Who is the goddess of the harvest and agriculture?

Who is the goddess of the harvest and agriculture? Demeter is the Greek goddess of the harvest and agriculture.

Demeter presided over grain, crops, food, and the fertility of the earth. She was one of the Twelve Olympians and a daughter of the Titans Cronus and Rhea. Her symbols included wheat, the torch, the poppy, bread, and the cornucopia, all reflecting nourishment and abundance.

Her most important myth concerns her daughter Persephone, whom Hades carried into the Underworld. Demeter’s grief caused the earth to become barren, threatening mortals with famine. Zeus arranged Persephone’s return, but because she had eaten food in the Underworld, she had to spend part of each year there. The myth explains the seasonal cycle: the earth flourishes when mother and daughter are reunited and becomes unproductive during their separation.

Demeter and Persephone were central to the Eleusinian Mysteries, secret religious rites promising initiates hope for a better afterlife. Demeter is often confused with Persephone, but Demeter is the agricultural mother goddess; Persephone is chiefly linked with the Underworld and seasonal renewal.