Questions so far about mystery religions
what is the role of women
what clothes, costumes, how were they special, of what cloth , jewels, gold? what did they symbolise
the economic role of selling mystery religion to others?
what was the role of alcohol ?
of hallucinogens?
Was this about health on earth rather than into the afterlife- the role of mystery religions in relationship to Asklepios
were there votive offerings?
what is the role of women
what clothes, costumes, how were they special, of what cloth , jewels, gold? what did they symbolise
the economic role of selling mystery religion to others?
what was the role of alcohol ?
of hallucinogens?
Was this about health on earth rather than into the afterlife- the role of mystery religions in relationship to Asklepios
were there votive offerings?
Questions
All males wrote in
ancient history as well as modern historians about women
a few basic statements
imply women are not well respected however
there were intelligent
and connected women
the goddesses as a
projection of female psyche
role of priestesses
cooking and libation
may seem lesser today but may have been revered
women were protected as
they had the fertility
if we rewrote the
history from a female point of view
what was the
significance of the clothes they wore, what clothes did they wear (
need to look at the art)
did this come from
Minoan, Mycenean where women and goddesses were equal if not superior
the concept of wholism,
animism, nature
how important was the
ecstatic experience, as it psychosis, drug induced, masss husteria,
fear and trembling,
fatigue and sleep deprivation
what were the hiera
What of the role of
katharsis
A Feminist Viewpoint
regarding Demeter and Kore
Psychoanalytic
Feminist- differences,
narratives, care
Mostly the great works
on the mystery religions have been written by men, Cumont, Dillon,
Burkett, Bowden. They have brought together the scattered few pieces
of information to make sense of the process and religion that were
revered for so much of human history. Mithras is starting point when
stating that this was a male only religion with no female
participants. The other religions, cults, are written from the male
perspective, the male hierophant and aspects of fertility.
The background to most
of these mystery religions, except for perhaps Mithras, was the
Eleusinian
whole versus
male female, same but
different
role of women was to be
revered and protected, they carried the children, the hiers and
future ownership of the polis
not locked up but took
part in religious ceremonies – most important.
State versus personal,
the were priestesses
Homeric Hyms
Demeter is the mother
Kore (Persephone) was
the daughter\
Zeus was the father
the story is a
projection, there is family- PARDES concrete, allegory, metaphor,
secret
Transformation
Story of two women, two
sides of the coin. One is the story from Demeter's point of view, the
other is from Kore.
Demeter suffers major
depressive disorder- DSM5
no food
no sleep
no comforts
sad
angry
anhedonia, self
abnegation
social withdrawal
grief, guilt, anxiety
menopausal
phase of life
empty nest
Bowlby- attachment,
loss
making and breaking of
affective ties
Kore is out playing in
the flowers, sexual organs
with perhaps drugs,
magic, individual versus family, versus sex drive, danger,
she falls for a man
who is here demonised,
rapes her, offers her pomegranate in order to keep her, she is
perhaps consenting.. All mothers have to cope with anxiety of the
other male, domestic violence, she has to deal with a step mother,
she has to go to hell and back death in childbirth
Most girls married at
first menses, so young when they leave home
The transformation for
Kore is into wife and potential mother, visits her mother as an adult
and equal, but spends her life with her chosen husband. Separation
and individuation, sexuality, her loss of innocence, family, and
grief
the transformation for
Kore is more painful, she has to find a reason to live beyond being a
mother, the most powerful bond, now broken, her work is done, how
does she find meaning again. The secret is personal, she finds new
causes, loving herself, making time for her family but also for
spiritual and community. The father reenters the relationship, she
rediscovers love for her husband after he so delicately negotiated
the peace for her.
The old woman is
mocked- integrity versus despair
This story is common
today as it was then.
Here was an age when
women lived long enough to see their daughters married
Sons bring their wives
home to live with the family but women lose their daughters when thy
live with their husbands often far away.
The play is metaphor
the music is about
transformation- an emotional process
spirituality s about
rising above the concrete issues of life and finding greater meaning
the secret is that we
can all find meaning, learn from losses to be self sufficient, live
in the moment, allow those we love to be free- this is an existential
philosophy
Maybe the women doing
the cooking was the highest role, not the slavish one we now view it
to be.
