Demeter was the Goddess of all the useful fruits, grasses and grains of the Earth. She sat opposite her brother, Poseidon, in the great Palace of Olympus.
Demeter was a mellow deity and seldom brought a smile to her face. Many thought that this was because she missed her lovely daughter, Persephone, who was married to Hades, the God of the Dead, and lived down in the Underworld of Tartarus. Persephone had unwillingly been taken away by Hades and could only visit her mother once a year.
Demeter took the Poppy, which grows as red as blood among the barley, as her symbol. She sat on a throne of bright green malachite, with golden pigs and ears of barley engraved on it for luck.