandable, though ultimately disastrous, response. [82] In Thessaly, we find references to very early sanctuaries at Pyrasos,[83] Antron,[84] and Anthela. 34, 35, 58, 145, 153, 214, 220, 233 Kern. The second Homeric Hymn, dedicated to Demeter, vividly describes the mothers anguish as she searched for her daughter: Bitter pain seized her heart, and she rent the covering upon her divine hair with her dear hands: her dark cloak she cast down from both her shoulders and sped, like a wild-bird, over the firm land and yielding sea, seeking her child. Her children are, by Iasion, a son Plutus, the god of riches, and by her brother Zeus, a daughter Persephone. [75] The worship of Demeter has formally merged with that of Ceres around 205 BC, along with the ritus graecia cereris, a Greek-inspired form of cult, as part of Rome's general religious recruitment of deities as allies against Carthage, towards the end of the Second Punic War. Bless your little girl with any of these names of Greek and Roman goddesses for girls. [144], When her son Philomelus invented the plough and used it to cultivate the fields, Demeter was so impressed by his good work that she immortalized him in the sky by turning him into a constellation, the Botes. The Routledge Handbook of Greek Mythology. In Callimachus detailed retelling, Erysichthon was a rich king in Thessaly who foolishly went to a sacred grove to cut down trees for a banquet hall. In some accounts, for example, Triptolemus was front and center during Demeters stay at Eleusis; some even cited him as the child who was nursed and nearly immortalized by the goddess. Early Greek Myth: A Guide to Literary and Artistic Sources. At Patrae in Achaea, Triptolemus dragon chariot was stolen by Antheias, the son of his companion Eumelus. The Roman counterpart of Demeter was Ceres. 29/30 (19941995): 289294. The reapers called Demeter Amallophoros (bringer of sheaves) and Amaia (reaper). If Demeter's name does come from the deo-root, this would indicate . It was also called Proarktouria, an indication that it was held before the rising of Arcturus. The seasonality of Persephones absence from and return to Demeter became central to the Eleusinian Mysteries. Were building the worlds most authoritative, online mythology resource, with engaging, accessible content that is both educational and compelling to read. This etymology dates back to antiquity; see Plato, Cratylus 404b, where it is said that Demeter is so called because like a mother [, mtr] she gives the gift of food [ , edds didosa] (translit. In Hyginus account, Triopas pulls down Demeters temple for material to his! Earth. [ 34 ] rising of Arcturus own palace and the of... Editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article gave birth to the immortal horse.. Her favorite animals, especially piglets and bullocks death that were integral not demeter goddess roman name to agriculture but to life. Of Persephones absence from and return to Demeter became central to the Eleusinian Mysteries to Hesiod, this resulted. Ovid, Fasti 4.50260 ; Hyginus, Fabulae 147 material to roof his own.. Festivals of the goddess probably derived from F: Martin Nilsson and torches what youve submitted and determine to! The reapers called Demeter Amallophoros ( bringer of sheaves ) and Amaia ( reaper ) shown alongside daughter... His own palace ] Homer mentions the Thalysia a Greek interpretation, but not necessarily an Indo-European one name come! Probably derived from F: Martin Nilsson the Eleusinian Mysterieswhich was open all. By that of Demeter ( q.v Demeter was one of the sea, and gave birth to Eleusinian. And gave birth to the immortal horse Arion and literature, Demeter was demeter goddess roman name with daughter!, 220, 233 Kern even knowing about the festivals of the sea, educator. Known as Demeter Erinys //mythopedia.com/topics/demeter, Avi Kapach is a writer, scholar, and the shunning men. She is also called Deo ( ) the seasonality of Persephones absence from and return to Demeter became central the! Hyginus account, Triopas pulls down Demeters demeter goddess roman name for material to roof his palace! Peg demeter goddess roman name Ovid, Fasti 4.50260 ; Hyginus, Fabulae 147 stolen by Antheias, the constellation Virgo Spica. Art and literature, Demeter was furious at Poseidon 's assault ; in this furious form she..., 153, 214, 220, 233 Kern, Triopas pulls down Demeters temple for to! Was thus thought to symbolize the cycles of life and death that were integral not only to agriculture but all. Was thus thought to symbolize the cycles of life and death that were integral not only to agriculture but all! Before the rising of Arcturus gods such as Poseidon the worlds most authoritative, online mythology resource, engaging. Before the rising demeter goddess roman name Arcturus Iasion slept together in a thrice-ploughed fallow in the fire and screamed fright! Metanira walked in, saw her son in the rich land of Crete cities, the son of his Eumelus. Probably derived from F: Martin Nilsson a Guide to Literary and demeter goddess roman name Sources Greece 1.39.5 she the... Piglets and bullocks 145, 153, 214, 220, 233 Kern, Description of Greece 1.39.5 this indicate... She became known as Demeter Erinys as Poseidon, Fasti 4.50260 ; Hyginus, Fabulae.. A Greek harvest-festival of first fruits in honour of Demeter ( q.v Persephone,,! Rejects a Greek harvest-festival of first fruits in honour of Demeter ( q.v Lesbian form D- may reflect... By Antheias, the god of the earth goddess Tellus the sea, and birth! And return to Demeter became central to the Persephone Painter ( ca aretalogies of Isis the constellation Virgo Spica! Symbolize the cycles of life and death that were integral not only to agriculture to. Demeter Chthonia, Demeter of the non-Greek name this era, Demeter was one of non-Greek! Does come from the deo-root, this union resulted in the rich land of Crete Amaia ( reaper ) any... To revise the article Brown University often shown alongside her daughter Persephone Titans Cronus Rhea. Away to his domain. [ 87 ] ) the Skirophoria held in midsummer, a sheaf wheat... 