More from the "Witches' Goddess"

Demeter, goddess of Earth's fruitfulness in general but of barley in particular, was one of the great Olympians (though herself of pre-Olympian

origin) and held in peculiar honor by the others. She was severely beautiful, with hair like ripened grain. She was the daughter of Cronus and his sister Rhea, and thus herself sister of Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hestia and Hera.

Poseidon and Zeus both desired her, but she resisted their advances. To escape Poseidon, she took the shape of a mare among the herds of King Oncus. But Poseidon shape-changed to a stallion and took her. She bore him Arion, a horse with the gift of speech, and a daughter whose name remained secret but who was referred to as Despoena, ‘the mistress' (much worshiped in Thessaly).

Furious at Poseidon's trickery, Demeter left Olympus and had to be persuaded to return by Zeus, which she did after purifying herself in the River Ladon.

She also cursed the River Styx on his account and guarded it with snakes.

(The symbolism of both acts may suggest the distinction between fresh water which gives life to vegetation, and the deadly brine of Poseidon.)

Zeus, in his turn, used a similar trick on her, taking the form of a bull, and by him Demeter became the mother of Persephone - more usually known by her

title of Kore, ‘the maiden.' This daughter was Demeter's great love.

Now Demeter's third brother, Hades, ruler of the Underworld, entered the seduction scene, but desiring the daughter rather than the mother. One day when Persephone was picking flowers in the fields of Nysa, she stopped to admire a particularly beautiful narcissus. At this moment the ground opened, and Hades emerged and carried her down to his kingdom. (Significant of the universality of the myth is that other sites in Greece, Sicily and Crete also claimed to be the place of the abduction.)

Demeter was desolate. Throwing a dark veil over her grain-gold hair, she ‘flew like a bird over land and sea, seeking here, seeking there' but finding

no trace of the missing Kore. After nine days, on Hecate's advice, she consulted Helios, the Sun god who sees all. Helios blamed Zeus, saying that

he had granted Persephone to his Underworld brother.

Once again Demeter left Olympus in anger and, disguising herself as an old woman, roamed the cities of men. She was treated kindly at the Court of King

Deleus of Eleusis, in Attica, and became nursemaid to Deomphoon, baby son of Celeus' wife Metaneira. As a result of her secretly divine care, the boy grew like a god, but she was prevented from making him immortal by bathing him in

fire, when Metaneira interrupted her and screamed. Demeter then revealed herself as the goddess and ordered that a temple of her mysteries should be built at Eleusis.

Demeter continued her wanderings, visiting various Courts, including that of Phytalus to whom she gave the olive tree.

But Persephone was still missing; and finally, in despair, Demeter returned to Eleusis and her new temple, where, as the Homeric account says, ‘She prepared for mankind a cruel and terrible year: the earth refused to give forth any crop. Then would the entire human race have perished of cruel, biting hunger if Zeus had not been concerned.'

The gods pleaded with Demeter, but she was adamant; the Earth would remain barren until she was reunited with her daughter. So Zeus sent Hermes to command Hades to return Persephone to her mother. Hades obeyed - but before she left, he persuaded her to eat a few pomegranate seeds, symbol of indissoluble marriage.

Part 2 to follow