The ancient Greek mythos of Demeter and Kore-Persephone carries a universal human message, the redemptive power of enduring love, despite violation, suffering, or death. Today, women and men who turn to archetypal psychology or a devotional Goddess-practice for personal and social transformation are often looking for a sense of well-being that is bio-mystical, social, and cosmological in nature. The mythos of Demeter and Kore-Persephone depicts reunion with the Mother/mother as a crucial stage on the soul-journey to return to self, others, and a sense of being at home in the world and the cosmos. The fullest telling of their myth is found in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter from the Archaic Age (ca. 650–550 BCE; author unknown).
The Sacred Story of Mother and Daughter
The mythosof Demeter and Persephone relates how the Daughter is abducted by Ploutos (Hades) against her will to the Underworld, separating Daughter and Mother; the Mother searches with the help of Grandmother Hekate for her...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Bibliography
Brumfield, A. C. (1985). The attic festivals of Demeter and their relation to the agricultural year. New York: Arno Press.
Carlson, K. (1990). In her image: The unhealed daughter’s search for her mother. Boston: Shambhala.
Carlson, K. (1997). Life’s daughter/death’s bride: Inner transformations through the Goddess Demeter/Persephone. Boston: Shambhala.
Farnell, L. R. (1906/1977). Cults of the Greek states (Vol. 3). New Rochelle: Caratzas Brothers.
Foley, H. P. (Ed.). (1994). The Homeric hymn to Demeter. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Gimbutas, M. (1999). The living Goddesses (M. R. Dexter, Ed.). Los Angeles: University of California Berkeley Press.
Harrison, J. E. (1903/1907/1962/1980). Prolegomena to the study of Greek religion. London: Merlin Press.
Jung, C. G., & Kerenyi, C. (1949/1973). Essays on a science of mythology: The myth of the divine child and the mysteries of Eleusis (trans: Hull, R. F. C.). New York: Pantheon Books.
Keller, M. L. (1988). The Eleusinian mysteries of Demeter and Persephone: Fertility, sexuality and rebirth. Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion, 4(1), 27–54.
Keller, M. L. (2009). The ritual path of initiation into the Eleusinian mysteries. The Rosicrucian Digest, 87(2), 28–42. Retrieved from http://www.rosicrucian.org/publications/digest/digest2_2009/04_web/07_keller/07_keller.pdf.
Kerenyi, C. (1960/1962/1967). Eleusis: Archetypal image of mother and daughter (trans: Mannheim, R.). Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Meier, C. A. (1967). Ancient incubation and modern psychotherapy (trans: Curtis, M.). Evanston: Northwestern University Press.
Monaghan, P. (1999). Demeter and Persephone: Initiation. In The Goddess path: Myths, invocations and rituals. Woodbury: Llewellyn Publications.
Mylonas, G. (1961). Eleusis and the Eleusinian mysteries. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Nillson, M. P. (1928/1950). The Minoan-Mycenaean religion (2nd rev. ed.). New York: Biblio & Tannen & Booksellers.
Papangeli, K. (2002). Eleusis: The archaeological site and the museum. Athens: Latsis Group. Retrieved from http://www.latsis-foundation.org/megazine/publish/ebook.php?book=37&preloader=1.
Rich, A. (1976). Of woman born: Motherhood as experience and institution. New York: Norton.
Rutter, V. B. (2000). Embracing Persephone: How to be the mother you want for the daughter you cherish. Berkeley: Conari Press.
Spretnak, C. (1978/1981/1992). Demeter and Persephone. In Lost Goddesses of early Greece: A collection of pre-Hellenic mythology. Berkeley: Moon Books.
Wilkinson, T. (1996). Persephone returns: Victims, heroes and the journey from the underworld. Berkeley: Pagemill Press.
Zuntz, G. (1971). Persephone: Three essays on religion and thought in Magna Graecia. Oxford, UK: Clarendon Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this entry
Cite this entry
Keller, M.L. (2014). Demeter/Persephone. In: Leeming, D.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6086-2_9045
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6086-2_9045
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-6085-5
Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-6086-2
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science