5.5.2: Psychological

Psychological literary theory applies concepts from psychology, psychoanalysis, and human behavior to interpret myths. In the myths of Demeter, reconciliation with death, reassurance of rebirth and renewal, and chthonic aspects are consistent themes and a reflection of the human struggle for meaning, especially under crises that forced them to confront their mortality. Humans, then and now, found consolation by engaging with the perennial forces that championed human existence. Myths, like the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, and the rituals of the Mysteries “were a reminder that often things had to get worse before they could get better, and that survival and creativity required a dedicated struggle” (Armstrong Myth 70-71).

In a parallel myth, which may have predated the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, the forlorn goddess is approached by Poesideon amongst the herds of Oncus, who wishes to prey upon her grief and seduce her. When she rebuffs him by changing herself into a mare, the rageful god assumes the shape of a stallion and completes the rape. The act results in two children, the horse Arieon (Arion) and a daughter known by the cryptic eponyme, “the Mistress.” Pausanias elaborates on the offspring stating, “Demeter, they say, had by Poseidon a daughter, whose name they are not wont to divulge to the uninitiated, and a horse called Areion” (8.25.7). The mysterious nature of her daughter’s name invites reasonable inquiry as to her role, perhaps as a sacred entity within the temple rites; and her nature, whether she shared the life-giving aspects of Demeter, or the rebirth aspects of Persephone, or whether she possessed the darker, deathwielding essence of the Goddess. If her nature was perceived as a potent threat to the patriarchy, it may have suited the narrative to hide her properties by “unspeaking” her name.