Cult of the Great Mother

Thesis Statement

“The Demeter / Persephone cult revolved around hope.”Development of the Thesis: “Confidence about future good times (hope) was reinforced by the rituals which included a sacred story, several group activities, and a chest of special objects.” The rituals focused on the theme of hope.

Orthodox Teaching about Providence

Events - even bad events - are guided by divine planA full understanding will emerge sometime in the future - even if only in eternityGod reveals positive values over time (Henry Cardinal Newman)A corollary of this orthodox teaching applies to the non-Christian religions that preceded ChristianityPartial but positive revelations in the early cultsLater teachings build upon what was realized earlier through nature or through sacred the teachings of “natural religion"

Social-Political Context of Mysteries

Alexander the Great and universalism;Constantine and monarchy / monotheism. Easy way to remember: 325 BC = death of Alexander; 325 AD = Council of Nicea(Constantine)Alexander championed religious tolerance; Constantine consolidated monarchy with monotheism. Between period: introduction of Oriental religions; retirement of the Greek and Roman official gods

Between 325 BC – 325 AD

Tolerant period after Alexander and before Constantine"syncretism" (putting together), syn + cretein"theocrasia" (mixing gods), theo + cratteinAlexandria, Egypt = multi-cultural L.A.Hybrid culture, fusion gods

Cults and geography

Specific place of origin, such as Eleusis (Demeter)Muses on Mount Helicon, and neighboring Mount ParnassusSeven Muses: Clio (history); Terpsichore (dance)Hesiod's TheogonyMap of ancient world

Eleusis as a location

Pagan = Heathen = farm land outside city ("heath" is the fields, the "sticks")Pagan or Heathen worship of cornFarm is the center of life - even in 600 BCE when Athens takes over cult, 65 miles northeast of AthensProcessions from Athens to the city of Eleusis

Eleusis: Cult of grain

agriculture as innovation (prior to 600 BC)agriculture in recorded historyshift from hunting toward less mobility, more buildingrisk of believing in the power of cultivating grain

Hope is key to agriculture

expectation that planting seeds would result in harvest adequate nourishment from grain

Hope: Expectation of future good things

based on some evidence from what is known (not "fool's hope")Opposite is despair - negative of sperareTo hope is to await - aspect of futuremotivation to do what is good now, strength to act(contrast with Theoden and Denethor in LOTR)

Cult figures

DemeterOriginally from CreteDe-Meter, De-Mater

PersephoneDaughter or Young Girl Kore (virgin, young girl)

Dionysos (Bacchus, Iacchus)Hades, Aidoneus, Pluto

“unseen” hidden, dark underworld

Cult figure: Demeter

Earth Mother (Demeter from Crete) Grain, corn, Ceres (latin), cerealNourishment of Earth will provide sustenance and reproduction, harvest

•Demeter: images of earth Mother

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_motherRange of dates and images

Cult figure: Persephone

Earth Mother (Demeter from Crete) Daughter or Young Girl (Kore)Spring, youthful sprouts, seedling

Cult figure: Dionysos

Male youth (from Crete)Grapes, wine, heady drinkIntoxication, transformation, vitality

Meaning of EleusisCulture of the positive value of hopeCultivation of the Sun (sun energy worship) may have preceded the Earth Mother as a positive valueThe Earth Mother (Demeter, De-Meter, De-Mater, God-Mother) cult is about grain or corn. Corn was the main food supply when agriculture took over as the main activity and replaced hunting-gathering. For agriculture to function, there needed to be a continuous human hope that the seasons would consistently fructify the labor that was put into seeding, cultivating, and harvesting the basic staples like corn (bread). Fertility in the fields has never been a sure thing taken for granted. These Grain Cults were the first stages when a group (a city) deliberately cultivated hope and confidence in the future. Even under the dire conditions of darkness and winter, human energy needs support from group confidence and from reverent submission to powers outside of human control. Without confidence in the future there would not be enough strength to make good choices in the present. Without hope, there is despair: sperare (Latin: to hope); de-sperare (Latin: to give up hope).

Basic Thesis Statement

The Demeter / Persephone cult revolved around hope.Development of the Thesis: Confidence about future good times (hope) was reinforced by the rituals which included a sacred story, several group activities, and a chest of special objects. The rituals focused on the theme of hope.

Fear of Infertility from the Underworld (Winter, Night)

Fear of the end of the world as we know itFear of starvation and hungerDisappearance = night and sleep as winter of worldDarkness as evil, shadow, eclipse, cold, stealth, animal predators, danger"Hel" was Norse queen of Underworld(English word "hell“)Celtic lord of death was "Helman"

Would Daughter Kore (seeded planting) result in the nourishment of Demeter?

