Free Essay

Demeter

In: Historical Events

Submitted By averyc98
Words 2241
Pages 9
Demeter
Mother goddess; goddess of marriage, sacred law and the harvest
Consort Iasion, Zeus, Oceanus, Karmanor and Triptolemus
Parents Cronus and Rhea
Children Persephone, Despoina, Arion, Plutus, Philomelus, Eubuleus, Chrysothemis and Amphitheus I
Roman equivalent Ceres
Festivals Thesmophoria
In ancient Greek religion and myth, Demeter (/diˈmiːtər/; Attic Δημήτηρ Dēmētēr. Doric Δαμάτηρ Dāmātēr) is the goddess of the harvest, who presided over grains and the fertility of the earth. Her cult titles include Sito (σίτος: wheat) as the giver of food or corn/grain[1] and Thesmophoros (θεσμός, thesmos: divine order, unwritten law) as a mark of the civilized existence of agricultural society.[2]
Though Demeter is often described simply as the goddess of the harvest, she presided also over the sanctity of marriage, the sacred law, and the cycle of life and death. She and her daughter Persephone were the central figures of the Eleusinian Mysteries that predated the Olympian pantheon. In the Linear B Mycenean Greek tablets of circa 1400–1200 BC found at Pylos, the "two mistresses and the king" may be related with Demeter, Persephone and Poseidon.[3][4] Her Roman equivalent is Ceres.[5]
Etymology
Didrachme from Paros island, struck at the Cyclades and representing Demeter
Demeter's character as mother-goddess is identified in the second element of her name meter (μήτηρ) derived from Proto-Indo-European *méh₂tēr (mother).[6] In antiquity, different explanations were already proffered for the first element of her name. It is possible that Da (Δᾶ) (which became Attic Ge (Γῆ)) is the Doric form of De (Δῆ), "earth", the old name of the chthonic earth-goddess, and that Demeter is "Mother-Earth".[7] This root also appears in the Linear B inscription E-ne-si-da-o-ne, "earth-shaker", as an aspect of the god Poseidon.[8] However, the dā element is not so simply equated with "earth" according to John Chadwick.[9]
The element De- may be connected with Deo, a surname of Demeter[10] probably derived from the Cretan word dea (δηά), Ionic zeia (ζειά) meaning "barley", so that she is the Corn-Mother and the giver of food generally.[11] Arcadian cult to Demeter links her to a male deity (Greek: Πάρεδρος, Paredros), who accompanied the Great Goddess and has been interpreted as a possible substitution for Poseidon; Demeter may therefore be related to a Minoan Great Goddess.[12]
An alternative, Proto-Indo-European etymology comes through Potnia and Despoina; where Des- represents a derivative of PIE *dem (house, dome), and Demeter is "mother of the house" (from PIE *dems-méh₂tēr).[13]
Agricultural deity
According to the Athenian rhetorician Isocrates, Demeter's greatest gifts to humankind were agriculture, particularly of cereals, and the Mysteries which give the initiate higher hopes in this life and the afterlife.[14] These two gifts were intimately connected in Demeter's myths and mystery cults. In Homer's Odyssey she is the blond-haired goddess who separates the chaff from the grain.[15] In Hesiod, prayers to Zeus-Chthonios (chthonic Zeus) and Demeter help the crops grow full and strong.[16] Demeter's emblem is the poppy, a bright red flower that grows among the barley.[17]
In Hesiod's Theogony, Demeter is the daughter of Cronus and Rhea. At the marriage of Cadmus and Harmonia, Demeter lured Iasion away from the other revelers. They had intercourse in a ploughed furrow in Crete, and she gave birth to a son, Ploutos.[18] Her daughter by Zeus was Persephone, Queen of the Underworld.[19]
Festivals and cults
Demeter's two major festivals were sacred mysteries. Her Thesmophoria festival (11–13 October) was women-only.[20] Her Eleusinian mysteries were open to initiates of any gender or social class. At the heart of both festivals were myths concerning Demeter as Mother and Persephone as her daughter.
Myths
Demeter and Persephone
Demeter drives her horse-drawn chariot containing her daughter Persephone-Kore at Selinunte, Sicily 6th century BC.
Demeter's virgin daughter Persephone was abducted to the underworld by Hades. Demeter searched for her ceaselessly, preoccupied with her loss and her grief. The seasons halted; living things ceased their growth, then began to die.[21] Faced with the extinction of all life on earth, Zeus sent his messenger Hermes to the underworld to bring Persephone back. Hades agreed to release her, but gave her a pomegranate. When she ate the pomegranate seeds, she was bound to him for one third of the year, either the dry Mediterranean summer, when plant life is threatened by drought,[22] or the autumn and winter.[23] There are several variations on the basic myth. In the Homeric hymn to Demeter, Hecate assists in the search and later becomes Persephone's underworld attendant.[24] In another, Persephone willingly and secretly eats the pomegranate seeds, thinking to deceive Hades, but is discovered and made to stay. In all versions, Persephone's time in the underworld corresponds with the unfruitful seasons of the ancient Greek calendar, and her return to the upper world with springtime. Demeter's descent to retrieve Persephone from the underworld is connected to the Eleusinian Mysteries.

