Demeter

Demeter
Goddess of agriculture, harvest, fertility, seasons and sacred law.
A marble statue of Demeter, National Roman Museum
Other names	Sito, Thesmophoros
Abode	Mount Olympus
Symbol	Cornucopia, wheat, torch, bread
Festivals	Thesmophoria, Eleusinian Mysteries
Personal information
Consort	Iasion, Zeus, Carmanor, Poseidon
Children	Persephone, Despoina, Arion, Plutus, Philomelus, Eubuleus, Chrysothemis
Parents	Cronus and Rhea
Siblings	Hestia, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, Zeus, Chiron
Equivalents
Roman equivalent	Ceres
Meitei equivalent	Phouoibi[1]

Demeter (Attic Greek: Δημήτηρ, Dēmḗtēr; Doric: Δαμάτηρ, Dāmā́tēr) is the goddess of the harvest and agriculture in ancient Greek religion and myth, one of the Twelve Olympians. The elder sister of Zeus, Demeter presided over grains and the fertility of the earth. She served as the patron goddess of farmers, and was believed to have taught men how to reap and cultivate the harvest. By Zeus, she is the mother of Persephone, the wife of Hades and queen of the underworld. Both she and Persephone were central figures of the Eleusinian Mysteries, a series of festivals held in honor of the two goddesses in the region of Attica. Her symbols were the scythe, cornucopia, wheat, bread and harvest grains, and the pig and snake were her sacred animals. Her Roman equivalent is Ceres.

In Greek Mythology, Demeter's daughter Persephone was kidnapped by Hades, and made her bride. Demeter grieved the loss of her daughter, bringing on a long famine. Eventually an accord was met by which Persephone would spend part of the year underground, and the rest above ground with her mother. This cycle is the Mythological explanation for the seasons.

1. ↑ Rao, Nitya; Rürup, Luise (1997). A Just Right: Women's Ownership of Natural Resources and Livelihood Security. Friedrich Ebert Stiftung. p. 175. ISBN 978-81-7440-044-4.