The Eleusinian Mysteries were special ceremonies held every year in ancient Greece for the worship of the goddesses Demeter and Persephone. These ceremonies took place at a major religious site called the Panhellenic Sanctuary of Eleusis. They are known as the "most famous secret religious rituals of ancient Greece." The Mysteries were based on an old farming tradition from the Bronze Age, and some evidence suggests they may have started during the Mycenaean period. The ceremonies were connected to the story of Persephone, who was taken from her mother, Demeter, by Hades, the ruler of the underworld. This story had three parts: Persephone's journey to the underworld (loss), the search for her, and her return to the surface world (ascent). The main idea was Persephone's return and her reunion with her mother. These Mysteries were an important festival during the ancient Greek time and later became popular in Rome.
The rituals, traditions, and beliefs of the Mysteries were kept secret and remained unchanged for many years. Those who participated believed that Persephone’s return to the surface world represented the endless cycle of life, passing from one generation to the next. They also thought they would receive a reward in the afterlife. Many paintings and pottery items from ancient times show scenes related to the Mysteries. Some scholars think that the Mysteries lasted for over two thousand years because they included visions and ideas about the afterlife, possibly involving special medicines. The name "Eleusis" may have been used before the Greeks arrived and might be connected to the place called Elysium and the goddess Eileithyia.
Etymology
The Eleusinian Mysteries (Greek: Ἐλευσίνια Μυστήρια) were the religious ceremonies held in the city of Eleusis. The name "Eleusis" is not of Greek origin and may be connected to the goddess Eileithyia. In some regions, such as Laconia and Messene, the name "Elysia" might be linked to the month Eleusinios and the city Eleusis, though this connection is not certain.
The Greek word "mystḗrion" (μυστήριον), from which the English word "mystery" comes, means "secret rite" or "mystery." It is related to the verb "myéō" (μυέω), meaning "to teach or initiate into the mysteries," and the noun "mýstēs" (μύστης), meaning "someone who has been initiated." The term "mystikós" (μυστικός), which is the source of the English word "mystic," means "connected to the mysteries" or "private or secret," as it is used in modern Greek.
Demeter and Persephone
The Mysteries are connected to a myth about Demeter, the goddess of farming and fertility, as told in one of the Homeric Hymns (around 650 BC). According to the hymn, Demeter’s daughter, Persephone (also called Kore, meaning “maiden”), was asked to paint all the flowers on Earth. Before she finished, Hades, the god of the underworld, took her by force. Heartbroken, Demeter searched everywhere for her daughter, having many adventures along the way. During one journey, she taught Triptolemus, a hero from Eleusis, the secrets of farming. In her sadness, she tried to convince Zeus to let her daughter return, and in doing so, she caused a terrible drought that killed many people and stopped sacrifices to the gods.
Zeus, hearing the cries of the starving people and the other gods, finally allowed Persephone to return to her mother. However, the Fates had a rule: anyone who ate or drank in the underworld had to stay there forever. Before letting Persephone go, Hades tricked her into eating pomegranate seeds (some stories say six, others say four). Because of this, Persephone had to return to the underworld for four or six months each year. During this time, Demeter, filled with sorrow, stopped farming until her daughter came back, and the cycle repeated. Persephone’s return symbolizes the rebirth of plants and the ongoing cycle of life from one generation to the next.
In the main text of the mystery, the Homeric Hymn to Demeter (line 415), it says Persephone stays with Hades during winter and returns to her mother in the spring: “This was the day [of Persephone’s return], at the very beginning of bountiful springtime.” However, one scholar suggested a different version, stating that the four months Persephone spends with Hades might match the hot, dry summer in Greece.
Mysteries
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The Eleusinian Mysteries are believed to have ancient origins. Some findings in the temple Eleusinion in Attica suggest that their basis was an old agrarian cult. Some practices of the mysteries seem to have been influenced by the religious practices of the Mycenaean period, thus predating the Greek Dark Ages. Excavations have shown that a private building existed under the Telesterion in the Mycenaean period; it seems that originally the cult of Demeter was private. In the Homeric Hymn is mentioned the palace of the king Keleos.