Demeter and her daughter Persephone were usually called:[25]
The goddesses, often distinguished as "the older" and "the younger" in Eleusis.
Demeters, in Rhodes and Sparta
The thesmophoroi, "the legislators" in the Thesmophoria.
The Great Goddesses, in Arcadia.
The mistresses in Arcadia.[26]
In Mycenaean Pylos, Demeter and Persephone were probably called "queens" (wa-na-ssoi). [4]

The myth of the capture of Persephone seems to be pre-Greek. In the Greek version Ploutos (πλούτος, wealth) represents the wealth of the corn that was stored in underground silos or ceramic jars (pithoi). Similar subterranean pithoi were used in ancient times for funerary practices is fused with Persephone, the Queen of the underworld. At the beginning of the autumn, when the corn of the old crop is laid on the fields she ascends and is reunited with her mother Demeter, for at this time the old crop and the new meet each other.[27]
According to the personal mythology of Robert Graves,[28] Persephone is not only the younger self of Demeter,[29] she is in turn also one of three guises of the Triple Goddess — Kore (the youngest, the maiden, signifying green young grain), Persephone (in the middle, the nymph, signifying the ripe grain waiting to be harvested), and Hecate (the eldest of the three, the crone, the harvested grain), which to a certain extent reduces the name and role of Demeter to that of group name. Before her abduction, she is called Kore; and once taken she becomes Persephone ('she who brings destruction').[30]
Demeter at Eleusis
Demeter's search for her daughter Persephone took her to the palace of Celeus, the King of Eleusis in Attica. She assumed the form of an old woman, and asked him for shelter. He took her in, to nurse Demophon and Triptolemus, his sons by Metanira. To reward his kindness, she planned to make Demophon immortal; she secretly anointed the boy with ambrosia and laid him in the flames of the hearth, to gradually burn away his mortal self. But Metanira walked in, saw her son in the fire and screamed in fright. Demeter abandoned the attempt. Instead, she taught Triptolemus the secrets of agriculture, and he in turn taught them to any who wished to learn them. Thus, humanity learned how to plant, grow and harvest grain. The myth has several versions; some are linked to figures such as Eleusis, Rarus and Trochilus. The Demophon element may be based on an earlier folk tale.[31]

Demeter and Poseidon
Demeter and Poseidon's names appear in the earliest scratched notes in Linear B found at Mycenae and Mycenaean Pylos. E-ne-si-da-o-ne (earth-shaker) for Poseidon, and Si-to po-ti-ni-ja, who is probably related with Demeter.[32]
In the myths of isolated Arcadia in southern Greece, Despoina, is daughter of Demeter and Poseidon Hippios. These myths seem to be connected with the first Greek-speaking people who came from the north during the Bronze age. Poseidon represents the river spirit of the underworld and he appears as a horse as it often happens in northern-European folklore. He pursues the mare-Demeter and she bears one daughter who obviously originally had the form or the shape of a mare too. Demeter and Despoina were closely connected with springs and animals, related to Poseidon as a God of waters and especially with the mistress of the animals Artemis, the goddess of Nymphs.
Demeter as mare-goddess was pursued by Poseidon, and hid from him among the horses of King Onkios, but could not conceal her divinity. In the form of a stallion, Poseidon caught and covered her. Demeter was furious (erinys) at Poseidon's assault; in this furious form, she is known as Demeter Erinys. But she washed away her anger in the River Ladon, becoming Demeter Lousia, the "bathed Demeter".[33] "In her alliance with Poseidon," Karl Kerenyi noted,[34] "she was Earth, who bears plants and beasts, and could therefore assume the shape of an ear of grain or a mare." She bore a daughter Despoina (Δέσποινα: the "Mistress"), whose name should not be uttered outside the Arcadian Mysteries,[35] and a horse named Arion, with a black mane and tail.
In Arcadia, Demeter's mare-form was worshiped into historical times. Her xoanon of Phigaleia shows how the local cult interpreted her: a Medusa type with a horse's head with snaky hair, holding a dove and a dolphin, probably representing her power over air and water.[36]
The second mountain, Mt. Elaios, is about 30 stades from Phigaleia, and has a cave sacred to Demeter Melaine ["Black"]... the Phigalians say, they accounted the cave sacred to Demeter, and set up a wooden image in it. The image was made in the following fashion: it was seated on a rock, and was like a woman in all respects save the head. She had the head and hair of a horse, and serpents and other beasts grew out of her head. Her chiton reached right to her feet, and she held a dolphin in one hand, a dove in the other. Why they made the xoanon like this should be clear to any intelligent man who is versed in tradition. They say they named her Black because the goddess wore black clothing. However, they cannot remember who made this xoanon or how it caught fire; but when it was destroyed the Phigalians gave no new image to the goddess and largely neglected her festivals and sacrifices, until finally barrenness fell upon the land.

