Hierophant
E105654
The Hierophant was the chief priest in ancient Greek mystery religions, especially at Eleusis, responsible for revealing sacred rites and esoteric knowledge to initiates.
All labels observed (1)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Hierophant canonical | 1 |
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
priestly title
ⓘ
religious office ⓘ |
| associatedWith |
Demeter
ⓘ
Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ Persephone ⓘ initiation rites ⓘ mystery cults ⓘ |
| authorityOver |
lesser priests
ⓘ
ritual procedure ⓘ |
| category |
Ancient Greek priests
ⓘ
Mystery religion roles ⓘ |
| ceremonialFunction |
displaying sacred objects
ⓘ
leading processions ⓘ proclaiming sacred texts ⓘ |
| country |
Greek Antiquity
ⓘ
surface form:
ancient Greece
|
| cultCenter |
Telesterion at Eleusis
ⓘ
surface form:
Sanctuary of Demeter at Eleusis
|
| esotericLevel | highest degree of initiation ⓘ |
| etymology | from Ancient Greek ἱεροφάντης (hierophantēs) meaning ‘one who reveals sacred things’ ⓘ |
| familyAssociation |
Eumolpidae
ⓘ
Kerykes ⓘ |
| genderRestriction | male ⓘ |
| hereditaryTitle | yes ⓘ |
| languageOfName | Ancient Greek ⓘ |
| notableFeature |
name kept secret from the uninitiated
ⓘ
performed rites in the Telesterion at Eleusis ⓘ |
| positionInOrganization |
chief priest
ⓘ
high priest ⓘ |
| practicedIn |
Attica
ⓘ
Eleusis ⓘ |
| religion |
Eleusinian Mysteries
ⓘ
Greek mystery religions ⓘ ancient Greek religion ⓘ |
| religiousSphere |
afterlife beliefs
ⓘ
agricultural fertility rites ⓘ |
| requires | initiation into the Mysteries ⓘ |
| role |
guardian of sacred tradition
ⓘ
instructing initiates ⓘ officiating mystery ceremonies ⓘ revealing esoteric knowledge ⓘ revealing sacred rites ⓘ |
| status | most important priest at Eleusis ⓘ |
| symbolicRole |
mediator between gods and initiates
ⓘ
revealer of divine mysteries ⓘ |
| termLength | life tenure ⓘ |
| timePeriod |
Classical Greece
ⓘ
Hellenistic period ⓘ Roman Antiquity ⓘ
surface form:
Roman Imperial period
|
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.