DEMETER: The Fierce Mother & Goddess of the Harvest My favorite Thanksgiving story is the Greek legend of Demeter, goddess of agriculture and growing things. Demeter wasn’t just a goddess. She was the mother, both of Earth and of a single, cherished child. The joy of her life was Persephone, her lovely daughter. But one day Hades, the lonely King of the Underworld, abducted the maiden and carried her off to his dark kingdom to be his unwilling bride. Demeter was devastated. She searched tirelessly for her child, wandering the world with her torch, calling her name. But Persephone had disappeared without a trace. Nobody could tell her where she had gone. Demeter sank into a grief so profound that she abandoned her usual care for the world. Crops failed. Animals died. Weakened by famine and blasted by drought and winter, people sickened and died as well. Their cries 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 other child. They celebrated that. |