Titles and functions
Demeter's epithets show her many religious functions. She was the "Corn-Mother" who blesses the harvesters. Some cults interpreted her as "Mother-Earth". Demeter may be linked to goddess-cults of Minoan Crete, and embody aspects of a pre-Hellenic Great Goddess. Her other epithets include:
Triptolemus, Demeter and Persephone by the Triptolemos-painter, ca 470 BC, Louvre
Aganippe ("the Mare who destroys mercifully", "Night-Mare") Potnia ("mistress") in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter. Hera especially, but also Artemis and Athena, are addressed as "potnia" as well.
Despoina ("mistress of the house"), a Greek word similar to the Mycenean potnia. This title was also applied to Persephone, Aphrodite and Hecate. Thesmophoros ("giver of customs" or even "legislator"), a role that links her to the even more ancient goddess Themis,[2] derived from thesmos, the unwritten law.[37] This title was connected with the Thesmophoria, a festival of secret women-only rituals in Athens connected with marriage customs.
Erinys ("implacable"),[38] with a function similar with the function of the avenging Dike (Justice), goddess of moral justice based on custom rules who represents the divine retribution,[39] and the Erinyes, female ancient chthonic deities of vengeance and implacable agents of retribution.
Chloe ("the green shoot"),[40] that invokes her powers of ever-returning fertility, as does Chthonia. Chthonia ("in the ground"), chthonic Demeter in Sparta.[41]
Anesidora ("sending up gifts from the earth") applied to Demeter in Pausanias 1.31.4, also appears inscribed on an Attic ceramic a name for Pandora on her jar.[42] Europa ("broad face or eyes") at Lebadaea of Boeotia. She was the nurse of Trophonios to whom a chthonic cult and oracle was dedicated.[43] Kidaria in the mysteries of Pheneos in Arcadia [44] where the priest put on the mask of Demeter kept in a secret place. It seems that the cult was connected with the underworld and with an agrarian magic.[45]
Demeter might also be invoked in the guises of: Malophoros ("apple-bearer" or "sheep-bearer", Pausanias 1.44.3)
Lusia ("bathing", Pausanias 8.25.8)
Thermasia ("warmth", Pausanias 2.34.6)
Achaea, the name by which she was worshipped at Athens by the Gephyraeans who had emigrated from Boeotia.[46][47]
Poppy goddess:
Theocritus, wrote of an earlier role of Demeter as a poppy goddess: For the Greeks Demeter was still a poppy goddess
Bearing sheaves and poppies in both hands. — Idyll vii.157
In a clay statuette from Gazi (Heraklion Museum, Kereny 1976 fig 15), the Minoan poppy goddess wears the seed capsules, sources of nourishment and narcosis, in her diadem. "It seems probable that the Great Mother Goddess, who bore the names Rhea and Demeter, brought the poppy with her from her Cretan cult to Eleusis, and it is certain that in the Cretan cult sphere, opium was prepared from poppies" (Kerenyi 1976, p 24).

