world, stopping in front of the temple where Demeter waited. When
she saw them, Demeter came running, her arms outstretched to
embrace her daughter, who herself ran with equal joy into her
mother’s arms. Then Demeter anxiously inquired whether
Persephone had eaten anything in the underworld. If she had not,
Persephone would have been completely restored to her. But, because
she had eaten the pomegranate seeds, she would spend two-thirds
of the year with Demeter and the remainder of the year in the under-
world with Hades.
After mother and daughter were reunited, Demeter restored fer-
tility and growth to the earth. She then provided the Eleusinian
Mysteries. These were awesome religious ceremonies that initiates
were forbidden to reveal. Through the mysteries, people gained a
reason to live in joy and die without fearing death.
DEMETER THE ARCHETYPE
Demeter is the maternal archetype. She represents maternal instinct
fulfilled through pregnancy or through providing physical, psycho-
logical, or spiritual nourishment to others. This powerful archetype
can dictate the course a woman’s life will take, can have a significant
impact on others in her life, and can predispose her to depression if
her need to nurture is rejected or thwarted.
THE MOTHER
The mother archetype was represented on Mt. Olympus by De-
meter, whose most important roles were as mother (of Persephone)
and as provider of food (as Goddess of Grain) and spiritual susten-
ance (the Eleusinian Mysteries). Although other goddesses were
also mothers (Hera and Aphrodite), her daughter was Demeter’s
most significant relationship. She was also the most nurturing of the
goddesses.
A woman with a strong Demeter archetype longs to be a mother.
Once she becomes a mother, she finds it a fulfilling role. When De-
meter is the strongest archetype in a woman’s psyche, being a
mother is the most important role and func-
Demeter: Goddess of Grain, Nurturer and Mother