Sky-god (Zeus, Deus, dios, dies, dias)

brings patriarchy and control (order)the dark underworld is feared as disorderdarkness holds abundance (unexplored potential)Pluto = rich one. Dis = dives or wealthybrother of Zeus, Dionysus, god of vegetation and grapes

Dionysus

was dismembered and killed, then resurrected after descending to the underworldIn Jungian terms, the repressed, dark hidden thoughts or feelingsHades = Hidden the “Unseen” (a-ides or Aidoneus)

Components of Eleusinian Cult

official announcementpreparation by fastingpurification (washing)group activities (processions)recall of positive past memories through sacred symbols (chest of holy objects)story telling to create mythic (pseudo-historical) contextscenic displays that intensify the worship eventcaution to future silence to venerate the memory of the ritual

Theme of Story:

Persephone is vulnerable girl captured by Hades (the Unseen Underworld). Will she escape and return to the Upperworld? Will corn arise from the planting season? Will there be corn to harvest?

Foundation Story: Homeric Hymn to Demeter

Manuscript found in Moscow in 1777, a papyrus of the first century BC, a sacred text (by "Orpheus") probably read at Eleusinian Games; Eleusis later adopted Orpheus as founder of their Mysteries. Original date: circa 550 BC.

Homeric style

teaching poet, story-teller, suspenselinks myth events with locationexplains (teaches) meaning of ritual cultspeaks of Olympic gods (Sky father, earth mother, underworld brother, sun prince, messenger Hermesdivine beings disguise as humans, intervene in human affairs (Demeter becomes nurse-nanny of Demo (son of Keleos, son of Metaneira)

Story

Abduction of daughter Persephone by Pluto / Zeus (abundance hidden in darkness), mother alienated, mother becomes nurse at Eleusis, mother is missed by Olympians (who lose worship offerings), Hermes intervenes, mother returns on certain conditions, Persephone spends part of year in Underworld and part of year with Mother in upper world

Episodes in Homeric HymnPersephone is carried off to the lower world by Hadesher grieving mother Demeter searches for Persephone (Kore)Demeter disguises as old woman in house of Keleos, king of EleusisShe is hired as nurse to care for infant DemophonShe puts Demophon by the fire at night to make him eventually immortalShe is caught doing this and she reveals her own divinityDemeter's continued grief over Persephone makes the world barrenZeus commands Hades to release Persephone Before leaving, Demeter instructs Eleusinians how to build her temple and how to conduct her secret rites, which enable the initiate to enjoy a happier fate after death than the rest of humanity

Details of the secret rituals and taboos appear in the Hymn

Demeter wanders with torches (48)She fasts and abstains from washing (49-50, 200)She sits at the Maiden's Well (98 f)She sits silently on a stool covered by fleece (195-199)Ribald jesting of Iambe (202-05)breaking of the fast with specially prepared barley in the klykeon (208-11)

Three Components of Initiation

Dromena (actions, doings)Legomena (things spoken, recitations, readings)Deiknymena (display, things shown, scenes)

Contents of Chests (Kistai) – Meyer Sourcebook (19)

Cakes (corn bread)Serpent (earth animal)Pomegranates (blood fruit)Leaves and stalk (harvest)Poppies (flower of dead, first spring)Model of female genetalia (motherhood)

Chant: “Rain! Conceive!”

Hye kye, Meyer Sourcebook (19)

Hieros gamos (“sacred marriage” of heaven and earth)Sacrifice of pig (pork meal;Aristophanes, Frogs, Meyer 32)Torchlight processions, singing “Iacchos”, dancingContrast of darkness with lightAwakening to light (incubation?)

Meal (sacrifice) as Commemorating

Sacrifice to gods implies animal meatPortion set asideGroup eats and drinks with purposeStory telling as part of mealMemory and sharing food Participating in the universe

Ithyphallic Statues

Herodotus’s History (M42)In Samothrace, two statues of men with phalli erectImages: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IthyphallicFamous story of Alcibiades and the Hermes Statues of AthensLine between shame and privacy

Ithyphallic Symbols

Fertility, masculine sexualityRole of male aggression, often translated as rape or captureReduction of sexuality to porn and trivial functioning – versus cosmic drivePlatonic and Christian attacks on sexuality – attempts to repress and suppress

Mysteries defaced, debased

Lucian’s story of Alexander the False Prophet (M43)Male pederasty, Alexander condemns pederasty but reserves mouth kiss for boysGlykon god (snake doll with fake head) becomes parody of holy objectsSacred ceremony becomes a farce

Questions raised by studying the Eleusinian Mysteries

Do we still believe in healing power of nature?What does the Gulf Gusher portend for us?Can eco-technology forestall global warming?Is Earth a single, living being, an Earth Mother?What kinds of group activities can raise awareness and make us better stewards of the Earth Mother?

Next Fishing Assignment

Re-write your page using the suggestions (Review in WORD)Follow the research leads suggestedUse two quotations from some of our five texts (footnotes)Paraphrase each quotation and then interpret its meaningAdd two images to your page at the appropriate places