DEMETER My favorite Thanksgiving story is the Greek legend about Demeter, goddess of agriculture. Demeter wasn’t just a goddess. She was known as "The Fierce Mother!" Passionately devoted to her only child, the lovely Persephone, and to the Earth, she nurtured both with the great love of a mother's heart. But one day Hades, the lonely King of the Underworld, kidnapped Persephone and carried her off to his dark kingdom. 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 or would tell her where she had gone. The goddess sank into a grief so profound that she abandoned her 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 stolen Persephone. Outraged, she demanded that Zeus, King of the Gods, restore her child to her. Conditions in the world had become so dire that Zeus was forced to act. He ordered Hades to return Persephone to her mother. But Hades claimed that the unhappy girl had finally broken her fast by eating seven seeds of a pomegranite - the symbol of marriage in the ancient world. As his wife, she was required to remain with him. Zeus made a canny compromise. Persephone would live with her mother for 2/3 of every year, returning to Hades for 1/3 only - after the harvest! Demeter had to be content. 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. They celebrated that. In this harvest image, the story of Demeter and Persephone is told in the border. In the center, Demeter, the goddess of abundance, walks through a landscape radiant with November richness. Happy Thanksgiving, Goddess! Like Demeter, let’s celebrate every day we’re given with loved ones. |