The Eleusinian mysteries (ancient Greek Ελευσινια Μυστηρια) are initiation rites in the cults of the goddesses of fertility Demeter and Persephone, which were held annually in Eleusis (near Athens) in Ancient Greece. Of all the rites of antiquity, the Eleusinian Mysteries were considered the most important.
The origin of the mysteries
Eleusis - a town 22 km north-west of Athens, connected with them by a sacred road; has long been famous for the production of wheat. The Mysteries were based on the myths of Demeter. Her daughter Persephone was kidnapped by Hades, the god of the underworld. Demeter, who is the goddess of life and fertility, after the abduction of her daughter set off in search. Having learned from Helios about her fate, Demeter withdrew to Eleusis and swore an oath that until her daughter was returned to her, not a single sprout would break out of the earth. Concerned about the poor harvest, Zeus ordered his brother to return Persephone. After the return of her daughter, Demeter allowed the earth to blossom and, with joy, revealed her sacred rituals and mysteries to King Keleus and the princes Triptolemus, Eumolpus and Diocles. But since Hades gave Persephone a seed of pomegranate to eat before leaving the underworld, so that she would return to him,then the daughter of Demeter could not stay with her mother for long. The gods came to an agreement that Persephone would live in the Upper World for two-thirds of the year, and the rest of the time would devote herself to the Underworld.
Rites of the Mysteries
There were two types of mysteries: Great and Small. The Lesser Mysteries were celebrated on the Anfesterion (February), although the exact date has not been set. The priests purified candidates for initiation, sacrificed the pig to Demeter and purified themselves. The sacred procession departed from Kerameikos (Athenian cemetery) 19 Voidrimion and moved to Eleusis along the so-called "Sacred Road". In certain places, the participants shouted obscenities in honor of Yamba (an old servant who, with her funny jokes, amused Demeter when she mourned the loss of her daughter in Eleusis), and also shouted one of the names of Dionysus, Iacchus (Dionysus was considered the son of Demeter or Persephone). The arrival at Eleusis was marked by a fast in memory of the mountain of Demeter, when she was grieving for her daughter. The fast was interrupted by an infusion of barley and mint (kykeon), which Demeter drank in the house of King Keleus instead of red wine. On the 20th and 21st of Voidrimion, the hierophants entered the great hall of Telesterion (a temple in honor of Demeter), where they beheld the sacred relics. This part of the mysteries was the most hidden from the uninitiated, it was forbidden to tell about it to strangers on pain of death. There are several views on the essence of the mysteries. Some argue that the initiates, by contemplating sacred objects, were convinced of life after death. Others say that this is not enough to explain the influence and longevity of the mysteries, arguing that in addition to external contemplation, initiates may have been under the influence of psychotropic drugs. This hidden part was followed by a feast that lasted all night and was accompanied by dancing and entertainment. The dances took place in the field, where, according to legend, the first sprout broke through. A bull was also sacrificed. On 22 Voidrimion, the initiates honored the dead by overturning special vessels. The Mysteries were finished by 23 Voidrimion. In the center of Telesterion was Anaktoron ("palace"), a small stone structure that only hierophants could enter, containing sacred objects. Most of the rites were never recorded in writing, and therefore much in these mysteries remains the subject of speculation and speculation.
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Participants
Four categories of people participated in the Eleusinian Mysteries: priests, priestesses and hierophants, initiated into the mysteries for the first time. those who have already participated at least once in the mystery, those who have sufficiently learned the secrets of the greatest mysteries of Demeter.
History of the Mysteries
The origin of the mysteries can be traced back to the Mycenaean era (1500s BC). They have been celebrated annually for two thousand years. During the time of Pisistratus of Athens, the Eleusinian Mysteries gained great importance and pilgrims came from all over Greece to participate in them.
Some scholars believe that the effect of the Eleusinian Mysteries was based on the effects on the participants of the psychedelic contained in the kykeon. The feelings of the initiates were heightened by the preparatory ceremonies, and the psychotropic mixture allowed one to plunge into the deepest mystical states.
The Homeric hymn, which dates from the 7th century BC, attempts to explain the origin of the Eleusinian mysteries; it contains the myth of Demeter and Persephone. Clement of Alexandria assumed that the myth of Demeter and Persephone was played out in the Mysteries.