(called Demeter by the Greeks), the goddess of corn and harvests, and the protectress of agriculture. She was the daughter of Saturn and Rhea, and the mother of Proserpine by Jupiter. Enna in Sicily was regarded as the favourite retreat of the goddess—a legend that has reference to the fruitfulness of that island. When Proserpine was gathering flowers in the fields of Enna, Pluto carried her away; and Ceres, disconsolate at the loss of her child, resolved to discover the place of her concealment. Lighting her torch at the fires of Etna, she set forth in a chariot drawn by dragons. The search of Ceres long proved fruitless; but having at length obtained the information she desired, she immediately flew to heaven, and demanded the restitution of her daughter. Jupiter at last consented, provided that Proserpine had not partaken of food in the realms of Pluto. The unwelcome truth that Proserpine had eaten the seeds of a pomegranate was revealed by Ascalaphus, who for his pains was metamorphosed into an owl. Jupiter, moved at the overwhelming grief of Ceres, granted that Proserpine should pass only half of the year with her husband, and the remainder in the upper world. This legend obviously has reference to the seed-corn, which remains in the ground part of the year; and the return of Proserpine to her mother is the springing of the corn. As the cultivation of the earth had been neglected during the time that Ceres was wandering in quest of her daughter, the soil became barren; and in order to repair the loss occasioned by her absence, the goddess went to Attica, and there instructed Triptolemus of Eleusis in the science of agriculture. By her desire Triptolemus travelled over the earth and disseminated among men the knowledge he had received. Among the fables connected with the invention and extension of agriculture, is the story that by Iasion, who introduced agriculture into Crete, Ceres became the mother of Plutus the god of riches. The appellation of Demeter, by which she was known among the Greeks, appears to be a compound of ἡγησις and παρθένος, equivalent to "mother earth." Her worship is said to have been introduced from Egypt into Greece by Erechtheus; and by some she is identified with the Egyptian Isis. In Greece her festivals were called Thesmophoria and Eleusinia; those at Rome, Cerealia. Ceres was greatly honoured by the Romans. Her festivals were annually celebrated by matrons, holding burning torches in their hands; and whoever ventured to appear without previous initiation was punished with death.

The adventures of Ceres during her search for Proserpine were numerous. By Neptune she became the mother of the horse Arion, and was so shocked at the monstrous birth that she withdrew from the sight of men. She was discovered in Arcadia by Pan, and induced to return to Sicily, where she was honoured with a statue veiled in black, with the head of a horse, and holding in one hand a dove, in the other a dolphin. The ram was sacrificed to Ceres, and also the sow, as being destructive to crops.

Ceres is usually represented as a majestic young woman, with the same matronly appearance as Juno, but of milder aspect, her eyes less full, the forehead lower, and instead of the high diadem, her head is adorned with a garland of ears of corn, or bound with a simple fillet. In her hand there appears a lighted torch, and sometimes a sickle, a cornucopia, a wreath, or a poppy, which was sacred to her. Sometimes she appears seated on an ox, carrying a basket on her arm, and in her hand a hoe. She is also represented riding in a chariot drawn by winged dragons.

By the poets, Ceres is used metaphorically for corn and bread, as Bacchus is used to signify wine. See Eleusinia.

the name of a small planet between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. It was discovered by Piazzi at Palermo in 1801. See ASTRONOMY.