The Sacred Festival of the Greater Mysteries of Eleusis

An Equinox Mystery Drama performed at the Castle of the Muses on Odin's Day, 21 September 2011 with Thomas Clough Daffern and Sophia Craig-Daffern.

The Eleusinian Mysteries (Greek: Ἐλευσίνια Μυστήρια) were initiation ceremonies held every year for the cult of Demeter and Persephone based at Eleusis in ancient Greece. Of all the mysteries celebrated in ancient times, these were held to be the ones of greatest importance. It is acknowledged that their basis was an old agrarian cult which probably goes back to the Mycenean period (c.1600-1100 BC) and it is believed that the cult of Demeter was established in 1500 BC.[1] The idea of immortality which appears in syncretistic religions of antiquity was introduced in late antiquity.[2] The mysteries represented the myth of the abduction of Persephone from her mother Demeter by the king of the underworld Hades, in a cycle with three phases, the "descent" (loss), the "search" and the "ascent", with main theme the "ascent" of Persephone and the reunion with her mother. It was a major festival during the Hellenic era, and later spread to Rome.[3] The name of the town, Eleusís seems to be Pre-Greek and it is probably a counterpart with Elysion and the goddess Eileithyia[4]

The rites, ceremonies, and beliefs were kept secret and consistently preserved from a hoary antiquity. The initiated believed that they would have a reward in the afterlife.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleusinian_Mysteries

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Eleusis
• equinox
• mystery drama
• sacred festival
• Castle of the Muses
• Demeter
• Persephone
• Hades
• sacred mysteries