Grain was important
if we celebrate the
great mothers then we see a society that celebrates women, places
them in high regard- a projection
the Greek pantheon was
reflective of the projection there were male and female, same power,
different abilities, families, - Athena beat Apollo in the contest
for Athens
Zeus had to beg Demeter
to function well again and bring the rains, had to negotiate with
Hades for some leeway. Women are powerful. Galli- , queer theory, to
become female.
PARDES
Concrete story, what
has been interpreted so far
allegory- the journey
of life
metaphor- grain,
agriculture, fertility, loss, youth, depression
secret- transformation
, magic, death, meaning of life following depression
modes of transmission-
oral, written, performance (teology, dance, drama, procession),
music,
dark, light
fire- immortality
earth- agriculture
air- zodiac
water- libations,
purification
Did people understand
or were they being communal, social event,
file:///Users/joycearnold/Downloads/07_keller%20(1).pdf a personal view of healing, rebirth,
A Study of Sacerdotal Housing at Ancient Greek Sanctuaries by Deborah Elizabeth Brown Stewart April 2009Proquest
p 1 During my research, I identified five common behaviors concerning the residence of a cultic official and the site of the cult he/she serves: 1. The first is that the cult was housed in a private residence: For example, in manycases of newly founded cults, such as the Sarapists in Delos, priests and other officials kept cultic equipment in private houses and met in private houses until another site was established.
2. In the second scenario, which was probably the most common, the individual performs his/her duties on site as necessary, but mundane activities, such as sleeping, cooking, eating, are performed in a private residence, away from the cultic site.
3. In the third, the individual resides at or near the sanctuary for a short period of time, and he/she performs activities such as sleeping and eating there, as for example during panegyric festivals such as the Olympic games. In such situations, the individual may reside in a temporary or permanent structure, depending on local circumstances.
4. In other examples, the individual resides at the sanctuary for a short period of time, during which he/she abstains from usual human activities. This is a common practice for priests or priestesses who are preparing for prophecy.
5. And, finally, there are examples where the individual resides at/near the site during the full length of his/her tenure. Examples include sacred slaves, officials charged with caretaking responsibilities such as neokoroi, and, more rarely, priests and priestesses who hold lifelong responsibilities to a cult that is of special interest to their families or to themselves. We also have documented examples of small cultic associations leasing land and buildings to an individual who lived on site and act as caretaker while not actually fulfilling a titled position.
p 21 the temples provided asylum to suppliants
Ancient sources indicate that many communities developed protocols by which suppliants might be permitted to stay in or expelled from sanctuaries on the basis of their claims. In his review of the documentary evidence, Angelos Chaniotis determines that the ancient Greeks devised three ways to prevent the exploitation of asylia by those deemed unworthy to be suppliants: a) by prohibiting persons most likely to seek asylum, e.g. convicted and polluted persons from entering a sanctuary in the first place; b) by having measures against suppliant wrongdoers confirmed by the gods through oracles; and c) by conferring on the religious personnel the authority to expel suppliant slaves.12 Inscriptions at the entrances of sanctuaries sometimes specified categories of people who might be prohibited from entering. To give but one example, a second-century B.C.E. decree from Eresos forbids entry by impious people, persons polluted by recent contact with death, birth, and sexual intercourse, traitors, and murderers (LSG 124)
p 22 The fate of a slave whose supplication was accepted by authorities is not always clear. The lengthy inscription recording regulations for the Mysteries at Andania designates an area to serve as a refuge for slaves, forbids anyone from offering them assistance, and authorizes the priest to judge their claims (LSG 65 ll. 80-84).
p24 Children had opportunities to participate in cults as more than just spectators. In processions, children sometimes had special roles as carriers of sacred objects, for example, and choruses of girls, boys, and young men danced and sang in honor of the gods at various festivals. Some celebrations were specifically oriented towards children and required the residence of children at the sanctuaries as they performed certain duties and rites.