Some scholars argued that the Eleusinian cult was a continuation of a Minoan cult, and that Demeter was a poppy goddess who brought poppy from Crete to Eleusis. Some useful information from the Mycenaean period can be found from studying the cult of Despoina (the precursor goddess of Persephone) and the cult of Eileithyia, the goddess of childbirth. For example, the megaron of Despoina at Lycosura is quite similar to the Telesterion of Eleusis. Demeter is united with the god Poseidon, bearing the unnamable Despoina (the mistress). In the cave of Amnisos at Crete, the goddess Eileithyia is connected to the annual birth of the divine child, as well as to Enesidaon (The Earth Shaker), the chthonic aspect of Poseidon.
At Eleusis, inscriptions refer to "the Goddesses" accompanied by the agricultural god Triptolemus (probably son of Ge and Oceanus), and to "the God and the Goddess" (Persephone and Plouton) accompanied by Eubuleus, who probably led the way back from the underworld. The myth was represented in a cycle with three phases: the "descent," the "search," and the "ascent" (Greek anodos), with contrasted emotions from sorrow to joy meant to rouse the mystae (initiates) to exultation.
One line of thought by modern scholars has been that the Mysteries were intended "to elevate man above the human sphere into the divine and to assure his redemption by making him a god and so conferring immortality upon him." The main theme was Persephone's ascent from the underworld and her reunion with her mother Demeter. At the beginning of the feast, the priests filled two special vessels and poured them out, one towards the west and the other towards the east. The people looking to the sky and the earth shouted in a magical rhyme, "rain and conceive."
In one ritual, a child was initiated from the hearth (the divine fire). The name pais (child) appears in the Mycenaean inscriptions; this was the ritual of the "divine child," originally Ploutos. In the Homeric Hymn, the ritual is connected with the myth of the agricultural god Triptolemus. The goddess of nature survived in the mysteries where the following words were uttered: "Mighty Potnia bore a great son." Potnia (Linear B po-ti-ni-ja: lady or mistress), is a Mycenaean title applied to goddesses, probably the translation of a similar title of pre-Greek origin.
The high point of the celebration was "an ear of grain cut in silence," which represented the force of the new life. The idea of immortality did not exist in the mysteries at the beginning, but the initiated believed that they would have a better fate in the underworld. Death remained a reality, but was also a new beginning, like the plant which grows from the buried seed.
A depiction from the old palace of Phaistos is very close to the image of the anodos ("ascent") of Persephone: An armless and legless deity grows out of the ground, and her head turns to a large flower.
According to archaeologist George Mylonas, the lesser mysteries were held "as a rule once a year in the early spring in the month of flowers, the Anthesterion," while "the Greater Mysteries were held once a year and every fourth year they were celebrated with special splendor in what was known as the penteteris." Classical scholar Károly Kerényi concurs with this assessment: "The Lesser Mysteries were held at Agrai in the month of Anthesterion, our February… The initiates were not even admitted to the epopteía [Greater Mysteries] in the same year, but only in September of the following year." This cycle continued for about two millennia.
In the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, King Celeus is said to have been one of the first people to learn the secret rites and mysteries of her cult. He was also one of her original priests, along with Diocles, Eumolpos, Polyxeinus, and Triptolemus, Celeus' son, who had supposedly learned agriculture from Demeter.
Under Peisistratos of Athens, the Eleusinian Mysteries became pan-Hellenic, and pilgrims flocked from Greece and beyond to participate. Around 300 BC, the state took over control of the mysteries; they were controlled by two families, the Eumolpidae and the Kerykes. This led to a vast increase in the number of initiates. The only requirements for membership were freedom from "blood guilt," meaning never having committed murder, and not being a "barbarian" (being unable to speak Greek). Men, women, and even slaves were allowed initiation.
To participate in these mysteries, one had to take a vow of secrecy.
Four categories of people participated in the Eleusinian Mysteries:
The priesthood officiating at the Eleusinian Mysteries and in the sanctuary was divided into several offices with different tasks.
Six categories of priests officiated in the Eleusinian Mysteries:
The Hierophant and the High Priestess were of equal rank. It was the task of the High Priestess to impersonate the goddesses Demeter and Persephone in the reenactment during the mysteries. Events at Eleusis were dated by the name of the reigning High Priestess.
The outline below is only a capsule summary; much of the concrete information about the Eleusinian Mysteries was never written down. For example, only initiates knew what the kiste, a sacred chest, and the calathus, a lidded basket, contained.
