2. Thesis Statement
“The Demeter / Persephone cult
revolved around hope.”
Development of the Thesis: “Confidence
about future good times (hope) was
reinforced by the rituals which included
a sacred story, several group activities,
and a chest of special objects.” The
rituals focused on the theme of hope.
3. Orthodox Teaching about
Providence
Events - even bad events - are guided by divine plan
A full understanding will emerge sometime in the
future - even if only in eternity
God reveals positive values over time (Henry
Cardinal Newman)
A corollary of this orthodox teaching applies to the
non-Christian religions that preceded Christianity
Partial but positive revelations in the early cults
Later teachings build upon what was realized earlier
through nature or through sacred the teachings of
“natural religion"
4. Social-Political Context of
Mysteries
Alexander the Great and universalism;
Constantine and monarchy / monotheism.
Easy way to remember: 325 BC = death of
Alexander; 325 AD = Council of Nicea
(Constantine)
Alexander championed religious tolerance;
Constantine consolidated monarchy with
monotheism.
Between period: introduction of Oriental
religions; retirement of the Greek and
Roman official gods
5. Between 325 BC – 325 AD
Tolerant period after Alexander and
before Constantine
"syncretism" (putting together), syn +
cretein
"theocrasia" (mixing gods), theo +
crattein
Alexandria, Egypt = multi-cultural L.A.
Hybrid culture, fusion gods
6. Cults and geography
Specific place of origin, such as Eleusis
(Demeter)
Muses on Mount Helicon, and
neighboring Mount Parnassus
Seven Muses: Clio (history); Terpsichore
(dance)
Hesiod's Theogony
Map of ancient world
7. Eleusis as a location
Pagan = Heathen = farm land outside
city ("heath" is the fields, the "sticks")
Pagan or Heathen worship of corn
Farm is the center of life - even in 600
BCE when Athens takes over cult, 65
miles northeast of Athens
Processions from Athens to the city of
Eleusis
8. Eleusis: Cult of grain
agriculture as innovation (prior to 600
BC)
agriculture in recorded history
shift from hunting toward less mobility,
more building
risk of believing in the power of
cultivating grain
9. Hope is key to agriculture
expectation that planting seeds would
result in harvest
adequate nourishment from grain
10. Hope: Expectation of future good
things
based on some evidence from what is
known
(not "fool's hope")
Opposite is despair - negative of sperare
To hope is to await - aspect of future
motivation to do what is good now,
strength to act
(contrast with Theoden and Denethor in
LOTR)
11. Cult figures
Demeter
Originally from Crete
De-Meter, De-Mater
Persephone
Daughter or Young Girl
Kore (virgin, young girl)
Dionysos (Bacchus, Iacchus)
Hades, Aidoneus, Pluto
“unseen” hidden, dark underworld
12. Cult figure: Demeter
Earth Mother (Demeter from Crete)
Grain, corn, Ceres (latin), cereal
Nourishment of Earth will provide
sustenance and reproduction, harvest
13. •Demeter: images of earth
Mother
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_mother
Range of dates and images
14. Cult figure: Persephone
Earth Mother (Demeter from Crete)
Daughter or Young Girl (Kore)
Spring, youthful sprouts, seedling
16. Meaning of Eleusis
Culture of the positive value of hope
Cultivation of the Sun (sun energy worship) may have preceded the
Earth Mother as a positive value
The Earth Mother (Demeter, De-Meter, De-Mater, God-Mother) cult is
about grain or corn. Corn was the main food supply when agriculture
took over as the main activity and replaced hunting-gathering. For
agriculture to function, there needed to be a continuous human hope
that the seasons would consistently fructify the labor that was put into
seeding, cultivating, and harvesting the basic staples like corn (bread).
Fertility in the fields has never been a sure thing taken for granted.
These Grain Cults were the first stages when a group (a city)
deliberately cultivated hope and confidence in the future. Even under
the dire conditions of darkness and winter, human energy needs
support from group confidence and from reverent submission to powers
outside of human control. Without confidence in the future there would
not be enough strength to make good choices in the present. Without
hope, there is despair: sperare (Latin: to hope); de-sperare (Latin: to
give up hope).
17. Basic Thesis Statement
The Demeter / Persephone cult revolved
around hope.
Development of the Thesis: Confidence
about future good times (hope) was
reinforced by the rituals which included
a sacred story, several group activities,
and a chest of special objects. The
rituals focused on the theme of hope.
