DEMETER: GODDESS OF AGRICULTURE AND FIERCE MOTHER Demeter, the Greek goddess of agriculture, was the mother of all life on Earth and of a single, cherished child, Persephone. One day Hades, King of the Underworld, abducted the girl and carried her off to his kingdom where he forced her to marry him. Demeter was devastated. She searched tirelessly for Persephone, wandering the world with her torch, calling her name. But she had disappeared without a trace. Nobody could tell where she had gone. Demeter sank into a grief so profound that she abandoned her usual care for the world. Crops failed. Animals perished. People sickened and died as well. Their cries to the goddess for help went unanswered. Eventually, Demeter discovered that Hades had kidnapped Persephone. Outraged, she demanded that Zeus, King of the Gods, restore her daughter to her. Conditions in the world had become so dire that Zeus was forced to act. He ordered the dark king to return Persephone to her mother. Hades resisted, claiming that the girl belonged to him since she had finally broken her hunger strike to eat seven seeds of a pomegranate he offered her – a symbol of marriage in ancient Greece. Because of this trick, Persephone was allowed to return to Earth for only 2/3 of every year. After Harvest, she was forced to return to her husband for the winter months. Demeter had to be content with this compromise. Her joy at her reunion with Persephone was great. Soon, Earth bloomed again. Radiant summer followed fragrant spring, and a bumper harvest made thanksgiving celebrations greater than ever. When Persephone returned to the Underworld, winter returned to Greece. But people lived in hope. They knew that when she came back, Demeter’s blessing would be restored to the world she loved as her second child. They celebrated that. Story on back of card |