Moreover, Ceres is a political deity, because the availability of cereals protects from food shortage and social instability. The relative proximity of the temple to the earliest river harbour of the city stands as a reminder that corn can be effectively sourced from outside the city at times of need, effectively averting an otherwise inevitable crisis. A deity associated with the concept of fertility, therefore, has important prerogatives regarding the political order of the community, and its ‘infrastructure of interdependence’. That is a fascinating area of enquiry, even if one held a different view on the extent and pace of Hellenisation in early Republican Rome.
— Gods and Goddesses in Ancient Italy, Edited By Edward Bispham, Daniele Miano
This post is specifically about Ceres and her relationships with other deities, whether that be platonic, familial, etc etc. I also tried to determine if her relationships with these deities were positive/neutral/negative, but because of the lack of information(at least from what I can find), it’s mostly unknown / guesses.
Saturn - The god of generation, plenty, wealth, agriculture, liberation, etc. He is Ceres’ father. Can’t find any known information / myths on if they have a positive or negative relationship.
Ops - Fertility and Earth goddess. She is Ceres’ mother. No known info / myths on if they have a positive / negative relationship.
Humanity - According to this source, most of the ancient Roman gods only associated themselves with human affairs when it suited their needs. However, Ceres would involve herself in the daily lives of humans. She is credited with teaching humanity how to grow wheat and plow fields. The gift of agriculture itself is said to be something she gave to humans. She also taught humans how to preserve and prepare corn and other foods. She’s a protector and guardian of plebeians(a member of a lower social class).
Jupiter - King of the gods, god of the sky and thunder. Ceres’ brother. Unsure if they have a positive or negative relationship. He is also the father of Ceres’ child, Proserpina.
Juno - Queen of the gods, goddess of marriage and childbirth. She is Ceres’ sister. Unsure on their exact relationship.
Neptune - God of freshwater and the sea. Ceres’ brother. Unsure on their exact relationship.
Vesta - Virgin goddess of the hearth, home, and family. She is Ceres’ sister. Unsure on their exact relationship, but they both have a similar domain in terms of marriage. Since Ceres is associated with laws, she is also associated with the laws of marriage.
Pluto - Ruler and god of the underworld, death, and riches. I’d assume their relationship is more neutral(at best) - negative, as Pluto is the one who abducted her daughter, Proserpina, and took her to the underworld. And Ceres is still left to grieve being separated from her daughter for the fall and winter seasons.
Proserpina / Libera - Goddess(es?) of spring, agriculture, vegetation, fertility, and wine. I included both Proserpina and Libera in one category as it’s sort of murky on if they are actually the same goddess or not. Even if we assume they are separate goddesses, they both have a positive relationship with their mother. In the abduction of Proserpina, Ceres immediately dropped her duties and left in search of her daughter. Crops withered and decayed, famine struck and humans died, but Ceres didn’t care and refused to fix the famine until her daughter was brought back to her. With Libera, Ceres was worshipped alongside her and Liber on Aventine Hill.
Liber - God of wine, fertility, and freedom. He is Ceres’ son, and his father is unknown. I’d assume his relationship with Ceres is neutral - positive. Liber was historically worshipped alongside Ceres and his sister(or consort, or both) Libera on/near Aventine Hill.
Tellus - (Terra Mater) is an Earth goddess. She is Ceres’ grandmother. Since they both reign over agriculture and other Earthly-matters, they were often worshipped alongside each other. Because of this, I’d assume they have a neutral - positive relationship.
Helper Gods - Ceres is assisted by twelve minor gods to help and protect grain. They go as follows: Vervactor, Reparātor, Imporcĭtor, Insitor, Obarātor, Occātor, Serritor, Subruncinator, Mĕssor, Convector, Conditor, Promitor. Because of their roles as Ceres’ assistants, I’d assume they have a neutral - positive relationship. They’d be invoked alongside Ceres, and probably Tellus as well.
Dea Dia - Goddess of fertility and growth. She was sometimes identified with Ceres. The relationship between her and Ceres, is, I’d assume, neutral - positive, as Dea Dia was worshipped during Ambarvalia, a festival for Ceres, alongside her.
