Demeter

1
Demeter

• Of the lovely hair

2
Fundamental Themes

• Life
• Death
• Rebirth

3
Origins

• daughter of Cronos and Rhea
• Earth Mother

4
Homeric Hymn to Demeter

• Persephone
• nature allegory
• Eleusinian Mysteries

5
Homeric Hymn to Demeter

• Hades abducts Persephone
• Demeter searches for Persephone

6
Rape of Persephone
7
Homeric Hymn to Demeter

• Demeter at Eleusis
• nursemaid to Demophoön
• burns away Demophoön's mortality
• mother is alarmed
• Demeter gets mad
• D. reveals her identity
• D. orders a temple

8
Homeric Hymn to Demeter

• Demeter causes drought
• Zeus fears losing worshippers
• Zeus orders Persephone's return to Demeter

9
Homeric Hymn to Demeter

• Persephone eats pomegranates in underworld
• P. accepts Hades' hospitality
• metaphor for sex

10
Homeric Hymn to Demeter

• Persephone
• with mother part of the year
• with Hades part of the year
• Demeter establishes Eleusinian Mysteries

11
Demeter and Persephone
12
Persephone and Hades
13
Triptolemus
14
Interpretations

• Life
• Death
• Rebirth
• etiology for the seasons
• life of Greek women
• Eleusinian Mysteries

15
Isis Osiris
16
Isis Osiris Myth

• Nut gives birth to
• Isis
• Osiris
• Set
• Isis Osiris marry
• Osiris civilizes Egypt
• Osiris sets out to civilize the world
• Isis rules Egypt

17
Isis Osiris

• Set conspires against Osiris
• Set traps Osiris in coffin
• coffin lands at Byblos
• Isis searches for Osiris
• Isis retrieves hides coffin

18
Navigium Isidis and Search for Osiris
19
Isis Osiris

• Set finds the coffin
• Murders Osiris
• dismembers Osiris (14 pieces)
• Isis searches for Osiris
• restores Osiris (13 pieces)
• Osiris travels to underworld
• Horus, son of Isis and Osiris, is born
• fights Set
• Isis sets Set free

20
Isis Osiris Interpretations

• etiology of Egyptian society
• Cycle of nature
• immortality rebirth

21
Cybele Attis
22
Cybele Attis

• Zeus impregnates earth deity
• Agdestis-Cybele
• wild
• hermaphrodite

23
Cybele Attis

• Dionysus
• intoxicates Agdestis-Cybele
• castrates Agdestis-Cybele
• Cybele remains
• calmer
• Agdestis' phallus
• almond tree
• impregnates Nana

24
Cybele Attis

• Nana gives birth to Attis
• Attis becomes Cybele's lover
• Attis womanizes
• Cybele becomes jealous
• Cybele drives Attis crazy
• Attis castrates himself

25
Cybele Attis Interpretations

• cycle of nature
• immortality rebirth

26
Mother Goddess

• The cycle of life

27
Paleolithic mother goddess (25,000-20,000 BC)
28
Neolithic Mother Goddess (Catal Huyuk 8000 BC)
29
Potnia Theron
30
Artemis of Ephesus
31
Inana Anubion, 2300 BC
32
Minoan Snake Goddess, 1600 BC
33
Three Madonnas
34
Sheila-na-gig
35
The Eleusinian Mysteries
36
Eleusinian Mysteries

• Introduced ca. 600 BC
• open to all
• Women
• Slaves
• Foreigners
• Restrictions
• Speak Greek
• Be free of Miasma
• Oath of secrecy

37
Greater Mysteries

• festival truce (55 days)
• fall planting season

38
Greater Mysteries Public Ritual

• Day 1
• sacred cult objects from Eleusis to Athens
• Day 2
• invitation to those who wish to be initiated
• Day 3
• bathe in sea
• sacrifice piglet

39
Greater Mysteries Public Ritual

• Day 4
• sacrifice on behalf of city
• official feast
• Day 5
• day of rest for Asklepios
• arrives late (420 B.C.)
• Day 6
• procession to Eleusis
• festive
• obscene buffoonery
• dance and song

40
(No Transcript)
41
Eleusis bay
42
Eleusis aerial
43
(No Transcript)
44
Bridge over the Chthisis River
45
Kallichoran Well
46
Eleusis cave
47
Eleusis Sanctuary model
48
Eleusis lesser propylaea
49
Telesterion
50
Greater Mysteries Private Ritual

• Day 7
• purification
• fasting and rest
• Drink kykeon

51
Greater Mysteries Private Ritual

• Day 7
• initiation
• Telesterion
• mystai (initiates)
• epoptai (observers)
• the things done (ta dromena)
• the things shown (ta deiknuma)
• the things said (ta logomena)
• Apotheosis of Demeter by fire

52
Greater Mysteries Private Ritual

• Day 8
• rest
• evening celebration
• Day 9
• libations for the dead
• celebrations
• return to Athens

53
Regina Vasorum
54
(No Transcript)
55
Revelation to non-initiates

• Results in Death
• Read more about the mysteries http//users.erols.
  com/nbeach/eleusis.html