T H E E L E U S I N I A N

° MYSTERI ES 893 RITES

X/ D U D LEY VVRIGH T

IN T R O DUC TI ON B Y T HE R V N WT l" E . . FO RT E ON a . D D " , . .

Past Gr and o t ie Gr and L od e a'w a f g q ,

THE THEO SOPHICAL PU B LISHING HO USE

1 UPPER WOBURN PLACE W L O . OND N, . C 1

" ‘ S RE COMP SS B EAC R OU RT "UA A , 4 , C ,

V C OLO A DEN ER, . U . S . .

PREFA C E

T one time the Mysteries Of the various nations

were the o nly vehicle of throughout

the world , and it is not impossible that the very name of religion might have become Obsolete but for the support of the periodical celebrations which

preserved all the forms and ceremonials , rites and

of practices sacred .

or l With regard to the connection , supposed rea ,

between and the Mysteries , it is a remarkable coincidence that there is scarcely a single ceremony in the former that has not its corresponding

on e of rite in or other the Ancient Mysteries . The question as to which is the original is an important

one to the student . The Masonic antiquarian maintains that Freemasonry is not a scion snatched with a violent hand from the Mysteries—whether S Pythagorean , Hermetic , amothracian , Eleusinian ,

- Drusian , Druidical , or the like but is the original

s e s e d d . in titution , from which all the Myst rie wer erive 8 ELEUS INIAN MYS TERIES AND RITES

f G O In the opinion o the renowned Dr . eorge liver There is ample testimony to establish the fact that

the Mysteries of all nations were originally the same , and diversified only by the accidental circumstances

Of local situation and political economy . The

of original foundation the Mysteries has , however ,

never been established . ascribed the institution of the to Egyptian

P o coc ke m influences , while declares the to have been of t o al Tartar origin , and have combined Brahminic O and Buddhistic ideas . thers are equally of opinion

that their origin must be sought for in Persia , while

on e e — w h o at least writ r and , in these days , will — declare the theory to be fanciful ventures t he opinion that it is not improbable that they were

practised among the Atlanteans . The Eleusinian Mysteries—those rites of ancient

G of R of reece , and later ome , which there is historical evidence dating back t o the seventh century before the Christian era—bear a very striking resemblance in many points to the of both Operative and

S t o peculative Freemasonry . As their origin , beyond

the legendary account put forth , there is no trace . In the opinion of some writers of repute an Egyptian PREFACE 9 s ource is attributed to them , but Of this there is no S t . positive evidence . There is a legend that John the Evangelist—acharacter honoured and revered — by Freemasons was an initiate of these Mysteries .

on e Certainly , more than of the early Fathers of the

Christian Church boasted of his into these

Rites . The fact that this is the first time that an attempt has been made to give a detailed exposition of the ceremonial and its meaning in the English

language will , it is hoped , render the articles of interest and utility to students of Masonic lore .

As to the influence of the Mysteries upon Christi

m e on e n a ity , it will be se n that in more than i stance the Christian bears a very close resemblance to the solemn rites of the and Greek Mysteries .

The Bibliography at the end does n ot claim t o be

t o exhaustive , but it will be found contain the principal sources of our knowledge of the Eleusinian Mysteries .

R DUDLEY W IGHT .

X F RD O O .

C ONTENTS

PAGE P RE FACE

INTRO D U CTION

1 TH L S A L D . E E E U INI N E GEN

TH TUA L F TH MYS T S II . E RI O E ERIE

AMM O F G A MY S III . P ROGR E TH E RE TER S TERIE

I V TH T AT Y T S . E INI I OR RI E

V TH MYST C L S G F CA C . EIR I A I NI I N E

B IB LIOGRAP HY

IN TROD U CTION

THE REV F R NE N D L D . . IT O O . D J T WT , . T , . . ,

P ast Grand Chalain o the Grand Lod e o I owa p f g f .

EW aspects of the history of the human spirit are more fascinating than the story of the

of o n e of Mysteries antiquity , chapter which is told in the following pages with accuracy , insight , and charm .

Like all human institutions , they had their foundation in a real need , to which they ministered by dramatizing

o f the and hopes and longings humanity , and evoking that eternal which is at once the joy and solace o f man as he marches or creeps or

W of crowds through the elter doubts , dangers , disease , and death , which we call our life . Once the sway of the Mysteries was well -nigh universal , but towards the end of their power they fell into the mire and became corrupt , as all things

. are at , o C n o d . human p to , the hurch itself being

Y e exception . e t at their best and highest they wer

13 14 ELEUS INIAN MYS TERIES AND RITES

not only lofty and noble , but elevating and refining , and that they served a high purpose is equally clear , else they had not w on the eulogiums o f the most m enlightened men of antiquity . Fro to the teachers Of Old bear witness to the service f o the Mysteries , and testified that what a man learned in the house of the Hidden Place made him

an d want to live nobly , gave him happy thoughts for

the hour of death .

m en The Mysteries , said , were established by

Of great genius , who , m the early ages , strove to teach

of purity , to ameliorate the cruelty the race , to exalt

and its morals refine its manners , and to restrain society by stronger bonds than those which human S laws impose uch being their purpose , he who gives a thought to the life of man at large will enter their vanished sanctuaries with sympathy ; and if no mystery any longer attaches to what they taught least o f all to their ancient allegory of — there is the abiding interest in the rites , drama , and symbols employed in the teaching of wise and good and beautiful truth .

What influence the Mysteries had on the new ,

uprising is hard to know , and the issue

s i still in debate . That they did influence the e arly Church is evident from the writings of the Fathers — more than one of whom boasted of initiation and some go so far as to say that th e Myste rie s died at o l a C a a the h c . last , n y to live g in in the ritu l of pr h INTRODUCTION 15

c m S t . Paul in his j ourneys a e in contact

of with the Mysteries , and even makes use some o f their technical terms in his Epistles , the better to show that what they sought to teach by drama

NO can be known only by spiritual experience . doubt his insight is sound , but surely drama may assist to that realization , else public worship might also come under ban .

Of the Eleusinian Mysteries in particular , we have f long needed such a study as is here O fered , in which the author not only sums up in an attractive manner

t o our what is known , but adds knowledge some important details . An Egyptian source has been G attributed to the Mysteries Of reece , but there is

of little evidence it , save as we may conj ecture

of it to have been so , remembering the influence S f upon . uch influences are di ficult to trace , and it is safer to say that the idea and use — ’ of Initiation as Old as the Men s House of primitive — f society was universal , and took di ferent forms in different lands . S uch a study has more than an antiquarian interest ,

t o not only to students in general , but especially the

o e men f the gentl Craft of Freemasonry . If we may not say that Freemasonry is historically descended from the instituted Mysteries of antiquity ,

es it do perpetuate , to some extent , their ministry

a us . e the a e e e mong At l ast , resembl nce b tw n those ancient rites and the ce re monials of both Ope rative 16 ELEUS INIAN M YS TERIES A ND RITES and S peculative Freemasonry are very striking and the present study must be reckoned as not the least of the services of its author to that gracious

Craft .

E C THE CIT EMPLE L ND . . Y T , O ON ,

18 ELEUS INIAN MYS TERIES AND RITES

and his accomplice . Incensed at , she left O lympos and the , and came down to scour the earth disguised as an Old woman . In the course o f her wanderings she arrived at

Eleusis , where she was honourably entertained by

Keleos of , the ruler the country , with whom , and

Met anira his wife , she consented to remain in order

of D to watch over the education emophon , who had j ust been born to the aged king and whom she undertook to make immortal .

Long was thy anxious search F o r e P e e e lov ly ros rpin , nor didst thou br ak ’ -fam d E e s Thy mournful fast , till the far l u is R e ceive d the e wandering . Or hic H mn p y .

The city Of is said to derive its name from the Eleusis , a fabulous personage deemed by some to have been the offspring of and D O r aira , daughter Of ceanus , while by othe s he was

s on of Ox claimed as the yge s . Unknown to the parents used t o anoint '

Demophon by day with , and hide him by D night in the fire like a firebrand . etected one night

Me t anir a by , she was compelled to reveal herself as D emeter , the . Whereupon she directed

- f the Eleusinians to erect a temple as a peace O fering , and , this being done , she promised to initiate them into the form o f worship which would obtain for TH E ELEUS INIAN LEGEND 19

D them her goodwill and favour It is I , emeter , full of glory , who lightens and gladdens the of

gods and men . Hasten ye , my people , to raise , hard by the citadel , below the ramparts , a fane ,

on and the eminence of the hill , an , above the

Callic rum wall Of h o . I will instruct you in the rites which shall be Observed and which are pleasing to me .

The temple was erected , but Demeter was still vowing vengeance against gods and men , and because Of the continued loss of her daughter she rendered the earth sterile during a whole year .

What ails h e r that s he come s not home P ‘ D e m ete r se eks h e r far and wid e ; And gloomy-browe d doth ceasele s s roam F m m ro many a om till eventide . e m o be My lif , im rtal though it , " Is " r e naught she c i s , for want Of thee , — P e rsephone P ersephone

The oxen drew the plough , but in vain was the seed sown in the prepared ground . Mankind was threatened with utter annihilation , and all the gods f were deprived of sacrifices and O ferings . Zeus

of endeavoured to appease the anger the gods , but i in vain . F nally he summoned to go to and order him to restore to her P mother . Pluto yielded , but before ersephone left she took from the hand of Pluto four pips Which he offered her as sustenance on her j ourney . 20 ELE US INIAN MYS TERIES AND RITES

Persephone , returning from the land of shadows , found her mother in the temple at Eleusis which had recently been erected . Her first question was whether her daughter had eaten anything in the land o f n her imprisonme t , because her unconditional return to earth and Olympos depended upon that . P ersephone informed her mother that all she had eaten was the pomegranate pips , in consequence of which Pluto demanded that Persephone should

for soj ourn with him four months during each year , D or on e month for each pip taken . emeter had no option but to consent to this arrangement , which meant that she would enj oy the company Of Per s e h on e p for eight months in every year , and that the remaining four would be spent by P ersephone P D c with luto . emeter aused to awaken anew the fruits Of the fertile plains , and the whole earth

- D was r e clothed with leaves and flowers . emeter

Of — called together the princes Eleusis ,

D P ol xe n os K ele os— iocles , , y , and and initiated them into the sacred rites— most venerable - into which no on e is allowed to make enquiries or to divulge a solemn warning from the gods seals our mouths . Although secrecy on the subj ect of the nature o f

i 1s the stately Myster es strictly enj oined , the writer of the Homeric Hymn to Demeter makes no secret of the happiness which belonged to all who became in itiates : Happy is he w ho has be en received THE E LEUS INIAN LEGEND 21

unfortunate he who has never received the initiation

nc nor taken part in the sacred ordina es , and who " cannot , alas be destined to the same lot reserved

" for the faithful in the darkling abode . The earliest mention Of the Temple Of Demeter at D Eleusis occurs in the Homeric Hymn to emeter ,

n o which has already been mentioned . This was t

written by , but by some poet versed in

Homeric lore , and its probable date is about

60 0 C R . It was discovered a little over a hundred

years ago in an Old monastery library at Moscow , '

and now reposes in a museum at Leyden . D In this Homeric Hymn to emeter , Persephone gives her o w n version Of the incident as follows

We were all playing in the lovely meadows -a

Ph ain o Leucippe , and , and , and Ianthe ,

Me lit é Iach é Rh od e ia Callin hoe and , and and , and ,

Melobosis I an eir a Acas t é e and , and , and , and Admet ,

R P lout o W and hodope , and , and insome Calypso , and

S G l xam aa é . tyx , and Urania , and beautiful We were playing there and plucking beautiful blossoms

our with hands ; crocuses mingled , and , and

hyacinth , and roses , and lilies , a marvel to behold , a and , th t the wide earth bare , a wile for G my undoing . ladly was I gathering them when

°

the earth gaped beneath , and therefrom leaped the

mighty prince , the host of many guests , and he bare

me against my will , despite my grief , beneath the

l " earth , in his golden chariot and shrilly did I cry . 22 ELEUS INIAN MYS TERIES AND RITES

The version of the legend given by ucius Felix

: is as follows Proserpine , the daughter of w by , as she was gathering tender flo ers in the new spring , was ravished from her delightful abode by Pluto ; and , being carried from thence through thick woods and over a length Of sea , was

of brought by Pluto into a cavern , the residence departed spirits , over whom she afterwards ruled with absolute sway . But Ceres , upon discovering the loss Of her daughter , with lighted torches and b a egirt with a serpent , w ndered over the whole earth

of for the purpose finding her , till she came to Eleusis there she found her daughter , and discovered to the Eleusinians the plantation Of corn .

of According to another version the legend ,

of met Ceres when she was in quest her daughter , and fell in love with her . The goddess , in order to escape from his attentions , concealed herself under the form Of a mare , when the Of the sea trans formed himself into a horse to seduce her , with which act she was so highly offended that after having washed herself in a river and reassumed human form , she took refuge in a cave , where she lay concealed .

When famine and pestilence began to ravage the earth , the gods made search for her everywhere , but could not find her until discovered her and apprised

o f S Jupiter her whereabouts . This cave was in icily , in which country Ceres was known as the black

C Erin n s f eres , or the y , because the outrages o fered THE ELEUS INIAN LEGEND 23

her by Neptune turned her frantic and furious . D S emeter was depicted in icily as clad in black ,

’ with a horse s head , holding a pigeon in one hand

and a dolphin in the other .