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Classical Literacy Report On Ceres And Demeter In Greek Mythology

...Jiji Patricio Latin 1—3° April 9, 2015 Ceres/Demeter Classical Literacy Report #10 In Greek mythology Demeter, or Ceres, her Roman name, was the great Olympian goddess of agriculture, fertility, wheat and the harvest, and is also known as the goddess of planned society. Sometimes she is referred to as "Mother Nature" or "mother of cereals" hence her title. She is the daughter of Cronus and Rhea, sister to Poseidon, Zeus, Hades, Hera and Hestia, spouse to Poseidon, Zeus, Mekon, and Iasion, and Despoina, and mother to Persephone Arion, Plutus, Philomelus, Eubuleus, Chrysothemis and Amphitheus I. She has the ability to "control" farming and holds power over Earth's agriculture. Demeter also taught mankind the essential/basic tactics of farming...

Words: 464 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Modern Day Hades: The Greek God Of Evil

...known as the Greek god of the dead, not death. As the Greek god of funeral rites, Hades teaches the mortals the proper way to bury the dead. Hades may also be compared to a kidnapper because some tales say he abducted Persephone to make her his beloved queen. A Greek god sitting among the shadows of the dead until one day he decided to visit Mount Olympus. Persephone the daughter of Zeus and Demeter was the first goddess Hades saw and he instantly fell in love with her. “When he asked Demeter to marry her daughter, Demeter got furious and said there wasn’t the slightest chance for that to happen. Hades was heartbroken and decided to get Persephone no matter what” (“Persephone… Underworld.”). Kidnappers and Hades are alike because they both have a desire for someone they cannot have, but they find a way to get them into their possession. In order for a kidnapper to keep their hostage, they must be tricky and clever at the same time. Typically a kidnapper will request a large ransom from friends, family, the government, etc. depending on the hostage situation. Knowing Persephone’s mother, Demeter, would more than likely demand her daughter to be sent back to Mount Olympus; Hades came up with a plan. The plan involved a purplish-red fruit known as the pomegranate. Pomegranates are the key in order for Hades to keep his bride, Persephone. In the underworld, Persephone is not allowed to eat anything or else she will have to face a consequence. A hungry young bride appeased her terrible...

Words: 1181 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Etiological Myths

...myth is a story which gives an explanation for odd factors in nature or other events. The myth of Demeter and Persephone is one of the most popular etiological myths in Greek mythology which explains the change of seasons. Demeter is the Goddess of the Earth, she taught humans how to plant, raise, and harvest corn, wheat, and barley. The farmers loved her and their wives would set an extra place for her at the dinner table hoping she would join them for dinner. Persephone is the daughter of Demeter; she loved sunshine, wildflowers, and was just a truly happy little goddess. One day Persephone was gathering flowers on a Sicilian meadow and in the distance she noticed a beautiful bloom she had never seen before. What she did not know was that the bloom was created by the earth to lure her to Hades, lord of the Underworld, who fell in love with her since he got struck by one of Eros’ arrows. As she was reaching down to grab the flower, the earth opened up and out came Hades in his chariot, he grabbed her and placed her right beside him in his chariot and drove off before anyone saw anything. Persephone cried for help but no one could hear her screams. The sound of her voice echoed from the mountain heights and Demeter heard her daughter’s cries. She tried to figure out what happened to her daughter but not one of the gods said a word and the mortals could not help. Demeter returned to Sicily where Persephone was last seen and punished the earth by breaking the plows, killing...

Words: 334 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

The Queen Of Persephone: Winter Regime

...Persephone is the queen of the underworld , she has control over when the winter season starts and when the spring season starts. The parents of Persephone are Zeus and Demeter. The special story of persephone is that , one day she was sitting in a flowery meadow and later was captured by Haides and taken to the underworld because he wanted to make her his bride. Her mom , Demeter was looking for her everywhere and later found out that her father ,Zeus had something to do with her capturation. Later when they tried to get her back it was too late , Persephone had eaten from the pomegranate seed that Haides had offer her , and now was forced to spend a third of the year (winter season )with her husband and at the start of spring is when she...

Words: 256 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Engelsk Essay

...There are several tales of love and lust told throughout many generations in Greek mythology, but none can quite compare to the dark, tempting, and unwanted love story of Hades and Persephone.Legend has it; Hades fell in love with Persephone the minute he laid his beady, dark eyes on her. Persephone was relaxing in her place of sanctuary; a glade at the base of a tall mountain while Hades was taking his weekly venture on the living ground. It was then that Hades saw Persephone and he immediately loved her. He loved her for her beauty, her alluring voice, and determined spirit. Hades had heard of Persephone before, but he never knew how beautiful she truly was.

