Goddess of the Harvest and Agriculture
The goddess who governs what the earth yields — humanity’s food supply made divine. The English word "cereal" comes from her Roman name, Ceres. When her daughter was carried off, she plunged the whole world into famine and forced Zeus himself to the negotiating table — the fiercest mother in all of myth.
After her daughter Persephone vanished, Demeter searched the earth by torchlight, neglecting her duties until every crop withered. Humanity neared starvation and the sacrifices stopped — only then did the gods panic. Zeus was forced to order Hades to release her: the first time the divine order was brought to the table by a "strike."
During her search she took the form of an old woman and was received by the royal house of Eleusis. In gratitude she taught humankind the art of farming and founded the Eleusinian Mysteries, the most secret of Greek rites — initiates were said to win blessings in the afterlife, and the ceremony remains a mystery to this day.
Below are how modern works borrow or reinterpret this name or story — not the original material. The two differ, so keep them apart.
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