On o f the submission Eleusis to , the Mysteries became an integral part Of the Athenian religion , so that the Eleusinian Mysteries became a R Panhellenic institution , and later , under the omans ,

u e a niversal worship , but the secr t rites of initiation

were well kept throughout their history . Eleusis was on e of the twelve originally independent

cities Of , which is said to have united

Le usin a into a simple state . now occupies the site , and has thus preserved the name of the ancient

city . Theseus is portrayed by V irgil as suffering eternal

punishment in , but writes concerning P him as follows Theseus , and irithous are fabled

to have ravished Helen , and to have descended to

—i of in e . the infernal regions . they were lovers l i ibl t e l g e and visible beauty . Afterwards Theseus

was liberated by from Hades , but remained there because he could n o t sustain the arduous attitude of divine contemplation .

' D r Divin e Le ati on o Mos es . Warburton , in his g f , gives it as his Opinion that Theseus was a living character who once forced his way into the Eleusinian

o n Mysteries , for which crime he was imprisoned earth and afterwards damned in the infernal regions . 24 ELEUS INIAN MYS TERIES AND RITES

The Eleusinian Mysteries seem to have constituted the most vital portion Of the Attic religion , and always to have retained something o f awe and solem n ity . They were not known outside Attica until the time Of the Median wars , when they spread to the Greek colonies in Asia as part o f the constitution

O f the daughter states , where the cult seems to have exercised a considerable influence both on the O populace and on the philosophers . utside Eleusis the Mysteries were not celebrated so frequently nor

n C l as o . e e so magnificent a scale At , where they

w h o were celebrated every fourth year , a , was not bound by the law of celibacy , as at Eleusis , was elected by the people for each celebration . Pausanias is the authority for a statement by the l Ph ias ian s that they imitated the Eleusinian Mysteries .

They maintained , however , that their rendering w as D s aule s Ce le us instituted by y , brother Of , who went to their country after he had been expelled

o f X from Eleusis by Ion , the son uthus , at the time when I on was chosen commander - in - chief Of the P Athenians in the war against Eleusis . ausanias disputed that any Eleusinian was defeated in battle t and forced into exile , maintaining tha peace was concluded between the Athenians and the Eleusinians

o ut before the war was fought , even Eumolpus himself being permitted to remain in Eleusis . Pau s an ias D s aules , also , while admitting that y might have gone to Phlias for s ome cause other than that

26 ELEUS INIAN MYS TERIES AND RITES

t o added our life , but nothing better than those Mysteries by which we are formed and moulded

o f from a rude and savage state humanity ; and , indeed , in the Mysteries we perceive the real principles

Of life , and learn not only to live happily , but to die with a fairer hope . Every manner Of writer religious poet , worldly poet , sceptical philosopher ,

— of o n e orator all are mind about this , that the Mysteries were far and away the greatest of all the religious festivals Of Greece . THE R ITUAL OF THE MYSTERIES

HE Eleusinian Mysteries , observed by nearly G all reeks , but particularly by the Athenians , h were celebrated y early at Eleusis , thoug in the earlier annals of their history they were celebrated once in every three years only , and once in every

Celean s Par rhasian s four years by the , Cretans , ,

Ph e n e t e an s Phliasian s S . , , and partans It was the most celebrated of all the religious ceremonies of

’ G Of reece at any period the country s history , and was regarded as of such importance that the Festival is referred to frequently simply as The Mysteries . The rites were guarded most j ealously and carefully concealed from the uninitiated . If any person divulged any part Of them he was regarded as having f a o fended ag inst the divine law , and by the act he rendered himself liable to divine vengeance . It was accounted unsafe to abide in the same house f with him , and as soon as his O fence was made public S he was apprehended . imilarly , drastic punishment was meted out to any person not initiated into the Mysteries who chanced to be present at their

27 28 ELEUS INIAN MYS TERIES AND RITES

o r celebration , even through ignorance genuine error . The Mysteries were divided into two parts— the G Lesser Mysteries and the reater Mysteries . The Lesser Mysteries were said to have been instituted when Hercules , Castor , and Pollux expressed a desire to be initiated , they happening to be in Athens at the time Of the celebration of the Mysteries by the Athenians in accordance with the ordinance

D in of emeter . Not being Athenians , they were

o f diffi eligible for the honour initiation , but the culty was overcome by Eumolpus , who was desirous o f including in the ranks of the initiated a man o f such power and eminence as Hercules , foreigner though he might be . The three were first made citizens , and then as a preliminary to the initiation ceremony as prescribed by the goddess , Eumolpus instituted the Lesser Mysteries , which then and afterwards became a ceremony preliminary to the G reater Mysteries , as they then became known , for candidates Of alien birth . In later times this

Of Lesser Festival , celebrated in the month Anthes t e rio n b at the beginning Of spring , at Agra , ecame a G general preparation for the reater Festival , and no persons were initiated into the Greater Mysteries b L until they had first een initiated into the esser .

With regard to Hercules , there is a legend that on a certain time Hercules wished to become a f member of on e of the secret societies o antiquity . THE RI TUAL OF THE MYS TERIES 29

He accordingly presented himself and applied in due form for initiation . His case was referred to

Of V 1r t uous a council wise and men , who obj ected to his admission on account o f some crimes which

C . he had committed . onsequently he was rej ected Their words to him were " You are forbidden to enter here ; your is cruel , your hands are

Go stained with crime . repair the wrong you have done ; repent Of your evil doings , and then come

h o f with pure heart and clean ands , and the doors our Mysteries shall be opened to you . The legend goes on to say that after his regeneration he returned and became a worthy member of the Order . The ceremonies of the Lesser Mysteries were G entirely different from those of the reater Mysteries . The Lesser Mysteries represented the return o f

P — o f ersephone to earth which , course , took place at Eleusis ; and the Greater Mysteries represented her descent to the infernal regions . The Lesser Mysteries honoured the daughter more than the mother , who was the principal figure in the greater

Mysteries . In the Lesser Mysteries , Persephone was

n n P h e r r e hat t a G k ow as p , and in the reater Mysteries K of . she was given the name ore Everything was , in fact , a mystery , and nothing was called by its

L n or m an t right name . e says that it is certain that the initiated of the Lesser Mysteries carried away from Agra a certain store o f religious knowledge which enabled them to understand the symbols 30 ELEUS INIAN MYS TERIES AND RITES and representations which were displayed after wards before their eyes at the Greater Mysteries at E leusis . The Obj ect Of the Lesser Mysteries was to signify occultly the condition of the impure invested with a terrene body and merged in a material nature . G The reater Mysteries taught that he who , in the

t o present life , is in subj ection his irrational part , f is truly in Hades . If Hades , then , is the region o punishment and misery , the purified soul must reside in the region Of bliss , theoretically , in the

d eific present life , and according to a energy in the next . They intimated by gorgeous mystic visions

of the felicity the soul , both here and hereafter , when purified from the d efilem en t s of a material nature and consequently elevated to the realities of intellectual vision . The Mysteries were supposed to represent in a kind Of moral drama the rise and establishment of

of civil society , the doctrine a state Of future rewards and punishments , the errors of , and the G Unity of the odhead , which last article was after wards demonstrated to be their famous secret . I t The ritual was produced from the sanctuary . was enveloped in symbolical figures of animals which suggested a correspondence which was utterly inexplicable to the uninitiated .

H st r o t e Liter atur e o K O . i o h . Muller , in his y f f

An cient Gr eece , says THE RITUAL OF THE MYS TERIES 3 1

Al l the Greek religious poetry treating o f death and the world beyond the grave refers to the whose influence was supposed to be exercised in this dark region at the centre of the earth , and were thought to have little connection with the political and social relations of human life . These deities formed a class apart from the gods of Olympus and were comprehended under the name of the

Ch t h e n i n of a gods "gods the ". The mysteries of the were connected with the

Of of im worship those gods alone . That a love mortality first found asupport in a in these

of deities appears from the fable Persephone , the

D o f daughter of emeter . Every year at the time harvest , Persephone was supposed to be carried from the world above to the dark dominions of the K S invisible ing of hadows , and to return every spring in youthful beauty to the arms of her mother . It was thus that the ancient Greeks described the disappearance and return Of vegetable life in the f O n . alternations the seaso s The changes Of Nature , however , must have been considerable in typifying the changes in the lot Of man otherwise Persephone would have been merely a symbol of the seed com m it t e d to the ground and would not have become

B u queen of the dead . t when the goddess Of inani

of mate nature had become queen the dead , it was a natural analogy , which must have early suggested itself , that the return of Persephone to the world 32 ELEUS INIAN MYS TERIES AND RITES of light also denoted a renovation Of life and a new D birth in man . Hence the Mysteries of emeter , and especially those celebrated at Eleusis , inspired the most elevated and animating hopes with regard

con ditiOn to the of the soul after death . No one was permitted to attend the Mysteries who . had incurred the sentence of capital punishment

or for treason conspiracy , but all other exiles were permitted to be present and were n ot molested in any way during the whole period Of the Festival . N 0 one could be arrested for debt during the holding of the Festival . Scarcely anything is known o f the programme

Observed during the course of the Lesser Mysteries . They were celebrated o n the 1 9t h to z r s t Of the G t month Anthesterion , and , like the reater Mys eries , were preceded and followed by a truce on the part o f f all engaged in warfare . The same O ficials presided at both celebrations . The Lesser Mysteries opened m with a sacrifice to De eter and Persephone , a portion o f the victims offered being reserved for the members

K e r of the sacred families o f Eumolpus and yc e . The main Obj ect of the Lesser Mysteries was to put the candidates fo r initiation in a condition Of C ’ ritual purification , and , according to lement Of

Alexandria , they included certain instructions and preparations for the Greater Mysteries . Like the

Eleusinian Mysteries , properly so called , they included dramatic representations of the rape o f Persephone

3 4 ELEUS INIAN MYS TERIES AND RITES

l Pausanias relates that , fol owing a war between

Ere cth eus the Eleusinians and the Athenians , when ,

K of Im m aradus ing Athens , conquered , son of

Eumolpus , the subdued Eleusinians , in making

their submission , stipulated that they should remain

O f custodians the Mysteries , but in all other respects were to be subj ect to the Athenians . This tradition is disputed by more modern writers , but . it was accepted by the Athenians and acted upon generally , and the right Of the two families solely to prepare candidates for initiation was recognized by a decree

B . C . of the fifth century , the privilege being confirmed afterwards at a convention between the representa t iv e s Of Eleusis and Athens . The Eumolpides

Eum ol were the descendants Of a mythical ancestor , pus , son of Neptune , who is first mentioned in the

P is r n of time of as t us . O the death Eumolpus according to one legend , , the younger of the

f K er ce s sons , was le t . But the y claimed that

A lam us Ceryx was a son Of Hermes by g , daughter f o s on . Cecrops , and that he was not a Of Eumolpus The members of the family of Eumolpides had

of the first claim upon the flesh the sacrificed animals , but they were permitted to give a portion t o any one else as a reward or recompense for services rendered . But when a sacrifice was Offered to any of the infernal

of divinities , the whole it had to be consumed by the fire . Nothing must be left . All religious

problems relating to . the Mysteries which could THE RITUAL OF THE MYS TERIES 3 5 not be solved by the known laws were addressed to the Eumolpides , whose decision was final . The meaning of the name Eumolpus is a good singer , and great importance was attached to the quality of the voice in the selection of the i f hierophant , the ch ef O ficiant at the celebration of o f the Mysteries and at the ceremony initiation , and who was selected from the family Of the Eum ol

ae pides . It was essential that the formul disclosed t o the initiates at Eleusis should be pronounced with

the proper intonation , for otherwise the words would f C have no e ficacy . orrect intonation was of far greater importance than syllabic pronunciation .

of An explanation this is given by Maspero , who says : The human voice is pre -eminently

o f a magical instrument , without which none the highest operations of art can be successful : each of its utterances is carried into the region Of the invisible and there releases forces of which the general

Of t o run people have no idea , either as their existence

or their manifold action . Without doubt , the real

or value Of an lies in its text , the sequence

of Of the words which it is composed , and the tone f in which it is enunciated . In order to be e ficacious ,

the conj uration should be accompanied by chanting ,

either an incantation or a song . In order to produce the desired effect the sacramental melody must be chanted without the variation of a single modulation

one false note , one mistake in the measure , the 36 ELEUS INIAN MYS TERIES AND RITES intr oversion of any two Of the sounds of which it

an f d . is composed , the intended e fect is annulled This is the reason why all who recite a or formula intended to force the gods to p erform certain acts must be of true voice . The result of their f e fort , whether successful or unsuccessful , will depend upon the exactness of their voice . It was the voice , therefore , which played the most important part in the oblation , in the prayer of definite request ,

—in and in the evocation a word , in every instance " where man sought to seize hold of the god . Apart from a true voice the words were merely T dead sounds . he character of the voice plays

n V an important part in y . The edas contain in them many invocations and hymns which no uninitiated Brahman can recite : it is only the initiate who knows their true properties and how

S of to put them into use . ome of the hymns the

Ri V eda g , when anagrammatically arranged , will yield all the secret invocations which were used for magical S purposes in the Brahmanical ceremonies . ome

