DEMETER

Demeter, “the mother of the union”, is the power that supports the effort of perfecting our nature in order to realize the union of spirit and matter.

Demeter and Persephone - Louvre Museum

Demeter and Persephone, Louvre Museum, Paris

Demeter, the goddess of domesticated nature and crops – especially wheat, the noblest amongst grains – has little affinity with untamed nature and its wild, tumultuous expressions. Daughter of Cronos, she bore her brother Zeus a daughter named Core, later also known as Persephone when she was united with Hades, the god of the underworld.

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One day, when Core was frolicking with her nymph friends, Gaia made a wonderful flower spring from the earth before her as a favour to Hades. When Core leaned down to pick the flower, the earth parted before her. Hades surged forth from the gulf and dragged her away to his kingdom with the tacit complicity of his brother Zeus. The young woman only had time to emit a scream, heard only by Hecate and Helios.

Worried by her disappearance, her mother ran to find her, but Core proved to be impossible to find. Demeter then wandered the world for nine days and nine nights in her search but in vain. On the tenth day she was led by Hecate to the sun Helios, ‘he who sees all things’, and who revealed the identity of the culprit. In despair and knowing that she had no hope of persuading her brother Hades, Demeter decided to quit Olympus. As soon as she did so, the earth was deprived of her nourishing support and became sterile.

Then, lamenting the destiny of her vanished daughter, she took on the appearance of an elderly woman and went to Eleusis. There she was welcomed by the four daughters of King Keleos and was led to his palace before their mother, queen Metaneira. The latter had just given birth to a son, Demophon, who had been long wished for after the birth of her daughters. Intuiting uncommon gifts in the elderly woman, the queen employed her as the child’s nurse. Wishing to render the child immortal, the goddess rubbed him with ambrosia during the day and plunged him in a purifying fire at night to burn all that was mortal within him.

Although the child was growing beautifully, curiosity led his mother to spy on the elderly woman (the goddess), and she beheld her magical operations. As the treatments alarmed the child’s mother, Demeter unwillingly returned him to her, uttering these awful words: ‘Witless are you mortals and dull to foresee your lot, whether of good or evil, that comes upon you.’ (Homeric Hymns: Hymn to Demeter). She predicted that the sons of Eleusis would undergo terrible battles. Then, having regained her divine form, she revealed her identity to her divine hosts, ordered them to establish in her honour the mysteries of Eleusis and requested a temple to be built there for their celebration.