Why Demeter? Who is She?
All the sub camps at this years Essex International Jamboree are named after Greek Gods and Goddesses as this year is also an Olympic year with the games being held in Athens, Greece.
Demeter is the goddess of corn, grain, and the harvest. She is the daughter of Cronus
and Rhea. It is Demeter that makes the crops grow each year. The first loaf of bread from the harvest is sacrificed to her. Demeter is intimately associated with the
seasons. Her daughter Persephone was abducted by Hades to be his wife in the underworld. In her anger at her daughter's loss Demeter laid a curse on the world that caused
plants to wither and die, the land became desolate. Zeus became alarmed and sought Persephone's return. However, because she had eaten while in the underworld Hades had a
claim on her. Therefore, it was decreed that Persephone would spend four months each year in the underworld. During these months Demeter grieves her daughters absence, and
withdraws her gifts from the world, creating winter. Her return brought the spring.