Demeter and Greek Mythology
According to Greek mythology, Demeter, Hera, Poseidon, Hades, Hestia, and Zeus, were all the children of Cronus (also known as Kronos), and Rhea. Five of the six children were swallowed, by Cronus, immediately after they were born because Cronus was told that one of his children would overthrow him and take his place as the god and ruler of all gods and all living things. Zeus was the only child who was not swallowed and that was just because when the time came for him to be born, his mother, Rhea went to Crete and gave birth to him there, then hid him in a cave near the city of Crete. She then went back to her husband, Cronus, with a rock covered in baby clothes. Cronus immediately swallowed it thinking it was the baby Zeus. Later Rhea gave Cronus an herb to drink telling him that ir would make him invincible. As soon as he drank it, he regurgitated and up came the rock and the five children he had swallowed in the reverse order in which he had swallowed them.
Demeter became the goddess of the harvest or goddess of the fields. She was a fair haired goddess who blessed every phase of the crops and harvest. It is said that she walks the furrowed fields and is wearing green clothing. She displays her moods through feast and famine. If she is in a good mood, the crops will be plentiful. If she is not in a good mood, there will be famines cast upon the fields.
It seems that Demeter had two beautiful daughters named Okeanos (Ocean) and Persephone. While Demeter was playing with her daughters in a field of flowers, her daughter Persephone was abducted by Hades and Demeter did not know what happened to her because she did not hear her cries for help. As the story goes, Hades wanted a life mate and he asked Zeus for one of his daughters. Instead of giving him one of his daughters, Zeus helped him plot the kidnaping of his niece, Persephone. It seems that while the women were in the field smelling all of the beautiful flowers, Zeus put a large flower there with many heads among the others. When Persephone bent over to smell the unusual flower Hades came from underground in his chariot and scooped up Persephone, then disappeared again underground where he lived. Hades was the god of the Underworld and all precious metals.
No one but the gods, Hekate (Hecate) and Helios (the Sun) heard Persephone’s pleas for help. After her daughter’s disappearance, Demeter refused to eat or drink anything for nine days and spent her time searching for Persephone. On the 10th day, Helio told her what had happened. Demeter caused a drought and refused to make the crops grow until she got her daughter back. She finally made a deal with Hades to get her daughter back for the growing season and Hades got her during the winter months when the crops did not grow.
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