Demeter and the Horae

Demeter and the Horae

Video Installation and Activity

James Hegarty, 2019

BACKGROUND

This piece details the story of Demeter, Greek goddess of agriculture and the harvest. In a nutshell, the story of Demeter is a cycle that runs through happiness and joy, before falling into a deep despair. Her daughter Persephone, the goddess of springtime, was taken by Hades, god of the Underworld. After Persephone had eaten six pomegranate seeds from the Garden of the Dead, she was forced to remain there for 6 months out of every year as Hades’ wife, and only in the other six months could she return to the surface world to be with her mother again. While Persephone is with her, the Earth is blooming and bountiful with her joy. In the six months that her daughter is away, the Earth shrivels and weeps with Demeter as she awaits Persephone’s return. These four portraits depict Demeter as the Horae take turns visiting her throughout the year. These are the four goddesses of the seasons, they’re names literally translates to ‘“the Hours”, whose job it is to bring about each time of year. Since this process occurs in a cycle, the portraits are shown two-by-two in order to convey the idea that no one comes before the other. In order to make description easier, each will be described below according to how they begin in the Gregorian calendar.

Demeter in the Spring

At the top left, Demeter patiently awaits for her daughter’s impending return, which is being heralded by the presence of the sun and flowers. Her face remains somewhat solemn and the world has not yet fully returned to its bountiful state, indicating the dregs of her vow: that the world would not prosper until Persephone was by her side once more. A lamb walks before her, another sign of the arrival of the caprine presence of Eira, preparing the world for spring.

Demeter in the Summer

Pictured in the cornfields at the top right holding a scythe and basket of corn, Demeter is at her peak when embracing Theros, the summer. She looks up to the sun and basks in the warmth, taking it in while she can. The only thing that keeps her from breaking into a full-fledged grin is the knowledge that she will soon have to see her darling daughter leave her again. As long as the serpentine Theros crawls through the fields, all remains warm and bountiful in the world.

Demeter in the Autumn

Phthinoporon’s leporine presence in the world brings a tide of fresh despair to Demeter. It is in this season that she must prepare Persephone for her return to the Underworld, and thus harvest whatever food remains before her despair kills it all. At the bottom left, she holds a bunch of grapes not taken by her daughter, and savors their taste one last time until they reappear again in the summer. A storm begins to brew on the horizon as her anger is about to reach its climax in the form of hurricanes, blizzards, and an overall blanket of death and destruction unleashed upon the Earth.

Demeter in the Winter

While she may be at her peak in the summer, Demeter is arguably at her most powerful while Keimon, the winter, visits. The bottom right shows snow falling and frost forming on the ground in front of her temple. This is the time when her sorrow is so great, it causes all of the vegetation on Earth to recede back into the ground, almost as if it’s trying to follow Persephone. Her tears freeze as they fall from her face, with the cold caused by the salamandrine figure of Keimon turning them into snowflakes. With this near-eternal deep freeze, Demeter has the power to destroy all living things, and such was her threat to the Olympians until her daughter was returned to her. It’s no wonder the winter portrait is the darkest of the four.