Demeter (Ceres)
Demeter was the goddess of grain, or agriculture, who provided food for humankind. While sometimes tall and blond (like wheat) she was usually portrayed as matronly. She was the mother goddess who provided for her children: the "meter" in Demeter is Greek for mother. In the myth of Demeter and Persephone, celebrated annually in the Eleusinian Mysteries, Demeter was devastated when her daughter Persephone (a child at the time) was abducted by Hades and taken to the underworld to be his bride. She was so depressed at the loss of her daughter (and presumably upset at the danger she was in) that she went on strike and all the crops failed until Zeus agreed she could have her daughter back, but because Persephone agreed to marry Hades, it would only be for the summer half of each year. In the summer Demeter has her child with her, she is happy, and the crops flourish. In the winter her child is beyond her reach, she is unhappy, and there are no crops.
Modern Demeters are as motherly as Demeter was, and are happiest when they have children in their lives in some capacity or other. Demeters are very nice in an uncomplicated kind of way. They are just so nice. Only children can really appreciate the incredible niceness of a Demeter woman. Children grow up and leave home - it's a fact of life - but a Demeter will want them coming back for regular visits because she will always be their mother. In my experience Demeters also make good managers, because they take care of their employees instead of leaving them to fend for themselves. Demeters are generally outgoing, friendly, warm, unjudgemental, very positive, traditional and solidly conventional. Family is extremely important to them.
DEMETERS ARE IMPORTANT: the mother-child bond (especially the mother-daughter bond) is the strongest social bond among mammals, and is the glue that holds communities together. Demeters are probably the most common type among women.
Themes
the mother; the family-centred woman; the early childhood educator; the children's entertainer; the universal grandmother
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Ancient symbols
a sheaf of grain
Modern symbols
a plate of brownies
milk and cookies
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