Myth connects Triptolemus with DEMETER who, while searching for her daughter PERSEPHONE, was received warmly by Celeus, king of Eleusis in Attica. Triptolemus was his sick son. Demeter gave him breast milk and he instantly recovered and became an adult. She taught him the art of agriculture and instructed him to fly across Greece in a winged chariot to teach Greeks (helped by Persephone) how to plant and harvest crops. Triptolemus is recorded as one of the first men to be taught the Eleusinian Mysteries by Demeter. In art he is depicted as a young man with a branch or diadem in his hair, usually sitting on his winged chariot, adorned with serpents. His attributes include a plate of grain, a pair of wheat or barley ears and a sceptre. He is sometimes said to be the son of GAIA and OCEANUS
Found something wrong? Please let us know.