The Eleusinian Mysteries
Their mythical origin is contained in the Homeric Hymn to the earth goddess
Demeter in which she is referred to as ‘queen of the land of sweet Eleusis and sea-
girt Paros, and rocky Antron, giver of good gifts, bringer of seasons’ (ll. 470–1). After
the restoration of Persephone:
Then she [Demeter] went to the kings who deal justice... she showed them the
conduct of her rites and taught them all her mysteries... awful mysteries which
no one may in any way transgress or pry into or utter, for deep awe of the gods
checks the voice. Happy is he among men upon earth who has seen these
mysteries; but he who is uninitiate and who has no part in them, never has the lot
of like good things once he is dead, down in the darkness and gloom.
(ll. 473 ff.)The mysteries were open to all who could speak Greek, including women and
possibly slaves, and they were celebrated in various parts of Greece but most
famously at Eleusis, a coastal town that had been annexed by the Athenians in the
sixth century. Initiates believed that initiation might bring them greater happiness in
the afterlife in the Underworld. Since devotees were sworn to secrecy, there is no
definitive account, but only occasional references in scattered sources. The festival
took place over several days. It involved a procession from Athens, purification rites
(involving instruction from priests of the cult), fasting, sacrifices, prayers, votive
offerings and other mystic ceremonial. For its duration there was a sacred truce for
those attending with a generous allowance before and after to accommodate time
for travel. Unlike most other religious practice, the mysteries were not directly
connected to the polis, which they outlived, only finally disappearing with the
destruction of Eleusis by Alaric the Goth in AD396.
Religion in the life of the citizen
In The Athenian Constitution, written in the second half of the fourth century, the author
(often attributed to Aristotle, but possibly by a pupil of his) tells us that before taking
office, all magistrates undergo a preliminary examination in the council of the Five
Hundred and another in the lawcourts, known as the dokimasia, akin to Senate
hearings for candidates for office in the United States. Candidates are asked the
following questions:
Who is your father, and to what deme does he belong?
Who is your paternal grandfather?
Who is your mother?106 THE GREEKS