Demeter

Demeter was the goddess of fertility and harvest in Ancient Greek mythology. She upheld sacred laws, and kept the cycle of life and death in motion.

Description
Like all Olympian gods of first generation, Demeter was the daughter of Cronus and Rhea. She is the mother goddess, and she affects both the fertility of women and the fertility of earth. Demeter is often depicted as a lone, middle-aged woman. Her symbols include cornucopia, wheat and torch.

History
Much of Demeter's history is intertwined to that of her daughter, Persephone. When Hades abducted Persephone, Demeter was struck ill with grief. When it came apparent that her daughter was nowhere to be found, Demeter picked up a lit torch she received from Hecate and began searching for Persephone everywhere. Thus, seasons came to pass as Demeter didn't take care of the land.While Demeter was searching for her daughter, Poseidon was overcome with lust. Demeter transformed into a horse and tried to hide within a herd of horses. This was not enough, as Poseidon could take equine shape, too, and violated Demeter. This intercourse eventually resulted in birth of mystery goddess Despoina.

Enraged over this as well as the loss of her daughter, the mother goddess cursed the earth with famine, and everything humans were dependent on begun to die. This prompted an action from Zeus and Persephone was brought back to Mount Olympus, where Demeter regained at least a partial contact with her daughter.