Now, Hades knew her mother Demeter, goddess of the harvest, and he knew that she would never hand over Persephone’s hand in marriage. Still, the thought of returning to the Underworld without the beloved Persephone made his heart ache. So, he resolved to take her by force.
When Persephone saw Hades lingering amongst the trees, she wasn’t frightened, she was more curious than anything. She didn’t recognize him, but she knew he wasn’t mortal, but he didn’t look like the other gods on Mount Olympus. When they locked gazes and his red eyes fell on hers, she shivered.
Persephone went on to ask Hades his name and he replied, announcing his reign over the Underworld. As they conversed back and forth, curious about one another, Hades finally admitted that he loved Persephone with all his heart and he wouldn’t dare leave without...

Words: 642 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Haroun Culmanating Gr10

...read. Athena can represent the theme Good vs Evil. She represents good by helping others and going out of her way to make life easier for those around her. Athena also goes against other Gods just to help humans. For example when Poseidon turned a river into salt water which was not helpful for people, Athena turns it into an olive tree so people can have food resources. Evil is represented by the characters in the story that only think of the benefits for themselves like Poseidon did. Our next award goes to best archetypal situation. It was close but the winner is Demeter and Persephone!! In stories there are many different situations that take place such as Death and re-birth. These situations help make the story interesting to the reader. Demeter and Persephone is an excellent example of ‘the quest’. It best represents ‘the quest’ because after Zeus handed his daughter over to Hades to be married Demeter grew depressed and would not come out of her temple or grow any fruit on earth. However after Persephone was found and brought back fertility was restored to the land. That is similar to the description of ‘the quest’ where there is a search for someone and once they are found it brings fertility to a wasted...

Words: 259 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Ermm

...SE2421 Contemporary Women’s Writing Week 5: 1 November 2011 Dr Becky Munford (munfordr@cardiff.ac.uk) Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) Language, bodies, desire [pic] Word games (1) ‘I didn’t know what it meant, or even what language it was in….Still, it was a message, and it was in writing, forbidden by that very fact, and it hadn’t yet been discovered. Except by me, for whom it was intended.’ (chapter 9, p. 62) (2) ‘So that’s what’s in the forbidden room! Scrabble!...Now it’s forbidden, for us. Now it’s dangerous. Now it’s indecent. Not it’s something he can’t do with his Wife. Now it’s desirable…We play two games. Larynx, I spell. Valance. Quince. Zygote. I hold the glossy counters with their smooth edges, finger the letters. The feeling is voluptuous. This is freedom, an eyeblink of it. Limp, I spell. Gorge. What a luxury. The counters are like candies, made of peppermint, cool like that. Humbugs, those were called. I would like to put them into my mouth. They would also taste of lime. The letter C. Crisp, slightly acid on the tongue, delicious.’ (chapter 23, p. 149) (3) Offred uses [scrabble] as a mirror for herself, as a way of hearing her own voice in an otherwise engulfing, enforced silence. Atwood uses it, I would suggest, as an image of the text, as a mise en abîme, in which one can see this autobiographical ‘tale’ as a Scrabble board on which we must also play. If we have trouble with the plotting of the narrative or the structure...

Words: 1240 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Art Summary

...first generations of Olympians (Classical Myth). His symbols were of tridents, horses, and bulls. Poseidon controlled, from his sea-domain, the dangerous force of the earthquake. Poseidon was often showed in myths as an angry god (Loggia). Poseidon wanted the persecution of Odysseus after the hero blinded the god’s son Polyphemus (Loggia). Poseidon was mad with King Laomedon when he was denied payment for the building the walls of Troy that he sent a sea-monster to destroy the city as punishment. The artwork portrays Poseidon calling upon an earthquake or sea monster to destroy something. Besides being a fighter he was also known as a legendary lover. He was notorious for his rival at times his brother Zeus. He had affair with the goddess Demeter (Classical Myth). The artist probably decided to do this painting because with Greek myths you can go into great detail on how you think the god or goddess looked. This portrait is not a departure on how Crane did his artwork because he was known for his illustrations. I think the...

