Demeter (Ceres)

Demeter (Ceres)

Demeter (Ceres) is the goddess of agriculture, grain, and the harvest. Not to be dramatic, but we basically have her to thank for our survival on planet Earth. She taught the art of agriculture to Triptolemus, who then spread this knowledge to the rest of mankind. Since agriculture is kind of necessary for existence, we owe her big time. The most famous myth involving Demeter describes the abduction of her daughter, Persephone, by Hades, the Lord of the Dead. (Don't worry, Shmoop's got you covered for the full scoop on that story). From this myth, we actually get an explanation for the changing of the seasons. So if you live somewhere snowy, you have Demeter to thank... or to blame... your call.

Basic Information

NameDemeter
NicknameCeres, Mother Corn, Mama D, Aganippe
SexFemale
Current cityMount Olympus

Work & Education

OccupationGoddess of Agriculture, Grain, and the Harvest
EducationI'm the teacher, not the student. You're welcome, Triptolemus. And mankind.

Beliefs

Political viewsThe Green Party

Family & Friends (& Enemies)

ParentsCronus (father), Rhea (mother)
ChildrenWith Zeus: My lovely Persephone
With Poseidon: Despoena, Arion
With Iasion: Corybas, Philomenus, Plutus
FriendsTriptolemus
Hecate
Helios
Demophon
Phytalos
Iambe
EnemiesHades (the world's worst son-in-law)
Erysichthon
Ascalaphus
Ascalabus (different guy, both turned into animals by yours truly)
Minthe

Relationships

Relationship statusSingle
Encounters with Zeus, Poseidon, Iasion
Interested inI've had enough romance. Now my focus is on my daughter.

Favorites

Quotations"Measure the corn of others by your own bushel."
– Yiddish Proverb

"The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread."
– Mother Teresa

"There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children."
– Nelson Mandela

"Now is the winter of our discontent."
– William Shakespeare

"When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child."
– Sophia Loren

"Plough deep while sluggards sleep, and you shall have corn to sell and keep."
– Benjamin Franklin

"To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven."
– Ecclesiastes 3:1

"There are people in the world so hungry that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread."
– Mahatma Gandhi
BooksPercy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Walden by Henry David Thoreau
in Just- by e. e. cummings
Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? by Joyce Carol Oates
The Old Farmer's Almanac
Demeter and Persephone by Lord Alfred Tennyson
Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
MusicFields of Gold by Eva Cassidy (originally by Sting, but Eva is just glorious)
Cornflake Girl by Tori Amos
Daughters by John Mayer
Sprout and the Bean by Joanna Newsom
Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes
Thank God I'm a Country Boy by John Denver
This Land is Your Land by Woody Guthrie
Big Yellow Taxi by Joni Mitchell
Mother Earth and Father Time (from the Charlotte's Web animated movie)
MoviesRabbit Hole
Planet Earth
Mamma Mia!
The Straight Story
Pocahontas
Field of Dreams
Babe
Farmageddon

Activities & Interests

LikesCornflakes
Whole Foods
John Deere
Torches
Tractor pulls
Corn mazes
Helios
Harvest festivals
Jack o' lanterns
DislikesSons-in-law
The underworld
Candy corn
ActivitiesPlaying FarmVille
Harvesting crops
Regulating the seasons
Teaching mankind about agriculture
Bobbing for apples
Being a mother
Sipping corn whiskey (Hey, a goddess has to relax once in a while)
InterestsAgriculture
Gardening
Bread making
Parenting techniques
GroupsGods and Goddesses of Olympus
Bread Lovers Association
Food and Agriculture Association of the UN
Mothers Who Miss Their Daughters