Demeter

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 *  [[image:Demeter_Symbol.png]] DEMETER[[image:Demeter_Symbol.png]]
 * D ****emeter was the goddess of the Earth's harvest and fruitfulness. She tended to all of the crops and helped to make sure that the fruit and harvest was always kept in good condition. **
 * D ****emeter was related to many other Greek gods. One of those gods was Cronus. Cronus was her father and Rhea was her mother. She had many siblings. Their names were Hestia, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, and of course Zeus. Demeter also had a daughter, Persephone. Persephone was her only child but she was really happy with just one child. **


 * Demeter's only child was her daughter, Persephone. Persephone was her pride and joy and she always made sure she was safe. One day, Persephone was out picking flowers with some friends in a field. The earth started shaking and then the ground opened up and Persephone saw the underworld. Then, out of nowhere, Hades, the god of the underworld, flew out of the hole in the ground while riding in his chariot and grabbed her pulling Persephone deep into the earth. Demeter had no idea where her daughter was when she didn't come home that night, the following few days, Demeter was furiously asking for her daughter. Finally, after she had asked almost   [[image:Demeter.PNG width="254" height="358" align="left" caption="Demeter"]]  every one if they had seen Persephone, she met a man who had seen the whole thing happen. "The ground opened." The man had said, "A man in a chariot came from the ground. He grabbed her and pulled her underground. I saw it with my own eyes." When Demeter heard this she freaked out. She realized that Hades had taken her daughter. All of the crops died. The weather turned cold, for Demeter didn't care how the harvest was. Demeter figured out that Hades had made Persephone his queen. He told her, "You can go home but, you must be hungry! You haven't eaten anything this whole time you've been here, have some pomegranate seeds." There were four, she ate them because she was starving and had not eaten anything for so long. Demeter realized that Hades had to let her go but if she EVER ate ANY food of the dead, she would have to return very so often every year. When they finally reunited, Demeter ran up to Persephone and hugged her. "Did you eat anything while you were there?" she asked, "No, I was too upset and bored to eat anything." she said. Her mother breathed a sigh of relief, then Persephone remembered "Right before I left I did eat some pomegranate seeds though. Why do you ask?" "OH NO!!" Demeter cried, now every year, Persephone and Demeter get to spend every day of every year together. . . . . . . . . . Except for those 4 months that Persephone has to go visit the underworld for the 4 pomegranate seeds she ate. For every day that she is gone Demeter sits and waits, not tending to the crops, not doing anything, this is the reason for the season we now call 'winter' because when it gets cold, Persephone is in the underworld.  [[image:Demeter_Campaign_Poster.PNG width="528" height="544"]]   **