Lucy B Hoopes

Barley Mother Lucy B Hoopes

At birth Demeter, whose name means "Barley Mother," is swallowed by her father, Cronus. Along with her siblings Hera, Poseidon, Hestia, and Hades, she survives in his stomach until their younger brother, Zeus, rescues them. Gaia and Rhea assign the freed children realms of responsibility, and Hecate the Wise Crone instructs the sisters in magic. After Zeus rapes and impregnates Demeter, she decides to be independent of the other Olympians and live near Eleusis's Rarian Plain, where she teaches agriculture to mortals. The Moon Goddess, Artemis, helps Demeter through her pregnancy and the birth of Persephone. Artemis and Demeter become lovers, but their many philosophical and temperamental differences become apparent in matters relating to the Grain Goddess's aesthetically inclined daughter, whom Demeter expects to remain a virgin and follow an agrarian vocation. Demeter takes Persephone to Trinacria to escape Persephone's suitors and to prepare the maiden for a career growing grain. Strong-willed Persephone places herself in a vulnerable position and is abducted by Hades. Demeter in her subsequent grief allows all vegetation to die, and mortals also appear doomed. She alternates between despair and hope as she attempts drastic measures to save her daughter. Persephone, having created her own future, comes back to Earth. Demeter is elated until she understands that Persephone's return is temporary. With the help of Hecate and a mortal man, Demeter struggles to accept the newly cyclical nature of life.