Demeter - Demeter (English spelling)

The Greek goddess of grain. Meter means "mother" and De is unknown but is thought to be related to the earth or barley. In other words, she is likely a deification of the fertility of the earth, especially the power to grow grain. In ancient Rome, she was identified with Ceres. Together with her daughter Kore (meaning "young girl"; also known as Persephone), she was called "to theo" (two goddesses) and was worshiped throughout Greece, mainly in Eleusis. In many areas, including Athens, the famous festival of "Thesmophoria," which only women participated in, was held in the sanctuaries of the two goddesses from October to November to pray for a good harvest.

The characters of the two goddesses are clearly shown in the myths of Eleusinian esotericism. Hades, king of the underworld, with the help of Zeus, forcibly took Persephone to the underworld and made her his wife. Hearing her daughter's cries, Demeter wandered every corner of the earth with a torch in her hand, searching for her daughter for nine days, and then was informed of the truth by the sun god Helios. Then, angry that Zeus had helped her, she transformed herself into an old woman and came to Eleusis. There, she became a wet nurse for Demophon (or Triptolemus), the son of Celeus, king of Eleusis, and secretly tried to make the child immortal by throwing him into a fire, but when she was discovered by Celeus' wife Metaneira, she revealed her true identity and hid herself in the temple that Celeus had built. As a result, the earth became barren. So Zeus decided that Persephone would spend one third of the year with her husband Hades and the other two thirds with her mother and the gods. Thus, the goddess' anger was lifted and the earth regained its fertility. While Demeter wandered the world in search of her daughter, the goddess's deeds and legends were left in various places.

[Teruo Ito]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

ギリシア神話の穀物の女神。メテルとは「母」を意味し、デは未詳ながら大地、または大麦と関連する語と考えられている。つまり、大地の生産力、とくに穀類を育てる力を神格化したものであろう。古代ローマではケレスと同一視された。娘のコレKore（「少女」の意。別名ペルセフォネ）とともに「ト・テオ」to theo（両女神）とよばれ、エレウシスを中心にギリシア各地で崇拝された。アテナイ（アテネ）など多くの地方では、豊作を祈って10月から11月にかけて、婦人だけが関与するものとして有名な「テスモフォリア」の祭りが両女神の神域で催された。

　両女神の性格がはっきり示されるのは、エレウシスの秘教の神話であろう。冥界(めいかい)の王ハデスは、ゼウスの助力を得てペルセフォネを強引に冥府へ連れ去り妻とした。娘の叫び声を聞いたデメテルは、炬火(きょか)を手に地上の隅々までさまよい歩き、9日間娘を捜し続けたのち、太陽神ヘリオスから事の真相を知らされる。そしてゼウスが助力したことを怒って身を老婆に変え、エレウシスにやってくる。そこでエレウシスの王ケレオスの子デモフォン（またはトリプトレモス）の乳母(うば)となり、ひそかにその子を火中へ投じて不死にしようとしたが、ケレオスの妻メタネイラに発見されて正体を現し、ケレオスに築かせた神殿に身を隠してしまう。そのため大地は不毛となる。そこでゼウスは、ペルセフォネが1年の3分の1を夫ハデスのもとで、残りの3分の2を母や神々のもとで過ごすように決めた。こうして女神の怒りは解け、大地も実りを取り戻す。デメテルが娘を求めて世界を放浪する間に、女神の事跡と伝承が各地に残された。

［伊藤照夫］

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