Hymn 2 to Demeter

Introduction

• Subject: Rich-haired Demeter, her daughter Persephone, and their story.
• Central Theme: Abduction of Persephone by Hades with Zeus's consent.

Key Events

Abduction of Persephone

• Setting: Persephone plays in a meadow with daughters of Oceanus.
• Floral Details: Gathering roses, crocuses, violets, irises, hyacinths, and narcissus.
• The Narcissus: Created by Earth at Zeus’s command to trap Persephone.
• Abduction: Earth opens, and Hades takes Persephone in his golden chariot.

Demeter’s Grief

• Initial Reactions:
  • Persephone cries out, but no one hears except Hecate and Helios.
  • Demeter hears her cries and searches for nine days without food, drink, or bathing.
• Meeting Hecate and Helios:
  • Hecate heard Persephone but did not see the abductors.
  • Helios reveals that Zeus allowed Hades to take Persephone.

Demeter’s Search

• Disguise: Demeter disguises herself as an old woman.
• Encounter at Eleusis:
  • Demeter meets the daughters of Celeus.
  • She tells them her story and seeks refuge.

At Celeus’s House

• Demeter’s Deception:
  • Disguised as a woman named Doso.
  • Metaneira (Celeus's wife) welcomes her to nurse their son Demophoon.
• Demophoon's Growth:
  • Demeter secretly anoints him with ambrosia.
  • Intends to make him immortal but is interrupted by Metaneira.

Revelation and Anger

• Demeter's Anger:
  • Reveals her divine form and rebukes mortals.
  • Demands a temple be built in her honor.

Famine and Divine Intervention

• Famine:
  • Demeter causes a famine by withholding crops.
  • Zeus sends Iris and other gods to plead with Demeter.
• Zeus's Intervention:
  • Sends Hermes to retrieve Persephone from Hades.

Persephone’s Return

• Hades's Trick:
  • Gives Persephone a pomegranate seed, binding her to return.
• Mother-Daughter Reunion:
  • Persephone reveals Hades’s actions to Demeter.

Resolution

• Negotiation:
  • Persephone to spend part of the year with Demeter, the rest in the Underworld.
  • This cycle explains the changing seasons.
• Rites of Demeter:
  • Demeter teaches her sacred rites to the leaders of Eleusis.

Conclusion

• Return of Fertility:
  • Demeter allows crops to grow again.
• Blessing: A poem invokes Demeter’s blessing for prosperity.

Key Themes & Symbolism

• The Changing Seasons: Explained through Persephone's cycle between the Underworld and Earth.
• Maternal Love and Loss: Demeter’s relentless search for Persephone.
• The Power of the Gods: Influence over mortal lives and nature.
• Divine Retribution: Mortals’ suffering due to divine decisions.

Cultural Significance

• Eleusinian Mysteries: Rites taught by Demeter became important religious practices.
• Agricultural Cycle: Story reflects ancient Greek understanding of life cycles and the earth’s fertility.