Ceres was the goddess of growing plants (particularly cereals) and of motherly love. She was the daughter of Saturn and wife-sister of Jupiter, and sister of Juno, Vesta, Neptune and Pluto.

Ceres was adopted by the Romans in 496 BC during a devastating famine, when the priests suggested one way to cure the famine was to adopt the Greek god Demeter, along with Bacchus.

There was a temple to Ceres on the Aventine Hill in Rome. Her main festival was held annually on April 12 to April 19 and she was particulalry worshipped by the working (plebeian) classes, who were the people who worked in the corn trade.
She had twelve minor gods who assisted her, and were in charge of specific aspects of farming: "Vervactor who turns fallow land, Reparator who prepares fallow land, Imporcitor who plows with wide furrows" (whose name comes from the Latin imporcare, to put into furrows), "Insitor who sowed, Obarator who plowed the surface, Occator who harrowed, Sarritor who weeded, Subruncinator who thinned out, Messor who harvested, Conuector who carted, Conditor who stored, and Promitor who distributed".[1]

Her symbols are a scepter, a basket of flowers and fruit, and a garland made of wheat ears.

The word cereals comes to us from Ceres.