Overview
Demeter is the queen of the fruitful earth and the goddess of agriculture, whose every mood is reflected in the health and fertility of the earth. Without her blessing, no crops may grow on the earth. Demeter will not hesitate to use this fact to blackmail mortals and other gods if she feels the need. In gratitude for help she once received while for searching for her lost daughter Persephone, she also taught the inhabitants of Eleusis the secrets of making the earth fertile. The exact nature of these secrets, called the Eleusinian Mysteries, remains unknown.
Description
Demeter appears as a beautiful, matronly woman, draped in robes the colour of vegetation: lush green in the spring and summer, gold in autumn, and black or brown in winter (when she mourns for her daughter, Persephone). Occasionally, Demeter will take on the form of a female horse.
Holy symbol
Demeter's symbol is the head of a mare (female horse).
Favored weapon
Demeter wields a longspear made of ash wood. The priesthood of Demeter can select either the shortspear or the halfspear as their favored weapon.
Possessions
Demeter possesses a spear made of ash wood which causes a tree to sprout from any wound it makes. Unless the tree's roots are torn from the victims body, it will become so large that they will be forced to lie on the ground.
Demeter rides within a chariot pulled by two ancient green dragons.
Realm
Great Wheel cosmology
In the Great Wheel cosmology, Demeter resides within the planar realm of Olympus, which is located on Arvandor (also known as Olympus), the first layer of the Olympian Glades of Arborea. Demeter lives within a simple-looking cottage in the center of an immense field of golden grain. Her petitioners toil in the fields all day, before retiring at night to their own cottages scattered about the realm. They work hard but appear to love the labour.
Olympian cosmology
In the Olympian cosmology, Demeter resides within the outer planar realm of Olympus, a great mountain which stands at the center of the world. This mighty peak rises so high above the world, that its heights form a distinct planar realm. It serves as home to the majority of the Olympian deities, not including Hades, and each deity maintains their own personal domain within this realm.
Worship
Demeter is generally a benevolent deity; however, if her worshipers ignore their duties, she does not hesitate to destroy their crops or inflict famine upon them. Priests of Demeter must spend at least one year being initiated into the Eleusinian Mysteries. After that, every year they must perform the ceremonies related to the Lesser Mysteries, and every five years they must conduct the ceremonies related to the Greater Mysteries. Priests of Demeter preside over agricultural festivals, bless plantings and harvests and lead new initiates in the Mysteries.
In Spelljammer
The inhabitants of Greatspace revere the gods and goddesses of the Greek pantheon, especially Zeus, meaning that Demeter can be considered a native deity.