Versailles Municipal Library, France. 18th century

This relief represents Demeter, maternal Goddess of the Earth, and
especially of cultivated land. One of her attributes is wheat, shown
here on her head. The name Demeter means Earth Goddess (De=Earth,
Meter=Goddess) The adventures of Demeter and her daughter Persephone
constitute the central myth of The Eleusinian Mysteries, the most
important mysteries of classic Greece. Her symbols are the ears of
wheat and a torch. The ears of wheat are the sacred fruit of the
Goddess of Farming and Cereals, and the torch alludes to the rituals
of the Eleusinian Mysteries which took place at night by torch light.
Demeter is credited with teaching humans how to cultivate crops, a
task that she assigned to Triptolemus.

Product SKU: N-072SP