The Eleusinian Mysteries

The worship of the cult of Demeter included annual rituals in which initiates into the Eleusinian mysteries watched priests re-enact the story of Persephone's annual return from the underworld. As Eleusis was close to the birthplace of both Aeschylus and Euripides, it is not unreasonable to opine that these Eleusinian mysteries had some considerable influence on the art of these giants of Greek drama.

Persephone was the astonishingly beautiful daughter of Zeus and Demeter. Hades, god of the Underworld, but a lusty old bird nonetheless, decided that he wanted Persephone for his bride. Demeter, quite understandably, was against this ghoulish marriage, so Hades plotted with his brother

Zeus (who was, after all Persephone's father) to carry off Persephone by trickery and force down to his realm. They knew that Persephone would be gathering flowers at Henna-an ancient precinct of the worship of Demeter-so Hades placed in her path an enormous flower of remarkable beauty. When Persephone, drawn by its unusual size and beauty, plucked this miraculous flower, the earth split open, Hades galloped up in his chariot, seized Persephone and dragged the struggling goddess below. Her exertions must made her hungry when she got there, because she absent-mindedly ate a pomegranate seed, which meant that she had to stay. (It was a rule! You've got to know the rules!)

When Persephone did not return with her garlands as expected, Demeter went ballistic, and then into a deep mourning and ignored the earth so that, absent her benificent influence, no crops could grow and mature. The earth grew desolate and a famine spread throughout the land.

At last, Demeter went to Mount Aetna (which is still an active volcano) and lit two torches with which searched the world for her daughter. Nine days into her quest, the Sun (who sees all) told her what had happened and she became enraged at Hades and Zeus, and indeed, all the gods for the injustice they had done her, and stormed off in a huff. Her pouty peregrinations took her next to Eleusis, where she disguised herself as an old woman and sat down next to the well called Parthenion. When the daughters of King Keleos found her there and were kind to her, she went with them to their home, where Queen, Metaneira, engaged the disguised Demeter as a nanny for her son Demophoon. (Wouldn't you hire a bag lady you found loitering by a well to care for your children? Well she did.)

During the day, Demeter cared for the boy, and developed a great fondness for him, sometimes rubbing him with ambrosia, the food of the gods. [I know this sounds a little kinky, but it is entirely within the bounds of propriety. Jus ask Michael Jackson's attorneys. She also encountered, apparently among the household staff, Iambe, a noisy maiden with a garrulous sense of humor, who made the goddess smile and somewhat relieved her grief. This pleasant encounter was the source of the raucous jesting that became a regular part of the Eleusinian mysteries.] By night, Demeter laid her precious charge in the fire with an eye to making the boy divine by burning away his mortality. When, one night, Metaneira came upon Demeter thus purging her son of his mortality, she screamed in horror at the sight. Caught, Demeter immediately abandoned her disguise, assumed her own shape, and turned on Metaneira, commanding her to perform sacred rites in her (Demeter's) honor, and saying that a mock fight would take place every year in honor of Demophoon. Once her rites were established, Demeter promised to teach Metaneira some special, secret ceremonies-the theological backbone (presumably) of the Eleusinian mysteries.

All this while, attempts were being made to reconcile Demeter and Hades. Demeter, of course wanted Persephone to be returned to her, while Hades wanted to keep the little darling with him. But because she had wolfed down that Pomegranate seed, she had formed a sacred bond of some sort (watch what you eat, ladies; you never know where it may lead!), but, to keep peace among the gods, a compromise custody agreement was hammered out whereby Hades kept Persephone half the time (some say a third of the time) and Demeter got her the rest. So now, every year, the earth plunges into desolate winter when Persephone goes to stay with Hades, and returns to ebullient fecundity while she's with her mom. Spring and autumn are (logically enough) periods of anticipation of her return and her departure, respectively.

Bieber insists that the tale of Persephone's rape (a technical term meaning abduction) and return was re-enacted annually in ritual form as part of the Eleusinian mysteries. Just what Demeter included as her "secret" rites must needs remain a matter of conjecture.