The Moon of September is the Barley Moon. September is the time of harvesting grains from the fields.
When the Barley Moon ascends the blackened sky, people celebrate the fruits of the year’s labors.
The legends we dedicate to September’s Moon are tales rooted in the harvest. They are the stories of how
harvesting came to be a most sacred time in the eyes of the creatures that dwell upon the Earth.
The Barley Mother
Ancient Greece
The story is told of when Demeter created the first seasons upon the Earth. Each year reflects the death of
the plants in the fields with the coming of winter and their rebirth in spring - but it was not always
as we know it. At one time, no seasons existed; the Earth was rich and fertile throughout the year. It
was always warm and pleasant and all the world was vibrant with life. This was the work of Demeter,
for the goddess loved the Earth and watched over it tenderly.
Persephone, Demeter’s daughter, also loved the Earth. She spent hours playing in Demeter’s fertile flower
fields. If there was anything that enriched Demeter’s heart more than her beloved Earth, it was her love
for her beautiful daughter.
The Barley Mother was not alone in her love of Persephone. Hades, god of the underworld, was also taken
by the maiden’s great beauty. As he watched her from his underworld kingdom, the dark god became
more and more obsessed with her beauty. He made plans to carry her away to the underworld to
spend all of eternity with him.
One day, as Persephone was playing amid her beloved flowers, the Earth opened up. From out of the crevice
arose Hades in his great chariot drawn by black horses. He swept up the maiden in his strong arms and
turned his black stallions back toward the underworld. Having collected his prize and headed safely
back toward his own kingdom, the Earth closed up behind him so no one could follow.
Upon learning of the loss of her daughter, Demeter was consumed by grief. In her great sadness, the goddess
neglected her beloved Earth. The fertile lands grew barren. The warm air grew cold. The vibrancy of life
began to give way to the icy hand of death.
Zeus, the father of all the gods, saw the great sadness of the goddess and her neglect of the Earth that she so
dearly loved. He knew that this was not good and should not be allowed to continue. Zeus sent his
messengers to the underworld kingdom to persuade Hades to release Persephone back to the care of her
mother. At first, the god of the underworld refused. Finally, however, he consented to yield to the
father god’s wishes.
Before releasing Persephone back into the bright world of her mother, however, Hades gave her a taste of a
magic pomegranate. Through the magic of the fruit, Persephone became destined to spend part of very
year in the kingdom of the dark god.
Upon return of her daughter, Demeter was gladdened. She stopped neglecting the lands of the Earth and
fertility was returned to the fields. But the curse of the magic pomegranate continues. Each year,
Persephone must return to Hades’ underworld kingdom. When she does, Demeter grieves. She neglects
the Earth’s green lands and they fall barren in winter.
When Persephone’s time in the underworld is done, she returns to her mother. The birds are the first to hear
the footsteps of the maiden as she makes her way back from the underworld. That is why they herald
the spring with their singing. When Persephone returns, Demeter’s time of grief ends and the Barley
Mother again tends to her beloved Earth. So has it been each year, and so shall it continue. Unless the
curse of the pomegranate is broken, the autumn months will announce the beginning of the Earth’s
barrenness, and spring will continue to ease Demeter’s pain and herald the rebirth of fertility upon her
Earth.
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