Demeter is the Goddess of corn and the harvest and the daughter of Cronus and Rhea. Her only daughter, Persephone was kidnapped by Hades, the Lord of the Underworld. For nine days, she searched the earth desperately for her daughter until the Sun, taking pity on the frantic goddess, told Demeter that her daughter was a prisoner of Hades. In her grief, Demeter disguised herself as an old woman and came down to Earth. One day, as she was sitting by a well, four sisters found her and invited her to their home after their mother, Metaneira, granted permission. During her visit, she took care of Meraneria’s son, Demophoon. The boy grew like a young god, because Demeter gave him ambrosia and at night she would place him in fire in order to make him have immortal youth. However, one night, Metaneira …show more content…
The boy never got immortality, but since he had laid on the goddess’s knees and slept in her arms, he was to have honor throughout his life. Then she revealed herself as Demeter to the awestruck household and told them to build her a temple near the town to regain her favor. When it was finished, Demeter came and sat there, alone, wasting away with longing for her daughter. That year was the most dreadful and cruel year for mankind, for they suffered from famine. As long as Persephone was not returned to her, Demeter saw to it that nothing would grow on earth. Zeus began to send the gods to her one by one to try to appease her, but she didn’t listen to any of them. At last, Zeus made Hermes go down to the underworld to fetch Persephone, who was wasting away with longing to see her mother. But Hades was sneaky and clever. He knew that he could not disobey Zeus’s order, so he made her eat a pomegranate seed, which would force Persephone to come back to him. Poor and innocent Persephone swallowed the seed as she rode on Hermes’s carriage to Demeter’s temple. The two met with open arms, and talked about their time away from each