Demeter. Daughter of the Titans Cronus and Rhea, Demeter was one of the twelve Olympians, the goddess of corn and of agriculture in general. She was the mother of Plutus by Iasion, of Arion by Poseidon, and most famously, of Persephone by Zeus. Most of Demeter’s mythology concerns her devotion to Persephone, who was raped by Hades (Pluto) and carried off to the Underworld. In search of her daughter. Demeter traveled over the whole world, rendering it infertile until Persephone was finally restored to her.
nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Demeter was identified by the Romans with Ceres. Originally an Italian corn goddess, Ceres was worshiped in the festival called Cerealia and in a cult on the Aventine in conjunction with the fertility deities Liber (who was commonly identified with Bacchus) and Libera. Demeter was also sometimes connected with the Egyptian Isis and the Phrygian Cybele.
nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; In archaic and classical art, Demeter was shown with her attributes: a scepter, ears of corn, and torches. In postclassical art she is often seen as the personification of summer or of the element Earth.