’ ’ Parsees pay much attention to what is called azad dw d or free voice . It is recorded in Moslem tradition that a revelation came to the venerated

Arabian prophet resembling the tone of a bell . f The e fects which low , monotonous chanting pro

duce on nervous people and children are well known . Even animals and serpents are amenable to the

influence of sound . THE RITUAL OF THE MYS TERIES 37

The hierophant was a revealer of holy things .

of He was a citizen Athens , a man Of mature age , f and held his O fice for life , devoting himself wholly

to the service of the temple and living a chaste life , to which end it was usual for - him to an oint himself

o f e with the j uice hemlock , which , by its extr me coldness , was said to extinguish in a great measure the natural heat . In the opinion of some writers celibacy was an indispensable condition of th e

of highest branch the priesthood ; but , according to inscriptions which have been discovered , some at

of s o any rate the were married , that , in all probability , the rule was that during the M celebration of the ysteries and , probably , for a certain time before and after , it was incumbent on to abstain from all sexual inter

of course . Foucart is opinion that celibacy was

of demanded only during the celebration the Mysteries , although Pausanias states definitely otherwise . In support of Foucart it may be stated that among the inscriptions discovered at Eleusis there is one dedicating a statue to a hierophant by his wife . It was essential that the hierophant should be a man of commanding presence and lead a simple

On life . being raised to the dignity he received a kind of consecration at a special ceremony , at which only those of his ow n rank were permitted to

as be present , when he w entrusted with certain f secrets pertaining to his high o fice . Prior to this 38 E LEUS INIAN MYS TERIES AND RITES ceremony he went through a special purific at ory s rite , immer ing himself in the sea , an act to which the Greeks attributed great . He had to be

o exemplary in his m ral conduct , and was regarded by the people as being particularly holy . The qualifications Of a hierophant were so high that the ffi O ce could not be regarded as hereditary , for it would have been an exception to find both father and son in possession of the many various and high qualifications regarded as essential to the holding

ofli of the ce . The robe of the hierophant was a long purple garment ; his hair , crowned with a wreath of myrtle , flowed in long locks over his shoulders , and a diadem ornamented his forehead . At the celebration of the Mysteries he was held to represent the Creator Of the world . He alone was permitted to penetrate into the innermost shrine — in the Hall Of the Mysteries the holy Of holies , as it were— and then only once during the celebration o f the Mysteries , when , at the most solemn moment

of the whole mystic celebration , his form appeared suddenly to be t r an s figur ed with light before the

rapt gaze Of the initiated . He alone was permitted

to reveal to the fully initiated the mystic obj ects , the sight of which marked the completion Of their

admission into the community . He had the power o f refusing admission to those applicants whom he

deemed unfit to be entrusted with the secrets . He was not inactive during the intervals between the THE RITUAL OF THE MYS TE RIES 39

celebrations of the Mysteries . It was his duty to superintend the instruction of the candidates for initiation , who for that purpose were divided into groups and instructed by Officials known as m ys t a

o u s g g e . The personal name Of the hierophant was never mentioned . It was supposed to be unknown , wafted away into the sea by the mystic law , and he was known only by the title f i of the o f ce which he bore . An interesting inscription was found some years

on Of ago at Eleusis , engraved the base a statue erected to a hierophant : Ask not my name ; the mystic rule "or packet"has carried it away into the blue sea . But when I reach the fated day , and go

fo r to the abode Of the blest , then all who care me

" On o f will pronounce it . e his sons had written

t e below this inscription , after h death Of the hiero

: phant Now we , his children , reveal the name of the best of fathers , which , when alive , he hid in the

" depths of the sea . This is the famous Apollonius .

There is extant an epigram by a female hierophant , which runs Let my name remain unspoken : o n being shut Off from the world when the sons o f

hie r o hant id e Cecrops made me p to Demeter , I

E un aius myself hid it in the vasty depths . p , V itaMaxim in , says I may not tell the name of him who was then hierophant , for it was he who

" initiated me . The manner in which the name was committed to the sea was either by the immersion 40 ELEUS INIAN MYS TERIES AND RITES of the bearer or by writing the name on a leaden tablet , which was cast into the sea . The holy name , by which the hierophant was afterwards known , was der ived from the name Of some god o r bore S some ritualistic meaning . ometimes the hierophant was known simply by the title of his office with ’ Th the addition of his father s name . e rule as to the public mention of the former name of the hiero phant was occasionally transgressed , and there is the instance of the atheistic philosopher Theodorus addressing a hierophant by his discarded name o f Lac rat eide s D einias , and also Of , who was put into prison for the Offence Of addressing a hierophant by his discarded family name . refers to this in one passage in Lexiphan es

- The first I met were a torch bearer , a hierophant ,

of Deinias and others the initiated , haling before the j udge , and protesting that he had called them

by their names , though he well knew that , from the

of s an c tificat ion time their , they were nameless and no more t o be named but by hallowed names . In the Imperial Inscriptions we find the titles substituted for the proper names I The hierophant

1 F rom two inscriptions found at Eleusis it would appear that it was custom ary to make t h e name public It e e afte r t h e death o f t he hierophant . s ms also to have be en t h e practice to make t h e name know n to t h e c Sir e F e initiate unde r t he pledge Of secre y . Jam s raz r t h e e e e e e thinks that nam s w r , in all probability , ngrav d on tablets of bronze or lead and then thrown into de ep h s water in t e Gulf of Salami .

42 ELEUS INIAN MYS TERIES AND RITES

- the torch bearers , and their duty consisted mainly S in carrying the torches at the acred Festival .

They also wore purple robes , myrtle crowns , and

diadems . They were appointed for life , and were

ar t icu permitted to marry . The male dadouchos p larly was associated with the hierophant in certain s olemn and public functions , such as the opening address to the candidates for initiation and in the S public for the welfare of the tate . The offi ce was frequently handed down from father to B C son . Until the first century . . the dadouchos

ow n was never addressed by his personal name , f but always by the title of his o fice .

hier oc c e r x or o f The y , messenger holy tidings ,

o r was the representative of Hermes , Mercury ,

o f who , as the messenger the gods , was indispensable as mediator whenever men wished to approach the

- Immortals . He also wore a purple coloured robe and a myrtle crown . He was chosen for life from

of K r s the family the e yc e . He made the necessary proclamations to the candidates for initiation into the various degrees , and in particular enj oined them to preserve silence . It was necessary for him to have passed through all the various degrees , as his duties necessitated his presence throughout the ceremonial . The ph aidan t es had the custody of the sacred statues and the sacred vessels , which they had to maintain in good repair . They were selected from one or other of the two sacerdotal families . THE RITUAL OF THE MYS TERIES 43

f : likn O h ori Among the other o ficials were The p ,

h d r an oi who carried the mystic fan ; the y , who purified the candidates for initiation by sprinkling them with holy water at the commencement o f

s on do h or oi the Festival ; the p p , who proclaimed the sacred truce , which was to permit of the peaceful

r h or oi celebration of the Mysteries ; the py p , who brought and maintained the fire for the sacrifices ;

hie r aules w h o the , played the flute during the time the sacrifices were being offered— they were the leaders Of the sacred music , who had under their

h m n odoi h m n e t riai n e okor oi charge the y , the y the , who maintained the temples and the ; the

an ae is p g , who formed a class between the ministers

" and the initiated . Then there were the initiates o f the altar , who performed expiatory rites in the n ame and in the place Of all the initiated . There f were also many other minor o ficials , by the general

l s — i s o - b m e is ae . e e name Of . bees , perhaps called

Of cause bees , being makers honey , were sacred to

Demeter . The diluvian priestesses and regenerated " fi were called bees . All these of cials had b to be of un lemished reputation , and wore myrtle

crowns while engaged in the service of the temple .

The Oflicials ; whose duty it was to take care that

the ritual was punctiliously followed in every detail ,

included nine archons , who were chosen every year

f f of to manage the a fairs o Greece . The first these

K or was always the ing , Archon Basileus , whose 44 ELEUS INIAN MYS TERIES AND RITES duty at the celebration of the Mysteries it was to f o fer prayers and sacrifices , to see that no indecency o r irregularity was committed during the Festival , f and at the conclusion to pass judgment on all O fenders .

e im ele t ee or There were also four p , curators , elected

o n e Eum ol by the people , being appointed from the

K er c e s pides , another from the y , and the remaining two from the rank and file Of the citizens and ten i f h e ro oioi . p , whose duty it was to O fer sacrifices It may be worthy of remark here that

60 0 B C of , who flourished about the year , . ,

Laer tius of is said by Diogenes , in his life that philo sopher , to have been the first to perform expiatory sacrifices and lustrations in fields and houses and to have been the first to erect temples for the purpose

of sacrifice . The sacred symbols used in the ceremonies were

Te le s t r ion o r enclosed in a special chamber in the ,

of An ac t or on Hall Initiation , known as the , into which the hierophant alone had the right to penetrate . During the celebration of the Mysteries they were carried to Athens veiled and hidden from the gaze

of the profane , whence they were taken back to w Eleusis . It as permitted only to the initiated to l ook upon these hiera , as they were called . These sacred Obj ects were in the charge of the Eumolpides

family .

Written descriptions , however graphic or eloquent , convey but a faint impression Of the wonderful THE RITUAL OF THE MYS TERIES 45 s cenes that were enacted ; Aristides says that what was seen rivalled anything that was heard . Another writer has declared Many a wondrous sight may be seen and not a few tales of wonder may be heard in Greece ; but there is nothing on which the blessin g of God rests in so full a measure as

O O the rites f Eleusis and the lympic games . For — nine centuries that period Of time being divided almos t equally between the pre -Christian and — Christian eras they were the Palladium Of Greek

of . In the latter part their history , when the restrictions as to admission began to be relaxed , and in proportion to that relaxation , their essential religious character disappeared , they became but a ceremony , their splendour being their principal attraction , until finally they degenerated

u into a mere s perstition . strived in vain to

w as infuse new life into the vanishing cult , but it too

1 - ate the Eleusinian Mysteries were dead .

The Athenians were pious in the extreme , and throughout the period that initiation was limited

of to that race the reputation Eleusis was maintained , although pilgrims from various and remote parts

o of the world visited it at the season f the Mysteries . R When the Eleusinian Mysteries were taken to ome , H as they were in the reign of adrian , they contracted impurities and degenerated into riot and vice ; the Of their teachings did n ot accompany the transference o r it failed t o be comprehended 46 ELEUS INIAN MYS TERIES AND RITES

Although the forms Of initiation were still symbolical of the original and noble Obj ects of the institution , the licentious Romans mistook the shadow for the substance , and while they passed through all the ceremonies they were strangers to the obj ects for which they were framed .

A D 6 In . . 3 4 , a law prohibiting nocturnal rites was

V P r ae t e xt at us published by alentinian , but , whom

Julian had constituted governor Of Achaia , prevailed o n o f him to revoke it , urging that the lives the Greeks would be rendered utterly unsupportable if he deprived them of this , their most holy and comprehensive festival . Much has been made by some writers Of the fact that the ceremonies were

o f held at night , but in the early days Christianity also it was the custom for to forgather either at night or before daybreak , a circumstance which led to their assemblies being known as an telucan i

" luci u a - and themselves as f g or light haters , by

of way reproach . About the beginning of the fifth century Theodosius the Great prohibited and almost totally extinguished the pagan in the Roman ff Empire , and the Eleusinian Mysteries su ered in the general destruction . It is probable , however , that the Mysteries were celebrated secretly in spite Of the severe edicts Of Theodosius and that they were partly continued through the dark ages , though

o f stripped their splendour . It is certain that many rites of the pagan religion were performed under THE RITUAL OF THE MYS TERIES 4 7

the dissembled name of convivial meetings , long

’ of after the publication the Emperor s edicts , and P se llius informs us that the Mysteries Of Ceres existed in Athens until the eighth century of the Christian

u era and were never totally s ppressed . — The Festival Of the Greater Mysteries and this — was , of course , by far the more important began on

1 t h of of the s the month Boedromion , corresponding S roughly with the month of eptember , and lasted

2 r d of until the 3 the same month . During that time it was unlawful to arrest any, man present , or present any petition except for offences committed at the Festival , heavy penalties being inflicted for breaches of this law , the penalties fixed being a

Of fine not less than a thousand drachmas , and some assert that transgre ssors were even put to death . PROGRAMME OF THE GREATER MYSTERIES

HE following is the programme of the Greater

Mysteries , which extended over a period of ten days . The various functions were characterized

an d by the greatest possible solemnity decorum , and the ceremonies were regarded as religious " in m the highest interpretation of that ter . I RS A - w F T D Y . The first day was kno n as the G athering , or the Assembly , when all who had passed through the Lesser Mysteries assembled

Of G to assist in the celebration the reater Mysteries . On this day the Archon Basileus presided over all

of the cults the city , and assembled the people at S a place known as the Poikile toa . After the Archon

f " Basileus , with four assistants , had o fered up sacri

fic e s Of G and prayers for the welfare reece , the follow ing proclamation was made by the Archon Basileus , wearing his robe of Office

of Come , whoever is clean all pollution and whose

u . soul has not conscio sness of sin Come , whosoever C hath lived a life of righteousness and j ustice . ome 48

50 ELEUS INIAN MYS TE RIES AND RITES

not be in plaits or coiled upon the head . No woman

w as permitted to use cosmetics .

