According to the myth told in the homeric hymn to demeter, the earth goddess demeter q. Of all the mysteries, the eleusinian is the most famous, as well as being amongst the most mysterious. Eleusinian mysteries definition, the mysteries, celebrated annually at eleusis and athens in ancient times, in memory of the abduction and return of persephone and in honor of demeter and bacchus. The eleusinian mysteries were initiations held every year for the cult of demeter and persephone based at eleusis in ancient greece. The rites of eleusis, or the eleusinian mysteries, were the secret rituals of the mystery school of eleusis and were observed regularly from c. The best anyone can do is to write in a general way about the topic, its historical and cultural importance for instance. Their basis was an old agrarian cult, and there is some evidence that they were derived from the religious practices of the mycenean period. He allegedly chopped up a wooden statue of heracles and used it. The mysteries were also bound up with the lunar and solar cycleswith the dying of the sun in winter and the rebirth of the light in the birth of the son. Dec 08, 2015 eleusis and the eleusinian mysteries princeton legacy library mylonas, george e. The aim of this essay is to present before the reader translations of the ancient writings relating to the eleusinian mysteries in greece. It is possible that a psychoactive potion was created using known methods of the day.
Use the link below to share a fulltext version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Eleusis and the eleusinian mysteries princeton legacy library. Eleusis was the site of the eleusinian mysteries, or the mysteries of demeter and kore, which became popular in the greek speaking world as early as 600 bc, attracted initiates during roman empire before declining midlate 4th century ad. Another major difference between the eleusinian mysteries and traditional beliefs was the focus at eleusis upon the worshiper. The holy rites of eleusis were archaic wisdomreligion. Thomas taylors admirable treatise upon the eleusinian and bacchic mysteries, it is proper to insert a few words of explanation.
Despite the tremendous popularity of the eleusinian mysteries, their. Befriended by the royal family of eleusis, she agreed to rear the queens son. If the olympian gods were too remote, even indifferent to. Apr 08, 2011 eleusinian mysteries as they made their way into the main temple, which was called the telesterion, or place of initiation.
Eleusinian mysteries definition of eleusinian mysteries at. Ancient origins articles related to eleusinian mysteries in the sections of history, archaeology, human origins, unexplained, artifacts, ancient places and myths and legends. The mysteries of demeter and persephone embodied the values of the relatively peaceful farming and trading motherclan societies of the goddesspreerninent neo lithic, before the sacrifice of sons in war became common practice as pa triarchal warrior clans forced their way to power. The eleusinian mysteries, named for the community in attica where the sacred dramas were first presented, are generally believed to have been founded by eumolpos about fourteen hundred years before the birth of christ, and through the platonic system of philosophy their principles have been preserved to modern times. Egyptian origin of the eleusinian mysteries should not be dismissed out of hand, and there are some who have no difficulty with this view. Resource on greek myth and religion, especially the eleusinian mysteries. The eleusinian mysteries train of toughts the holy rites of eleusis were archaic wisdom religion dressed in greek garb v. Anecdotes about his life indicate that he spoke out against ancient greek religion. The eleusinian mysteries and other mystery religions. Eleusis occupied a strategic location on the bay of eleusis near athens. The ritual behavior of initiates within the eleusinian mysteries offer some clues to their mystical experiences.
Jan 18, 2012 the rites of eleusis, or the eleusinian mysteries, were the secret rituals of the mystery school of eleusis and were observed regularly from c. View enhanced pdf access article on wiley online library html view download pdf for offline viewing. After abducting persephone, hades then took her to the underworld. These observances once represented the spiritual life of greece, and were considered for two thousand years and more the appointed means for regeneration through an. Throughout antiquity, he was regarded as an atheist, but very little is known for certain about what he actually believed.
Bronze age eleusis and the origins of the eleusinian mysteries. Mar 16, 2012 terence mckenna unfolds various theories about the secret psychedelic celebrations of the eleusinian mysteries. It is located in the thriasian plain, at the northernmost end of the saronic gulf. Eleusis was just one of many mystery centers that flourished throughout the greek and grecoroman world. This is the seventh in a series of thematic issues of the rosicrucian digest exploring sources that have contributed to the rosicrucian tradition.
In addition to being able to access the rosicrucian digest online, you may also participate in the rosicrucian digest discussion group on facebook. When looking for information on the subject, the reader should take it for granted that no book, antiquated or modern, will give them the secrets of the eleusinian mysteries. The profanation of the mysteries, bulletin of the institute of classical studies on deepdyve, the largest online rental service for scholarly research with thousands of academic publications available at your fingertips. Eleusis lies some fourteen miles west of athens, by the blue waters of the aegean and at the extreme end of a pleasant, verdant valley known from time immemorial as the thriasian plain fig. The eleusinian mysteries differed from conventional religious practice in that initiates were experiencing firsthand what others were only hearing about in the temples. The eleusinian temple to demeter was destroyed in 170, and promptly rebuilt by emperor marcus aurelius, who was emperor between 161 and 180. Almost subconsciously, the initiates acted out the experiences of demeter and persephone contained within religious myth. Although it was more definitely localized and centralized than were the other greek mysteries, this circumstance did not detract from either its reputation or its influence. The card game robert abbott, john golden, and the staff of the rosicrucian digest. The road to eleusis unveiling the secret of the mysteries r. Mangelsdorf chair in the natural sciences director and curator of economic botany botanical museum of harvard. Our topic is the eleusinian mysteries, perhaps one of the bestknown mystery cults of all time. These mysteries were celebrated in a place called eleusis in alexandria, and it seems very likely that clement of alexandrias descriptions of the eleusinian mysteries were influenced by these very different rites than the ones they initially tried to copy. Eleusinian mysteries article about eleusinian mysteries.