Hippolytus of Rome, one of the Church Fathers writing in the early 3rd century AD, discloses in Refutation of All Heresies that "the Athenians, while initiating people into the Eleusinian rites, likewise display to those who are being admitted to the highest grade at these mysteries, the mighty, and marvellous, and most perfect secret suitable for one initiated into the highest mystic truths: an ear of grain in silence reaped."
There were two Eleusinian Mysteries: the Greater and the Lesser. According to Neoplatonist translator Thomas Taylor, "the dramatic shows of the Lesser Mysteries occultly signified the miseries of the soul while in subjection to the body, so those of the Greater obscurely intimated, by mystic and splendid visions, the felicity of the soul both here and hereafter, when purified from the defilements of a material nature and constantly elevated to the realities of intellectual [spiritual] vision." According to Plato, "the ultimate design of the Mysteries … was to lead us back to the principles from which we descended, … a perfect enjoyment of intellectual [spiritual] good."
The Lesser Mysteries took place in the month of Anthesterion—the eighth month of the Attic calendar, falling in mid-winter around February or March—under the direction of Athens' archon basileus ("king magistrate"). In order to qualify for initiation, participants would sacrifice a piglet to Demeter and Persephone, and then ritually purify themselves in the river Ilisos. Upon completion of the Lesser Mysteries, participants were deemed mystae (initiates) worthy of witnessing the Greater Mysteries.
For among the many excellent and indeed divine institutions which your Athens has brought forth and contributed to human life, none, in my opinion, is better than those mysteries. For by their means we have been brought out of our barbarous and savage mode of life and educated and refined to a state of civilization; and as the rites are called "initiations," so in very truth we have learned from them the beginnings of life, and have gained the power not only to live happily, but also to die with a better hope.
The Greater Mysteries
Demise
In 170 AD, the Temple of Demeter was attacked and destroyed by the Sarmatians. Later, it was rebuilt by Marcus Aurelius. Aurelius was then permitted to be the only non-priest ever to enter the anaktoron. As Christianity became more popular during the 4th and 5th centuries, the importance of Eleusis began to decrease. The last Roman emperor who practiced pagan religion, Julian, ruled from 361 to 363 AD, following about fifty years of Christian leadership. Julian tried to revive the Eleusinian Mysteries and was the final emperor to be initiated into them. The end of the Eleusinian Mysteries in 392 AD, ordered by Emperor Theodosius I, is recorded by Eunapius, a historian and writer about Greek philosophers. Eunapius had been initiated by the last official Hierophant, who had been chosen by Emperor Julian to restore the Mysteries, which had become weak over time. According to Eunapius, the last Hierophant was not a true leader but a person from Thespiae who held the title of "Father" in the religious practices of Mithras. In 396 AD, during his military campaign in Attica, the Gothic king Alaric I destroyed the remaining parts of the shrines.
According to historian Hans Kloft, even after the Eleusinian Mysteries were destroyed, some aspects of the religious tradition remained in the Greek countryside. There, local farmers and shepherds gradually moved some of Demeter’s religious practices and duties to Saint Demetrius of Thessaloniki. Over time, Saint Demetrius became the local protector of farming and was seen as the successor to the ancient goddess Demeter.
In art, literature, and culture
Many paintings and pottery items show parts of the Eleusinian Mysteries. One example is the Eleusinian Relief, created in the late 5th century BC and displayed at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens. This artwork shows Triptolemus receiving seeds from Demeter and teaching people how to farm, with Persephone placing her hand over his head to protect him. Other pottery and relief sculptures from the 4th, 5th, and 6th centuries BC show Triptolemus holding an ear of corn, sitting on a winged throne or chariot, and surrounded by Persephone and Demeter holding pine torches. A large Protoattic amphora from the middle of the 7th century BC, which shows Medusa being beheaded by Perseus and Polyphemos being blinded by Odysseus and his companions, is kept at the Archaeological Museum of Eleusis, located inside the Eleusis archaeological site.