ECON D DAY — S . The second day was known as

Halade Mv stce m s tae , or To the sea , ye y , from the command which greeted all the initiates to go

and purify themselves by washing in the sea , or

Of d in the salt water the two consecrate lakes , called R it i w S h e . , on what was kno n as The acred Way The had the exclusive right Of fishing in these lakes . A was formed , in which all j oined

or and made their way to the sea the lakes , where they bathed and purified themselves . This general purification w as akin to that . practised to this day

o f th e by the Jews at the beginning Jewish year . S The day was consecrated to aturn , into whose province the soul is said to fall in the course o f its f descent from the tropic O Cancer . Capella compares S aturn to a river , voluminous , sluggish , and cold .

The planet signifies pure intellect , and Pythagoras f S symbolically called the sea a tear O aturn . The

c on fe ss1on bathing was preceded by a , and the manner in which the bathing was carried out and the number of immersions varied with the degree

S ui s o f . da guilt which each confessed According to , those who had to purify themselves from murder

n plu ged into salt water on two separate occasions ,

on immersing themselves seven times each occasion . On returning from the bath all were regarded as n ew the r d d as a creatures , bath being egar e PROGRAMME OF GRE ATER MYS TE RIES 5 1

s laver of regeneration , and the initiate were clothed

- - in a plain fawn skin or a sheep skin . The purification ,

however , was not regarded as complete until the

following day , when there was added the sprinkling

o f the blood Of a pig sacrificed . Each had carried f to the river or lake a little pig , which was also puri ied

by bathing , and on the next day this pig was sacrificed . The pig was Offered because it was very pernicious

or n fi ld s On c e . to the Eleusinian coinage the pig ,

on standing a torch placed horizontally , appears

On as the sign and symbol of the Mysteries . this day also some of th e initiated submitted t o a special purification near the altar of Zeus Me llichios on F S . or the acred Way each person whom . it was desired to purify an ox was sacrificed to Zeus Melli

Of chios , the infernal Zeus , the skin the animal was

on on e laid the ground by the dadouchos , and the who was the Obj ect Of the lustration remained there squatting on the left foot . RD — Cm THI DAY . the third day pleasures Of every description , even the most innocent , were strictly forbidden , and every one fasted till nightfall , when

o f they partook seed cakes , parched corn , salt ,

e d , and sacred win mixe with milk and honey . The Archon Basileus , assisted again

e im eletae by the four p , celebrated , in the presence

e of repr sentatives from the allied cities , the great sacrifice Of th e S ot e riafor the well-being o f the

‘ S ae a t t , the Atheni n citizens , and their wives and 52 ELEUS INIAN MYSTERIES AND RITES

children . This ceremony took place in the at the foot Of the Acropolis . The day was known Da as the y of Mourning , and was supposed to com ’ P memorate Demeter s grief at the loss of ersephone . The sacrifices Offered consisted chiefly o f a mullet

o f Rharium . and out of , a field of Eleusis The oblations were accounted s o sacred that the priests themselves were not permitted , as was usual

f . in other o ferings , to partake of them At the con e lusion of the general ceremony each one individually sacrificed the little pig purified in the sea the night before . The hog Of propitiation offered to Frey was a solemn sacrifice in the North of Europe and in S weden , down to modern times , the custom has been

on C preserved by baking , hristmas Eve , a loaf or cake in the form Of a hog . — R D Y ~ T FOU TH A . he principal event Of the fourth day was a solemn procession , when the holy basket o f Ceres "Demeter" was carried in a consecrated

o f cart , the crowds people shouting as it went along ,

Th e Hail , Ceres rear end Of the procession was composed Of women carrying baskets containing

of sesamin , carded wool , grains salt , corn , pome

granates , reeds , ivy boughs , cakes known as poppies ,

n and sometimes serpents . O e kind of these cakes was known as ox-cakes they were made with and little horns dedicated to the moon . Another

w as s kind contained poppy seeds . Poppy u ed in P ROGRAMME OF GREATER MYSTERIES 53

the ceremonies because it was said that some grains of poppy were given to Demeter upon her arrival G c in ree e to induce sleep , which she had not enj oyed

Of from the time of the abduction Persephone . Dem eter is invariably represented in her statues

o f as being very rotund , crowned with ears corn ,

and holding in her hand a branch of poppy . I F A — F TH D Y . The fifth day was known as the Da y of Torches , from the fact that at nightfall all the initiates walked in pairs round the temple

Of Demete at Eleusis , the dadouchos himself leading

the procession . The torches were waved about

and changed from hand to hand , to represent the wanderings o f the goddess in search of her daughter when she was conducted by the light of a torch kindled in the flames of Etna . S I X A — TH D Y . Iacchos was the name given to

o the sixth day f the Festival . The fair young

D s o god , Iacchos , or ionysos , or Bacchus , was the n of Jupiter and Ceres , and accompanied the goddess in her search for Persephone . He also carried a torch , hence his statue has always a torch in the hand . This statue , together with other sacred

Iac chion obj ects , were taken from the , the sanctuary

on Of Iacchos in Athens , mounted a heavy rustic

- four wheeled chariot drawn by bulls , and , accompanied by the Iacch ogogue and other magistrates nominated

K eram eikos for the occasion , conveyed from the , ’ S or Potter s "uarter , to Eleusis by the acred Way 54 ELEUS INIAN MYS TERIES AND RITES

in solemn procession . It was on this day that the

of solemnity the ceremonial reached its height .

s as The tatue , well as the people accompanying

it , were crowned with myrtle , the people dancing

u all the way along the ro te , beating brass kettles and playing instruments of various kinds and singing r sacred songs . Halts were made during the p ocession

of at various shrines , at the site the house Of Phytalus ,

who , it was said , received the goddess into his house ,

on and , according to an inscription his tomb , she requited him by revealin g to him the culture of the fig ; particularly at a fig-tree which was regarded

of n as sacred , because it had the renown bei g planted by Phytalus also upon a bridge built over the

Ce hissus river p , by the side Of which Pluto descended into Hades with Persephone , where the bystanders made themselves merry at the expense of the pilgrims . At each of the shrines sacrifices and were f o fered , hymns sung , and sacred dances performed . u Having passed the bridge , the people entered Ele sis by what was known as the Mystical Entrance .

Midnight had in before Eleusis was reached , so that a great part of the j ourney had to be accomplished by the light of the torches carried by each of the pilgrims , and the nocturnal j ourney was spoken

" o f as the Night of Torches by many ancient

c Of authors . The pit h and resin which the torches were composed were substances supposed to have

Off the virtue of warding evil spirits . The barren P ROGRAMME OF GREATER MYS TERIES 55

mountains of the Pass of Daphni and the surface of O the sea resounded with the chant , Iacchos ,

of Cr oc on ian s Iacchos " At one the halts the ,

Cr oc on descendants of the hero , who had formerly

Th r iasian f reigned over the Plain , fastened a sa fron band on the right arm and left foot Of each on e in

the procession . Iacchos was always regarded as

D as a child of emeter , inasmuch the vine grows

o u t Of V the earth . arious symbols were carried by

the people , who numbered sometimes as many as

from thirty t o forty thousand . These symbols — consisted of winnowing fans the Mystic Fan Of

Iacchos , plaited reeds and baskets , both relating

f n s on . a to the worship of the goddess and her The ,

in s t r u or van , as it was sometimes called , was the f ment that separates the wheat from the cha f , and was regarded also as an emblem Of the power which r sepa ates the virtuous from the wicked . In the ancient paintings by Bellori t w o per s on s are r epr e

On e sented as standing by the side of the initiate . is the who is performing the ceremony , who is represented as in a devout posture , and wearing a

‘ old of veil , the mark devotion , while another is holding a fan over the head of the candidate . In

’ some of the editions o f S outhey s translation Of the E n eid the following lines appear

Now learn what arm s industrious peasants wi eld ’ To s ow t h e o s e e an d c o e t he fie ld ° furr w gl b , l th 56 ELEUS INIAN MYS TERIES AND RITES

’ Th e s t he o e e t he hare , cro k d plough s strong b am , wain That slowly rolls on Ce re s to h er fane ’ s e e t h e d Hails , l ds, light osi rs , and harrow s loa , T h o God he d e t e m stic v an . hur l , and y f

The distance covered by the procession was twenty two kilometres , but Lycurgus ordered that if any woman should ride in a chariot to Eleusis she should

o f be mulcted in a fine drachmas . This was t o prevent the richer women from distinguishing S themselves from their poorer sisters . trange to

o f relate , the wife Lycurgus was the first to break this law , and Lycurgus himself had to pay the fine which he had ordained . He not only paid the

bu Im m e di t . penalty , gave a talent to the informer ately upon the deposit o f the sacred Obj ects in the

o n e Eleusinion , at the foot of the Acropolis , Of the Eleusinian priests solemnly announced their arrival to the priestess of the tutelary goddess o f Athens

Pallas Athene . Plutarch , in commenting upon lucky

un and unlucky days , says that he is aware that

on lucky things happen sometimes lucky days , for the Athenians had to receive a Macedonian

on 2 0 th of garrison even the Boedromion , the

on day which they led forth the mystic Iacchos .

S EV E N D A Y —On TH . the seventh day the statue was carried back to Athens . The return j ourney was also a solemn procession , and attended with numerous ceremonies . Halts were again made at

" e o f sev ral places , like the stations Roman Catholic

5 8 ELEUS INIAN MYS TERIES AND RITES

Mysteries . According to the ancient writers the

" s o- - j ests , called , would be regarded to day as in

bad taste .

e s h e ew s e h e r m e Having thus spok n , dr a id gar nts And showed all that shape of t he body which it is — e imprope r to nam e t he growth of pub rty . And with he r own hand strippe d herself unde r t he e br asts . Blandly then the godde ss laughed and laughe d in he r m ind , And rece ived the glancing cup in which was t he

draught .

During the the Athenians were unable t o obtain an armistice from the Lacedaemonians

D ecelea who held , and it became necessary to send the statue of Iacchos and the processionists to

Eleusis by sea . Plutarch says Under these conditions it was necessary to omit the sacrifices usually offered all along the road du ring the passing o f Iacchos .

I G A - h E HTH D Y . The eight day was called Epi daur ion ZEs culaius , because it happened once that p ,

E idaurius coming from p to Athens , desired to be initiated , and had the Lesser Mysteries repeated for that purpose . It therefore became customary to celebrate the Lesser Mysteries a second time upon this day , and to admit to initiation any such approved candidates who had not already enj oyed the privilege . There was also another reason for the repetition o f PROGRAMME OF GREATER MYS TERIES 59

- a t . d w as r e the initiatory rites hen The eighth y , garded as symbolical of the soul falling into the

lunar orbi , and the repeated initiation , the second

o f celebration of that sacred rite , was symbolical the soul bidding adieu to everything of a celestial

a of n ture , sinking into a perfect Oblivion her divine origin and pristine felicity , and rushing profoundly

of into the region dissimilitude , ignorance , and error . The day opened with a solemn sacrifice offered to D emeter and Persephone , which took place within

u the peribol s . The utmost precision had to be f observed in o fering this sacrifice as regarding the age , colour , and sex of the victim , the chants , perfumes ,

n and libatio s . The acceptance or rej ection of a sacrifice was indicated by the movements of the animal as it approached the altar , the vivacity of

m . the flame , the direction of the s oke , etc If these signs were not favourable in the case of the first f victim o fered , other animals must be slain until on e presented itself in which all the signs were favour

of f able . The flesh the animal o fered was not allowed to be taken outside the sacred precincts , but had to be consumed within the building . The following is said to have been an Invocation used during the celebration of the Mysteries

D e P e v e aught r of Jove , ers phone di in , Com e le s sed e e e s e e s n c ne , b qu n , and to th rit i li ; ’ On - e o e P o o o e d e ly b g tt n , lut s h n ur wif , 0 e e e o dd ess s c e o f e : v n rabl g , our lif 60 ELEUS INIAN MYS TERIES AND RITES

’ ’ e rofoun ditie s e Tis thine in arth s p to dw ll , F s h e a t by t e wide and dismal gat s of he ll . ’ e o ffe e a e e Jov s h ly o ring, of a b ut ous mi n , e e e e e e Av nging godd ss , subt rran an qu n . ’ ’ The F e o c e -hair d e m e o c e e d s uri s s ur , fair , whos fra pr ’ F m e e f e ro Jov s in fable and se cre t s e d s . o e B s e M th r of acchu , sonorous , divin , ’ An d for h e h e m d t e t e . many , par nt of vin o a t he S e e e Ass ci te of asons , ess nc bright , ’ - n l e he av . All ruling virgin , b aring y light a e With fruits abounding , of bount ous mind , ’ ’

Horn d d e sir d o d . , and alone by those of m rtal kin 0 e ee e v rnal qu n , whom grassy plains d light , S e m e e t he we t to the s ll , and pl asing to sight o e d w e V e Wh s holy forms in bud ing fruits i w, ’ ’ Earth s v ig r ous offspring of a various hue ’ Es o us d e an d e e p in autumn , lif d ath alon ’ To wretche d mortals from thy pow r is known F or e thin the task , according to thy will , L e o e all e . if to pr duc , and that liv s to kill e e e G e e e H ar, bl ss d odd ss , s nd a rich incr ase Of m e P e ce various fruits fro earth , with lov ly a S e d e e e n H alth with g ntle hand , and crown my lif e e e e e With bl st abundanc , fr from noisy strif ; L e t h e e e h ast in extr me old age pr y of d at , D e e e ismiss me willing to the r alms b n ath , To thy fair palace and the blissful plains

e e e P e . Wh r happy spirits dw ll , and luto r igns

I A —Th e N NTH D Y . ninth day was known as the

Da V t h e y of Earthen essels , because it was custom on On e that day to fill two j ugs with . was placed towards the East and the other towards the West , and after the repetition of certain mystical

ae formul both were overthrown , the wine being P ROGRAMME OF GREATER MYS TERIES 6 1

spilt upon the ground as a . The first of these formulae was directed towards the sky as a prayer for rain , and the second to the earth as i a prayer for fertil ty . The words used by the hierophant to denote the termination o f the celebration of the Mysteries Conn 0 m P ax ' Watch and do no evil -are said to have been Egyptian , and were the same as those used at the conclusion of the Mysteries of . This fact is sometimes used as an argument in favour f o the Egyptian origin of the Eleusinian Mysteries .

