Demeter with dove

Terracotta statuette of Demeter enthroned with a turtle-dove. The cult image of the harvest goddess was likely venerated in a sanctuary. From Sicily, 5th century BC. Milan Archaeological Museum. Pic by Gareth Harney

Demeter was Olympian goddess of grain harvest...Why was the goddess of harvest associated with turtle doves? I would like to answer this question in this article...

Well I think that Demeter was associated with turtle doves for the same reason she was associated with snakes...Because the grain harvest season in Ancient Greece started in Apr/May, when the most common Eurasian snakes start to mate...

I talked about Demeter and snakes in my posts "Who are Persephone's parents" and "Demeter riding a panther"...

This is the same reason she was associated with opium poppies...Because opium poppies harvest in Ancient Greece started in Apr/May, at the same time when grain harvest started...

I talked about Demeter and poppies in my posts "Poppies and pomegranates", "Kubaba with grain and poppies", "Demeter riding a panther"...

As I said, snakes and opium poppies are animal and plant calendar markers for Apr/May, the beginning of the grain harvest season in Eastern Mediterranean - Levant - Mesopotamia - Iran area...

I believe that turtle doves are also such calendar marker.

This is European Turtle Dove. Beautiful bird...

Despite its name it is actually native to both Europe and Western Asia...

Now remember, animal calendar markers are ancient calendar markers derived from the annual mating (most often) or birthing or migrating or hibernating habits of the animal in question...

The breeding season of European turtle doves starts in Apr and lasts until Sep. So it overlaps with the grain harvest season in Europe and Western Asia...Which is why, I think, this bird is associated with Demeter...Goddess of grain harvest...

By the way, doves were also associated with Inanna/Ishtar...Who was also associated with grain...

Now in Iraq, apart from European Turtle Dove, we also find Eurasian Collared Dove...

In Iraq, in it's native range, turtle dove nests between Apr and Aug... Again overlapping with the grain harvest season in Mesopotamia...

So both most common Mesopotamian dove types start their nesting at the beginning of the grain harvest in Mesopotamia...Which is why, I think, dove was Inanna's bird. I will write another article specifically about Inanna/Ishtar and doves...Tonight I will stope here. Time for bed 🙂

To read more about ancient animal and plant calendar markers, start here…then check the rest of the blog posts related to animal calendar markers I still didn't add to this page, and finally check my twitter threads I still didn't convert to blog post...I am 9 months behind now...

Poppies and pomegranates

What connects pomegranates and poppies? Well obviously shape...

Ripe pomegranate, red and yellow:

Ripe (harvesting) opium poppies:

But also the fact that these two plants are associated with Demeter (poppies) and her daughter Persephone (pomegranates)...The goddesses of grain...

Persephone, deified grain and grain planting season, gets taken by Hades to the underworld (planted) in Oct/Nov...

Persephone gets reunited with her mother, Demeter, deified grain and grain harvest season, during the grain harvest in (Apr/May)...

Pomegranates are ready for harvest when opium poppies and grain are planted (Oct/Nov)...

Which is why Persephone's sacred plant, apart from grain, is pomegranate...

Before releasing her, Hades tricked Persephone, by giving her pomegranate to eat. And because she tasted "food in the underworld", she had to return to the underworld every winter. 

From the article "Abduction of Persephone" about flora and fauna found in Persephone legend... 

Pomegranates flower (Apr–Jun), when grain and opium poppies are ready for harvesting...

Which is why Demeter's sacred plant, apart from grain, was opium poppy...

You can read more about this in my post "Demeter riding a panther"...

Apparently, there is "common belief" that Demeter's poppies are common red poppies (Papaver rhoeas) and not opium poppies (Papaver somniferum)...So have a look at this:

Demeter holding grain and poppy pods...

Which poppies? Look at the shape of the poppy pods Demeter holds in her hand. Then look at the poppy pods on the two pics below. 

Red poppies

Red opium poppies

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words... 

Oh, why snakes? Cause mating season of most common European snakes is Apr/May...The same time when grain and poppy harvest begins in Eastern Mediterranean...I talked about this in my post "Goats and snakes from Körtik Tepe"...

Well, it wasn't just Demeter who loved poppies...

Grain goddess with poppies Anatolia...I talked about her in my post "Kubaba with grain and poppies"...

Grain goddess with poppies Mesopotamia...I talked about her in my post "Fertility goddess with poppies"...

So pomegranate and poppies are two opposite plant calendar markers, marking beginning of "old" winter, cool, wet half of the year (pomegranate, Persephone), and the beginning of the "old" summer, hot, dry half of the year (poppy, Demeter)...

I think this is quite cool...

To read more about ancient animal and plant calendar markers, start here…then check the rest of the blog posts related to animal calendar markers I still didn't add to this page, and finally check my twitter threads I still didn't convert to blog post...I am 9 months behind now...