Demeter is the goddess of the harvest, earth and agriculture. Her equivalent in Roman mythology is Ceres. She is the elder sister of Zeus and like her siblings, was swallowed by her father Cronus.
One of the most famous myths about Demeter was about her and her daughter, Persephone. Hades kidnapped Persephone, leaving Demeter devastated. Her grief plunged the earth into a drought and brought chaos to the land. Zeus could not bear to see this continue and sent Hermes to retrieve Persephone. Hades complied with this request but Persephone had eaten the pomegranate seeds that were sacred to Hades. In doing so, she was forced to return to Hades for a third of the year. During this time, Demeter grieves and wanders the earth in search of Persephone.
Poppies and wheat are sacred to Demeter.
