In ancient Greek religion and myth, Demeter is the goddess of the harvest, who presided over grains and the fertility of the earth. Her cult titles include Sito as the giver of food or corn/grain and Thesmophoros as a mark of the civilized existence of agricultural society. Though Demeter is often described simply as the goddess of the harvest, she presided also over the sanctity of marriage, the sacred law, and the cycle of life and death. She and her daughter Persephone were the central figures of the Eleusinian Mysteries that predated the Olympian pantheon. Her Roman equivalent is Ceres.

The text for this audio is from the book Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology edited by William Smith and published in 1849 and is in the public domain. This audio was recorded by LearnOutLoud.com and is narrated by Antonia Bath. Copyright © 2008 LearnOutLoud, Inc. Any reproduction or illegal distribution of the content in any form will result in immediate action against the person concerned.

A description of Demeter by William Smith. This is part of our audio book Greek Gods. Download this audio book on MP3 for free on LearnOutLoud.com: https://www.learnoutloud.com/FreeAud...