The Ninnion Tablet, found in the same museum, shows Demeter walking with Persephone and Iacchus, followed by a group of people preparing for a ceremony. Later, Demeter is seated on a chest inside the Telesterion, with Persephone holding a torch and guiding the initiates. Each initiate holds a small cup called a bacchoi. A second group of initiates is led by Iakchos, a priest holding torches, who stands near a stone called the omphalos. A woman, likely a priestess of Demeter, is nearby on the chest, holding a scepter and a container filled with kykeon. The text also includes a scene called Pannychis.
The Myth of Er, from Plato’s Republic, is believed to describe the teachings of the Eleusinian Mysteries. In this story, Er is killed in battle, taken to the underworld, and then brought back to life without drinking from the River Lethe. He remembers his experience in the underworld and shares it with others, no longer fearing death.
In a study titled Shakespeare's Mystery Play: A Study of The Tempest, Colin Still suggested that The Tempest might be an allegory for entering the Eleusinian Mysteries. Although this idea is not widely accepted, Michael Srigley supported it in Images of Regeneration.
Carl Gustav Jung, a psychologist who lived from 1875 to 1961, used ideas from 19th and early 20th century scholarship about ancient Greek traditions to create metaphors for his work in psychoanalysis. He compared his methods to spiritual rituals of initiation and rebirth, with the qualities of the Kore (a title for Persephone) playing an important role in his writings.
In the second book of Poena Damni trilogy, With the People from the Bridge, Dimitris Lyacos created a modern, experimental play that mixes elements of the Eleusinian Mysteries and early Christian traditions to explore the idea of collective salvation. The story uses a pomegranate symbol to suggest the presence of the dead in the underworld and their return to the living world.
Octavio Vazquez’s symphonic poem Eleusis is inspired by the Eleusinian Mysteries and other Western mystical traditions. It was commissioned by the Sociedad General de Autores y Editores and the RTVE Symphony Orchestra. The piece premiered in 2015 at the Teatro Monumental in Madrid, performed by the RTVE Orchestra and conducted by Adrian Leaper.
Entheogenic theories
Many scholars believe that the power of the Eleusinian Mysteries came from a drink called kykeon, which may have acted as a psychoactive substance. In ancient Greece and other parts of the world, it was common to use potions or special mixtures for religious or magical purposes. People who joined the Mysteries may have fasted and participated in earlier rituals, which could have made them more open to the effects of a strong mind-altering drink. This might have led them to experience deep spiritual or intellectual insights. However, some scholars are unsure about this idea because there is no clear proof, and the Mysteries were more about group experiences than individual ones.
Several types of psychoactive substances have been suggested as possible ingredients in kykeon, but no one agrees on which one was used. One possibility is a fungus called Claviceps paspali, which grows on a type of grass and contains chemicals like ergotamine, a substance related to LSD, and ergonovine. Scientists have tried making kykeon with this fungus, but their results have not been clear. Researchers Alexander Shulgin and Ann Shulgin noted that ergonovine and another chemical called LSA can cause effects similar to LSD.
Archaeologists found pieces of ergot fungus in a temple dedicated to the Eleusinian goddesses at a site in Spain. The fungus was found inside a vase and in the tooth tartar of a 25-year-old man, showing that ergot was used. This discovery supports the idea that ergot might have been part of kykeon.
Another possibility is that the Mysteries involved psychoactive mushrooms. Scholars like Robert Graves and Terence McKenna thought the rituals might have centered around a type of mushroom called Psilocybe. Other mushrooms, such as Amanita muscaria, have also been suggested. Some researchers believe ancient Egyptians grew a type of mushroom called Psilocybe cubensis on barley and linked it to the god Osiris.
Another theory is that kykeon contained an opioid from the poppy plant. The goddess Demeter’s cult may have brought poppies from Crete to Eleusis, and it is known that opium was made in Crete.
Some scholars suggest that kykeon contained a substance called DMT, which is found in certain Mediterranean plants like Phalaris and Acacia. For DMT to work when eaten, it must be combined with another substance called a monoamine oxidase inhibitor, such as Syrian rue, which grows in the Mediterranean.
Another idea, proposed by J. Nigro Sansonese in 1994, is that the Mysteries involved trance-like states created through breathing techniques. Sansonese believes that a sacred box called the kisté, opened by a religious leader, might symbolically represent the initiate’s skull, where they see light and hear sounds after learning breathing practices. The seed-filled parts of a pomegranate, a fruit connected to the Mysteries, may symbolically represent the feeling of the heart during trance.