The lengthy homeric hymn to demeter 2 provides the most important and complete information about demeter demeeter ceres and persephone persefonee proserpina, daughter of zeus and demeter, and is in itself a literary gem the abduction of persephone. Their basis was an old agrarian cult, and there is some evidence that they were derived from the religious practices of the mycenean period. The book includes references to the worship of demeter and her daughter. Hades, wanting a queen, kidnaps demeters only child, persephone. Demeter wandered the earth in the likeness of an old woman named dos until she came upon the city of eleusis. The sanctuary of eleusis, near athens, was the center of a religious cult that endured for nearly two thousand years and whose initiates came from all parts of the civilized world. In some versions, persephone is the mother of zeus son dionysus, or iacchus, andor zagreus, as a result of their identification with dionysus. The four daughters of celeus seeleus or keleus, the king of eleusis, and. The mysteries of eleusis as told in the homeric hymn to demeter this annual ritual celebrated the fertility goddess ceresdemeters journey to the underworld to rescue her daughter, persephone from hades. They build the great temple at eleusis to appease her anger.
The mysteries celebrated the story of demeter and persephone but, as the initiated. Hades agreed but had tricked kore into eating some pomegranate seeds and, if. Now, this book is meant for children, so i certainly didnt expect any steamy stuff, but ive seen several childrens books which explored the myth very well without getting into that sort of thing. Demeter was overprotective towards her daughter, always trying to keep her safe, especially from the male gods. Plutonian cave of eleusis elefsina, greece atlas obscura. The book includes references to the worship of demeter and her daughter persephone both very important to the great mysteries of initiation. The greater eleusinian mysteries were a set of rites, surrounded by a major multiday festival, which show numerous ties to the tale of demeter and persephone told in the homeric hymn to demeter. Hades, the god of the underworld fell in love with persephone, the daughter of demeter, the goddess of wheat and fertility. They are the most famous of the secret religious rites of ancient greece. Demeter sat near by, and her father zeus peered down from the sky above. The analysis and induction is nicely supplemented by the hymn to demeter. The initiation was used as a metaphor for christian baptismal in that it is to lead the initiator to eternity and the afterlife. Apart from demeter, lady of the golden sword and glorious fruits, she persephone was playing with the deepbosomed daughters of oceanus and gathering flowers over a soft meadow, roses and crocuses and beautiful violets, irises also and hyacinths and the narcissus, which earth made to grow at the will of zeus and to please the host of many, to be a snare for the bloomlike girl a. Eleusinian mysteries, most famous of the secret religious rites of ancient greece.
Dimitris lyacos in the second book of the poena damni trilogy with the. Eleusis archetypal image of mother and daughter pdf. Scholars have proposed that the power of the eleusinian mysteries came also. Wasson et als revelations of the complexity of the myths that surrounded the eleusian mysteries are fodder for hours upon hours of thought play about the foundations of our culture today. In the great hall of initiation, located at eleusis on the aegean coast, initiates reenacted the quest of the earth goddess demeter for her daughter, persephone. It shows us that the transformative power of this myth lives in the way it works through the continued cycles of life and death.
One day, persephone was relaxing with the company of the water nymphs known as. Demeter and persephone is an illustrated edition of the second of the homeric hymns, a 495line hymn to the greek goddess demeter, as translated by penelope proddow. There is no evidence for this at eleusis, crete or other sites devoted to these goddesses. One day, the kind family that has been harboring her accidentally discovers her divine nature and offends her. Zeus, king of the gods, persuaded hades to return kore to her mother as, in demeters grief, the crops were dying, people starving, the gods not receiving their accustomed tribute. Discover plutonian cave of eleusis in elefsina, greece. The mysteries consisted of two parts, the lesser mysteries, which were conducted in. Persephones father was zeus who also happened to be her mothers brother. The eleusinian mysteries of demeter and persephone jstor. According to the myth told in the homeric hymn to demeter, the earth goddess. No one had any idea where she had gone to or what had happened to her. Today its a town about 11 miles northwest of athens, but in the past, it was home to the eleusinian mysteries.
Kerenyi holds that the yearly autumnal mysteries were based on the ancient myth of demeters search for her ravished daughter persephone a search. But demeter and persephone and no other divinities were the main goddesses worshiped at eleusis, and around their experiences and teachings the rites there were held. Greek goddess of the underworld original story and interpretation by laura strong, phd. In the homeric epics, no link is established between the two goddesses demeter and persephone, to whom later sources attribute a close mythical and ritual relationship, insofar as they are mother and daughter. While the tales of homer and hesiod informed the culture, and those concerning heracles were significant expressions of cultural values, the demeter story offered something which other myths could not. The site was also an important fortress protecting attica and held several other important festivals, notably the thesmophoria, the subject and title of a comedy play by aristophanes. She and her daughter persephone were the central figures of the eleusinian mysteries, a religious tradition that predated the olympian pantheon, and which may have its roots in the mycenaean period c. Although controversial when first published in 1978, the book s hypothesis has become more widely accepted in recent years, as knowledge of ethnobotany has deepened. Finally, demeter learns that persephone has been kidnapped by hades and that zeus, persephones father, permitted it. He scoops persephone up, and the lord of the dead not the devil or satan mind you plunges back down into the underworld.
