Nourricières d’immortalité : Déméter, Héra et quelques autres en pays grec

In ancient Greece, the representation of the divine and heroic world is characterised by a very sophisticated anthropomorphism. However, the suprahuman world is more than the lifelike projection of a human society into a higher sphere. In the discrepancies between socio-history and representation, some aspects of a divine specificity can be discerned. Accordingly, the respective roles of mother and wet nurse are not human types transported as such in the society of Greek gods. These types of human experience are “translated” at a higher level to suggest some aspects of the relationship that men want to establish with their gods. In return – and taking into account the discrepancies mentioned above – the narrative plots that feature such roles among the gods and heroes can reflect on their human counterparts and some current practices within Greek society. This paper addresses the role of the wet nurse respectively endorsed by the goddess Demeter taking care of a human baby and by the goddess Hera suckling the hero Heracles.