#corn goddess

[mythologypaintings]

Demeter Mourning for Persephone

Artist: Evelyn de Morgan (English, 1855-1919)

Date: 1906

Medium: OIl on canvas

Collection: The De Morgan Foundation, London

Description

Demeter was the Greek goddess of the earth, particularly the fruits of the fields, and as normal she is represented here as the corn-goddess. Her hair is covered with ears of corn, from which poppies drop around her. Her daughter, Persephone was kidnapped by Hades and taken beneath the earth to his kingdom. Inconsolable at the loss of her daughter, Demeter refused to allow the earth to be fruitful.

In the painting, the landscape around Demeter is rocky and barren. Humanity would have starved, had not the gods intervened. They arranged for Persephone to be returned to her mother. But Hades had tempted Persephone to eat a few pomegranate seeds, the symbol of marriage and hence tied her to his side. A compromise was reached, whereby Persephone spent on third of the year with her husband Hades, beneath the earth, and two-thirds with her mother. Thus the ancient Greeks explained the seasons' winter, when nothing grew and the earth was barren, was when Persephone was under the earth with Hades and her mother mourned her loss. When Persephone returned to her mother, Demeter in her joy allowed the earth to be fruitful and greeted Persephone's return with flowers and fruits.

[parafrazerofhistory]

Sacred Marriage at Eleusis

“In the great mysteries solemnised at Eleusis in the month of September the union of the skygod Zeus with the corn-goddess [i.e., grain-goddess] Demeter appears to have been represented by the union of the hierophant with the priestess of Demeter, who acted the parts of god and goddess. But their intercourse was only dramatic or symbolical, for the hierophant had temporarily deprived himself of his virility by an application of hemlock. The torches having been extinguished, the pair descended into a murky place, while the throng of worshippers awaited in anxious suspense the result of the mystic congress, on which they believed their own salvation to depend. After a time the hierophant reappeared, and in a blaze of light silently exhibited to the assembly a reaped ear of corn, the fruit of the divine marriage. Then in a loud voice he proclaimed, ‘Queen Brimo has brought forth a sacred boy Brimos,’ by which he meant, ‘The Mighty One has brought forth the Mighty.’ The corn-mother in fact had given birth to her child, the corn, and her travail-pangs were enacted in the sacred drama. This revelation of the reaped corn appears to have been the crowning act of the mysteries.”

—J. G. Frazer, The Magic Art & the Evolution of Kings, part 2 (The Golden Bough, vol. II, pp. 138-139)

c. 1900 sketch by H. Graillot of a Pompeiian fresco depicting the Hieros Gamos (L-R: Iris, Hera, Zeus).

(Source: H. Graillot, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

[pagan-stitches]

Annointing this year’s Morana/Smrtka doll, the Morana embroidery, and Morana prayer beads in the first snow of the season.

[preraphaelitepaintings]

Demeter Mourning for Persephone

Artist: Evelyn de Morgan (English, 1855-1919)

Date: 1906

Medium: OIl on canvas

Collection: The De Morgan Foundation, London

Description

Demeter was the Greek goddess of the earth, particularly the fruits of the fields, and as normal she is represented here as the corn-goddess. Her hair is covered with ears of corn, from which poppies drop around her. Her daughter, Persephone was kidnapped by Hades and taken beneath the earth to his kingdom. Inconsolable at the loss of her daughter, Demeter refused to allow the earth to be fruitful.

[ahsokatanoe]

sydney shaking her head and richie beginning to smile wider after he points at her means everything to me

[jadeseadragon]

Kukuli Velarde (Peruvian-American, b. 1962), Corn Mother

Artist on Instagram

[baeway954]

[invoke-parlay]

My corn is getting so tall! Only 2 stalks fell over so I had to remove them but the rest are going strong and have so many ears on them! This is my first time growing corn so I wasn’t sure how they would do. They’re way taller than I am even when I stand in the box.

August 31, 2024

[bottegapowerpoint]

Andries Cornelis Lens, Diana and Actaeon

[archangel-azi-fell]

Things get stranger and more understandable when you read that I lived in a cave, alone, for years. HEKATE

It was a K like KORN like children of the corn like there's corn in Indiana. Indiana was the name of the dog, not the Archaeologist. What did they find in my tomb? Did they find my box? DID IT HAVE THE SUN ON IT? Did they open it? Did they find my dagger and snakes? What else did they find in there? It was down there out in TURKEY.

[pagan-stitches]

Dug out the Autumn embroideries. I usually start transitioning around Lammas so I’m really late this year. At least I’m on time for Michaelmas.

[lilbugprincess]

I've posted my scion character before but NOW... here's her Manic Pixie Dream Boy, the man she met at a farmer's market and immediately fell in love with in a way she'd never fallen before!!

His name is Maximino Benjamin Vidal, he's buff, he's kind, he's got a passion for corn, and he probably has no idea that the cute chef who flirted with him that one time has traveled across the country and enrolled in college to meet him again. Does he fell the same about her? Does he have a connection to her scion heritage? Does he believe in the French? There's only one way to find out!!!