E N D AY —On o f T TH . the tenth day the maj ority

e xce the people returned to their homes , with the p tion of every third and fifth year , when they remained S behind for the Mystery Plays and ports , which l asted from two to three days . The Eleusinian Games are described by the r h e t o ric ian o f G Aristides as the Oldest all reek games . They are supposed to have been instituted as a thank- offering to Demeter and P ersephone at the conclusion of the corn harvest . From an inscription

f B . C dating from the latter part o the third century . sacrifices were offered to Demeter and Persephone at these games . They included athletic and musical contests , a horse race , and a competition which bore the name of the Ancestral or the Hereditary

Contest , the nature of which is not known , but which it is thought may have had it s origin in a contest between the reape rs on th e sacred Rharian 6 2 ELEUS INIAN MYS TER IES AND RITES plain to see which should first complete his allotted task . The ancient sanctuary in which the Mysteries were celebrated was burnt by the Persians in 48 0 — B . C . or or 479 , and a new sanctuary was built , — at least , begun under the administration of Pericles . Plutarch says that Coroebus began the Temple of

Initiation at Eleusis , but only lived to finish the lower

of Me t ae n e s rank columns with their architraves g ,

X et e of the ward of yp , added the rest of the entabla

X e n ocle s ture and the upper row of columns , and that o f Cholargus built the dome on the top . The long

of S e wall , the building which ocrates says he h ard

Pericles propose to the people , was undertaken

Cr at in us by Callicrates . satirized the work as proceeding very slowly

’ Stone upon stone the orator has pil d e With sw lling words , but words will build no walls .

According to some writers the Temple was planned

Te t in us of by , the architect the , and

Pericles was merely the overseer of the building . We are told by V itruvius that the Temple at Eleusis

of Of consisted at first one cell vast magnitude , without columns , though it was probable that it was meant to be surrounded in the customary manner ; a prostyle , however , only was added , and that not

of Phalereus until the time Demetrius , some ages

e o . w aft r the riginal structure as erected . It is PR OGR AMM E OF GR EATER MYS TER IES

o f probable that the uncommon magnitude the cell , added to the various and complicated rites o f initia

tion to the Eleusinian Mysteries , of which it was

the scene , prevented its being a peristyle , the expense

Of which would have been enormous . The Temple G was one of the largest of the sacred edifices of reece . 68 6 6 Its length was metres , its breadth 54 metres

1 6 823 and its superficial area 3 7 square metres . The monumental altar of sacrifice was placed in front of the facade , close by the eastern angle of the V " enclosure . According to irgil the words Far C hence , be ye far hence , ye profane ones , were inscribed over the main portal . I n the four th century o f the Christian era the G Temple of Eleusis was destroyed by the oths , at

o f the instigation the monks , who followed the hosts of Alaric . The revenues from the celebrations must have been considerable . At both the Lesser Mysteries

. and the Greater Mysteries acharge Of one Obole a day was demanded from each one attending , which

hie roc c e r x was given to the hierophant . The y

- received a half Obole a day , and other assistants a similar sum . In current coinage an Obole was of

r d the value of a fraction over i . THE INITIATORY RITES

W0 important facts must be set down with

: regard to the Mysteries first , the general

o f custom all Athenian citizens , and afterwards f G o all reeks generally , and eventually of many foreigners , to seek admission into the Eleusinian — . in Mysteries the only possible manner viz . by

e xe r initiation ; and , second , the scrupulous care c ise d by the Eumolpides to ensure that only persons

— or duly qualified , of irreproachable , at any rate ,

o f . circumspect , character passed the portals In the earlier days o f the Mysteries it w as a necessary condition that the candidates for initiation should

- of be free born Athenians , but in course time this rule was relaxed , until eventually strangers "as residents outside Athens were called", aliens , slaves ,

on and even courtesans , were admitted , condition d that they were intro uced by a mystagogue , who

h in s c ri was , of course , an At enian . An interesting p tion was discovered a few years ago demonstrating the fact that the public slaves of the city were initiated at t e w e h public expe nse . From his torical reco rds 54

66 ELE US INIAN MYS TERIE S AND RITES exclusion of Apollonius was not by any means popu lar with the crowd , changed his tone and said

s e e m e s t Be thou initiated , for thou to be some wise man that has come here . But Apollonius

: replied I will be initiated at another time , and it is "mentioning a name" who will initiate me .

P hilos t r at us o f Hereon , says , he showed his gift

o n e w h o prevision , for he glanced at the succeeded the hierophant he addressed , and presided over the temple four years later when Apollonius was initiated .

o f Persons of both sexes and all ages were initiated , and neglect of the ceremony came to be regarded

o f S almost in the light a crime . ocrates and were reproached and looked upon with suspicion because they did not apply for initiation . Persians were always pointedly excluded from the ceremony . Athenians of both sexes were granted the privilege of initiation during childhood on the presentation of of their father , but only the first degree initiation was permitted . For the second and third degrees it was necessary to have arrived at full age . The Greeks looked upon initiation in much the same light as the maj ority of Christians look upon . S o great was the rush o f candidates for initiation when the restrictions were relaxed that Cicero was able to write that the inhabitants of the most distant regions flocked to Eleusis in order to be initiated .

hus it R T , became the custom with all omans , who THE INITIATORY RITES 7 j ourneyed to Athens to take advantage of the Oppor

n i t u t y to become initiates . Even the Emperors f R of Rome , the o ficial heads of the oman religion , the masters of the world , came to the Eumolpides to proffer the request that they might receive the honour o f initiation and become participants in the S acred Mysteries revealed by the goddess .

While , who was initiated in the year

2 1 B C . . , did not hesitate to show his antipathy

of towards the religion the Egyptians , towards

Judaism and Druidism , he was always scrupulous in observing the pledge o f secrecy demanded o f initiates

on into the Eleusinian Mysteries , and one occasion , when it became necessary for some of the priests o f th e Eleusinian temple to proceed to Rome to

o n o f plead before his tribunal the question privilege , and in the course o f the evidence to speak of certain ceremonial in connection with the Mysteries o f which it was not lawful to speak in the presence

on e of the uninitiated , he ordered every who had not received the privilege of initiation t o leave the tribunal so that h e and the witnesses alone remained . The Eleusin ian ’ Mys t er ie s were not deemed inimical to the welfare of the as were the

o f E religions the gyptians , Jews , and ancient Britons . C laudius , another imperial initiate , conceived the idea of transferring the scene of the Mysteries to S Rome , and , according to uetonius , was about to put the proj ect into execution , when it was ruled that it 68 ELEUS INIAN MYS TERIES AND RITES

was obligatory that the principal scenic presentation of the Mysteries must be celebrated on the ground trodden by the feet of Demeter and where the goddess

herself had ordered her temple to be erected . The initiation of the Emperor "who

succeeded where Claudius had failed , in introducing the celebration of the Mysteries into Rome" took

A . D 1 2 place in . 5 , when he was present at the Lesser Mysteries in the spring and at the Greater Mysteries

S D 1 A . . 2 in the following autumn . In eptember , 9, he was again at Athens , when he presented himself for the third degree , as is known from Dion Cassius , confirmed by a letter written by the Emperor himself , in which he mentions a j ourney from Eleusis to

Ephesus made by him at that time . Hadrian is the only imperial initiate , so far as is known , who persevered and passed through all three degrees . Since he remained at Eleusis as long as it was possible for him to do so after the completion o f

t o his initiation , it is not rash assume that he was inspired by something more than curiosity o r even by a desire to show respect . It is uncertain whether the Emperor Antonin was initiated , although from an inscription it seems probable that he was and that he should be included in the list of imperial initiates . Both Marcus

Aurelius and , father and son , were initiated at the same time , at the Lesser Mysteries

A D 1 6 G in March , . . 7 , and at the reater Mysteries in THE INITIATOR Y RITES 69

S e t im ius S the following S eptember . p everus was initiated before he ascended the throne .

There was , as stated , three degrees , and the ordi nary procedure with regard to initiation was as follows

of In the month Anthesterion , the flower month o f - spring , corresponding with February March , an applicant could , if approved , become an initiate into the first degree at the celebration of the Lesser Mysteries and take part in their celebration at the

Eleusinion at Agra , near to Athens . The ceremony of initiation into this first degree was on a far less imposing scale than the ceremony o f initiation into the second and third degrees at the Greater Mysteries .

The candidate , however , had to keep chaste and

fOr unpolluted nine days prior to the ceremony , which each on e attended wearing crowns and garlands o f flowers and observed by offering prayers and sacrifices . Immediately previous to the celebration the candidates for initiation were prepared by the

Mystagogues , the special teachers selected for the purpose from the families of the Eumolpides and

K er c e s f y . They were instructed in the story o

o f Demeter and Persephone , the character the purification necessary and other preliminary rites , the fast days , with particulars of the food permissible and forbidden to be eaten , and the various sacrifices to be offered by and for them under the direction of the mystagogues . 70 ELEUS INIAN MYS TERIES AND RITES

Without this preparation no o n e could be admitted to the Mysteries . There was , however , neither secret doctrine n or dogmatic teaching in this pr e lim i nary instruction . Revelation came through contem plat io n of the sacred obj ects displav e d during the ceremonies by the hierophant , the meaning of which was communicated by means o f the mystic formulae

o f but the preparation demanded the initiates , the secrecy imposed , the ceremonies at which the initiates assisted , all of which were performed in

o f the dead night , created a strong impression and lively hope in regard to the future life . No other G R cult in reece , still less the cold oman religion , had anything of the kind , or approaching to it , to offer . Fasting from food and drink for a certain

period before and after initiation was essential , but the candidates did not attach to this act any idea of maceration or expiation o f faults : it was simply the reproduction of an event in the life of the goddess , and undergone in order that the body

o r o f might become more pure . Bowls vases con s e cr at e d or holy water were placed at the entrance

o f of the temple for the purposes aspersion . In cases o f special or particular impurity an extra preparation extending over two or three days longer

o f became necessary , and unctions oil or repeated

out immersions in water were administered . The ward physical purity , the result of immersion prior

to initiation , was but the symbol of the inward THE INITIATORY R ITES 7 1

purity which was supposed to result from initiation . On e of the duties of the mystagogues was to see that the candidates were in a state o f physical cleanliness both before and throughout the ceremony . According to inscriptions which have been discovered there appear to have been temples or buildings set apart for the cleansing of candidates from special im purities . Initiation into the Lesser Mysteries only permitted the neophyte to go as far as the outer vestibule of the temple .

