Demeter (Riordan)

## Demeter

**Demeter** is one of the twelve Olympians and a character in Rick Riordan's mythological book series.

She is the goddess of agriculture and the harvest.

## Background

### Personality

Demeter acts as a stereotypical mother-in-law when she visits the Underworld. She constantly nags her daughter and takes every chance she can at insulting Hades. However, beneath all that, Demeter was maternal and somewhat fussy and overprotective, even mentioned on how she went to great lengths to find Persephone when she went missing. Apollo mentions to Meg that her mother is warm and caring.

### Abilities

* Shapeshifting: As shown in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Demeter has the power to transform and reshape the form of her body, though she hardly ever utilizes this ability. She has transformed into an eagle (while escaping from Kronos' palace on Mount Othrys), a bat (while sneaking into Tartarus' maximum-security zone with her siblings), a snake (while trying to escape from Zeus' advances), and a mare (while trying to escape from Poseidon's advances).
* Chlorokinesis: As the Goddess of Agriculture, Demeter has divine authority and absolute control over plants and the harvest. She has the same plant-manipulation powers as her demigod children, only to an infinitely greater extent.
* Taphokinesis: As the Goddess of Agriculture, Demeter has the ability to make plants rot and decay.
* Fertility Manipulation: As the Goddess of Fertility, Demeter has the power to manipulate fertility, the natural capability for living beings to reproduce (in terms of animals) or grow (in terms of plants). She could either grant or enhance the fertility of the earth, turning barren plains into fertile fields, encourage orchards to bear fruit, and flowers to bloom. She could also render things infertile, making them unable to reproduce or grow.
* Swordsmanship: According to Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Demeter always wore a curved and menacing Imperial Gold sword (forged for her by the Elder Cyclopes) on her belt. While she usually uses it to cut wheat, it was stated that Demeter was also capable of skillfully wielding it in combat against those who anger her, which reveals her to be an expert swordswoman.
* Body Length Manipulation: As shown in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Demeter has the power to manipulate the height of her body - when provoked to breaking point by Erysichthon, she grew to a massive height greater than even the trees of her sacred grove. Percy describes her as "Grainzilla" in this state.
* Nourishment Manipulation: As the Mistress of All Nourishment, Demeter has absolute control and divine authority over nourishment. An example of an ability she derived from this province is:
* Gluttony Inducement: As shown in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Demeter had the power to induce excessive eating or gluttony, rendering one unable to focus on anything else than fulfilling their hunger - she cursed Erysichthon to suffer and eventually die an excruciating death from insatiable hunger and thirst.
* Deification: As shown in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Demeter has the power to transform whomever she chooses into immortal deities - had it not been for the untimely interference of Metaneira, she would have successfully made Demophoon an immortal god. Later on, she made Triptolemus her immortal lieutenant as the God of Farming after he helped her find her daughter.
* Geokinesis: As the Goddess of the Earth, Demeter has absolute control and divine authority over the earth, presumably more than her siblings (Hera and Hades ), though less so compared to her grandmother, Gaea . As shown in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, she permitted the crops of Eleusis to continue growing even as she rendered the rest of the earth barren and infertile.
* Thermokinesis: As the Goddess of Agriculture, Demeter has divine authority and absolute control over the temperatures of the atmosphere, which is also the basis of her control over the seasons. Examples of other abilities she derived from this province are:
* Seasons Control: As the Goddess of the Seasons, Demeter has divine authority and absolute control over the seasons, such as annually transforming spring into winter (when her daughter Persephone is with Hades), and vice versa (when her daughter returns).
* Atmokinesis: As the Goddess of the Seasons, Demeter has the power to create, shape, and manipulate the weather to a certain extent, such as causing rain or snow, though her ability to do so is inferior to that of her brother, Zeus.
* Cursing: As shown in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Demeter has the power to place a curse on anyone or anything - upon learning of how Askalaphos had helped Hades to trick Persephone, she furiously sent a powerful curse straight into the Underworld, transforming him into a gecko.
* Culinary Arts: In Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Demeter was said to be an excellent cook, knowing how to bake delicious bread and cookies.
* Transfiguration: As demonstrated in the Battle of Manhattan, Demeter has the power to transform, or alter, or transmute objects or beings into anything else - she transformed numerous Dracaenae into barley.
* Ant Manipulation: As shown in Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes, Demeter has the power to summon and control ants - she sent numerous ants to help Psyche sort out the grains spilled all over Aphrodite's kitchen.

### Symbols

* Her general symbols are the cornucopia, (sheaves of) wheat, bread, torch, acorns, honey.
* Her sacred animals are the cats and dogs (all domestic pets), lions, snakes, lizards, pigs and the crane.
* Her sacred plants are the poppies, the sunflower, the cypress, the foxglove, the daisy, the columbine, the ash and the oak trees.
* Her sacred colors are the green (which represent the florescence of the spring), dark brown (which represents the soil and the earth) and gold (which represents wheat and fields of grain).

## *Percy Jackson*

### *The Titan's Curse*

Demeter was present at the winter solstice council meeting. Though she had no known speaking role, she was one of the first few, along with Aphrodite, to vouch for Percy Jackson's safety and to prevent his death

### *The Last Olympian*

Demeter appears in the Underworld, where Percy Jackson has been brought before Hades by Nico di Angelo and the Furies. Percy sees Demeter nagging her daughter, Persephone, about how she should have married the god of doctors or the god of lawyers and nags her about eating the pomegranates. Hades, highly annoyed by his sister, tells her that she is just a guest in his house.

At the end of the Battle of Olympus, Hades was convined by Nico to aid Percy in defending Olympus to gain his family's gratefulness. Demeter appears with her brother and daughter.

## *The Trials of Apollo*

### The Hidden Oracle

In the first book, *The Hidden Oracle*, Demeter claims Meg McCaffrey as her daughter.

## Films

### *Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief*

Demeter briefly appears among the Olympian council when Percy presents the Master Bolt to Zeus. She is portrayed by actress Stefanie von Pfetten.