Demeter’s cult

E576441
agricultural fertility cult ancient Greek religious cult mystery cult

Demeter’s cult was an ancient Greek religious tradition centered on the worship of the goddess of agriculture and fertility, featuring mystery rites and seasonal rituals tied to the cycles of the earth and grain.

Jump to: Surface forms Statements Referenced by

Observed surface forms (3)

Surface form Occurrences
Demeter cult 1
Eleusinian deities Demeter, Dionysus, and Persephone 1
cult of Demeter 1

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf agricultural fertility cult ⓘ
ancient Greek religious cult ⓘ
mystery cult ⓘ
allowedInitiates men ⓘ
slaves ⓘ
women ⓘ
associatedDeity Kore NERFINISHED ⓘ
Persephone NERFINISHED ⓘ
Triptolemus NERFINISHED ⓘ
centeredAtSanctuary Telesterion at Eleusis NERFINISHED ⓘ
coreTheme agriculture ⓘ
fertility ⓘ
grain cycle ⓘ
life-death-rebirth ⓘ
culture ancient Greek religion ⓘ
genderAspect strong female participation ⓘ
geographicRegion Aegean islands NERFINISHED ⓘ
Attica NERFINISHED ⓘ
Magna Graecia NERFINISHED ⓘ
mainland Greece ⓘ
influenceOn later mystery religions ⓘ
initiationRequired yes ⓘ
mainDeity Demeter NERFINISHED ⓘ
majorFestival Eleusinian Mysteries NERFINISHED ⓘ
Haloa NERFINISHED ⓘ
Skira NERFINISHED ⓘ
Thesmophoria NERFINISHED ⓘ
mythicFoundation myth of Demeter and Persephone ⓘ
primarySanctuary Eleusis NERFINISHED ⓘ
promisedBenefit better fate in the afterlife ⓘ
blessing on crops ⓘ
fertility and prosperity ⓘ
ritualElement fasting ⓘ
processions ⓘ
sacred objects (hiera) ⓘ
sacrifices ⓘ
secret teachings ⓘ
ritualFocus fertility of fields ⓘ
fertility of women ⓘ
harvest of grain ⓘ
sowing of grain ⓘ
socialFunction promotion of civic cohesion ⓘ
reinforcement of agricultural calendar ⓘ
timePeriod Archaic Greece NERFINISHED ⓘ
Classical Greece NERFINISHED ⓘ
Hellenistic period NERFINISHED ⓘ
Roman Imperial period ⓘ
worshipType mystery rites ⓘ
seasonal rituals ⓘ

Referenced by (4)

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

Temple of Demeter → associatedWith → Demeter’s cult ⓘ
subject surface form: Temple of Demeter (Agrigento)
this entity surface form: Demeter cult
Lerna → hasMythologicalAssociationWith → Demeter’s cult ⓘ
this entity surface form: cult of Demeter
Aventine Triad → parallels → Demeter’s cult ⓘ
this entity surface form: Eleusinian deities Demeter, Dionysus, and Persephone
Karmanor → worshipContext → Demeter’s cult ⓘ