Demeter By Sara Jane Gage

Demeter is goddess of… Agriculture Underworld Moral law Fertility

Demeter’s Symbols Corn Cornucopias Pigs Serpents Geckos

Demeter and Persephone  Demeter’s daughter, Persephone was kidnapped by Hades  Demeter searched for her for a very long time, and finally found her  Since Persephone had eaten the food of the Underworld, she could not return  Zeus made Hades return Persephone to Demeter, but Persephone had to spend part of every year in the Underworld.

Demeter and Persephone  The time of year that Persephone is in the Underworld, Demeter won’t let the crops grow  When Persephone returns, Demeter lets all of the crops grow again  This is the Ancient Greek’s mythical explanation of the seasons

“Demeter” by Carol Ann Duffy Where I lived - winter and hard earth. I sat in my cold stone room choosing tough words, granite, flint, To break the ice. My broken heart - I tried that, but it skimmed, flat, over the frozen lake. She came from a long, long way, but I saw her at last, walking, my daughter, my girl, across the fields, In bare feet, bringing all spring's flowers to her mother's house. I swear the air softened and warmed as she moved, The blue sky smiling, none too soon, with the small shy mouth of a new moon.

Eleusinian Mysteries  Secret ceremony in Athens dedicated to Demeter and Persephone  The ceremony thanked Demeter for a good harvest, and honored Persephone to ensure a happy afterlife  The details are unknown, since the participants were sworn to secrecy

The End! Thank you for listening.

Bibliography  Adkins, Leslie, and Roy A Adkins. Handbook to Life in Ancient Greece Updated Edition. Facts on File. N.p., 2 Sept Web. 20 Sept  Daly, Kathleen N. Greek and Roman Mythology A-Z. Facts on File. N.p., Web. 20 Sept  “Demeter, Greek Goddess of the Bountiful Harvesy.” Goddess Gift. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept  “DEMETER: Summary of the Olympian Goddess.” ‌. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Sept  Leadbetter, Ron. “Eleusinian Mysteries.” ‌. N.p., 10 June Web. 15 Sept  Sacks, David. Eleusinian Mysteries. Facts on File. N.p., 2 Sept Web. 20 Sept