Dictionary Of God And Godedesses

Dena 73over the critical months of gestation. In latertimes the two were joined by the goddess ofdeath, MORTA, to form of trio of fate goddesses,the PARCAE.DedwenGod of riches and incense. Nubian. Virtuallyunknown Egyptianized deity to whom sanctuarieswere dedicated by Tuthmosis III and who mayhave brought gifts from southern regions.Usually found in anthropomorphic form butoccasionally depicted as a lion. Also Dedun.DEMETER (mother)ORIGIN Greek. Vegetation and mother goddess.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP from circa 800 BCbut probably earlier until Christianization(circa AD 400).SYNONYMS Damater (Dorian).CENTER(S) OF CULT throughout Greek worldincluding Agrigentum, Cnidos, Priene, Gela,Siris and Lokroi. Particularly at Eleusis.ART REFERENCES various sculptures; terracottasshowing votary priestesses holding piglets.LITERARY SOURCES Hymn to Demeter andTheogony (Hesiod).Demeter displays a complex personality whichmay be the result of syncretization in prehistorictimes between a goddess of the corn andone of the underworld. By Homeric timesDemeter was a goddess of vegetation and death.In ancient Athens the dead were titled demetreioiand corn was traditionally scattered onnew graves. Demeter undergoes a yearly conflictwith HADES and a search for her lostdaughter, or arguably her alter ego, since thepersonality of the missing maiden goddessPERSEPHONE or KORE (girl) is virtually inextricablefrom that of Demeter.The legends of Demeter and Persephoneaccount for seasons of dearth and growth in thefields. Persephone, daughter of Demeter andZEUS, gathers flowers in a meadow surroundedby attendant OKEANIDES. As she picks one particularbloom the earth opens and the underworldgod, Hades, abducts her. Demetersearches the world for her daughter and neglectsits prosperity in so doing. The gods, seeingthat catastrophe beckons, intervene and HER-MES is sent to fetch the girl. There are conditionsattached to her release, however, becauseshe has tasted the pomegranate of Hades and isthus bound to the underworld. She may onlyenter the air above for nine months of the year.For the remaining three she must return andlive as mistress of Hades.One of the most reasonable interpretations ofthe legend is that the three months when Persephoneor Kore is in absence represent the threedry summer months when vegetation in theMediterranean region shrivels away and whentraditionally the grain was stored in undergroundsilos. When the rains come in autumn the youthfulaspect of Demeter returns. There are strongparallels with Mesopotamian and Hittite-Hurrianlegend (see INANA and DUMUZI; HEBAT andTELEPINU).The Demeter cult was practiced in manyplaces, often with a high degree of secrecy andwith initiation rituals. Arguably the most famouscult center is Eleusis, where the legends provideda stimulus for the Eleusinian Mysteries. There alsotook place a women’s festival of Thesmophoria,when pigs were buried alive in pits or megara.The sacrifice of young virgins to Demeter isreported but unsubstantiated.DenaGoddess. Persian [Iran]. The daughter of the godof light AHURA MAZDA.