Demeter

Demeter is the daughter of the Titans Cronus and Rhea. These are also, 'technically', the parents of Zeus and hence Demeter is the sister of Zeus. She is a Lesser God in the Twelve: the pantheon of Gods in the 'official' religion of the Merebian Empire.

A typical representation of Demeter © 2001 Unknown

Epithets

She is most often referred to as 'The Bringer' due to her connection not only with harvests but with the changing of the seasons.

Sphere of Influence

Often referred to as 'The Bringer', Demeter is the Goddess of Summer, Harvests, and of Nature. She is, however, the personification of Nature which has been 'tamed' by civilisation, as opposed to 'Pan' who represents nature in it's 'wild', uncivilised state. Demeter is widely accredited with teaching mankind how to grow and cultivate crops and the seasons are reflections of her mood (see later).

Description

Demeter is usually depicted as handsome woman in her mid to late 30s with tanned skin and dark hair. She wear robes adorned with flowers, particularly poppies. Her symbol is, therefore, a poppy on a white background.

Relationships

Of all the deities of the Twelve she is closest to her brother Dionysus, and the Festival of Dionysus (which occurs immediately after the end of the harvest in the calendar) is a testament to that relationship.

Demeter is said to have sired a daughter with her brother, Zeus, called Persephone (try not to think about it) who was later abducted by Hades and taken to the Underworld. Persephone was released but must return to the Underworld for three months of each year. During this time her mother, Demeter, permits no crops to grow and a coldness falls upon the land. This is, of course, why we have Winter but is known by many as "Demeter's Sorrow".

Demeter's mood and physical state can also cause crops to fail to grow at other times of the year. When Demeter was raped by Poseidon she retreated from the mortal realm to recover and it is said that a great famine descended upon Oberon which lasted for a generation.

Festival

Demeter's festival occurs on the day between Septembus and Octembus in the Imperial Calendar and so is actually just before the start of the month in which the harvest should occur.

Classes and Organisation

Demeter is most likely to be named as a patron deity by those with the classes of Cleric, Druid or Paladin.

Clerics

Her Clerics are considered to be the 'militant' arm of the faith - they follow either the 'Nature' or 'Life' domains but they are also very much one of the many ways in which the Empire maintains its power structure. Her clergy, as part of the Twelve, teach the citizens of the Empire the prayers and devotions which must be followed to ensure a good harvest. The Clerics of Demeter, as with all the Clerics of the Twelve, can build temples within the towns and cities of the Empire and are recognised as 'officially' following one of the Gods of Oberon.

Druids

A large number of Demeter's most faithful worshippers choose not to join the ranks of the clergy but to follow one of the many Druidic orders. These orders are focused less on her being a representation of the 'taming' of nature and more of her as the embodiment of the 'cycle of life' and the changing of the seasons.

Paladins

There are practically no Paladins who name Demeter as their patron deity. Those scant few who do are most likely to follow the Oath of the Ancients.