Eleusinian Mysteries
E19366
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.
Observed surface forms (2)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Greater Eleusinian Mysteries | 1 |
| Lesser Eleusinian Mysteries | 1 |
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 (13)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Greater Eleusinian Mysteries
this entity surface form:
Lesser Eleusinian Mysteries