1. The roles of Demeter and Persephone in Greek religion

Demeter rejoiced, for her daughter was by her side - Walter Crane

The Goddess of the Harvest, Agriculture and Fertility 

Demeter and her daughter Persephone are two deities that played very important roles in Greek religion and myth as well as in the daily lives of the citizens of Ancient Greece. As the goddess of harvest and agriculture, Demeter was responsible for ensuring the fertility of the earth and the growth of grain and other vegetation. Therefore, she was particularly important to the farmers and peasants of Ancient Greece, people who relied on the production of healthy and abundant crops as one of their only sources of livelihood. 

If Demeter was unhappy, then not only did the people suffer but even the gods felt the consequences. When the people were starving because Demeter did not allow crops to grow in the barren earth, the gods were not being worshipped as they demanded to be and sacrifices could not be made in their honour as there was so little food. 

As all Greek gods were, Demeter was commonly associated in sculpture and art with iconography symbolising her role and responsibilities in Greek religion. She is usually fully clothed and is often beside her daughter Persephone, symbolising their incredibly close relationship and Demeter's identity as a mother. Additionally, Demeter is frequently seen in artistic representations holding a sheaf of wheat or a cornucopia overflowing with fruit and grain. In the ancient world, a cornucopia was a symbol of abundance and nourishment, reflecting Demeter's extremely important role in of ensuring the ample growth of grain and other crops as well as her maternal, caring nature.

Demeter and Persephone, c. 450 - 424 B.C.E
Artist unknown

Flora Maggiore, date unknown
Artist unknown

The Goddess of Spring and Queen of the Underworld 

Persephone, the beloved daughter of Demeter, served two very different but vital roles in Greek religion. She was born of Demeter and Zeus, the God of the Sky, and grew up to be a beautiful maiden who attracted even the attention of Hades, the King of the Underworld. 

The story of Hades and Persephone is one that will be discussed in depth when we examine the Homeric Hymn to Demeter but it is important to know the basic outline of the myth in order to fully understand Persephone's role in Greek religion and mythology. 

One day, when Persephone was picking flowers in a meadow, the young woman was suddenly snatched up and carried off to the Underworld by Hades so that he could make her his Queen. When her mother learnt the truth about Persephone's disappearance from Hecate, the Goddess of Witchcraft, in her rage Demeter caused a great famine over the earth. Eventually Zeus relented. He commanded Hermes, the Messenger God, to bring Persephone back up so she could be reunited with Demeter. Unfortunately, Persephone had already consumed a pomegranate seed given to her by Hades. This meant that she could only spend two-thirds of the year on earth with her mother and the remaining third had to be spent in the Underworld with Hades. 

For the Ancient Greeks, the story of Persephone and Hades acted as an aition, an explanatory story, that gave a reason for the changing seasons and environments throughout the year. Persephone was either the Goddess of Spring, the beautiful daughter of Demeter who was worshipped alongside her mother or the grim and terrifying Queen of the Underworld and Goddess of Death. On the first day of spring, when Persephone rises from the Underworld, the earth flourishes and blooms as Demeter is overjoyed to be with her daughter once again and every winter when she returns to her husband underground, the vegetation withers away and dies.

The Return of Persephone, c. 440 B.C.E.
Persephone, Hermes, Hecate and Demeter
Attributed to the Persephone Painter

Persephone and Hades, c. 430 B.C.E.
Attributed to the Codrus Painter

The Eleusinian Mysteries

Although there were many religious festivals and rituals dedicated to Demeter and her daughter, such as the Thesmophoria, a three day festival that was held by the exclusively female cult of Demeter and Persephone in order to encourage both human and agricultural fertility, Powell (2012, p. 250) states that one of the most famous religious cults of the ancient world were the The Eleusinian Mysteries. The Eleusinian Mysteries, or the rites at Eleusis, were top secret initiations and rituals held annually in honour of Demeter and Persephone at a temple known as the Telesterion for almost two thousand years.

The Eleusinian Mysteries were heavily based around celebrating Persephone's annual return from the Underworld as the Homeric Hymn tells us that Demeter herself established the rites of her cult in response to the release of her daughter. According to Johnston (2013, p. 378) "Persephone was expected to favor initiates into the Mysteries once they had entered the kingdom of the dead over which she ruled". This tells us that initiates into the rites at Eleusis were not blessed with the hope for immortality but instead for a happy and peaceful afterlife wherein they were favoured and cherished by the venerable Goddess of Death (Powell, 2012, p. 253).

Thesmophoria, 1894 - 1897 - Francis Davis Millet