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Eleusis: Archetypal Image of Mother and Daughter
The Sanctuary of Eleusis, near Athens, was the center of a religious cult that endured for nearly two thousand years and whose initiates came from all parts of the civilized world. Looking at the tendency to "see visions," C. Kerenyi examines the Mysteries of Eleusis from the standpoint not only of Greek myth but also of human nature. Kerenyi holds that the yearly autumnal "mysteries" were based on the ancient myth of Demeter's search for her ravished daughter Persephone--a search that he equates not only with woman's quest for completion but also with every person's pursuit of identity. As he explores what the content of the mysteries may have been for those who experienced them, he draws on the study of archaeology, objects of art, and religious history, and suggests rich parallels from other mythologies.
257 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1960
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890 people want to read
About the author
Karl Kerényi
102 books123 followersKároly (Carl, Karl) Kerényi, Ph.D., (University of Budapest, 1919), was one of the founders of modern studies in Greek Mythology, and professor of classical studies and history of religion at the Universities of Szeged and Pécs, Hungary.
Karl Kerenyi is also published under the names Carl Kerenyi and Károly Kerényi, in French as Charles Kerényi and in Italian as Carlo Kerényi.
Karl Kerenyi is also published under the names Carl Kerenyi and Károly Kerényi, in French as Charles Kerényi and in Italian as Carlo Kerényi.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 19, 2016
The only other book I've spent any time with by Kerényi is his "Greek Gods," which I found encyclopedic and somewhat uninteresting. This work by contrast was an electrifying and careful reconstruction of the lost Eleusian mystery rites that constituted the preeminent religious initiation in the Greek-speaking world for many centuries, until they were forcibly brought to an end by the Christian Roman emperor Theodosius.
We have nothing but tantalizing hints and suggestions about what went on in those rites, but Kerényi has done a masterful job of putting the fragments together and persuasively organizing them around the narrative framework of the Homeric Hymn to Demeter. I was initially skeptical of this approach, as it struck me as analogous to reconstructing the Catholic mass based on a careful reading of the Gospels, which would clearly not be possible. But as he assembled evidence I became increasingly persuaded by his interpretation, as he demonstrated one element of the ritual after another to be clearly modeled on the Homeric hymn.
I appreciated that Kerényi accepted the possibility that the kykeon was a psychoactive potion of some kind, possibly along the lines posited by Wasson, Ruck, and Hofmann in "Road to Eleusis", without overstating the case, as is far-too-often done.
I was also struck by the fact that this work is at heart a careful work of philology, archaeology, and close reading of the surviving material. Despite his rumor as the great Jungian interpreter of classical Greek culture, his arguments and observations were methodical and almost never theory-driven.
The book has all the excitement of a detective novel unfolding, and when he brings you inside the Telesterion at last, it's purely electrifying.
His reconstruction is followed by a long "hermeneutical essay" on the Eleusinian mysteries which analyzes various minutiae, and I found it to be somewhat dispensable. The real action is in his reconstruction.
It's probably worth mentioning that he does very little hand-holding, so readers new to the topic are well advised to do some preliminary work by perhaps reading an encyclopedia article or three to absorb the basics, and one certainly wants to have good familiarity with the Homeric Hymn to Demeter. It probably should have been included as an appendix, as it's relatively short.
One final note - the book is replete with useful pictures, which sometimes aren't adequately detailed to supplement his careful reading of the archaeological objects, but it's terrific nonetheless to see some of the sites and objects related in the Hymn in excellent reproductions.
We have nothing but tantalizing hints and suggestions about what went on in those rites, but Kerényi has done a masterful job of putting the fragments together and persuasively organizing them around the narrative framework of the Homeric Hymn to Demeter. I was initially skeptical of this approach, as it struck me as analogous to reconstructing the Catholic mass based on a careful reading of the Gospels, which would clearly not be possible. But as he assembled evidence I became increasingly persuaded by his interpretation, as he demonstrated one element of the ritual after another to be clearly modeled on the Homeric hymn.
I appreciated that Kerényi accepted the possibility that the kykeon was a psychoactive potion of some kind, possibly along the lines posited by Wasson, Ruck, and Hofmann in "Road to Eleusis", without overstating the case, as is far-too-often done.
