Chapter 14- Demeter

hierophant

The "one who displays the sacred things," the officiating priest.

Triptolemus

Figure who is given the commission to spread Demeter's arts; he becomes a judge in the Underworld; he merges with the figure of Demophoön.

Demeter (Ceres) and Persephone

Goddess of the fertility of the earth and grain; she is most often depicted in company with her daughter, Persephone, who was abducted by Hades; in her grief Demeter wanders the earth, searching and comes to Eleusis, where she will establish her rites and spread them to the world. In anger at Zeus' collusion in the abduction, she absents herself from the company of the gods and stops the fertility of the earth; Zeus will eventually relent and allow Persephone to return. Persephone, however, has eaten of the pomegranate, which will forever root her to two worlds, the upper and the lower realms. While Persephone is below, the earth sleeps and does not produce; when she returns to the upper world, the earth erupts with fertility. This story is the foundation myth for the rites of Demeter and Persephone at Eleusis. Demeter's counterpart among the Romans is Ceres; Persephone's counterpart is Proserpina; sometimes Persephone is simply called Kore ("girl").

mystery religion (cult)

A religious observance in the ancient world, fundamentally different from the traditional, civic worship of a god or goddess; it requires a decision by the worshiper to submit to a process of initiation, through which a greater religious insight is gained and the initiate stands in a new relationship with god; it often speaks to a hope for a blessed afterlife.

Iacchus

A statue of Iacchus (likely another name for Dionysus), which was carried in procession to Eleusis; "Iacche!" was also a ritual cry in the mystery cult of Dionysus.

dromena

A term used in mystery cults that refers obliquely to the rituals performed; it literally translates as "things done."

legomena

A term used in mystery cults that refers obliquely to the words that are uttered; it literally translates as "things said."

kykeon

The drink with which Demeter broke her fast at Eleusis, as reenacted in the rituals at Eleusis; it is a mixture of barley and water.

Hermes

The god who escorts Persephone back to the upper world.

Helius

The god who sees the abduction of Persephone.

Celeus and Metaneira

The king and queen of Eleusis, where Demeter comes in her search for her daughter Persephone.

Eleusis

The kingdom of Celeus and Metaneira, where Demeter comes in her wanderings; it is the site of the most important of the Greek mystery religions, commemorating Demeter's search and the return of Persephone to the upper realm; the rituals of Eleusis were administered by Athens.

Iambe

The servant of Celeus and Metaneira, whose jests lighten Demeter's grief.

Demophoön

The son of Celeus and Metaneira; Demeter tries to immortalize him, but refuses to continue when interrupted by Metaneira, who thinks the goddess meant to harm her son. Demophoön is sometimes confused with Triptolemus, who is given the great commission to spread the rites of Demeter to the world.

Telesterion

The special sacred enclosure at Eleusis, in which the Greater Mysteries are prerformed; it literally means "the place for the rites."

Hades

The world of the dead and the god who rules that realm; literally the word means "the unseen one."

hiera

Translated literally as "sacred things," it can refer to any ritual offering or implement; in the mystery cult, especially at Eleusis, it refers to the final revelation of god in the ritual.