Demeter

Pronunciation: dih-mee'-tur Roman Name: Ceres Goddess of corn & planted society Place of Association: The great temple of Eleusis Animals: Snake, Pig Plant(s): Corn, Wheat, and other Grains Objects Associated with her: Torch, Crown, a Sceptre, and Corn Stalks Daughter of: Cronus and Rhea Sexual Affairs & Children: Zeus (Persephone), Poseidon (Arion),  Iasion (Plutus & Philomelus), Carmanor (Eubulus)

They are many myths that involove this Olympian, but she is quite known for her daughter Persephone.                                                 The Banquet     In one such myth, Demeter came to a banquet that Tantalus, a son of Zeus, offered to the gods.  There she, unwittingly, ate the arm of Pelops, the son of Tantalus.  For Tantalus had slaughtered and boiled his own son to offer it as a meal to the gods.  The gods soon discovered of this and became outraged, but revived Peolps returning all his limbs together.  But being that Demeter had eaten his shoulder, she fitted it with ivory.  Tantalus was then sentenced to an eternity in Hades.                                                                               The Rape of Persephone      Another myth includes Demeters' daughter Persephone.  For she was born from the lustful union of Zeus and his sister and loved most of all by her mother.  But deep beneath the earth, Hades began to find love for this girl as well, and came to his brother asking for Persephones hand in marrage.  Zeus, not wanting to insult his brother by saying no but also not wanting to say yes because he knew Demeter would never allow it, did not answer his brother with neither a yes or no.  But this was all Hades needed and so he came upon the young girl and stole her away in his chariet.  Demeter became estatic when she could not find her daughter.  She searched high and low and cryed out her daughters name for nine complete days.  The only ones who knew of where to find Persephone was that of Hecate, who heard the girls cries deep within her cave, and Helios, the sun whom sees everything.  On the tenth day Demeter was confronted by Hecate, who told her what she had heard but did not know who had carried her away.  But soon Helios came unto her and said-

"No one is to blame but Zeus who gave her to Hades, to be his wife.  And Hades seized her and took loudly crying in his chariot down to his realm of mist and gloom." (Helios to Demeter)

Defestated by this Demeter began to neglect her crops.  And they began to die and so to the corn and also the wheat of the earth was now passed.  Zeus then, in order to help his sister, sent Hermes to the underworld to tell Hades to send Persephone home.  But little knowing, Persephone had eaten seven Promegranite seeds and therefore was forever bond unto the underworld.  Hades made this abundently clear to Zeus but formed a plan with his brother that for nine months out of the year Persephone spent with her mother.  But for the other four, down in Hades.  And thus Persephone was reunited with her mother, and this brought forth what we call spring, and summer.  But when she returned to Hades, fall and winter began..

Arion

Arion was a horse, son of Demeter and Poseidon.  As myth has it, Poseidon tried to make love to his sister Demeter.  But after refusing him time and time agian she finally, to escape his lust, turned herself into a mare and fled into the meadows.  But this did not stop Poseidon whom immedeately turned himself into a stallion and went and ravished his sister.  She later became pregnant and gave birth to this hores.