Words: 500 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Eng 155 Types of Myths Worksheet

...University of Phoenix Material Types of Myths Worksheet Knowledge, Belief, Myth, and Religion Directions: Answer the following question on knowledge, belief, myth, and religion in 3 to 5 sentences. How are knowledge, belief, myth, and religion related to one another and how are they distinct from one another? Use an example from your life or popular culture to explain this relationship. To understand myth or religion people need to have the knowledge and need to belief in what has become part of their faith and values as individuals. First knowledge is needed in order to understand the message and belief of that religion. Myth and religion go together because most of the religions are stories or writings that have been passing thru the years by others. It is only up to the person to decide how myth and religion are interpreted by knowledge and beliefs. This is why knowledge, belief, myth and religion are related to one another. Myths Directions: Choose two examples for each type of myth and identify the pieces of literature, such as a Shakespeare play, in which the examples are found. Greek Myths |Myth 1: |Literature it’s found in: | |“In my opinion mortals have created their gods with the dress and|XENOPHANES, fragment 21 B 14-16 (Diels-Kranz) | |voice and appearance of mortals. If cattle and horses...

Words: 2006 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Researching Paper

...Galeano, Anais Nin. Two famous well known writers from Spain Adriana Ozores, Aldo Sambrell. 6. One famous architectural building in Spain is La Sagrada Familia, Alcazar Castle. Two that are in England are St James' Palace, The London Eye. First God Zeus Jupiter King of the gods and ruler of Mount Olympus; god of the sky, and thunder. Youngest child of the Titans Cronus and Rhea. Second God Hera Juno Queen of the gods and the goddess of marriage and family. Symbols include the peacock, pomegranate, crown, cuckoo, lion, and cow. Youngest daughter of Cronus and Rhea. Third God Poseidon Neptune God of the seas, earthquakes, and tidal wave. Symbols include the horse, bull, dolphin, and trident. Middle son of Cronus and Rhea. Fourth God Demeter Ceres Goddess of fertility, agriculture, nature, and the seasons. Symbols include the poppy, wheat, torch, and pig. Middle daughter of Cronus and Rhea. Her Latin name, Ceres, gave us the word "cereal"[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve_Olympians Olympian Gods Zeus over throw his father Cronsus, he is the brother of Poseidon and Hades. Zeus is the god of the sky and the rain his married to Hera but known for his many affairs. Poseidon is the brother of Zeus and Hades. After the overthrow of their father Cronsus the brothers drew lots for shares of the world. Poseidon prize was to become...

Words: 832 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Proserpina

...not interesting, but I would have to say that I have taken quite a liking to her particular plight and how it relates the seasons of the earth. Born to the goddess Ceres and the god Jupiter, Proserpina found herself in a world for trouble at the hands of Pluto. The plot does indeed thicken as you find out there were other factors at play in the suffering of Proserpina. What god or goddess gave the order that sealed here fate? What forces were in play in this supernatural game of love and intrigue? Proserpina, or as she was sometimes known Proserpine or to the Greeks Persephone, was born to Ceres, the goddess of agriculture and Jupiter, the god of shy and thunder, two high standing deities. Ceres, also known as the Greek goddess Demeter, was the goddess of agriculture as I said, but also associated with grain crops, motherly love and fertility. Ceres was the only agriculture deity to be listed in the Di Consentes list of twelve deities thought to be greater than the rest. Jupiter, also known to the Greeks as Zeus, was king of the gods. He was listed among the twelve deities in the Di Consentes for obvious reasons. So as you can see Proserpina was born to quite the power team of parents. Proserpina name is thought to be derived from the Latin word proserpere meaning to emerge or there Roman...

Words: 1426 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

The Iliad

...example, he hated the Heacatoncheires and they hated him back. Another example was Uranus pushed the Heacatoncheires back in Gaeas womb. Gaea was in pain and was wanting to plot revenge on Uranus. She told her children that she wanted to get revenge back on Uranus with her sickle. The Titans and Cyclopes were scared of their father but Cronus, one of the Titans, was brave. Uranus went to lie down with Gaea and didn’t know that Cronus was hiding and planning revenge on his father. Cronus grabbed his father’s genitals and cut them with his mothers sickle. Uranus promised that Cronus and the other Titans that they would be punished and either died or left the Earth. Cronus married his sister Rhea and they gave birth to Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon. Cronus ate all his children. Rhea was mad and kept Zeus a secret so Cronus wouldn’t eat him. Rhea gave Cronus a stone wrapped in swaddling bands to make believe it was a child. Zeus became older and was planning on making a potion to defeat Cronus because he was old. Zeus disguised the potion as a cupbearer and handed it to Cronus. The potion worked and Cronus threw up Zeus’s siblings and the stone that Rhea gave him. Zeus’s siblings were alive and they all fought Cronus in the underworld. The fighting lasted for ten years and the gods nor Titans could secure a final victory. But, Zeus went to the underworld and released the Cyclopes and the Hecatoncheires. The Cyclopes awarded Zeus with their weapons...