18. Fear of Infertility from the
Underworld (Winter, Night)
Fear of the end of the world as we know it
Fear of starvation and hunger
Disappearance = night and sleep as winter
of world
Darkness as evil, shadow, eclipse, cold,
stealth, animal predators, danger
"Hel" was Norse queen of Underworld
(English word "hell“)
Celtic lord of death was "Helman"
20. Sky-god (Zeus, Deus, dios, dies,
dias)
brings patriarchy and control (order)
the dark underworld is feared as
disorder
darkness holds abundance (unexplored
potential)
Pluto = rich one. Dis = dives or wealthy
brother of Zeus, Dionysus, god of
vegetation and grapes
21. Dionysus
was dismembered and killed, then
resurrected after descending to the
underworld
In Jungian terms, the repressed, dark
hidden thoughts or feelings
Hades = Hidden the “Unseen” (a-ides or
Aidoneus)
22. Components of Eleusinian Cult
official announcement
preparation by fasting
purification (washing)
group activities (processions)
recall of positive past memories through sacred
symbols (chest of holy objects)
story telling to create mythic (pseudo-historical)
context
scenic displays that intensify the worship event
caution to future silence to venerate the memory of
the ritual
23. Theme of Story:
Persephone is vulnerable girl captured
by Hades (the Unseen Underworld). Will
she escape and return to the
Upperworld? Will corn arise from the
planting season? Will there be corn to
harvest?
24. Foundation Story: Homeric Hymn
to Demeter
Manuscript found in Moscow in 1777, a
papyrus of the first century BC, a sacred
text (by "Orpheus") probably read at
Eleusinian Games; Eleusis later adopted
Orpheus as founder of their Mysteries.
Original date: circa 550 BC.
25. Homeric style
teaching poet, story-teller, suspense
links myth events with location
explains (teaches) meaning of ritual cult
speaks of Olympic gods (Sky father, earth
mother, underworld brother, sun prince,
messenger Hermes
divine beings disguise as humans,
intervene in human affairs (Demeter
becomes nurse-nanny of Demo (son of
Keleos, son of Metaneira)
26. Story
Abduction of daughter Persephone by
Pluto / Zeus (abundance hidden in
darkness), mother alienated, mother
becomes nurse at Eleusis, mother is
missed by Olympians (who lose worship
offerings), Hermes intervenes, mother
returns on certain conditions,
Persephone spends part of year in
Underworld and part of year with Mother
in upper world
27. Episodes in Homeric Hymn
Persephone is carried off to the lower world by Hades
her grieving mother Demeter searches for Persephone (Kore)
Demeter disguises as old woman in house of Keleos, king of
Eleusis
She is hired as nurse to care for infant Demophon
She puts Demophon by the fire at night to make him eventually
immortal
She is caught doing this and she reveals her own divinity
Demeter's continued grief over Persephone makes the world
barren
Zeus commands Hades to release Persephone
Before leaving, Demeter instructs Eleusinians how to build her
temple and how to conduct her secret rites, which enable the
initiate to enjoy a happier fate after death than the rest of
humanity
28. Details of the secret rituals and
taboos appear in the Hymn
Demeter wanders with torches (48)
She fasts and abstains from washing
(49-50, 200)
She sits at the Maiden's Well (98 f)
She sits silently on a stool covered by
fleece (195-199)
Ribald jesting of Iambe (202-05)
breaking of the fast with specially
prepared barley in the klykeon (208-11)
29. Three Components of Initiation
Dromena (actions, doings)
Legomena (things spoken, recitations,
readings)
Deiknymena (display, things shown,
scenes)
30. Contents of Chests (Kistai) – Meyer
Sourcebook (19)
Cakes (corn bread)
Serpent (earth animal)
Pomegranates (blood fruit)
Leaves and stalk (harvest)
Poppies (flower of dead, first spring)
Model of female genetalia (motherhood)
31. Chant: “Rain! Conceive!”
Hye kye, Meyer Sourcebook (19)
Hieros gamos (“sacred marriage” of
heaven and earth)
Sacrifice of pig (pork meal;
Aristophanes, Frogs, Meyer 32)
Torchlight processions, singing
“Iacchos”, dancing
Contrast of darkness with light
Awakening to light (incubation?)
32. Meal (sacrifice) as
Commemorating
Sacrifice to gods implies animal meat
Portion set aside
Group eats and drinks with purpose
Story telling as part of meal
Memory and sharing food
Participating in the universe
33. Ithyphallic Statues
Herodotus’s History (M42)
In Samothrace, two statues of men with
phalli erect
Images:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ithyphallic
Famous story of Alcibiades and the
Hermes Statues of Athens
Line between shame and privacy
34. Ithyphallic Symbols
Fertility, masculine sexuality
Role of male aggression, often
translated as rape or capture
Reduction of sexuality to porn and trivial
functioning – versus cosmic drive
Platonic and Christian attacks on
sexuality – attempts to repress and
suppress
35. Mysteries defaced, debased
Lucian’s story of Alexander the False
Prophet (M43)
Male pederasty, Alexander condemns
pederasty but reserves mouth kiss for
boys
Glykon god (snake doll with fake head)
becomes parody of holy objects
Sacred ceremony becomes a farce
36. Questions raised by studying the
Eleusinian Mysteries
Do we still believe in healing power of
nature?
What does the Gulf Gusher portend for us?
Can eco-technology forestall global
warming?
Is Earth a single, living being, an Earth
Mother?
What kinds of group activities can raise
awareness and make us better stewards of
the Earth Mother?
37. Next Fishing Assignment
Re-write your page using the
suggestions (Review in WORD)
Follow the research leads suggested
Use two quotations from some of our
five texts (footnotes)
Paraphrase each quotation and then
interpret its meaning
Add two images to your page at the
appropriate places
