Paganism an overview introduction - South African Pagan Council

The Eleusinian Mysteries, held annually for a period of seven days in honour of
Demeter and Persephone, were the most sacred and revered of all the ritual
celebrations of ancient Greece. They were instituted in the city of Eleusis, some
twenty-two kilometres west of Athens, possibly as far back as the early Mycenaean
period (1600-1100 BCE), and continued for almost two thousand years. Large crowds
of worshippers from all over Greece (and later, from throughout the Roman Empire)
would gather to make the holy pilgrimage between the two cities and participate in the
secret ceremonies, generally regarded as the high point of Greek religion. As
Christianity began to spread, the Mysteries were condemned by the early Church
fathers; yet the rites continued for hundreds of years more and exercised considerable
influence on the formation of early Christian teachings and practices.
Our sources of information regarding the Eleusinian Mysteries include the ruins of the
sanctuary there; numerous statues, bas reliefs, and pottery; reports from ancient
writers such as Aeschylos, Sophokles, Herodotus, Aristophanes, Plutarch, and
Pausanias - all of whom were initiates - as well as the accounts of Christian
commentators like Clement of Alexandria, Hippolytus, Tertullian, and Astorias. Yet
for all this evidence, the true nature of the Mysteries remains shrouded in uncertainty
because the participants did, with remarkable consistency, honour their pledge not to
reveal what took place in the Telesterion, or inner sanctum of the Temple of Demeter.
To violate that oath of secrecy was a capital offense - Aeschylus, for example, once
had to fear for his life on account of coming too close to revealing forbidden truths.
Aeschylus (525/524-456/455 BCE)
Greek Playwright Aeschylus. Source: Clipart.com
The “Father of Tragedy”, Aeschylus was born in the city of Eleusis. Immersed early in the mystic rites
of the city and in the worship of the Mother and Earth goddess Demeter, he was once sent as a child to
watch grapes ripening in the countryside. According to Aeschylus, when he dozed off, Dionysus
appeared to him in a dream and ordered him to write tragedies. The obedient young Aeschylus began a
tragedy the next morning and “succeeded very easily”. Before Aeschylus, there was only one actor in
tragedy, and he was limited to conversing with the chorus. Aeschylus is credited with having added a
second actor. Now two actors could converse or have dialogue with the chorus, or change their masks
to become entirely different characters. The increase in cast size permitted substantial plot variation.
According to Aristotle's Poetics, Aeschylus “reduced the chorus' role and made the plot the leading
actor”. He was reportedly charged with “impiety” for revealing the Eleusinian mysteries - the secret
rites of the city of his birth - to outsiders. It is likely, however, that these charges were politically
motivated, and he was not convicted.
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