Homeric Hymn to Demeter

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Homeric Hymn to Demeter

• Eleusis
• Eleusinian Mysteries
• Hymn
• Representations of the Demeter and Persephone
  myth and ritual

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Homeric Hymns

• 7th-6th centuries bce
• Hesiod, Homer
• twelve Olympians and others
• mythological history
• matriarchy/patriarchy
• relation of gods to mortals

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Eleusis

• 14 miles nw of Athens
• deme (village) of Attica
• cult of Demeter from Mycenean age (1500-1100 bce)
• Megaron B - Mycenean
• Telesterion - initiation hall

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Eleusis
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Attic Demes
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Megaron B
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6th century temple
anaktoron
East
West
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Telesterion

• teletê rite, esp. initiation
• Panhellenic cult - 2nd half of 6th century
• seats 3000
• rock-cut stands
• largest public building of its kind in Greece

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Model of Sanctuary
Entrance
Propylaea
Sacred Way
Temple of Demeter
Telesterion
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Aerial View from SW
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Eleusinian Mysteries

• Boedromion (Sept/Oct)
• 9 days (line 47)
• open to all Greeks
• Lysias - Metaneira
• Afterlife
• Pindar
• Sophocles

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Lysias Metaneira
Lysias, the sophist, being the lover of
Metaneira, wished, in addition to the other
expenditures which he lavished upon her, also to
initiate her for he considered that everything
else which he expended upon her was being taken
by the woman who owned her, but that from
whatever he might spend on her behalf for the
festival and the initiation the girl herself
would profit and be grateful to him. So he asked
Nicaretê to come to the mysteries bringing with
her Metaneira that she might be initiated, and he
promised that he would himself initiate her.
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Afterlife
Blessed is he who has seen these things before he
goes beneath the earth for he understands the
end of mortal life, and the beginning (of a new
life) given of god. (Pindar)
Thrice happy are those of mortals, who having
seen those rites depart for Hades for to them
alone is it granted to have true life there to
the rest all there is evil. (Sophocles)
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Pausanias
The Eleusinians have a temple of Triptolemus, of
Artemis of the Portal, and of Poseidon Father,
and a well called Callichorum (Lovely dance),
where first the women of the Eleusinians danced
and sang in praise of the goddess.
And she sat grieving in her dear heart near the
road by the Parthenian well....
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13 Boedromion

• Preparatory
• ta hiera the holy things
• from Eleusis to Athens
• Eleusinion
• kistai cylindrical containers

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kistês
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15 Boedromion (1)

• Gathering
• Mystai (sing. mystês)
• Lesser Mysteries (Anthesterion)

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16 Boedromion (2)

• Seawards, initiates
• Bay of Phaleron
• piglets

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Phaleron
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Statuette of a sacrificial pig
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17 Boedromion (3)

• Hither the sacrificial victim
• Sacrifices
• Demeter
• Persephone

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Bull led to sacrificeAttic red
figurelekythos530-500 bcearchaic
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18 Boedromion (4)

• Epidauria
• Asclepius
• Hygieia (Health)

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19 Boedromion (5)

• Procession to Eleusis
• Iakhos (Dionysos)
• Gephyrismos (cf. 194-205)
• pannychis
• kernos, kernoi
• kykeon

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Cephisus River
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Baubo FigurinesPrieneAsia Minor
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Kallichoron
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Cave of Plouton
sacred way
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Persephone and Hades EnthronedVotive Relief from
Locri480 bce
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Hades with horn of plenty and PersephoneAttic
red figurepelikelate 5th century bce
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Entrance
Propylaea
Sacred Way
Telesterion
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Niinion Tabletfirst half of 4th century bce
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Iacchos
sponsor
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kernos
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Persephone
Demeter
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20-21 Boedromion (6-7)

• Initiation
• Telesterion
• kykeon (potion)

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22 Boedromion (8)

• offerings for the dead

23 Boedromion (9)

• return to Athens

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HH Demeter

• Eleusis
• well
• ritual jesting
• temple
• kykeon

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HH Demeter

• Matriarchy/Patriarchy
• Three Stages
• Olympos - Zeus
• Eleusis
• Metaneira
• Celeus
• Olympos - Zeus
• Triptolemos

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Representations

• Persephone
• Persephone raped
• Persephone with Hades
• Persephone Demeter
• Triptolemos
• Hekate

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Priestess of DemeterSouth Italian Terracotta
Votive450-425 bce
polos
kanoun
piglet
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Persephone as Hydranos - purifying young
initiatefragment of marble stele1st quarter of
4th century bce
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Demeter from Knidos330 bce
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Demeter and KoreMarble Reliefarchaic
sceptre
torches
wheat
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Hades abducting Persephone460-450 bceclassical
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Roman Wall Painting2nd century ceOstia
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Rape of PersephoneVergina tomb fresco350 bce
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Paris BordoneAbduction of Persephone1518-71
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Dell Abate1509-72Rape of Proserpine
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Alessandro AlloriAbduction of ProserpineItalian,
Florence1550
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Abduction of PersephoneJoseph Heintz the
Elder1564-1609
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Rape of ProserpinaPeter Paul Rubens1619-1620
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Rape of ProserpinaPeter Paul Rubens1636-37
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Abduction of PersephoneRembrandt van Rijn1631
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Mythological Scene with the Rape of
ProserpineLuca Giordanoearly 1680s
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Abduction of PersephoneJean Charles Joseph
Remond1810
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The Rape of ProserpineJ. M. W. Turner1839
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Pluto and ProserpineGian Lorenzo
Bernini1621-1622
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Pluto abducting ProserpineFrançois
Girardon1693-1710
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Return of PersephoneFrederic Leighton1891
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ProserpineDante Gabriel Rossetti1874
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Cult Initiation of Herakles into the Lesser
MysteriesAttic red figurebell krater360-350
bcelate classical
Hekate
Artemis
Dioskouros
Triptolemos
Dioskouros
Persephone
Demeter
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Demeter and Persephone, Triptolemos, other
Eleusinian deities Herakles as initiatePelike
from Kerchlate classical
Triptolemos
Iacchos
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Orpheus Playing in HadesApulian Red
FigureVolute Krater320 bcelate classical/early
Hellenistic
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Persephone and Hadesmid 4th century
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Persephone, Triptolemos, and DemeterEleusis,
votive relief2nd half of 4th century bce
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Demeter and TriptolemosAttic red figureneck
amphora470 bcelate archaic
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Triptolemos with Demeter and PersephoneAttic
black figureamphora550-530 bcearchaic
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Demeter, Triptolemos, Persephone, Eleusis,
EumolposAttic red figure skyphosMakron490-480
bcelate archaic
Demeter
Triptolemos
Persephone
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Eleusis
Eumolpos
Poseidon
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Poseidon
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Demeter, Triptolemos, and HekateAttic red
figurehydria480-440early classical
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Demeter, Triptolemos and PloutonAttic red
figureNolan amphora440-430 bceclassical
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Triptolemos with Demeter and PersephoneAttic red
figurehydria450 bce
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Grand Relief of Eleusis438-432 bceclassical
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Bell Krater with the Return of Persphone

• ca. 440 bce
• Metropolitan Museum of Art
• figures identified by inscriptions
• Persephone painter
• only vase attributed to him

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