Poseidon pursuing Demeter

Symbolic analysis  of this Tetradrachm minted in Byzantium, Thrace, ca 240–220 BC. 

It depicts:

Veiled head of Demeter, wreathed with corn

Poseidon seated right on rock, holding aphlaston in extended right hand and trident over shoulder

So why Demeter and Poseidon?

According to Greek mythology, Demeter's daughter Persephone was abducted by Hades and taken to the underworld. I talked about the abduction of Persephone in my post "Abduction of Persephone". This is my favourite depiction of the abduction of Persephone by Hades. Fresco from the small royal tomb at Vergina, 340 BC, Macedonia, Greece.

While Demeter was searching for her daughter, Demeter was "pursued" by Poseidon, her brother, who "lusted after her"...Poseidon pursuing a woman, 480-450BC. Currently in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Manhattan NY. Could this unidentified "woman" actually be Demeter?

To escape Poseidon, Demeter turned herself into a mare and hid among the mares of Oncius, king of Thelpusa in Arcadia. But Poseidon turned himself into a stallion and mated with Demeter, fathering Arion, a magic stallion...I'll talk more about Arion in one of my next posts...

This myth makes no sense, until you realise that here we are here dealing with horse as an animal calendar marker for the beginning of grain harvest season and sailing season in the Eastern Mediterranean...

Poseidon was god of the sea, storms...and horses. This is reflected in his epithets: Nauklarios (Ναυκλάριος) "belonging to the ship-owners", Pelagikos (Πελάγίκος) "belonging to the sea"...and Hippeios (ἲππειος) "belonging to a horse"...

Sailors prayed to Poseidon for a calm seas and safe voyage, "sometimes drowning horses as a sacrifice"...

In Greek art, Poseidon rides a chariot that was pulled by a hippocampus or by horses that could ride on the sea...

Poseidon is apparently "...more often regarded as the tamer of horses, but in some myths he is their father, either by spilling his seed upon a rock or by mating with a creature who then gave birth to the first horse..."

In Arcadia, one of the most conservative parts of Ancient Greece, Poseidon was worshipped as a stallion...

Why? Why?

Cause mating season of horses, marked by wild stallion fights, also marks the sailing season in the Eastern Mediterranean. Both start in Apr/May and finish in Sep/Oct...

I talked about this in my post "Trojan horse", in which I asked a question: was Trojan horse "hypos" - a wooden horse left as tribute, or  "hypos" - a wooden boat with a horse head used for transporting tributes...

So that would explain Poseidon part of the the myth. But what about Demeter?

Demeter is the mother of grain, deified grain harvest. Persephone is the grain, deified grain seed.

Grain seeds are sown in Oct/Nov and are harvested (given birth to) starting from Apr/May

Why are opium poppies sacred to Demeter, goddess of grain harvest, while pomegranates are sacred to her daughter, Persephone? Check this chart out...More details can be found in my post "Poppies and pomegranates"...

It is during this period between the sowing and harvesting that Demeter is looking for Persephone. 

And it is towards the end of this period, most likely in Apr/May, when the horse mating season starts, that Poseidon (as a stallion) elopes with Demeter (as a mare)...Guess what begins in Apr/May? Grain harvest season...

Hesiod declares: "When the Pleiades, daughters of Atlas, are rising, begin the harvest". At the mid 8th century BCE in Bœotia, the heliacal rising of the Pleiades occurred about 47 days after spring equinox, which corresponds approximately to the first week of May...I talked about this in my post "Hesiod on grain"...

Grain harvest season, when Demeter brings Persephone back from the underworld (sown grain seed, sprouts, grows, ripens, gets harvested), while stallions are prancing around fighting for mares...

Ever seen this? Demeter in her horse-drawn chariot with her daughter Persephone, driving between two prancing stallions. I wonder why??? 🙂 Selinunte, Sicily 6th c. BC

And so, Demeter with beautiful golden hair full of ripe ears of grain and Poseidon holding a trident and aphlaston...aphlaston...the most sacred part of every Ancient Greek warship...Interesting...Very interesting...I will talk about this in one of my next posts...

To read more about ancient animal and plant calendar markers, start here…Then check my twitter threads I still didn't convert to blog post...I am way way behind...