Some scholars believe that the power of the eleusinian mysteries came from the kykeons functioning as a psychedelic agent. Mysteries the virgin mother bears the savior for mankind. I think i have told the basic story with accuracy, but there are complications and additions i have left out. Eleusis and the eleusinian mysteries princeton legacy library paperback december 8, 2015. The greeks believed, in fact, that the mysteries held the universe together, that without them the cycle of birth, growth, decay, death, and rebirth would cease. The traditional worship of the gods was founded on stories told of how the universe. I hope to show in this paper that there are also more substantive, philosophical reasons for platos decision to draw an analogy between philosophy and the eleusinian mysteries in the symposium. The conventional religions of both greeks and romans were alike in consisting principally of propitiation and prayers for the good of the citystate, the tribe, or the family, and only secondarily of the person. Pdf ritual path of initiation into the eleusinian mysteries. Among the cults of greece none was more favorably known in the first century of the christian era than the eleusinian mysteries. The eleusinian mysteries 14 t his paper is no more than a writeup of notes i made for a group discussion of the eleusinian mysteries. Eleusis is a town and municipality in west attica regional unit in greece. Divulging the eleusinian mysteries lecture youtube. Nov 25, 2014 dan attrell gives a lecture on the subject of the eleusinian mysteries, a secret cult which endured over a thousand years, and into which most classical athenians had been formally initiated.
First i will discuss the mysteries themselves and then i will turn to a discussion of. Though the author eventually concedes this point, much of the press relating to the book might give you the opposite impression. She concentrates on two scandals, the cuttings of the pillar stones of hermes hermai at the dawn of the. Of the truth of this observation, the liberal reader will, i persuade myself, be fully convinced, from an attentive perusal of the following sheets. Translation by sasha chaitow paper presented at the 7th esoteric quest conference on the mysteries and philosophies of antiquity, samothrace, september 2008.
Details of the mysteries are sketchy due primarily to the fact that they were secret rites and could not be told to noninitiates. Not only have they never stopped being a part of our spiritual quest, but they are still strong and healthy today, although perhaps not as obvious as they once were, but probably just as profitable. Background to the eleusinian mysteries historical background. May 17, 2016 another aspect of plausibility of this connection lies in geography and timing. Enter, join this journey into the past, into the heart of human experience. Eleusinian mysteries, most famous of the secret religious rites of ancient greece. The eleusinian mysteries continued to be popular at precisely the time that christianity was ramping up, the mid2nd century. Throughout the greek world and later, the roman world, the eleusinian mysteries were one of the most important religious festivals. Their basis was an old agrarian cult, and there is some evidence that they were derived.
For more than one thousand years, people from every corner of the grecoroman world sought the hope for a blessed afterlife through initiation into the mysteries of demeter and kore at eleusis. The mysteries probably ceased to be celebrated in 396 a. In antiquity itself and in our memory of antiquity, the eleusinian mysteries stand out as the oldest and most venerable mystery cult. This article describes a highly detailed account of the initiation rites, based on ancient greek sources. Pioneer explorer of psychotropic plants in the new world holder of the paul c. They are the most famous of the secret religious rites of ancient greece. Dan attrell gives a lecture on the subject of the eleusinian mysteries, a secret cult which endured over a thousand years, and into which most classical athenians had been formally initiated. The city was not very vulnerable to attack by sea thanks to its geography, and was accessible to major population centers, since the roads connecting athens with the peloponnese and central and northern greece all passed through eleusis. Alcibiades wasdrunk when heventured totouch what his 11. No modern scholars could justly impose their opinion of these most mysterious and holy rites on the contemporary reader as too little is known to give a complete and wellinformed picture in summary. See all 12 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. Eleusinian mysteries on the grounds that life for the greeks would end without them.
Living within preelectric, primarily agricultural communites, the people rose with the sun and slept when. Elysian, eleusinian it is an ironic testimony to the loyalty of the initiates that there is little, if any agreement, on exactly what the inner meaning of the eleusian mysteries was. Firstly i give the myth around which the mysteries were based. The soul is dead that slumbers, says longfellow, and in this he strikes the keynote of the eleusinian mysteries. The eleusinian mysteries lasted for well over a millennium and had countless initiates. Eleusinian mysteries article about eleusinian mysteries by. To the eleusinian philosophers, birch into the physical world was death in the fullest sense of the word, and the only true birth was that of the spiritual soul of man rising out of the womb of his own fleshly nature. Eleusinian mysteries as they made their way into the main temple, which was called the telesterion, or place of initiation.
Contains primary and secondary sources on the eleusinian mysteries, subject index and author index. The author of the paper investigates the role of religion in the public and political life of the athenians in the late 5 th century bc. Christianity and the eleusinian mysteries tim stepping out. Eleusis and the eleusinian mysteries princeton legacy. The eleusinian mysteries of demeter and persephone in ancient greece were an initiation into the most profound of human experiences. It is situated about 18 kilometres 11 miles northwest from the centre of athens and is part of its metropolitan area.
The central story underlying the eleusinian mystery was that hades, the god of the underworld, abducted persephone from her mother, demeter. The eleusinian mysteries and rites, free pdf, ebook. Rosicrucian digest eleusis the rosicrucian order, amorc. Eleusinian mystery article about eleusinian mystery by.
742 167 540 633 714 902 331 1302 612 992 417 74 1160 28 888 1580 897 722 75 882 970 688 192 143 829 895 499 895 824 1438 467 568 543 1118 1001 555 34