Bonus meet-cute

[haggishlyhagging]

The sacred fire was conceived of quite definitely as the spark or power of fertility. In the north of England, for instance, Candlemas used to be called The Wives Feast Day because it was regarded as a fertility festival. An interesting custom which survived in Scotland till as late as the end of the seventeenth century, bears witness to this fact. On Candlemas Eve a sheaf of oats was dressed in women's clothing. This "woman" was laid in what was called "Brigid's bed," and a wooden club was placed beside her. The women of the village sat up and kept a torch burning in the room all night long. This drama is clearly a fertility rite. For "Brigid" refers to the Celtic goddesses who were known as the Three Brigids representing the three phases of the moon. So on the festival night the moon's fertilizing power, its light, was symbolized and invoked by the torch that was kept burning beside the corn woman in her union with the wooden pole, symbol of the phallus. The custom seems to say that the corn woman could not give rise to a new harvest unless she were energized by a sacred marriage blessed by the fertilizing power of the moon.

-M. Esther Harding, Woman’s Mysteries: Ancient and Modern

[ask-legacy-of-the-gods]

When a description of the god’s hair makes you wanna redesign your design for said god:

[wayfind-er]

Positive Depictions of Zeus

Peter Paul Ruben, "Jupiter and Mercury at Philemon and Baucis" (1632)

Titles & Epithets of Zeus

As a Fair and Merciful God

Μειλιχιος [Milichius]: Gracious, Merciful

Ευηνεμος [Evenemus]: Of Fair Winds

As a Bringer of Abundance and Prosperity

Επιδωτης [Epidotes]: Giver of Good

Πλουσιος [Plusius]: Of Wealth

Απημιος [Apemius]: Averter of Ills

As a Leader, Chief, and King

Βασιλευς [Basileus]: King, Chief, Ruler

Ὑπατος [Hypatus]: Supreme, Most High

Monarch of the Sky (by Homer and Virgil)*

Sire of Gods and Men (by Homer and Virgil)*

ἀρχὸς ἁπάντων [Archus Apantôn]: Commander of All Things*

As a Protector of People, Cities, and Homes

Κτησιος [Ctesius]: Of the House, Property

Λαοιτης [Laoites]: Of (all) the People

Φυξιος [Phyxius]: Of Refuge / Puts to Flight

Ξενιος [Xenius]: Of Strangers, Hospitality

ἀγοραῖος [Agoraios]: Protector of Public Places (assemblies)*

If you're interested in other epithets: LINK || LINK*

Artistic Depictions of Zeus

Francisco Bayeu y Subías, "The Fall of the Giants,"

Charles-Antoine Coypel, "Jupiter and Juno on Mount Ida"

Cornelis van Poeleburgh, “Feast of the Gods”

Maurice Denis, "Jupiter bestows Immortality on Psyche"

Myths with Zeus

War of the Titans: In this myth, Zeus' father, Cronus, has received the prophecy that one of his children will dethrone him. Out of fear, Cronus swallows all of his children as soon as his wife, Rhea, births them. Rhea manages to sneak out one, Zeus. Eventually, Zeus saves his siblings and starts a revolution against his father, resulting in a 10-year war called the Titanomachy. Zeus and his siblings end up victorious, and Cronus is dethroned and thrown into the pit of Tartarus.

Vows of Chasity: At the request of Hestia and Artemis, Zeus vowed that he would accept the two to remain as virgin Goddesses.

Reconciliation of Zeus and Hera: Hera was mad at Zeus and left Olympus for unknown reasons. Zeus couldn't change her mind, so he went to the cleverest man in the land, Kithaeron. Kithaeron told Zeus to spread the news that he would marry a nymph and craft a wooden statue to play the bride. Zeus did so, and naturally, Hera came back angry. However, instead of a wedding, Zeus surprised Hera with a grand festival (called Daidala), and the two reconciled. 

Hera & the Lust of Ixon: Ixon, a mortal King, fell in love with Hera during a visit to Olympus. He tried to rape Hera, to which Hera immediately reported to Zeus. To see if what she said was true, Zeus created a cloud in the sky which looked like Hera. Ixon, who saw the cloud and thought it was Hera, attacked it. Zeus punished Ixon by binding him to an eternally spinning wheel of fire in Tartarus.

Forgiveness of Cronus and the Titans: After many, many generations of Humans, Zeus forgave his father, Cronus, and freed him (and Cronus' brothers) from their prison in Tartarus. Zeus then made Cronus the King of the Elysian Islands (Home of Dead Heroes and the otherwise Blessed).

Orphic Hymn 15: To Zeus

"O Zeus, much-honoured, Zeus supremely great, to thee our holy rites we consecrate, our prayers and expiations, king divine, for all things to produce with ease through mind is thine.

Hence mother earth and mountains swelling high proceed from thee, the deep and all within the sky. Kronion (Cronion) king, descending from above, magnanimous, commanding, sceptred Zeus; all-parent, principle and end of all, whose power almighty shakes this earthly ball; even nature trembles at thy mighty nod, loud-sounding, armed with lightning, thundering god.

Source of abundance, purifying king, O various-formed, from whom all natures spring; propitious hear my prayer, give blameless health, with peace divine, and necessary wealth."

Homeric Hymn 23: To the Son of Cronos

“I will sing of Zeus, chiefest among the gods and greatest, all-seeing, the lord of all, the fulfiller who whispers words of wisdom to Themis as she sits leaning towards him.

Be gracious, all-seeing Son of Cronos, most excellent and great!”

Divider by @/vibeswithrenai

[invoke-parlay]

Just a girl and her corn!

July 27, 2024