Jan N. Bremmer, Initiation into the Mysteries of the Ancient World, De Gruyter, Berlin, Boston, 2014
p xii avoid seeing the mystery cults as one thing
the common threads are however -
secrecy
emotionally impressive initiatory rituals
voluntary passim
nocturnal perfomance
purification
obligation to pay for participation
rewards promised for this life as well as the next
outside the cities ( except Mithras)
open to men, women, young old, slave free ( except Mithras)
The mystery cults were specific to location, Augina, Samothrace, Lemnos, Eleusis and Peloponnese
wandering mysteries eg Korybantes, Orphic-Bacchis
In Roman, Isis and Mithras joined the older mystery religions.
p x111
Eleusis promised well being and happiness in this life and the next
Samothrace- safety at sea
Orphic-Bacchis- an elite position in the after life
Korybantes- saved from madness
Mithras- cosmology and soteriology
the greeks and Romans saw this as united whereas modern ideas would look for the differences
p 2 the initiate- open to all but not everyone could afford to become an intiate
they had to follow a series of acts first
the password of the initiates , I fasted, I drank the kykeon, I took the hamper, after working I deposited in the basket and from the basket in the hamper.
they were either done at the lesser mysteries or some time before the initiation they were instructed by the mystogogues or other friends who were already initiates.
p 5 so it took time, money for the complex initiation process
over 3000 people at the agora came to hear the proclamation of the initiations, excluded those who did not speak greek or who had blood on their hands and later who were not pure of souls
. They had to bring their own sacrificial victims, to the sea, perhaps went swimming as one initiate was taken by a shark.
The Myesis
3 days of rest to cover the Asklepios Epidauros festival , then they formed a procession from the agora to the temple at Eleusis. The priestess carried the sacred objects on their heads in baskets tied with red ribbons
each person carried a staff of willow branches tied together with rings, a donkey with provisions and torches for the coming days, a 15 mile journey
there was along the way, sacred dances, sacrifices, libations, ritual washings, singing of hymns accompanied by pipes
the god Iakchos at the head of the procession
p 7 the state of in between marked with reversals- the young mocked the old, at the bridge the prostitute mocked the people, some sexual acting out
the next day the young men lifted the bull for sacrifice, other sacrifices by the
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