The crop of the field is a god, born of her womb. At the height of his maturity, he willingly allows himself to be cut down and eaten, the flesh of his body providing sustenance for the people. But a portion of his seed is saved and returned to the earth, where it refertilizes the womb of the goddess so that she bears him again as a child the following spring. Thus he is both her consort and her child. Dor holeikh v'dor ba, v'ha-aretz l'olam omedet.
Generation goes and generation comes, but the earth forever abides.
It is the logic of this myth that explains the ancient practice of human sacrifice. This renunciation of human sacrifice marks the critical turning point between pagan and Jewish religion, and also explains the central role played by animal sacrifice in the Jewish religious practices of Temple times. Abel, the herdsman, offers one of his flock after the Hebrew fashion. The God of Genesis, of course, spurns Cain's offering and prefers Abel's. In the story, Cain then rises up and slays his brother in a jealous rage, but I believe this is a corruption of the original story.