In the following autumn , if of full age and approved by the hierophant , the neophyte could be initiated G into the reater Mysteries , into the second degree ,

‘ M s t a that of y . This , however , did not secure admission to all the ceremonies performed during

o f G the celebration the reater Mysteries . A further

year , at least , had to elapse before the third degree ,

E O t a that of p p , was taken , before he could see with his own eyes and hear with his own ears , all that took place in the temple during the celebration o f

on e the Mysteries . Even then , there was part of the temple and o n e portion o f the ceremony which could be entere d and witnessed only by the hierophant

hie r o han tid e and p . D According to Plutarch , emetrius , when he was returning to Athens , wrote to the republic that on his arrival he intended to be initiated and to be admitted immediately , not only to the Lesser Mys

o G . t ries , but to the reater as well This was unlawful 72 ELEUS INIAN MYS TERIES AND RITES

and unprecedented , though when the letter was

P th od o r us - read , y , a torch bearer , was the only person who ventured to Oppose the demand , and

f S t rat o le s his opposition was entirely ine fectual . c procured a decree that the month of Munychion should be reputed to be and called the month of

Anthesterion , to give Demetrius the opportunity T for the initiation into the first degree . his was done , whereupon a second decree was issued by which

Munychion was again changed into Boedromion , and Demetrius was admitted to the Mysteries o f

P hili id e s the next degree . pp , the poet , satirized [ S t rat o cle s in the words The man who can con

" on e D tract the whole year into month , and emetrius , in with reference to his lodging in the Parthenon , the words : The man who turns the temples int o inns and brings prostitutes into the company o f the virgin goddess .

o f The design initiation , according to Plato , was to restore the soul to that state from which it fell , and Proclus states that initiation into the Mysteries

o f drew the souls men from a material , sensual , and merely human life and j oined them in communion

" with the gods . Happy is the man , wrote , who hath been initiated into the Greater Mysteries

o f and leads a life piety and religion , and Aristo truly represented public Opinion when he wrote in The F r ogs : On us only does the sun dispense his blessings we only receive pleasure from

74 ELE US INIAN MYS TERIES AND RITES and He raclid es o f says that on this account he w as in danger o f being killed by the populace if he had not fled for refuge to the altar o f Dionysos and been begged o ff by the Areopagites and acquitted

of on the ground his exploits at Marathon . An accusation was brought against of having performed a funeral sacrifice in honour of his wife f in imitation o the Eleusinian ceremonies . Alci biad e s was charged with mimicking the sacred

of Mysteries in one his drunken revels , when he represented the hierophant ; Theodorus , one of his friends , represented the herald ; and another ,

P ol tio n y , represented the dadouchos other com panions attending as initiates and being addressed m t as ys ae . The information against him ran

" o f o f o f Thessalus , the son Cimon , the ward

Lac ais o f Clin ian , accuseth , the son , of

S c am is o f f the ward of , sacrilegiously o fending the goddess Ceres and her daughter , Persephone , by counterfeiting their Mysteries and showing them

ow n to his companions in his house , wearing such a robe as the does when he shows the holy things he called himself high priest ; as did P oly

- tion torch bearer and Theodorus , of the ward of

Th e s of yg , herald ; and the rest his companions he called persons initiated and Brethren o f the S ecret ; therein acting contrary to the rules and

ceremonies established by the Eumolpides , the

" Heralds and Priests at Eleusis . THE I NI TI ATORY RITES 75

Alcibiades did not appear in answer to the charge , and he was condemned in his absence , an order being made that his goods were to be confiscated .

1 B C This occurred in 4 5 . . and the incident created

An d ocid es quite a panic , as many prominent citizens , included , were implicated . This man , said the

o f An docid e s accuser , vested in the same costume as a hierophant , has shown the sacred obj ects to men who were not initiated and has uttered words

An d ci s which it is not permissible to repeat . o d e

’ admitted the charge , but turned king s evidence , and named certain others as culprits with him . He was rewarded with a free pardon under a decree

I s ot m ides but which had issued , those whom he named were either put to death or outlawed and

An d o cid e s their goods were confiscated . afterwards entered the temple while the Mysteries were in progress and was charged with breaking the law in s o o f doing . He defended himself before a court

of heliasts , all whom had been initiated into the

of Mysteries , the president the court being the

Archon Basileus . The indictment was lodged by

Ce his ius p , the chief prosecutor , with the Archon

B o f G asileus , during the celebration the reater

An ci s Mysteries and while do d e was still at Eleusis .

An d ocide s was acquitted , and it is stated that Ce phisius having failed to obtain one -fifth of the the votes of court , the result , according to the

w as law , that he had to pay a fine of a thousand 76 ELEUS INIAN MYS TE RIES AND RITES

drachmas and to suffer permanent exclusion from

Diairas the Eleusinian shrine . g was accused of railing at the sanctity of the Mysteries of Eleusis in such a manner as to deter persons from seeking f initiation , and a reward of one talent was o fered to any one who should kill him or two talents to

any one w ho should bring him alive . The Greek

0 0 talent was of the value of about £2 . An ancient theme o f oratorical composition and o n e set even in the sixth century of the Christian era ran : The law punishes with death whoever has dis closed the Mysteries some on e to whom the initiation has been revealed in a dream asks o n e of the initiated if what he has seen is in conformity with reality the initiate acquiesces by a movement o f the head and for that he is accused o f impiety

Every care , therefore , was taken to prevent the secrecy o f the Mysteries from being broken and the

ceremonial becoming known to any not initiated . D etails have , nevertheless , come to light in various

an ways , but chiefly through the ancient writings d S inscriptions . tep by step and piece by piece the diligent researcher has been rewarded by the dis c o v e r y of disconnected and isolated fragments which ,

by themselves , supply no precise information , but ,

taken in the aggregate , form a perfect mosaic . Though it was strictly forbidden to reveal what took place within the sacred enclosure and in the Hall of Initia THE INITIATORY RITES 77

tion , it was permissible to state clearly the main obj ect of initiation and the advantages to be derived

of from the act . Not only was the breaking the obligation of secrecy given by an initiate visited with severe , sometimes even with capital , punish

o f ment , but the forcing the temple enclosure by the uninitiated , as sometimes happened , was an

ff of o ence an equally impious and heinous character . By virtue of the unwritten laws and customs dating back to the most remote periods the penalty o f death was frequently pronounced for faults not grave in themselves , although the forcing of the temple enclosure was , of course , a grave crime , but because they concerned religion . It was pro bably by virtue o f those unwritten laws that the priests ordered the death of two young Ar can anian s who had penetrated , through ignorance , into the sacred precincts . They happened inadvertently to mix with the crowd at the season of the Mysteries and to enter the temple , but the questions asked

of o f by them , in consequence their ignorance the proceedings , betrayed them , and their intrusion was

2 0 0 B . C . punished with death . This was in , and Rome made war upon Philip V of Macedonia on the complaint of the government of Athens against that king who wished to punish them for having rigorously applied the ancient laws to those two

f o f o fenders , who were found guilty merely entering the sanctuary at Eleusis without having previously 78 ELEUS INIAN MYS TER IES AND RITES

been initiated . No j udicial penalty , however , was

ou t E meted to the fanatical picurean eunuch who , with the obj ect of pr ov m g that the gods had no o existence , forced himself blaspheming int that part of the sanctuary into which the hierophant and the hie r o n t i o f Elian us pha de alone had the right entry . Z states that a divine punishment in the form of a disease alone overtook him . Horace declared that he would not risk his life by going on to t h e water with a companion who had revealed the secret o f the Mysteries . The two days prior to initiation into the second and third degrees were spent by the candidates in solitary retirement and in strict fasting . It was a retreat in the strictest sense of the word .

Fasting was practised , not only in imitation of the f D P su ferings of emeter when searching for ersephone , but because o f the danger o f the contact of holy things with unholy , the clean with the unclean . This also is on e of the reasons why it was held to be impious even to speak of the Mysteries to one who had not been initiated and especially dangerous to allow such unclean and profane persons to take

o f . any part , even that a viewer , in the ceremonies Hence th e punishment meted out by the S tate was in w lieu of , or to avert , the divine rath which such pollution might bring on the community at large . At the entrance to the temple tablets were placed containing a list of forbidden foods . The list included THE INI TI ATORY RITES 79

v of fish— -fi sh se eral kinds the whistle , gurnet , crab ,

-fi sh and mullet . In all probability the whistle

S ciazn aauila is that known as q , a Mediterranean fish that makes a noise under the water which has

o r been compared to bellowing , buzzing , purring ,

- whistling , the air bladder being the sound producing

organ . The fish was greatly esteemed by the Romans .

S ciwn a auila There is a large , not q , though very

G of like it , in the Fish allery the British Museum "Natural History"opposite the entrance from the

-fi sh Zoological Library . The whistle and crab were h eld to be impure , the first because it laid its

m Outh eggs through the , and the second because it

w as ate filth which other fish rej ected . The gurnet rej ected because of its fecundity as witnessed in its annual triple laying of eggs , but , according to some W riters , it was rej ected because it ate a fish which

was poisonous to mankind . It may well be that

o other fish were interdicted , but Porphyry was pr bably

exaggerating when he said that all fish were forbidden .

Birds bred at home , such as chickens and pigeons ,

o n were also the banned list , as were beans and certain vegetables which were forbidden for a mystical reason which P ausanias said he dare not reveal

save to the initiated . The probable reason was that they were connected in some way with t he wander

o f D ings emeter . Pomegranates were , of course ,

o f o f t h e forbidden , from the incident the eating pomegranate seeds by Persephone . 80 ELEUS INIAN MYS TERIES AND RITES

The candidates were carefully instructed in these O rules before the beginning of the celebration . rigi nally the instruction o f the candidates was in the

o f hands the hierophant , who , following the example

of his ancestor , Eumolpus , claimed the privilege of preparing the candidates as well as that of com m un icatin g to them the knowledge of the divine

Mysteries . But the continually increasing number of candidates made it necessary to employ auxiliary

instructors , and this particular work was handed

w h o over to the charge of the mystagogues , prepared

or the candidates either singly in groups , the hiero phant reserving to himself the general direction o f of the instruction . In the course the initiation ceremony certain words had to be spoken by the candidates , and these were made known to them

of in advance , although , course , apart from their context . Admission to the second degree took place during the night between the sixth and seventh days of

o f the celebration the Mysteries , the candidates being led blindfolded into the temple and the ceremony opened with prayers and sacrifices by the second

Archon . The candidates were crowned with myrtle wreaths , and , on entering the building , they purified themselves in a formal manner by immersing their

S - hands in the consecrated water . alt , laurel leaves ,

o f barley , and crowns flowers were also employed in the purification . The priests , vested in their

82 ELEUS INIAN MYS TERIES AND R ITES

o f flashes lightning lit up the darkness , rendering it more terrible , while a more persistent light from S a fire displayed fearful forms . ighs , groans , and

o n cries of pain resounded all sides , like the shrieks o f the condemned in . The novitiates

o f were taken hold by invisible hands , their hair was torn , and they were beaten and thrown to the ground . Then a faint light became visible in the distance and a fearful scene appeared before their

o f eyes . The gates Tartarus were opened and the

o f abode the condemned lay before them . They could hear the cries of anguish and the vain regrets

' P aradis e w as of those to whom lost for ever . They could , moreover , witness their hopeless remorse

o f they saw , as well as heard , all the tortures the condemned . The Furies , armed with relentless scourges and flaming torches , drove the unhappy victims incessantly to and fro , never letting them rest for a moment . Meanwhile the loud voice

o f of the hierophant , who represented the j udge the earth , could be heard expounding the meaning o f what was passing before them , and warning and

threatening the initiates . It may well be imagined that all these fearful scenes were so terrifying that very frequently beads o f anguish appeared on the

brows of the novices . Howling dogs and even material demons are said actually to have appeared

s to the initiates before the scene was changed . Proclu ,

n s ommentar on Alc ibiades s s st i hi C y , ay In the ; THE INITIATOR Y R ITES 8 3

o f holy of the Mysteries , before the presence the god , certain terrestrial demons are hurled forth , which call the attention from un d e file d advantages to

matter . At length the gates of Tartarus were closed , the scene was suddenly changed , and the innermost sanctuary of the temple lay open before the initiates

i in dazzl ng light . In the midst stood the statue o f the goddess Demeter brilliantly decked and gleaming with precious stones ; heavenly music entranced their souls a cloudless sky overshadowed them fragrant perfumes arose and in the distance

the privileged spectators beheld flowering meads , where the blessed danced and amused themselves with innocent games and pastimes . Among other writers the scene has been described by Aristophanes in The F r ogs :

F r ou l The o e on o n e . o Herac es . v yag is a l g y will c o e bi e o f m e c om e dire tly t a v ry g lak abys al d pth . Dion s os e how a I e t ae o s s " y . Th n sh ll g t k n acr it l s I n e oa s o : an o ld m an Her ac e . a littl b t just high who plie s that boat will take you acro s s fo r a fe e

o f two obole s . Oh e a" H ow e e ul o e t w o Dionys os . d r v ry pow rf th s

Obole s ar e all ove r t h e world . How did they man age t o ge t he re "

e e s o em . e s ou . Th s u br ught th Aft r thi y will s e e serpents an d wild be asts in countle s s numbe rs e n e s o o e an d ve ry terrible . Th a gr at l ugh and v r ’ flowing dung ; and in this you ll s e e lyin g an y on e w ho eve r ye t at an y p lace wronged his gue st or ’ e or m e i a e a r w o beat his mo h s o h s w , o s t r, t f th r s j re 84 ELE US INIAN MYS TERIES AND RITES

an oath and fore swore him se lf . And ne xt a e n fl e s l be ae o n br athi g of ut s hal w ft d ar u d you , and s e e e e au e e in you shall a v ry b tiful light , v n as this e o e o world , and myrtl gr v s , and happy ch irs of m e n an d e o o f a wom n , and a l ud clapping h nds . ar " Dion s os . e e e e e y And who th s p opl , pray h e T e . H er acles . initiat d It was regarded as permissible to describe certain

of scenes the initiation , and this has been done by many writers , but a complete silence was demanded as to the means employed to realize the end , the rites and ceremonies in which the initiate took part , the emblems which were displayed , and the actual

o words uttered , and the slightest contraventi n of this rule rendered the offender liable to the strongest possible condemnation and chastisement . In the course o f the ceremony the hierophant

o f asked the candidates a series questions , to which written answers had been prepared and committed to memory by the candidates . The holy Mysteries

P etr oma were revealed to them from a book called ,

etr a a word derived from p , a stone , and so called because the writings were kept between two cemented

d Ph e n e ti n stones which fitte in to each other . The aas

on P t r used to swear by and the e om a. The domed top held within it a mask o f Demeter which the

of s hierophant wore at the celebration the My teries ,

t of or during par the ceremonial . The garments worn by the initiates during the ceremony were accounted s acred and e qual to incantations and THE INITIATORY RITES 8 5

charms in their power to avert evils . Consequently

they were never cast off until torn and tattered .