Stripped of all her vital energy, she appeared old and wrinkled beyond her. Demeter and persephone pdf upinder singh history book pdf download, for thousands of years before the classical myths were recorded by hesiod and. Queen of fragrant eleusis, giver of earths good gifts, give me your grace, o demeter. Mollified, as long as the people would build her a temple in eleusis, demeter taught the queens son, triptolemos, the art of agriculture. Demeter teaches king celeus son triptolemus to cultivate wheat there is a sacred field of grain at eleusis, the riarian field. The innocence of kore in the study of ancient greece, it is fascinating to see how the myths were part of initiation in the mystery centers. Procession to eleusis rites at eleusis return to athens athens. The story of demeter and persephone is the most significant myth of ancient greece precisely because of its influence on this understanding.
The most important of the mysteries existed for two millennia at the village of eleusis. You have decided to follow the procession to the holy city and undergo initiation in the mysteries of demeter. Based at the city of eleusis from which the name eleusinian is derived, they are the most famous of the secret religious rites of ancient greece. The story of the temple of demeter at eleusis is known to most people interested in greek mythology and explains the changing of the seasons. Regardless of what demeter did, the town of eleusis then became the centre of worship for her and her daughter, persephone and resulted in the eleusinian mysteries. Kerenyi holds that the yearly autumnal mysteries were based on the ancient myth of demeters search for her ravished daughter persephonea search that he. There is no evidence for this at eleusis, crete or other sites devoted to these goddeses. The project gutenberg ebook of the eleusinian mysteries and rites. Revisioning the myth of demeter and persephone for. He becomes the ancient version of johnny appleseed, spreading the knowledge of wheatcultivation. It is autumn and this is a special day, for today the sacred procession will proceed along the royal road from athens to eleusis. The story of demeter and persephone the wit continuum. Its deities were demeter and persephone, interchangeable in their roles as mother and daughter.
Bibliography related content books cite this work license. Homer, the goddess was the focus of religion and culture. It may be that in the later patriarchal period, when the myth and ritual had become contaminated by patriarchal class. Votive relief depicting demeter seated on a throne and kore persephone standing. According to the myth told in the homeric hymn to demeter, the earth goddess demeter q. Request pdf on researchgate on jan 1, 2014, mara lynn keller and others published demeterpersephone eleusis. Demeter and the abduction of persephone the rape of.
Archeological research shows that the mystery cult worshipped at eleusis offers rites that honor both persephone and demeter fully in their power as sexual, generative beings. Demeter and kore, 5th bc, archaeological museum of eleusis en. Ceres journey takes her through the city of eleusis. Demeter wanders the earth in aimless despair, eventually resting in eleusis in human disguise. The maiden, persephone, daughter of the earth goddess, demeter, is out picking flowers in a meadow when the earth opens up and out charges hades, god of the underworld. Eleusis was a deme of athens and most famous for its annual festival of the mysteries in honour of demeter and persephone. The author recounts many philosophers, statesmen and historians brief. The authors have played critical roles in the modern rediscovery of entheogens, and the road to eleusis presents an authoritative exposition of their views. The eleusinian mysteries of demeter and persephone. This story is the foundation myth for the rites of demeter and persephone at eleusis. Persephone, the daughter of zeus and demeter, was also called kore koree girl or maiden.
People would come from all parts of greece to be initiated into this cult of the two goddesses, demeter and persephone. The hymn recalls the abduction of persephone by hades though it carefully avoids any mention of. Persephone, the daughter of zeus and demeter, was also called kore koree. According to the old belief and relates in the homeric hymn, demeter goddess of agriculture stopped to rest at eleusis during her quest for her daughter, persephone, who was kidnaped by hades. The eleusinian mysteries were secret religious ceremonies that were practiced in ancient greece starting in the seventh century b. He was assisted by a female hierophant, or hierophantidean attendant upon the goddess demeter and her daughter persephone. Demeter and persephone was performed in the mystery center of eleusis to share the secrets of death and resurrection. There, at the town well, she met the daughters of the king, who offered to help her find work as a nurse. Eleusinian mysteries simple english wikipedia, the free. They did not recognize her as a goddess because of her disguise.
Though demeter is often described simply as the goddess of the harvest, she presided also over the sacred law, and the cycle of life and death. Demeter and persephone was the actual murder, or actual rape, of a maiden daughter. While persephone is below, the earth sleeps and does not produce. Now it seems to me that the terms orgy and mystery must be derived, the former from the wrath orge of demeter against zeus, and the latter from the pollution mysos. Discouraged, demeter takes on mortal form and comes to eleusis where she befriends the queen, metaneira, and becomes the caretaker of her son, demophoon. The human plotl demophoon, the cult of demeter at eleusis, the mysteries the eleusinian mysteries quotes homeric hymn to demeter.
According to legend, parts of the mysteries took place in eleusis. Persephone as a vegetation goddess and her mother demeter were the central figures of the eleusinian mysteries, which promised the initiated a more enjoyable prospect after death. Homer the mysteries celebrated at eleusis from mycenaean to late roman times were part of a long tradition of initiatory rituals among the greekspeaking peoples. In ancient greece, the town of eleusis, situated west of athens, became the most important religious center of the pagan world during its time. The town of eleusis, twelve miles from athens, was home to the famous eleusinian mysteries. In the ancient world, men and women joined cults known as mysteries to unite with the deities of the otherworld and achieve eternal life. One day while persephone was gathering flowers, hades, god of the underworld, captured her.