I was also struck by the fact that this work is at heart a careful work of philology, archaeology, and close reading of the surviving material. Despite his rumor as the great Jungian interpreter of classical Greek culture, his arguments and observations were methodical and almost never theory-driven.
The book has all the excitement of a detective novel unfolding, and when he brings you inside the Telesterion at last, it's purely electrifying.
His reconstruction is followed by a long "hermeneutical essay" on the Eleusinian mysteries which analyzes various minutiae, and I found it to be somewhat dispensable. The real action is in his reconstruction.
It's probably worth mentioning that he does very little hand-holding, so readers new to the topic are well advised to do some preliminary work by perhaps reading an encyclopedia article or three to absorb the basics, and one certainly wants to have good familiarity with the Homeric Hymn to Demeter. It probably should have been included as an appendix, as it's relatively short.
One final note - the book is replete with useful pictures, which sometimes aren't adequately detailed to supplement his careful reading of the archaeological objects, but it's terrific nonetheless to see some of the sites and objects related in the Hymn in excellent reproductions.
December 6, 2011
Right up there with Jung and Joseph Campbell is a man named Carl Kerenyi. An exile from his native Hungary, Kerenyi wrote extensively on Greek mythology and played an important role in its revival. Eleusis: Archetypal Image of Mother and Daughter, fourth in a series of related books, is his attempt to reconstruct and interpret what really went on in the Eleusinian Mysteries.
Like Jung and Campbell, Kerenyi writes from the perspective of psychology and humanism. At the same time, he distances his view from that of Jung in his introduction. Although Kerenyi uses the term "archetype" he does not mean it in the full Jungian sense. He speaks rather of "archetypal facts of human existence" (p. xxxii). The meaning of this is about as difficult to pin down as that of Jung's archetypes, but seems to refer in this case to the inescapable fact that all humans have mothers, and that mother-daughter relationships bear certain basic resemblances. It seems to communicate an appeal to human universals, without relying on the collective unconscious on the one hand or existentialist philosophies on the other. From this perspective, he attempts to recover what went on in the mysteries.
There is little in his reconstruction that is conclusive, and to an extent he is upfront about this. He says "My book should act as the kykeon of Eleusis in all probability did: as a stimulant" (p. xx). In other words, he intends to suggest and inspire, not to declare fact. This must be kept in mind by the reader, as Kerenyi has a slippery way of posing arguments. For example, in chapter two he concludes that the ineffable secret (arrheton) of Eleusis was a certain goddess, and the only evidence he provides at the time is the epithet "ineffable maiden" (arrhetos koura), which only she possesses. Kerenyi then defers further evidence till later, saying "This becomes comprehensible only as we gradually penetrate to the core of the Mysteries" (p. 26). But he never does put forward any more evidence, and the mere repitition of his thesis, stated in no uncertain terms over and over, threatens to lull the reader into agreement. This is a shaky foundation indeed for one of the core elements of his reconstruction. It is necessary to bear in mind this matter of style to avoid being misled.
What is most impressive about Kerenyi's Eleusis is the vast range of material pulled together. The entire gamut of literature, vase paintings, numismatics, and archaeology comes together to form this picture of Eleusis. Often it is quite difficult to discern what that picture is exactly, but nevertheless there are stimulants for research on every page that would take a lifetime for the amateur Classicist to accumulate. This is the greatest strength of the book.
A much lesser strength is the reconstruction itself. Kerenyi's conclusions are based on a wide variety of disjointed material, lined up and juxtaposed in interesting ways but hardly connected into a logical argument. Truthfully, I cannot put any faith at all in his hypotheses, except by recalling that they are intended as "stimulants." They do inspire, to be sure.
This book is recommendable to anyone looking to expand their Eleusinian horizons beyond the Homeric Hymn to Demeter. There are so many obscure and specialist references presented here that one cannot help but benefit. Those looking for clear, reliable answers will be frustrated, while those hungry for directions for contemplation will get their fill.
Like Jung and Campbell, Kerenyi writes from the perspective of psychology and humanism. At the same time, he distances his view from that of Jung in his introduction. Although Kerenyi uses the term "archetype" he does not mean it in the full Jungian sense. He speaks rather of "archetypal facts of human existence" (p. xxxii). The meaning of this is about as difficult to pin down as that of Jung's archetypes, but seems to refer in this case to the inescapable fact that all humans have mothers, and that mother-daughter relationships bear certain basic resemblances. It seems to communicate an appeal to human universals, without relying on the collective unconscious on the one hand or existentialist philosophies on the other. From this perspective, he attempts to recover what went on in the mysteries.
