Ceres
Part of The Encyclopedia of Southern Italy.
Ceres: The goddess of Roman/Italic agriculture, she was the daughter of Saturn and Vesta. As a corn-goddess she was worshipped in Sicily, equated with the Greek Demeter. She was normally associated with her daughter Proserpine (Greek: Persephone). It is believed that these goddesses were not originally part of the pantheon of the pre-Greek Sikans or Sikels. More likely, the Greek deities were adopted by the native Sicilians, who transferred many of their myths to locales on the island. Cicero, in the 1st century BC, mentions the beliefs of the Sicilians that the goddesses lived in the region near Enna (anc. Henna) and that corn was first grown in Sicily. Ceres was worshipped at important temples at Enna, Syracuse, and Akragas. The worship of the corn-goddess was so strong at Enna that the city was only converted to Christianity when Ceres was identified with the Virgin Mary. Even after the conversion, the characteristics of the old pagan cult remained strong among the local population. Ancient cult images depicting Ceres holding the infant Proserpine were often reidentified as the Madonna and Child.
The worship of Ceres in Sicily was closely associated with the earth goddess Tellus.