Eros

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Eros?was the Greek god of love, son of?Aphrodite?and either?Ares?or?Hermes. In some?myths, he was considered a?primordial?god, a child of?Chaos, who blessed the union of?Gaia?and?Uranus?after which the universe came into existence.

Especially in later works by satirical poets, he was depicted as a blindfolded male, who, carrying his bow and arrow, could target any human being and make them fall in love with the first person they would see. One of the most prevalent?myths?in ancient Greece was that of?Eros?and?Psyche; according to it,?Aphrodite?was jealous of the beauty of mortal princess?Psyche?and told her son to make her fall in love with the ugliest creature on earth. However,?Eros?fell for her instead and took her to his divine abode. However,?Psyche's jealous sisters led?Psyche?to betray?Eros, who abandoned her;?Psyche, wandering the Earth for her lost love, approached?Aphrodite?for help.?Aphrodite?created a series of tasks for?Psyche?which she successfully passed, and hence,?Aphrodite?decided to concede. Since then,?Psyche?became immortal and united with her husband. They had a daughter, Hedone (meaning bliss).

See Also:?Aphrodite,?Chaos,?Ares,?Hermes,?Gaea,?Uranus

Eros Is also called Cupid, Erotas.

Dionysus

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Dionysus?was the god of fertility and wine, later considered a patron of the arts. He created wine and spread the art of viticulture. He had a dual nature; on one hand, he brought joy and divine ecstasy; or he would bring brutal and blinding rage, thus reflecting the dual nature of wine.?Dionysus?and his followers could not be bound by fetters.

Dionysus?was the son of?Zeus?and?Semele, and he was the only god with a mortal parent.?Zeus?went to?Semele?in the night, unseen by human eyes, but could be felt as a divine presence.?Semele?was pleased to be the lover of a god, even though she did not know which one. Word soon got around and?Hera?quickly assumed who was responsible. She went to?Semele?in disguise and convinced her she should see her lover as he really was. When?Zeus?visited her again, she made him promise to grant her one wish. She went so far as to make him swear on the River?Styx?that he would grant her request.?Zeus?was madly in love and agreed. She then asked him to show her his true form.?Zeus?was unhappy knowing what was about to happen, but bound by his oath, he had no choice. He appeared in his true form and?Semele?was instantly burnt to a crisp by the sight of his glory.?Zeus?managed to rescue the fetal?Dionysus?and stitched him into his thigh until he would be ready to be born. His birth from?Zeus?conferred immortality upon him.

Hera, still jealous of?Zeus' infidelity and the fact that?Dionysus?was alive, arranged for the?Titans?to kill him. The?Titans?ripped him to pieces; however,?Rhea?brought him back to life. After this,?Zeus?arranged for his protection and gave him to the mountain nymphs to be raised.

Dionysus?wandered the world actively spreading his cult. He was accompanied by the Maenads, wild women, flush with wine, shoulders draped with a fawn skin, carrying rods tipped with pine cones. While?other gods?had temples to be worshipped at, the followers of?Dionysus?worshipped him in the woods. There, they might go into a state of ecstasy and madness, ripping apart and eating raw any animal they might come upon.

Dionysus?was also one of the very few characters able to bring a dead person back from?the underworld. Even though he had never seen?Semele, he was concerned for her. Eventually, he journeyed into?the underworld?to find her. He faced down?Thanatos?and brought her back to?Mount Olympus.

Dionysus?became one of the most important gods in everyday life and was associated with several key concepts. One was rebirth after death; his dismemberment by the?Titans?and his return to life was symbolically echoed in viticulture, where the vines must be pruned back sharply, and then become dormant in winter for them to bear fruit. Another concept was that under the influence of wine, one could feel possessed by a greater power. Unlike?other gods,?Dionysus?was not merely a god to be worshipped, but he was also present within his followers; at those times, a man would possess supernatural powers and was able for things he would not be able to do otherwise.

The festival for?Dionysus?was held in the spring when vines would start bearing leaves. It became one of the most important events of the year and its primary focal point was the theater. Most of the great Greek plays were initially written to be performed at the feast of?Dionysus. All participants, writers, actors, spectators, were regarded as sacred servants of?Dionysus?during the festival.

See Also:?The Wanderings of Dionysus,?Semele,?Theogony,?Zeus

Dionysus Is also called Bacchus, Dionysos.

Demeter

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Demeter?was the goddess of corn, grain, and the harvest. She was the daughter of?Cronus?and?Rhea. It was believed that?Demeter?made the crops grow each year; thus the first loaf of bread made from the annual harvest was offered to her. She was the goddess of the earth, of agriculture, and of fertility in general. Sacred to her are livestock and agricultural products, poppy,?narcissus?and the crane.

Demeter?was intimately associated with the seasons. Her daughter?Persephone?was abducted by?Hades?to be his wife in?the underworld. In her anger at her daughter's loss,?Demeter?laid a curse on the world that caused plants to wither and die, and the land to become desolate.?Zeus, alarmed for the barren earth, sought for?Persephone's return. However, because she had eaten while in?the underworld,?Hades?had a claim on her. Therefore, it was decreed that?Persephone?would spend four months each year in?the underworld. During these months?Demeter?would grieve for her daughter's absence, withdrawing her gifts from the world, creating winter. Her return brought the spring.

Demeter?was also known for founding the Eleusinian Mysteries. These were huge festivals held every five years and very important events for many centuries. Yet, little is known about them as those attending were sworn to secrecy. It is thought that the central tenet around which the Mysteries revolved was that just like grain returns every spring after its harvest and the winter lull, so does the human soul after the death of the body, reincarnated in a next life.

See Also:?Cronus,?Rhea,?Persephone,?Hades

Demeter Is also called Ceres, Sito, Thesmophoros.

Persephone

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Persephone?was the daughter of?Zeus?and?Demeter, and the queen of?the underworld. She was abducted by?Hades, the god of?the underworld, infuriating her mother who made the crops wither and the earth barren.?Zeus?intervened and tried to bring?Persephone?back to the world of the living; however,?Persephone?ate?the seeds of a pomegranate that?Hades?had given to her, binding her to him for one third of the year. Thus, it was decided that?Persephone?spend four months in?the underworld?and eight months on earth with her mother. The period in?the underworld?corresponded to the winter season, during which?Demeter?would make the soils barren due to her grief, while her return marked the start of the spring.

She was also given a number of epithets; she was often called?Kore?(the maiden) and?Kore?Soteira (the saviour maiden); Hagne (the pure); Aristi Cthonia (the best cthonic); and Despoina (the mistress of the house).

See Also:?Zeus,?Demeter,?Hades,?The Underworld

Persephone Is also called Proserpina, Kore.