Classical Wisdom Litterae - August 2021

10 LITTERAE / ISSUE 64 Although adherents of the cult hailed from all over the Greco-Roman world, the rituals were originally celebrated in Eleu- sis, an agricultural town some twelve miles northwest of Athens. But after the city was conquered by Athens in the mid- sixth century BCE, the Athenians took control and changed its name to the Eleu- sinian Mysteries. To join the cult of the Mysteries, novice initiates or mystes (blinded ones) first began worship in the ranks of the Lesser Mysteries, which honored Persephone in the spring. Once this initiation was com- plete, they were introduced to the more en- lightened Greater or Epoptical (all-seeing) Mysteries, which honored Demeter in the fall. The initiation period lasted for one year, after which the mystes would ascend to the hallowed ranks of epoptes , or seers. To recruit initiates, the powerful city- state of Athens opened membership to both men and women, slaves and for- eigners; in fact, anyone “free of the pollu- tion of murder”. Yet there were some restrictions. For instance, originally, initiates had to speak Greek, as “not being a barbarian” was a requirement. But when Athens as- sumed control of the rites, they lifted the Greek speaking requirement as well as the blood guilt ban. Since militarism had en- gulfed the region, there were many sol- diers in the area. When they, too, were encouraged to join the Mysteries in order to boost membership, they heard the call and joined in droves. Despite loosening standards for some, during the fourth-century BCE, Athens tightened them for others. For instance, they began requiring initiates to pay 15 drachmas for the privilege of membership, the equivalent to ten days of work, an amount that the poor or enslaved would likely have been unable to pay. Shifting Perspectives on Death B etween the eighth century BCE and 480 BCE that the Greek attitude to- ward death began to shift. Prior to this, the end of one’s life was gloomily ac- cepted as part of the natural order, for the idyllic Elysian Fields supposedly awaited only those few elite souls who had been bestowed by the Gods with immortality. In other words, regardless of one’s achieve- ments and position in life, both kings and slaves could expect to spend eternity end- lessly fluttering around in a shadowy un- derworld. Over time, as the populace became more disconnected from the cyclical patterns of nature, death became more personal, which caused some anxiety over one’s mor- tality. The Mysteries calmed these fears by explaining that their adherents would have many other chances to experience life on earth. They taught that the initiates had an eternal purpose and that they, like those tapped by the Gods to travel after death to the Elysian Fields, would also experience a joyful afterlife. Is it any wonder, then, that the ancients lined up by the thousands to become initi-