The Sacred Way by Fred Adams, 1966.Eleusinian Mysteries - Day Five: Pompe (Grand Procession).Early i
The Sacred Way by Fred Adams, 1966.Eleusinian Mysteries - Day Five: Pompe (Grand Procession).Early in the morning on this day, 20 Boedromion, the mystai gathered at Athen’s Sacred Gate at the Kerameikos (potter’s cemetery) and began a procession to Eleusis. Led along the Iera Odos (Sacred Way) by priestesses carrying the sacred objects in kistes (chests) and attendants carrying the statue of Iakkhos (the daimon of the Eleusinian Mysteries, bearing a torch and adorned with a myrtle wreath), the mystai travelled a distance of about 14 km/8.7 miles. Along the way, they sang sacred songs, visited shrines, offered libations, and reenacted scenes from Demeter’s search for Persephone. Near the end of the day, the mystai crossed the river Rheitoi, at which point a yellow ribbon or strand was tied to the right wrist, and another around the left ankle of each mystes. At the river Kephisos, the mystai were met by masked jesters hurling insults, recalling the elderly woman Baubo, whose bawdy jokes helped to relieve Demeter’s grief. The procession reached the sanctuary at Eleusis near nightfall, and the mystai were permitted to eat and rest after their journey.This is a good day for the modern mystes to read, study, and reflect on the Homeric Hymn to Demeter (X and X) -- source link
#eleusinian mysteries#demeter#persephone#hellenic poltheism