Tag: demeter
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Bust of Demeter from Selinunte
Terracotta bust of the goddess Demeter from the 4th century B.C.E., from the eastern hill acropolis of Selinunte, now housed in Palermo’s Museo Salinas
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Persephone’s Guidance
As the seasons change where I live in the northeastern United States, and the days are darker longer, I turn to Persephone for assistance during the transition to winter. Part of the “Queen of the Underworld’s” responsibilities, once she descends into Hades each autumn, is the role of psychopomp–a guide for new souls crossing over;…
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Pomegranates and the Cycle of Life and Death
Autumn marks the time of year when Persephone bids her mother Demeter goodbye, and she returns to the Underworld to join her husband Hades–an ancient myth that explains why we have seasons. Annually when Persephone descends into the depths of the Earth and winter comes upon us, she brings with her the seeds of the…
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This Little Piggy Went to the Thesmophoria
Terracotta statuettes of Demeter holding a piglet have been found at archaeological sites throughout the landscapes of ancient Greater Greece. Such statuettes often indicate that at the site where they were found, there was once a sanctuary dedicated to the goddess of the earth, agriculture, and fertility. In archaeological museums throughout Sicily you will see…
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She was Popular
Sicily’s archaeological museums are full of terracotta statuettes of goddesses, many of which represent Demeter. Like these pictured here, the goddess of the grain, agriculture, and fertility is portrayed sitting on a throne with her cylindrical headdress (called a polos) and rows of pendants upon her breast. These from Agrigento’s museum are dated to the…
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We’re Waiting for Her
Terracotta statuette of Persephone, Queen of the Underworld, from Morgantina’s North Sanctuary, c.300 BC.
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Hail Demeter, Hail Kore
Demeter and Kore-Persephone were fervently venerated in Sicily in ancient times. This exhibit from the Regional Archaeological Museum at Aidone features two acroliths (That is, sculptures that have been constructed of stone, such as marble, and other materials, such as, in this case, iron, and draped with fabric) most likely depicting the mother goddess and…
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Powerful Pomegranate
“But if [you tasted food], returning beneath [the earth,] you will stay a third part of the seasons [each year] … By what guile did the mighty Host-to-Many deceive you?” the Goddess Demeter asked her daughter Persephone in the The Homeric Hymn to Demeter (As translated by Helene P. Foley). From the featured photo today,…
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She’s Finally Home
At Aidone, finally, is one of the most magnificent statues of a goddess from the ancient Greek era. Dated to be from 410 BC, the figure’s torso was carved using limestone from a quarry near Ragusa and her head and arms from imported Parian marbel. It was produced using a pseudo-acrolithic technique, giving her chiton…