p 38 Not surprisingly, there are indications that ancient “mystery” cults centered around exclusive, secretive rites that demanded an unusually strict personal commitment from the personnel in service to them. The practice of lodging personnel apart from the local communities, at least for the period of the celebrations that included initiations, helped to preserve the secrecy and reinforced their status as intermediaries between the mortal and the divine. As I will discuss in the case study focused on Eleusis, an inscription attests to houses used by Eleusinian officials, which may have served to isolate them before or during the rites, either from the initiates gathered in the sanctuary or from the world at large. Priestly officials for the mysteries at Andania set up their tents in a reserved area away from the initiates and others attending the rites (IV iv 1309 (LSG 65), ll. 35-36).
file:///Users/joycearnold/Downloads/07_keller%20(1).pdf a personal view of healing, rebirth,
A Study of Sacerdotal Housing at Ancient Greek Sanctuaries by Deborah Elizabeth Brown Stewart April 2009Proquest
p 1 During my research, I identified five common behaviors concerning the residence of a cultic official and the site of the cult he/she serves: 1. The first is that the cult was housed in a private residence: For example, in manycases of newly founded cults, such as the Sarapists in Delos, priests and other officials kept cultic equipment in private houses and met in private houses until another site was established.
2. In the second scenario, which was probably the most common, the individual performs his/her duties on site as necessary, but mundane activities, such as sleeping, cooking, eating, are performed in a private residence, away from the cultic site.
3. In the third, the individual resides at or near the sanctuary for a short period of time, and he/she performs activities such as sleeping and eating there, as for example during panegyric festivals such as the Olympic games. In such situations, the individual may reside in a temporary or permanent structure, depending on local circumstances.
4. In other examples, the individual resides at the sanctuary for a short period of time, during which he/she abstains from usual human activities. This is a common practice for priests or priestesses who are preparing for prophecy.
5. And, finally, there are examples where the individual resides at/near the site during the full length of his/her tenure. Examples include sacred slaves, officials charged with caretaking responsibilities such as neokoroi, and, more rarely, priests and priestesses who hold lifelong responsibilities to a cult that is of special interest to their families or to themselves. We also have documented examples of small cultic associations leasing land and buildings to an individual who lived on site and act as caretaker while not actually fulfilling a titled position.
p 21 the temples provided asylum to suppliants
Ancient sources indicate that many communities developed protocols by which suppliants might be permitted to stay in or expelled from sanctuaries on the basis of their claims. In his review of the documentary evidence, Angelos Chaniotis determines that the ancient Greeks devised three ways to prevent the exploitation of asylia by those deemed unworthy to be suppliants: a) by prohibiting persons most likely to seek asylum, e.g. convicted and polluted persons from entering a sanctuary in the first place; b) by having measures against suppliant wrongdoers confirmed by the gods through oracles; and c) by conferring on the religious personnel the authority to expel suppliant slaves.12 Inscriptions at the entrances of sanctuaries sometimes specified categories of people who might be prohibited from entering. To give but one example, a second-century B.C.E. decree from Eresos forbids entry by impious people, persons polluted by recent contact with death, birth, and sexual intercourse, traitors, and murderers (LSG 124)
p 22 The fate of a slave whose supplication was accepted by authorities is not always clear. The lengthy inscription recording regulations for the Mysteries at Andania designates an area to serve as a refuge for slaves, forbids anyone from offering them assistance, and authorizes the priest to judge their claims (LSG 65 ll. 80-84).
p24 Children had opportunities to participate in cults as more than just spectators. In processions, children sometimes had special roles as carriers of sacred objects, for example, and choruses of girls, boys, and young men danced and sang in honor of the gods at various festivals. Some celebrations were specifically oriented towards children and required the residence of children at the sanctuaries as they performed certain duties and rites.
p 38 Not surprisingly, there are indications that ancient “mystery” cults centered around exclusive, secretive rites that demanded an unusually strict personal commitment from the personnel in service to them. The practice of lodging personnel apart from the local communities, at least for the period of the celebrations that included initiations, helped to preserve the secrecy and reinforced their status as intermediaries between the mortal and the divine. As I will discuss in the case study focused on Eleusis, an inscription attests to houses used by Eleusinian officials, which may have served to isolate them before or during the rites, either from the initiates gathered in the sanctuary or from the world at large. Priestly officials for the mysteries at Andania set up their tents in a reserved area away from the initiates and others attending the rites (IV iv 1309 (LSG 65), ll. 35-36).
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