Proserpina, Roman Spring Goddess and Daughter of Ceres
Proserpina is the Roman goddess of spring, agriculture, wine, fertility and vegetation. Since she’s the wife of Pluto, she’s also considered the goddess of the Underworld. She’s the daughter of Ceres and Jupiter.
I wrote about her most popular myth, the one of her abduction and the reason for the seasons, here. Because of Proserpina’s association with Pluto and her mother Ceres, she’s often related to the cycles of life, death, and renewal.
The possible origin for her name derives from the Latin word “proserpere,” meaning to “to emerge,” relating to grain. Apparently, her cult and myths were combined with those of Libera, an early Roman wine goddess, and the Greek Persephone.
Symbols: torch, sheaf, pomegranate, bats, poppies, white roses
⤳ Ceres is the daughter of Saturn (god of generation, dissolution, plenty, wealth, agriculture, and periodic renewal according to wikipedia) and Ops (fertility goddess and earth goddess*).
⤳ Ceres siblings are:
Jupiter, god of the sky and thunder, and king of the gods
Juno, goddess of marriage, childbirth, “chief” goddess
Neptune, god of freshwater and the sea
Vesta, goddess of hearth, home, and family
Pluto, god of the underworld
⤳ Ceres has one child(though according to some myths, she has another), Proserpina [and Liber.] Proserpina is the goddess of agriculture and vegetation, and Liber is the god of wine, fertility, and freedom.
AKA: Feriae Sementivae, Sementina dies, Paganalia(in the country)
Sementivae is the Roman festival of sowing. It was held every year, but the date wasn't fixed. The time this festival would occur would be appointed by priests / magistrates. It was usually held in late January.
The festival honored the goddesses Ceres and Tellus (Terra Mater). The goddesses would be invoked for the protection against any damage done to the coming seeds to sprout (ie: bad weather). The goddesses would also be prayed to for good crops, as Ceres governed over agriculture, harvest, growth, etc., and Tellus, being an Earth goddess, gives the plants a place to live. Apparently, the first half of the event would honor Tellus, and a week later, a festive honoring Ceres would occur.
Offerings would be made to Ceres and Tellus, including: prayers, food (such as spelled buns) and a pregnant sow would be sacrificed. Oscilla, small clay discs, would be hung on trees, decorated with various figures, with the purpose of warding off evil and negative influences.
If you choose to modernly celebrate this holiday, ways to do so are fairly easy! Many people make oscilla with playdoh or clay. You can plant seeds and sprouts indoors if it's too cold outside to plant, and you can honor Ceres by baking bread.
→ offer her food, such as corn, grain, bread, ect. food from your local farmer would be good, especially food that’s in season.
→ a handwritten letter or note (if you feel this is something she’d like)
→ devotional activities such as planting food, taking care of plants/a garden, cleaning up litter, etc
→ to be honest, do what you feel is right lol. if you have a strong feeling to do something in particular as a devotional activity, or offer something to her, then i’d say, probably do it
AKA: sacerdos Cerealis or sacerdos Cereris publica
Sacerdos Cereris was the title of the priestess of the Roman goddess Ceres. Ceres’ cult was one of only two Roman state cults to include female priests. Her cult was apparently originally Greek, so, at least at the start, the priestesses were selected among Greek women from Elea and Naples. They had a high position in Roman society. Ceres’ priestesses and the Vestals were the only priestesses who were active in a publicly funded state cult.
Source: x
Something interesting I found when I was reading through Ceres’ wikipedia page relates to her and pigs. Ceres is, apparently, the originator of animal sacrifice, which is a renewal of life. Also apparently, she has a hostility towards her own sacrificial animal, the pig.
This is because pigs offend her by rooting up crops that are under her protection, but also, during the abduction of her daughter Proserpina, on the plains of Enna, Proserpina’s tracks got covered and obscured by the trampling of pigs. If it wasn’t for the pigs, Ceres might of been able to find her daughter and spare herself of the grief of their separation and search. And, of course, humanity would’ve been spared of famine.
