320 THE MYTHS OF CREATION: THE GODS
The Departure of Triptolemus. Attic red-figure cup by Makron, ca. 480 B.C.; height 8V4 in.
Triptolemus holds stalks of grain in his left hand and in his right hand a dish (phiale),
into which Persephone pours liquid from the jug in her right hand: she holds a torch in
her left hand. The libation is a necessary ritual before departure on a journey. To the left
stands Demeter, holding a torch and grain-stalks, and the personification of Eleusis stands
behind Persephone. Triptolemus sits in a throne-like wheeled vehicle, whose wings sym-
bolize the speed and extent of his travels, while the serpent indicates his association with
the grain-bearing earth. (London, British Museum.)ceremony that developed in honor of Demeter and her daughter had its center
here, but the city of Athens too was intimately involved. This religion was of a
special kind, not the general prerogative of everyone but open only to those who
wished to become initiates; these devotees were sworn to absolute secrecy and
faced dire punishments if they revealed the secret rites.^3 This does not imply
that initiation was confined to a select few. In early times, membership was in-
evitably limited to the people of Eleusis and Athens; but soon participants came
from all areas of the Hellenic world, and eventually from the Roman Empire
as well.
This religion was not restricted to men; women, children, and even slaves
could participate. Appropriately, the religious celebration that evolved was
given the name of the Eleusinian mysteries. Demeter, then, along with other