Cere's Joy

Cere was the Roman Goddess of the Earth and Growth.
Her daughter was Proserpine. Pluto fell in love with Proserpine, kidnapping her and taking her to Hades. Ceres searched everywhere, but couldn't find her. Eventually Ceres refused to let the plants grow any more, and everyone begun to die of hunger. So Pluto admitted he had Proserpine, but said she could only go back home if she had eaten none of the food of the Dead. Proserpine had eaten almost nothing, as she was so sad at being kept underground, but she had eaten six seeds from a pomergranate. So she could go home for six months every year, but for the rest of the year had to return to her husband. The sadness of this time of year causes her to stop the plants growing, and when she is back and Cere feels joy spring and summer arive.