Words: 533 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Persephone Abduction Research Paper

... They alter every story to put themselves in the best possible light; 90% of the stuff found in Greek Mythology is false advertising to make the gods seem more perfect and godly. They generally get the outline of the story right, but fill in the details to their liking. Unlike most of the other gods though, I never was important, little darling Persephone, goddess of spring. Yay, I get to rule over flowers and most animals. While my father Zeus -yes, my mother had a kid with her brother, but that’s irrelevant; anyways, while my father Zeus rules over the sky, my half-brother Apollo rules over music, the sun, and healing, and my other half-brother Hermes rules over thieves, travelers, and other unscrupulous people. Expectedly, my mother Demeter, goddess of Agriculture, was the only person who ever seemed to really care about me. The only issue was that my mother insisted that I never leave her side. I stayed with my mother night and day and she smothered me. After a couple hundred years, I began to chafe against the gold and silk cords binding me. I didn’t want to still sweetly as nymphs braided my hair, I didn’t want to skip hand- in-hand with my mother through the sickly- sweet fields. Like most “young” people, I wanted to explore the world on my own and get away from my controlling parents. Personally, I think that secret of mine was the real reason that Hades became interested in me. He liked me because I wasn’t flawless, I had a dark secret and really didn’t think that I fit...

Words: 1351 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Design Paper 110

...The Greeks are famously known for their creations of extraordinary and unique sculptures. Some sculptures depict clear meaning of who the character is, the character’s actions, and emotions. However, the Zeus or Poseidon sculpture dating back to 460-450 BCE is up for debate. Many believe the sculpture is Zeus while others believe it is Poseidon. Zeus is known as being the king of all Gods while Poseidon is God of the Sea. The action in the sculpture is also up for debate because many believe Zeus is throwing his thunderbolt and others believe Poseidon is throwing his trident. The Zeus or Poseidon sculpture should be viewed as a the character of Poseidon, God of Sea, about to launch his trident for various reasons. The location of where the sculpture was discovered could suggest which Greek god this sculpture was suppose to depict. Annenberg Learner insists, “The monumental bronze sculpture was found in two pieces at the bottom of the sea off the Cape of Artemision in the 1920s” (Art Through Time). Since the sculpture was discovered in the sea and the debate is considering Zeus or Poseidon, God of Sea, perhaps Poseidon was purposefully put in the sea. Although there is no concrete evidence on who the sculpture’s identity belongs to, one could make the argument it was more than a coincidence that the sculpture is Poseidon because it was found in the ocean. Furthermore, the motion of action the sculpture depicts could be similar to those of Poseidon. Janson’s Basic History...

Words: 526 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Zues

...Zeus was the god of the sky and ruler of the Olympian gods. He overthrew his father, Cronus, and then drew lots with his brothers Poseidon and Hades, in order to decide who would succeed their father on the throne. Zeus won the draw and became the supreme ruler of the gods, as well as lord of the sky and rain. His weapon was a thunderbolt which he hurled at those who displeased or defied him, especially liars and oathbreakers. He was married to Hera but often tested her patience, as he was infamous for his many affairs. Zeus, the presiding deity of the universe, ruler of the skies and the earth, was regarded by the Greeks as the god of all natural phenomena on the sky; the personification of the laws of nature; the ruler of the state; and finally, the father of gods and men. Using his shield, the Aegis, Zeus could create all natural phenomena related to the air and the sky, such as storms, tempests, and intense darkness. At his command, mighty thunders would flash and lightnings would roll, wreaking havoc; or the skies would open to rejuvenate the earth with life-giving water. As the personification of the operations of nature, he represented the grand laws of unchanging and harmonious order, by which both the natural and the spiritual world were governed. He was the god of regulated time as marked by the changing seasons and the regular succession of day and night, in contrast to what his father Cronus represented before him; absolute time, i.e. eternity. As the ruler of...

Words: 327 - Pages: 2