Demeter was the daughter of Cronus and Rhea, and sister of Hestia, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus. Like the other children of Cronus, she was devoured by her father, but he have her forth again after taking the emetic (causing vomiting) which Metis had given him. By her brother Zeus, Demeter became the mother of Persephone, and by Poseidon of Despoena and the horse Arion.
Demeter mourning for Persephone
Demeter was goddess of harvest and fertility of the earth. Her greatest gift to mankind were wheat and corn, and the knowledge of agricultural techniques. Demeter is best remembered for her role in the story of Persephone (abduction of Persephone or rape of Persephone) in which her lack of attention to harvest causes a famine. Demeter was sometimes worshiped as a divinity of the underworld and as a goddess of health, birth and marriage. Related Abduction of Persephone :Demeter and Poseidon :Demeter and Iasion : The Twelve Olympians :