The Greek Goddess Demeter and the Eleusinian Mysteries

Video

Kelly Macquire
by
published on 23 October 2022

Demeter, the Greek goddess of agriculture, bread, and grain is one of the oldest deities in the ancient Greek pantheon, and not only that, she was an incredibly important one as the goddess that guaranteed the fertility of the earth. With her domain over agriculture, she was an essential deity for those working in farming and vegetation and in Rome, she remained popular and was known as Ceres.

From the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, we have the beginning of the Eleusinian Mysteries, in honour of Demeter and her daughter Kore-Persephone. This myth was symbolic of the changing of seasons, the cycle of life to death to rebirth as seen in summer moving to fall and winter and then the return of life in spring. This cycle became central to the sacred rituals that were part of the Eleusinian Mysteries and it is unsurprising that the sanctuary to Demeter at Eleusis was the most important, with its religious connection dating back to the Mycenaean civilisation of the Bronze Age.

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— CHAPTERS —
0:00​ Introduction
1:08 Who is the Goddess Demeter?
3:50 The Myth of Demeter and Persephone
9:54 The Eleusinian Mysteries
13:09 Outro

— WANT TO KNOW MORE? —
Demeter https://www.worldhistory.org/demeter/
The Eleusinian Mysteries: The Rites of Demeter https://www.worldhistory.org/article/32/the-eleusinian-mysteries-the-rites-of-demeter/
Eleusis https://www.worldhistory.org/Eleusis/
Persephone https://www.worldhistory.org/persephone/
Ancient Greek Religion https://www.worldhistory.org/Greek_Religion/
Thesmophoriazusae https://member.worldhistory.org/Thesmophoriazusae/

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The music used in this recording is the intellectual copyright of Michael Levy, a prolific composer for the recreated lyres of antiquity, and used with the creator's permission. Michael Levy's music is available to stream at all the major digital music platforms. Find out more on:
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#demeter #greekmythology #mythology

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About the Author

Kelly Macquire
Kelly is a graduate from Monash University who has completed her BA (Honours) in Ancient History and Archaeology, focussing on iconography and status in Pylos burials. She has a passion for mythology and the Aegean Bronze Age.

The video and its description text are provided by Youtube. This website claims no authorship of this content; we are republishing it for educational purposes.

Cite This Work

APA Style

Macquire, K. (2022, October 23). The Greek Goddess Demeter and the Eleusinian Mysteries. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/video/2854/the-greek-goddess-demeter-and-the-eleusinian-myste/

Chicago Style

Macquire, Kelly. "The Greek Goddess Demeter and the Eleusinian Mysteries." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified October 23, 2022. https://www.worldhistory.org/video/2854/the-greek-goddess-demeter-and-the-eleusinian-myste/.

MLA Style

Macquire, Kelly. "The Greek Goddess Demeter and the Eleusinian Mysteries." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 23 Oct 2022. Web. 08 Oct 2024.

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