Nor was it usual , even then , to throw them away , but it w as customary to make them into swaddling clothes for children or to consecrate them t o Demeter P and ersephone . Admission to the third degree took place during the night between the seventh and eighth days o f G the celebration of the reater Mysteries . This ,

o f the final degree , with the exception those called

o f to be hierophants , was known as the degree E E o t a. p p xactly in what the ceremonial consisted ,

o n e save in particular presently to be described ,

is unknown . Hippolytus is practically the only

for C authority the main incident of the degree . ertain

words and signs were , however , communicated to

ro the initiated which , it was stated , would , when p

n oun c e d at the hour of death , ensure the eternal

of happiness the soul . The most solemn part of the ceremony was that which has been described by some writers as the

of D hierogamy , or sacred marriage Zeus and emeter , although some have erroneously referred to it as

o f D the marriage Pluto and Persephone . uring the celebration of the Mysteries the hierophant and hier oph an tid e descended into a cave or deep recess

and , after remaining there for a time , they returned

to the assembly , surrounded seemingly by flames ,

and the hierophant , displaying to the gaze of the 86 ELEUS INIAN MYS TER IE S AND RITES

initiated an ear of corn , exclaimed with a loud voice The divine has given birth to the holy child

Brimos : The strong has brought forth strength .

The scene was dramatic and symbolical , and there could have been nothing material in the incident . The torches of the multitude were extinguished while the throng above awaited with anxious suspense the return Of the priest and priestess from the murky

for place into which they had descended , they believed their own to depend upon the result o f the mystic congress . The charges brought against the Eleusinian Mysteries of rioting and debauchery during their Grecian history are brought by those who were not permitted to share their honours , or who were prej udiced in favour o f some other

o f o f form religion . In the Opinion the maj ority of contemporary writers these charges were wholly

r g atuitous , and they maintain that the Eleusinian Mysteries produced a sanctity o f manners and a

o f of cultivation virtue . They could not , course , make a man virtuous against his will and Diogenes , when asked to submit to initiation , replied that

P at ae cion , a notorious robber , had obtained initiation .

" The Athenians , says Hippolytus , in the

e o t ae initiation of Eleusis , show to the p p the great ,

of e o t aa admirable , and most perfect mystery the p p an ear of corn gathered in silence . The statement is so clear as to leave no doubt whatever on the subj ect indeed , it has never been called into question . THE INITIATORY R ITES 87

The presentation of the ear of corn was regarded as

of a special , indeed the most important , feature the

o f E Mysteries leusis , and it was reserved for the

of final degree . Much has been made this incident by many who can see no beauty in pre -Christian o r - C o f non hristian systems religion , their comments being based mainly on a statement o f Gregory

Naz ian us , who stands almost alone in discerning

E : lewdness in the leusinian ceremonial . He says It is not in our religion that you will find a seduced

D K eleos i Cora , a wandering emeter , a , and a Tr p t ole m us appearing with serpents ; that Demeter is capable o f certain acts and that she permits others . I am really ashamed to throw light o n the nocturnal

of the . Eleusis knows as well as the witnesses the secret of the spectacle , which is with reason kept so profound . Apart from this isolated statement the Eleusinian

Mysteries have not been charged , as many other ancient rites were , with promoting and encouraging

I n o f o f immorality . his account the doings the

Aboun t ich os false prophet Alexander of , Lucian describes how ' the impostor instituted rites which

o f E were a close parody those celebrated at leusis ,

of and he narrates the details the travesty . Among t h e mimetic performances were not only the epiphany and birth of a god but the enactment o f a sacred marriage . All preliminaries were gone through , and Lucian says that but for the abundance of lighted 88 ELEUS INIAN MYS TERIES AND RITE S

torches the marriage would actually have been

consummated . The part of the hierophant was

taken by the false prophet himself . From the

travesty it is evident that in the genuine Mysteries ,

in silence , in darkness , and in perfect chastity the sacred marriage was symbolized and that immediately afterwards the hierophant came forward and stand ing in a blaze of torchlight made the announcement

to the initiates .

B rimo d Obrim o The name , expresse at full length , seems to be a variation of the compound term Oh R im on . , the lofty serpent goddess

The birth of B rimo ; and the mighty d e e d s Of t h e Titanic ho sts ; t h e se rvitud e Of Jove ; and the myste rious mountain rite s Of C e e e s ed e s h e s o yb l , wh n with di tract pac ught Through t h e wide world t h e be aute ous P roserpine ; ’ The far-fam d labours of t he Machian He rcule s ’ Th Idean orgie s ; and the giant force Of the dre ad Corybante s ; and t he wande rings Of C e t he e P r os e r in e : er s , and wo s of p p With the se I sung t h e gifts of t h e Cabiri ; The Mysterie s of B acchus ; and the praise Of L S m e C s emnos , a othrac , and lofty ypru , F air Adonean V e nus ; and the rite s Of dre ad Ogygian P r axidicé ; ’ Arinian Mine rva s n ightly fe stival ; ’ An d E f r h gypt s sorrow o t e lost . Or hic H mn p y .

f Dr . Jevons maintains that this ear o corn was

V the of Eleusis , and this iew has been adopted

90 ELEUS INIAN MYS TERIES AND RITES

: S o of God follows help me heaven , the work who is great and wise : so help me the word of the Father which he spake when he established " the whole universe in his wisdom .

With this ceremony the third degree ended , save

e o t m that the p p were placed upon exalted seats ,

around which the priests circled in mystic dances , The day succeeding admission into the final degree was regarded as a rigorous fast , at the conclusion of which the e popt ae drank of the mystic c yc e on and ate of the sacred cakes .

S or According to Theo of myrna , the full complete initiation consisted of five steps or degrees , which he sets out as follows :

Again , philosophy may be called the initiation

n o f i to true sacred ceremonies , and the tradition genuin e mysteries for there are five parts of initia tion ; the first of which is previous purgation , for neither are the Mysteries communicated to all who are willing to receive them , but there are certain characters who are prevented by the voice of the crier , such as those who possess impure hands and an inarticulate voice , since it is necessary that such as are not expelled from the Mysteries should first be refined by certain purgations , but after purgation

of the tradition the sacred rite succeeds . The

An d third part is denominated inspection . the fourth , which is the end and design of inspection , is the binding of the head and fixing the crown , so that the THE INITIATORY RITES 91

initiated may , by this means , be enabled to communi cate to others the sacred rites in which he has been instructed . Whether after this he becomes a torch

or or bearer , an interpreter of the Mysteries , sustains

f B ut some other part of the sacerdotal o fice . the

fifth , which is produced from all these , is friendship

n o f with divinity , and the e j oyment that felicity which arises from intimate converse with the gods .

n Accordi g to Plato , purification is to be derived from the five mathematical disciplines , viz . arithmetic , geometry , stereometry , music , and astronomy . is represented as saying to himself

of I approached the confines death and , having c rossed the threshold of Proserpine , I at length returned , borne along through all the elements . I beheld the sun shining in the dead of night with luminous splendour : I saw both the infernal and the celestial gods . I approached and adored them . Th e m is t ius represents initiation in the following words

Entering now the mystic dome , he is filled with horror and amazement . He is seized with solicitude and a total perplexity . He is unable to move a step forward and he is at a loss to find the entrance to that road which is to lead him to the place he aspires to . But now , in the midst of his perplexity , the prophet "hierophant"suddenly lays open to him

o f the space before the portals the temple . Having

dis thoroughly purified him , the hierophant now 92 ELEUS INIAN MYS TERIES AND RITES

cl oses to the initiated a region all over illuminated

and shining with a divine splendour . The cloud and

thick darkness are dispersed ; and the mind , which

before was full of disconsolate obscurity , now emerges ,

as it were , into day , replete with light and cheerful

o ut . ness , of the profound depth into which it had been plunged . The fee for initiation was a minimum sum of fifteen drachmas "a drachma being of the value o f in addition to which there were the usual

n f l ho oraria to be bestowed upon the various o ficia s ,

P r e to which reference has already been made . s um abl y, also , gifts in kind were made to the ffi principal o cials , for an inscription of the fifth B C century . , found at Eleusis , reads Let the Hierophant and the Torch - bearer com mand that at the Mysteries the Hellenes shall offer fir st - fruits of their crops in accordance with ancestral usage . To those who do these things there shall be many good things , both good and abundant crops ,

of whoever them do not inj ure the Athenians , nor

t w o . the city of Athens , nor the

Te le st r ion or of The Hall Initiation , sometimes called The Mystic Temple , was surrounded on all sides by steps , which presumably served as seats for the initiated while the sacre d dramas an d pro

on of cessions took place the floor the hall . These steps were partly built in and partly cut in the solid rock in later times they appear to have been covered THE INITIATORY RITES 93

n with marble . There were two doors o each side

- of the hall with the exception of the north west ,

o ut o f where the entrance was cut the solid rock , a

rock terrace at a higher level adj oining it . This was probably the station o f those not yet admitted

o f to full initiation . The roof the hall was carried by rows o f columns which were more than once

n t renewed . The Hall itself did o accommodate more than four thousand people . The building was perhaps more accurately described by Aristophanes , who called it ‘ The House that welcomed the

M s tae y , and he carefully distinguished it from the

o f D I t - Temple emeter . was not the dwelling place o f any god, and it , therefore , did not contain any holy image . It was built for the celebration of a

o f definite ritual , and the Eleusinian Hall Initiation

n church was therefore the only k own of antiquity , if by that term we mean the meeting-place of the congregation .

. on Gr eek V as es Mr James Christie , in his work , contends that the phantasmal scenes in the

Mysteries were shown by transparencies , such as b are . yet used y the Chinese , Javanese , and T H EIR MYSTICAL S IGNIFICANC E

IFE , as we know it , was looked upon by the

ancient philosophers as death . Plato considered the body as the sepulchre of the soul , and in the Cr atylus acquiesces in the doctrine of that the soul is punished through its union with the body

n Empedocles , lamenting his co nection with this

' corporeal world , pathetically exclaimed

F o r e e e w o e this I w p , for this indulg my , ’ r o o e e am That e e my s ul such n v l r l s should know .

He also calls this material abode , or the realms o f generation ,

e e o a joyl ss r gi n ,

e e e e e e s e . Wh r slaught r , rag , and countl ss ills r id

Philolaus , the celebrated Pythagorean , wrote The ancient theologists and priests testify that the soul is united with the body for the of suffering

an d punishment , that it is buried in the body as in a sepulchre while Pythagoras himself said ° W see e is dea nd n hatever we when awak th , a whe a asleep a dre m , THEIR ‘ MYS TICAL S IGNIFICANCE 95

This is the truth intended to be expressed in the

S allus t ius - . n eo Mysteries , the Platonic philosopher ,

P er i Theon kai K os m ou in his treatise , Concerning

n o f n the gods and the existi g state thi gs , explains the rape of P ersephone as signifying the descent of O the soul . ther writers have explained the real element of the Mysteries as consisting in the relations of the universe to the soul , more especially after

or death , as intimating obscurely by splendid visions the felicity of the soul here and hereafter when

d e filem e n t s purified from the of a material nature .

The intention of all mystic ceremonies , according

S allus t ius to , was to conj oin the world and the gods . P lotinus says that to be plunged into matter is to descend and then fall asleep . The initiate had to a withstand the d emons and spectres , which , in later f times , illustrated the di ficulties besetting the soul

Uas ar ian in its approach to the gods , so also the had to repel or satisfy the mystic crocodiles , vipers ,

ae avenging assessors , d mons of the gate , and other dread beings whom he en countered in his tryi n g

of passage through the valley of the shadow death .

n n : Pi dar , speaking of the Eleusi ian Mysteries , says

on e n Blessed is he who , s eing those commo concerns under the earth , knows both the end of life and the given end of Jupiter . Psyche is said to have fallen asleep in Hades through al rashly attempting to behold corpore beauty , and the truth intended t o be taught in the Eleus inian 96 ELEUS INIAN MYS TERIES AND RITES

Mysteries was that prudent men who earnestly

n employed themselves in divine co cerns were , above

all others , in a vigilant state , and that imprudent men who pursued obj ects of an inferior nature

' were asleep , and engaged only in the delusion o f dreams ; and that if they happened to die in this sleep before they were aroused they would be f a flicted with similar , but still sharper , visions in a future state . Matter was regarded by the Egyptians as a certain mire or mud . They called matter the dregs or

o f i sediment the first life . Before the first pur fic a tion the candidate for initiation into the Eleusinian Mysteries was besmeared with clay or mud which it was the obj ect of the purification to wash away . It also intimated that while the soul is in a state o f servitude to the body it lives confined, as it were ,

n l n bonds through the domi ion of this Titanic life . Thus the Greeks laid great stress upon the advantages

Not to be derived from initiation . only were the

n S initiates placed u der the protection of the tate , but the very act of initiation was s aid t o assist in

of the spreading goodwill among men , keep the soul from sin and crime , place the initiates under the

special protection of the gods , and provide them

of with the means attaining perfect virtue , the power of living a spotless life , and assure them of a peace ful death and of everlasting bliss hereafter . The hierophants assured all w ho par ticipated in the

98 ELEUS INIAN MYS TERIES AND RITES

Our whole life is but a succession of errors , of

of - s painful wanderings , and longjourneys by tortuou ways , without outlet . At the moment of quitting

i ri an d it , fears , terrors , qu ve ngs , mortal sweats , a lethargic stupor come and overwhelm us ; but ,

o ut o f as soon as we are it , we pass into delightful

t h e meadows , where purest air is breathed , where sacred concerts and discourses are heard ; where ,

V . in short , one is impressed with celestial isions

It is there that man , having become perfect through

n e w his initiation , restored to liberty , really master o f himself , celebrates , crowned with myrtle , the most a i ugust mysteries , holds converse w th j ust and pure s ouls , and sees with contempt the impure multitude o f the profane or uninitiated , ever plunged and s inkin g itself into the mire and in profound darkness . D ogmatic instruction was not included in the Mysteries ; the doctrine of the immortality of the s oul traces its origin to sources anterior to the rise

n o f the Mysteries . At Eleusis the way was show how to secure for the soul after death the best possible fate . The miracle of regeneration , rather than the eternity of being , was taught . P lato introduces S ocrates as saying : In my

O pinion those who established the Mysteries , whoever

F or they were , were well skilled in human nature . in these rites it was of old signified to the aspirants t hat those who died without being initiated stuck fast in mire and filth ; but that he who was THEIR MYS TICAL S IGNIFI CANCE 99

purified and initiated should at his death , have his habitation with the gods .

