historicall.y

Ancient Greeks worshiped many gods and goddesses such as Zeus, Hades, Apollo and Demeter. Demeter was the goddess of the harvest and nature, she was also known as 'Mother Earth'. She was also the sister of the king of the gods- Zeus, the god of the Underworld- Hades and the god of the sea-  Poseidon. Greeks worshiped her because they believed that she would give them a good harvest in return for gifts. They would bury grain as a gift and they would also pour olive oil in. They believed they needed to honour her to be provided with a good and vast harvest. 

The Ancient Greeks believed that the chief god- Zeus, had a sister called Demeter, who was in charge of the harvest. They believed that if she was unhappy, then the crops would fail and the people would die. This is a Greek myth that explains why there is spring, summer, autumn and winter. Demeter had a daughter, whom she loved very much. Her name was Persephone and she made her mother very happy, and when she was happy the mortals crops grew well, trees blossomed and the grass was carpeted with bright flowers. Over time, Persephone grew up into a tall, beautiful goddess. One day, the god of the Underworld- Hades was out looking at the living world in his chariot with Cerberus, the three headed dog who guarded the Underworld. Suddenly, he saw Persephone, walking gracefully through the flowers. He fell head over heels in love with her, so much that he snatched her up and took her away to his cold, dark, miserable abode under the ground. When Demeter couldn't find her beloved ...