Eleusinian Mysteries

E19366
ancient Greek religious mystery cult initiation rite religious festival

The Eleusinian Mysteries were secretive initiation rites held annually at Eleusis in honor of Demeter and Persephone, promising participants spiritual renewal and a blessed afterlife.

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All labels observed (14)

Label Occurrences
Eleusinian Mysteries canonical 36
Eleusinian Mysteries of Demeter and Persephone 2
Greater Eleusinian Mysteries 2

Statements (64)

Predicate Object
instanceOf ancient Greek religious mystery cult ⓘ
initiation rite ⓘ
religious festival ⓘ
admission open to Greek-speaking free persons ⓘ
approximateEndYear 392 CE ⓘ
approximateStartCentury 7th century BCE ⓘ
associatedMyth abduction of Persephone by Hades ⓘ
myth of Demeter and Persephone ⓘ
calendar Metonic cycle ⓘ
surface form: Attic calendar
coreTheme afterlife ⓘ
agricultural fertility ⓘ
death and rebirth ⓘ
country Greek Antiquity ⓘ
surface form: Ancient Greece
endCause Christianization of the Roman Empire ⓘ
famousInitiate Cicero ⓘ
Hadrian ⓘ
Marcus Aurelius ⓘ
Plato ⓘ
floruitPeriod Classical Greece ⓘ
Hellenistic period ⓘ
Roman Antiquity ⓘ
surface form: Roman Imperial period
genderPolicy open to both men and women ⓘ
greaterMysteriesLocation Eleusis ⓘ
greaterMysteriesSeason autumn ⓘ
hadGreaterMysteries true ⓘ
hadInnerSanctum Telesterion at Eleusis ⓘ
surface form: Telesterion
hadLesserMysteries true ⓘ
heldAnnually true ⓘ
highPriestTitle Hierophant ⓘ
honoredDeity Demeter ⓘ
Persephone ⓘ
influenced Greek philosophical ideas about the soul ⓘ
later mystery religions ⓘ
lesserMysteriesLocation Agrae near Athens ⓘ
lesserMysteriesSeason spring ⓘ
location Eleusis ⓘ
mainFestivalMonth Boedromion ⓘ
mainSanctuary Telesterion at Eleusis ⓘ
surface form: Sanctuary of Demeter at Eleusis
modernSiteStatus archaeological site at Elefsina, Greece ⓘ
near Athens ⓘ
oathOfSecrecy true ⓘ
offeredBenefit hope of better fate after death ⓘ
promise of a blessed afterlife ⓘ
spiritual renewal ⓘ
penaltyForRevealingSecrets death ⓘ
politicalControl city-state of Athens ⓘ
possibleEarlierOrigins Mycenaean period ⓘ
priestlyFamily Eumolpidae ⓘ
Kerykes ⓘ
processionRoute Sacred Way between Athens and Eleusis ⓘ
religion ancient Greek religion ⓘ
requiredCondition ability to understand Greek ⓘ
no ritual pollution such as homicide ⓘ
ritualType drinking of kykeon ⓘ
fasting ⓘ
initiation ⓘ
procession ⓘ
revelation of sacred objects ⓘ
sacred drama ⓘ
sacrifice ⓘ
season autumn ⓘ
socialScope included slaves in some periods ⓘ
sourceType partly reconstructed from literary and archaeological evidence ⓘ
suppressedBy Theodosius I ⓘ
surface form: Roman emperor Theodosius I

Referenced by (52)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Ancient Greek religion → hasMysteryCult → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
Dionysus → associatedWith → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
Orphic Mysteries → relatedTo → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
Demeter → associatedMyth → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
Demeter → festival → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
Dionysian Mysteries → relatedTo → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
Eleusis → knownFor → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
Eleusis → festival → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
Persephone → associatedCult → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
Hellenistic religion → includesCult → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
Telesterion at Eleusis → usedFor → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
Telesterion at Eleusis → associatedRitual → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
this entity surface form: Greater Eleusinian Mysteries
Telesterion at Eleusis → associatedRitual → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
this entity surface form: Lesser Eleusinian Mysteries
Sacred Court → associatedWith → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
Sacred Court → relatedTo → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
this entity surface form: initiation ceremonies at Eleusis
Sacred Court → relatedTo → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
this entity surface form: procession of the Eleusinian Mysteries
Kallichoron Well → associatedWith → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
Lesser Mysteries → partOf → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
Hospitality of King Keleos → partOf → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
this entity surface form: Eleusinian cycle
Hospitality of King Keleos → associatedWithCult → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
Hospitality of King Keleos → explainsOriginOf → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
Hospitality of King Keleos → relatedMyth → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
this entity surface form: Institution of the Eleusinian Mysteries
Archaeological Museum of Eleusis → dedicatedTo → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
Greater Mysteries → partOf → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
Greater Mysteries → cultTitleOfDemeter → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
this entity surface form: Demeter Eleusinia
abduction of Persephone → associatedWithCult → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
Boedromion → containsFestival → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
Sacred Way between Athens and Eleusis → usedFor → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
Sacred Way between Athens and Eleusis → ceremony → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
this entity surface form: Greater Eleusinian Mysteries
Sacred Way between Athens and Eleusis → ceremony → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
this entity surface form: Lesser Eleusinian Mysteries
Sacred Way between Athens and Eleusis → category → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
Agrae near Athens → associatedWithCult → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
Eumolpidae → sacredTradition → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
Hierophant → religion → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
Hierophant → associatedWith → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
Sixth Syrian War → significantEvent → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
this entity surface form: Day of Eleusis
Ploutos → associatedWith → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
Proerosia → relatedTo → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
this entity surface form: Eleusinian cult of Demeter
Haloa → linkedCult → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
Kerykes → associatedWith → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
Kerykes → notableRite → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
this entity surface form: Eleusinian initiation ceremonies
Despoina → cultLinkedTo → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
Hymn to Demeter → associatedWith → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
archon basileus → performedRitualFor → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
Orphism → relatedTo → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
this entity surface form: Greek mystery religions
Bay of Eleusis → associatedWithReligion → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
this entity surface form: Eleusinian Mysteries of Demeter and Persephone
Elefsina → knownFor → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
Elefsina → religiousCult → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
this entity surface form: Eleusinian Mysteries of Demeter and Persephone
Kore → majorFestival → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
Samothracian Mysteries → relatedTo → Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