For several thousand years the goddess has been in decline. As we will see tomorrow, much of the decline of the goddess can be attributed to cultural factors. In very patriarchal societies such as our own, and to a greater extent the Greeks, the goddess gets shotgun instead of the drivers seat. Her importance in myth cannot be overstated however. Goddesses such as Demeter are central to the existence of all life and particularly human life. The text does a good job in covering the importance of this story in etiological and psychological terms and it does address the importance to the feminine psyche.
I found this myth to be a good guide to a woman's life and importance in society. This story tracks Persephone as maiden, Demeter as mother and life giver, as well as the crone. They may possess incredible potency to give life but it is constrained and directed here by the prerogatives of the patriarchy or social function.
The first glaring example of social duty is Persephone's marriage to Hades. While she is clearly not happy with the match it demonstrates the typical marriage a woman could expect. She would be married to a much older man who would likely appear a monster in her innocence. Much has been written on this subject and it appears in folk tales such as Beauty and the Beast where the young girl must learn to recognize the male not as the "other" but as the other half of her own divided self.
Eventually Persephone comes to an acceptance of her limitations in regards to marriage and becomes an adult woman operating within the bounds of society. While this explains the seasons etc. it also prepares young women for the transition to adulthood and the recognition of their own power as women. Their power may not be (primarily) to make policy and war but they have the gift to deny life, or allow it to continue. Observe the play Pygmalion by Shaw and the earlier Greek myth. The power of life is locked away like a princess in a tower. It takes either a hero's penetration into the restricted zone of her life giving powers to win her over, or the eventual realization on her part that she is is now not a girl but a woman. Earlier societies did a much better job of introducing women (and men) to their new lives of maturity and responsibility than we do today.
Demeter's grief over the separation is presented as somewhat excessive here but highlights the mother's need to relinquish her children to the social order as well. The better Greeks states had compulsory public education for male children starting at the age of 6 or 7. The child was usually removed from the home for a number of years and returned only when his studies were finished. He might be allowed visits home, but his mother no longer had any access or power over him. He had migrated to another realm where she could not reach him.
Demeter as the crone still holds impressive power. Take the example of Demophoon buried in the fire in an effort to grant him immortality. The mother is unable, as a mortal, to comprehend the fire of immortality and sees it only as a threat. Most people fear what they do not understand, (observe the rise of fundamentalism currently going on all over the world) and the young mother mistakes the crone, Demeter's intentions. As we will read later Hecate is the archetypal crone figure and has powers associated with the realm of death. She is the patron of Medea, Jason's wife and exhibits her power to destroy through the maddened woman. The crone is the tomb into which we all must pass.