Re ublic Plato , again , in the seventh book of the p says : He who is not able by the exercise of. his

e n reason to define the id a of the good , separati g it from all other obj ects and piercing as in a battle through every kind of argument ; endeavouring to confute , not according to opinion but according to evidence , and proceeding with all these dialectical — exercises with an unshake n reason h e who cann o t

r accomplish this , would you not say that he neithe knows the good itself , nor anything which is properly demonstrated good " And would you not assert that such a on e when he apprehended it rather a through the medium of opinion than of science , th t in the present life he is sunk in sleep and con versan t with delusions and dream s ; and that before he is roused to a vigilant state he will descend to Hades , and be overwhelme d with sleep perfectly profound

i r u i C Ol m o do s n MS . m t h y p , his om entary on

G P E : I t eorgias of lato , says of the lysian fields is necessary to know that the fortunate islands ar e

said to be raised above the sea . Hercules is reported to have accomplished his last labour in

n the Hesperian regions , signifying by this that , havi g

an l vanquished obscure and terrestrial ife , he after

in — in r e s le n wards lived open day that is , truth and p

S in de n t light . o that he who the present state

as a e vanquishes much as possible a corpore l lif , 1 00 ELEUS INIAN MYSTE RIES AND RITES t of hrough the exercise the cathartic , passes

o f in reality into the fortunate islands the soul, an d lives surrounded with the bright splendours of

of t ruth and wisdom proceeding from the sun good .

of The esoteric teaching was not , course , grasped by all the initiates the maj ority merely recogniz ed or grasped the exoteric doctrine of a future state of V r . ewards and punishments irgil , in his description , in E n eid the , of the Mysteries , confines himself to h E t e . exoteric teaching neas , having passed over the

S - tygian lake , meets with the three headed . By Cerberus must be understood the discriminative

of of of part the soul , which a dog , by reason its

s . agacity , is an emblem The three heads , signify

i oe d oxat ic w the intellective , dian tic , and po ers .

’ ’ He dr agg d the three - m outh d dog to upper day —i . e . by temperance , continence , and other virtues h e of drew upwards the various powers the soul . Th e teaching of the Mysteries was n ot in opposition t o the ordinary creed it deepened it rather , revived it in a spiritual manner and gave to religion a force an d a power it had not hitherto possessed .

of The fable Persephone , as belonging to the M ysteries , was properly of a mixed nature , composed o f of — all four species fable theological , physical , a A t o nimistic , and material . ccording the arcana o f -i e . ancient theology , the Coric order . that — belonging to Persephone is twofold , one part s upermundane and the other mundane .

1 02 ELEUS INIAN MYS TERIES AND RITES

it starts forth : what was dead is now alive ; the

e all arth , decked with fresh green , rej oices at the r of - u n ecovery her long lost da ghter , and everythi g h " s in the j oy . Demeter was worshipped in a twofold sense

t he G of by reeks , as the foundress agriculture and as goddess of law and order . They used to celebrate

Th e sm or h or iaor yearly in her honour the p , Festival f L o aws . According to some ancient writers the

Gr e r o f eks , p ior to the time Demeter and Triptolemus ,

or fed upon the acorns of the ilex , the evergreen k V oa. Acorns , according to irgil , were the food

in E ir os S t o S . p , and in pain , according trabo The

S cythians made bread with acorns . According to a ’ nother tradition , before Demeter s time , men neither c u d ltivated corn nor tilled the ground , but roame t h e moun tains an d woods in search for the wild f ruits which the earth produced . wrote Ce res h at h made t h e Athenians two presents of t the grea est consequence corn , which brought us of out a state of brutality ; and the Mysteries , w hich teach t h e initiated to entertain the most a t greeable expec ations touching death and eternity . The c oins of Eleusis represented Demeter in a car dr aw n by dragons or serpents w hich were sometimes winged . The goddess had two ears of corn in her i S r ght hand or , as ome imagined , torches , indicating G that she was searching for her daughter . eorge

W our n e in to Gr eece heler , in his j y , published in THEIR MYS TICAL S IGNIFICANCE 103

1 682 , says We observed many large stones covered with wheat-ears and bundles of poppy boun d together f these being the characters o Ceres . At Copenhagen t here is a statue representing Demeter holding poppies

On and ears of corn in her left hand . a coin of B C Lampsacus of the fourth century . . , Persephone d is describe in the act of rising from the earth . D According to Taylor , the Platonist , emeter in the legen d represents the evolution of that self inspective part of our nature which we properly

determine intellect , and Persephone that vital ,

-m n self oving , and a imate part which we call soul .

Pluto signifies the whole of our material nature ,

P of and , according to ythagoras , the empire this god commences downwards from t h e Galaxy or Milky

Way . S allust says that among the mundane divinities th S Ceres is e of the planet aturn . The cavern signifies the entrance into mundane life accomplished f by the union o the soul with the terrestrial body . D ff emeter , who was afraid lest some violence be o ered to Persephone on account of her inimitable beauty, conveyed h e r privately to Sicily and concealed her

in a house built on purpose by the Cyclops , while she herself directed her course to the temple of f C o . ybele , the mother the gods Here we see the

’ first cause of the soul s descent , viz . her desertion

si ni of a life wholly according to intellect , occultly g fi d e by the separation of Demeter and Persephone . 104 ELEUS INIAN MYS TERIES AND RITES

Afterwards Jupiter instructed V enus to go and betray

Persephone from her retirement , that Pluto might

an be enabled to carry her away , and , to prevent y

’ s t h e V uspicion in irgin s mind , he commanded

Diana and to bear her company . The three goddesses on arrival found P ersephone at

on work a scarf for her mother , on which she had e mbroidered the primitive and the formation V of the world . enus , says Taylor , is significant

of desire , which , even in the celestial regions "for such is the residence of P ersephone until she is

P u ravished by l to", begins silently and fraudulently

in the recesses of the soul . is symbolical of the rational power of the soul and r e pr e~ s r ents natu e , or the merely natural and vegetable

o f part our composition , both ensnared through

the allurements of desire . O d In vi we have Narcissus , the metamorphosis of a youth who fell a victim to love of his ow n cor P or e al . p form The rape of ersephone , according D e to the Homeric Hymn to emeter , was the imm diate

consequence of her gathering this wonderful flower . By Narcissus falling in love with his shadow in th e limpid stream we behold the representation of a

n beautiful soul , which , by prolonged gaze upo the

material form , becomes enamoured of a corporeal life an d changed into a being consisting wholly P of the mere energies of nature . lato , forcing his

n passage through the earth , seizes on Persepho e

10 6 ELE US INIAN MYS TE RIE S AND RITES

of v nature is capable recei ing . Without th e possibility of the participation of intellect in the lower material sphere nothing but an irrational and a brutal life would subsist .

‘ t o s om e But , according writers , the initiates into the third degree were taught that the gods and

e goddesses were only dead mortals , subj ect whil alive to the same passions and infi r m it ie s as them s elves ; and they were taught to look upon the S C upreme Cause , the reator of the Universe , as pervading all things by His virtue and governing

of all things by His power . Thus the meaning

M stes y is given as one who sees things in disguise , and that of Epopt as on e who sees thin gs as they are , without disguise . The Epopt , after passing

of through the ceremonial exaltation , was said to V h ave received Autopsia , or complete vision . irgil

‘ d eclared that the secret of the Mysteries was the

of G t o Unity the odhead , and Plato owned it be

f t o of di ficult find the Creator the Universe , and , w t o t o th e hen found , impossible discover Him all

V O Reli ion s world arro , in his work f g , says that there were many truths which it was Inconvenient for the State to be generally known ; and many n thi gs which , though false , it was expedient the G people should believe , and that , therefore , the reeks shut up their Mysteries in the silence of their sacred e nclosures . The Mysteries declared that the future li h fe was not the s adowy , weary existence which THEIR MYS TICAL S IGNIFICANCE 107

t h it had hitherto been supposed to be , but hat throug the rites of purification and sacrifices of a sacramental" character man could secure a better hope for th e future . Thus the Eleusinian Mysteries became the chief agent in the conversion of the Greek world from the Homeric view of Hades to a more hopeful:

’ belief as to man s state after death . Tully pro m ulgat e d a law forbidding nocturnal sacrifices irr

but which women were permitted to take part , made an express exception in favour of the Eleu

s sinian Mysteries , giving as his reason Athen hath produced many excellent , even divine inventions an d n applied them to the use of life , but she has give nothing better than those Mysteries by which w e are drawn from an irrational and savage life and tamed , as it were , and broken to humanity . They

I n itia for th e are truly called , they are indeed

of of beginnings a life reason and virtue . S ecrecy was enj oined because it was regarded as essential that the profane should n o t be permitted to share the knowledge of the true nature of Demeter

P e and ersephone , as if it were known that thes goddesses were only mortal women their worship C it would become contemptible . icero says that P was the humanity of Demeter and ersephone ,

an d of e . their places of interment , several facts a lik nature that were concealed with so much care

Diaor as g , the Melian , was accounted an atheist because he revealed the real secret of the Eleusinian 108 ELEUS INIAN MYS TERIES AND RITES

M The a ysteries . ch rge of was the lot of d any who communicated a knowle ge of the one ,

God only . Pindar says , referring to the Mysteries Happy is he who has seen these things before leaving this world : he realizes the beginning and S the end of life , as ordained by Zeus and ophocles Oh d wrote , thrice blesse the mortals , who , having c t o ontemplated these Mysteries , have descended Hades ; for those only will there be a future life — o f happiness the others there will find nothing but s s uffe r in g .

L1 10 ELEUS INIAN MYS TERIES AND RITES

F lts h t Cu o t Gr k tas . arnell . f e ee S e F m Mae r n u D r faaam l t s . e er or e ro n r e i i u ir icus p r g on m . ' F L s m s t r l u e e es d E sis . oucart . y e F G ld B h o en ou . raze r . g

N w hat i r H s t e C ers n G eek i or . Gardne r . p y ' Man ual o Gr eek A ti u G a e e o . n ities rdn r and J v ns f q . G ibbon . z z Gre gory of Naian us . H s e i tor o Greece . G rot . y f r e r M h d R m an o e . G ue b . . t s o Greece , H A y f

E P l o e ro e m n a. Harrison , J . . g

E Hibbert Lectures . Hatch , dwin . H e r di n u o a s .

o He rod tus .

Hippolytus . Il r e o ac .

1 1 P aers and e F Lo e Con e 8 . Int rnational olk r gr ss , 9 p T an saction r s .

Isocrate s .

Lac n tiu t a s .

M h al d Reli i n Ritu an on . L n d e . t a g , A r w y , , g t H n D Tr an slaion o H om eric m s . itto . f y m F El us n r an t is . L e o , . e i i L ban us . L ivy . lao Lobe ck A mus . . g p L Dialo ues o the D ead ucian . g f . d d m L a ContraA n oci e . ysi s .

a ff P Ram l s and tudies in Greece . M . . be S ha y, J h n an a M t olo ische F ors chun e . M nh rdt , W . y g g Me ur iu s s .

M L R li io s de laGrece . . es e n aury, A g B IB LIOGRAPHY 1 1 1

m m F este der tadt Ath l Mo sen . S en in A terturru D o H l ie eorto o . itt . g

l al M tholo Gr eek ad Roman No s se t . n and H l y gy , .

l m i r u O y p odo s .

P e G eek S tudies . a ae . r t r, W lt r h l N h n R . T e H o aes o t El u i P ao . m e e sin an t , W y f P ie ts r s .

D o u n es cri i n o Gr eece . P as aius . pt f P h l o s D e m e r s Eleusis ses m ster es ses r uin es i i , t iu . , y , , ’ t s on m s e e u e .

P h e on l F r a i t r s . . l g d e Tral e s . g . h g n P i d ar . P a l to . h P le t o s .

o n u P l ti s . P a lut rch .

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