'''Demeter''' was the Olympian goddess of agriculture, grain and bread who sustained mankind with the earth's rich bounty. She presided over the foremost of the Mystery Cults which promised its intiates the path to a blessed afterlife in the realm of Elysium. Demeter was depicted as a mature woman, often wearing a crown and bearing sheafs of wheat or a cornucopia (horn of plenty), and a torch.

In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Demeter is the Olympian goddess of the harvest and agriculture, presiding over crops, grains, food, and the fertility of the earth. Although Demeter is mostly known as a grain goddess, she also appeared as a goddess of health, birth, and marriage, and had connections to the Underworld. She is also called Deo.

In Greek tradition, Demeter is the second child of the Titans Rhea and Cronus, and sister to Hestia, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus. Like her other siblings except Zeus, she was swallowed by her father as an infant and rescued by Zeus. Through Zeus, she became the mother of Persephone, a fertility goddess and resurrection deity. In addition to Zeus, Demeter had a lover, Iasion (a Cretan), to whom she bore Plutus (Wealth; i.e., abundant produce of the soil).

One of the most notable Homeric Hymns, the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, tells the story of Persephone's abduction by Hades and Demeter's search for her. When Hades, the King of the Underworld, wished to make Persephone his wife, he abducted her from a field while she was picking flowers, with Zeus' leave. Demeter searched everywhere to find her missing daughter to no avail until she was informed that Hades had taken her to the Underworld.

In response, Demeter neglected her duties as goddess of agriculture, plunging the earth into a deadly famine where nothing would grow, causing mortals to die. Zeus ordered Hades to return Persephone to her mother to avert the disaster. 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.

Though Demeter is often described simply as the goddess of the harvest, she presided also over the sacred law and the cycle of life and death. She and Persephone were the central figures of the Eleusinian Mysteries, which promised the initiated a happy afterlife. This religious tradition was based on ancient agrarian cults of agricultural communities and predated the Olympian pantheon, probably having its roots in the Mycenaean period.

According to Ovid, the sirens were the companions of young Persephone. Her mother, Demeter, gave them wings to search for Persephone when she was abducted by Hades. However, the Fabulae of Hyginus has Demeter cursing the sirens for failing to intervene in the abduction of Persephone.

Another important aspect of Demeter was that of a divinity of the underworld; she was worshiped as such at Sparta. Demeter also appeared as a goddess of health, birth, and marriage. A certain number of political and ethnic titles were assigned to her, the most important being Amphiktyonis.

Her attributes were connected chiefly with her character as goddess of agriculture and vegetation—ears of grain, the mystic basket filled with flowers, grain, and fruit of all kinds. The pig was her favourite animal, and as a chthonian (underworld) deity she was accompanied by a snake. In Greek art Demeter resembled Hera, but she was more matronly and of milder expression; her form was broader and fuller. She was sometimes riding in a chariot drawn by horses or dragons, sometimes walking, or sometimes seated upon a throne, alone or with her daughter.

Demeter was often considered to be the same figure as the Anatolian goddess Cybele, and she was identified with the Roman goddess Ceres.

Below are characters from Greek mythology who are considered children of Demeter. In some cases there are conflicting stories about who their parents are. A complete list is here.
* Persephone
* Despoina
* Eubuleus
* Arion
* Plutus
* Philomelus
* Iacchus
* Acheron
* Hecate (Orphic)

All published appearances of Demeter from before January 1, )-(95)}} are public domain in the US.

Notable appearances are listed below:

* Bibliotheca historica by Diodorus Siculus
* Theogony
* Odyssey
* The Epic of Hades, by Lewis Morris (1877)

* Homeric Hymn to Demeter

* A ship named after the Greek goddess, the Demeter was a Russian sailing vessel responsible for bringing the vampire count Dracula from his homeland in Wallachia to the seaside town of Whitby in England.

Demeter, or Ceres. (Greek mythology systematized).png|Demeter, or Ceres in Greek Mythology Systematized by Sarah Amelia Scull.
Demeter MKL1888.png|Fresco depicting Ceres (Demeter), found in Pompeii in the Casa del Naviglio, now in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.

* Wikipedia
* [https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Demeter_-_Greek_goddess_of_the_harvest.jpg Wikimedia Commons I]
* [https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Demeter,_or_Ceres._(Greek_mythology_systematized).png Wikimedia Commons II]
* [https://comicvine.gamespot.com/demeter/4005-10914/ Comicvine]
* [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Characters/ClassicalMythologyFirstGenerationOlympians TV Tropes]
* Myths in Media Wiki
* Myth & Folklore Wiki
* [https://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Demeter.html Theoi]
* [https://www.giantbomb.com/demeter/3005-22616/ GiantBomb]
* Religion Wiki
* Gacha Games Wiki
* [https://www.britannica.com/topic/Demeter Britannica]
* DC Wiki
* Marvel Wiki
* Ultimate Pop Culture Wiki
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