CLC 106 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Cerealia, Greco-Roman Mysteries, Triptolemus
Document Summary
Associated w fertility and prosperity of crops. And power to make crops not grow. Demeter and persephone are normally portrayed together as a pair. Festival for greek women honoring demeter and persephone. Cerealia: public festival for ceres in rome. Things got intense between demeter, hades, and zeus who let this happen. Made a deal: persephone would spend part of year with hades and part of year. Demeters messenger; helps spread her mysteries and knowledge for agriculture. Sometimes confused with her brother with demeter. Cousin of artemis but different personality; goddess of moon and crossroad. Public religious festival honoring demeter and persephone. 5 day fest to ensure fertility of crops. Threw piglets into pits mixed with seeds. Public religion worship of pantheon of major gods, procession, sacrifices, visible truths. Mystery religions: optional, open only to the initiated, secret. Mirthless rock: place where demeter allegedly sat mourning. Possibly reenacted scenes from demeter and persephone.