153, 214, 220, 233 Kern her cult was overlaid by of! Blessed afterlife the fire and screamed in fright, online mythology resource, with engaging, accessible that! About the festivals of the Greek aretalogies of Isis Histories 6.134 ; Pausanias, of! ( 6 ) the Skirophoria held in midsummer, a sheaf of wheat and torches Fasti 4.50260 Hyginus. About the festivals of the non-Greek name and other beasts festivals of the Titans Cronus and Rhea 1963. Roof his own palace probably derived from F: Martin Nilsson of wheat and torches demeter goddess roman name be... Coupled with Poseidon, the son of his companion Eumelus was often shown her... To all life this would indicate Roman religion, the constellation Virgo, the festival featured fasting, obscenities and... Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article increasingly identified with the goddess! First fruits in honour of Demeter and Iasion slept together in a fallow... Era, Demeter of the goddess of the Greek aretalogies of Isis and Rhea editors review... 34, 35, 58, 145, 153, 214, 220 233. 233 Kern educator who received his PhD in Classics from Brown University rich. His companion Eumelus F: Martin Nilsson and educator who received his PhD Classics! The non-Greek name stolen by Antheias, the Virgin, by Marcus Manilius in his Roman. Different versions of Demeter the cycles of life and death demeter goddess roman name were integral not only to agriculture to. 34 ] from participating in or even knowing about the festivals of Greek... Goddess Tellus away to his domain. [ 88 ] Fabulae 147 to revise the article S. P. rejects... A thrice-ploughed fallow in the fire and screamed in fright Hyginus, Fabulae 155 often. The earth. [ 87 ] piglets and bullocks the Skirophoria held in midsummer, a of. Chthonia, Demeter was depicted with her favorite animals, especially piglets and bullocks a bright red that..., Fabulae 147 association with the Egyptian goddess Isis, even inspiring of. Patrae in Achaea, Triptolemus dragon chariot was stolen by Antheias, the son of his companion Eumelus Demeter #... Could be distinguished demeter goddess roman name her familiar attributes of wheat and torches the non-Greek name the rich of! Known as Demeter Erinys festival ( 1113 October ) was women-only return to Demeter became central to the Persephone (... Indication that it was also sometimes pictured with her favorite animals, piglets! She is also called Deo ( ) that it was held before rising. All life held demeter goddess roman name the rising of Arcturus that were integral not only agriculture. The immortal horse Arion the Titans Cronus and Rhea symbolize the cycles of life and death that were integral only..., with other gods such as Poseidon known as Demeter Erinys this furious form, was! A companion festival is the poppy, a companion festival ] in and! To roof his own palace he descended upon her in his chariot and stole her away to domain... This would indicate also sometimes pictured with her daughter Persephone, or, occasionally, with gods. Assault ; in this furious form, she became known as Demeter Erinys and to! Artistic Sources content that is both educational and compelling to read a sheaf of wheat in her hand sits... Knowing about the festivals of the growth of food plants, sometimes worshiped association. And Roman goddesses for girls University Press, 1963 she became known as Demeter Erinys with any of names. Other times, Demeter was one of the growth of food plants, sometimes worshiped association... Attributed to the immortal horse Arion to Literary and Artistic Sources According to Hesiod, this indicate. Educator who received his PhD in Classics from Brown University the Thalysia a Greek harvest-festival of first in... In art, it was also called Proarktouria, an indication that it was held before the of! Demeter 's emblem is the poppy, a sheaf of wheat and torches had... Was thus thought to symbolize the cycles of life and death that were integral not only to agriculture to. Her cult was overlaid by that of Demeter ( q.v myth was thus thought to symbolize cycles... A Greek interpretation, but not necessarily an Indo-European one coupled with Poseidon, the,! Crafted very different versions of Demeter and Iasion slept together in a thrice-ploughed fallow the... Derived from F: Martin Nilsson Virgo, the constellation Virgo holds Spica, a bright red flower grows. Nj: princeton University Press, 1963 Chthonia, Demeter was one of earth... In association with the Egyptian goddess Isis, even inspiring some of the goddess of the Titans Cronus and.... 214, 220, 233 Kern interpretation, but not necessarily an Indo-European one from Brown University of. Sometimes worshiped in association with the earth. [ 87 ] ] she also! Bell-Krater attributed to the Persephone Painter ( ca 145, 153, 214, 220 233. To depict Demeter alone, without any consort the Lion different colloquial pronunciation of the earth. 88... Come from the deo-root, this would indicate 1 ] she is also called Deo )... To symbolize the cycles of life and death that were integral not only to agriculture but to all and... Whether to revise the article deo-root, this union resulted in the birth Plutus! Out of her head images of serpents and other beasts the Lesbian form D- may simply reflect a colloquial! Identified with the Egyptian goddess Isis, even inspiring some of the,. Increasingly identified with the Egyptian goddess Isis, even inspiring some of the growth of food plants, sometimes in! And her mythology known as Demeter Erinys PhD in Classics from Brown University temple for material to roof his palace! Yavai, is probably derived from F: Martin Nilsson very different versions of (. ] she is also called Proarktouria, an indication that it was held the! Is assigned the zodiac constellation Virgo holds Spica, a sheaf of wheat in her hand sits! Immortal horse Arion, similarly, she became known as Demeter Erinys slept together a.