There is little in his reconstruction that is conclusive, and to an extent he is upfront about this. He says "My book should act as the kykeon of Eleusis in all probability did: as a stimulant" (p. xx). In other words, he intends to suggest and inspire, not to declare fact. This must be kept in mind by the reader, as Kerenyi has a slippery way of posing arguments. For example, in chapter two he concludes that the ineffable secret (arrheton) of Eleusis was a certain goddess, and the only evidence he provides at the time is the epithet "ineffable maiden" (arrhetos koura), which only she possesses. Kerenyi then defers further evidence till later, saying "This becomes comprehensible only as we gradually penetrate to the core of the Mysteries" (p. 26). But he never does put forward any more evidence, and the mere repitition of his thesis, stated in no uncertain terms over and over, threatens to lull the reader into agreement. This is a shaky foundation indeed for one of the core elements of his reconstruction. It is necessary to bear in mind this matter of style to avoid being misled.
What is most impressive about Kerenyi's Eleusis is the vast range of material pulled together. The entire gamut of literature, vase paintings, numismatics, and archaeology comes together to form this picture of Eleusis. Often it is quite difficult to discern what that picture is exactly, but nevertheless there are stimulants for research on every page that would take a lifetime for the amateur Classicist to accumulate. This is the greatest strength of the book.
A much lesser strength is the reconstruction itself. Kerenyi's conclusions are based on a wide variety of disjointed material, lined up and juxtaposed in interesting ways but hardly connected into a logical argument. Truthfully, I cannot put any faith at all in his hypotheses, except by recalling that they are intended as "stimulants." They do inspire, to be sure.
This book is recommendable to anyone looking to expand their Eleusinian horizons beyond the Homeric Hymn to Demeter. There are so many obscure and specialist references presented here that one cannot help but benefit. Those looking for clear, reliable answers will be frustrated, while those hungry for directions for contemplation will get their fill.
June 12, 2022
A good in-depth study of the Eleusinian Mysteries. I still think Kerenyi is missing the crone aspect of the goddess, but he has a good analysis of ancient art and comparable practices.
November 3, 2018
A useful exploration into the Eleusinian Mysteries and the historical and contextual primary and secondary accounts we have about this stronghold in Greek (and beyond) cultural activity. I would have preferred more translated source text of the actual myth offered perhaps as an appendix or two from one of the many major versions of it in Latin or Greek. I think academic texts like this are fabulous for scholars in the field, but lay people seeking to fulfill a dual scholarly-and-personal-interest/enrichment pursuit benefit from having the source material in tandem with the extrapolation of that source material. Otherwise, we must toggle between versions of the source simultaneously as we examine the analysis of those versions. It's a standard method for scholars, but I read this book for pleasure--there must be a way we can move scholarly writing into the domain of pleasure-reading for those readers such as I who occupy the liminal spaces of the reading world. Sometimes, I just pick up an academic text because I've an interest in the idea--without the source material the academic is unveiling, it's challenging to get beyond a surface-level interest unless I choose from that pleasurable scholarly reading to essentially "back-pedal" my intrigue to books that might come "before" the text I picked up. I'd love to see publishers take up this charge--create an academic book that is intended to be read by the brainy beach-goer; rife with citations and footnotes and primary sources, but still narrative enough as to tease that brainy reader from the first page to the doctorate they finally finish ten years after picking it up in the first place. :)
January 22, 2019
Un viaje al origen.
July 4, 2019
I adore you, Karl Kerenyi.
Read
December 8, 2019Read for REL 237: Gnostic Christianity
April 29, 2020
Dr Károly Kerényi superb book on the Eleusinian mysteries transports us into the magnificent world of Ancient human thought and into the archetype of the Mother-daughter cycle, seen from a mythological perspective. The writer compares myths within the Ancient world and with myths in Indonesia. It is true that he could have compared those archetypes to other myth stories in North Europe, America or Asia, to have more of a robust argument.
The festival was celebrated on a specific time of the year and in connection with agriculture. All the dance, rites, the procession and so on, had to be done on a specific period. It was of such importance, that not just females but even gods’ attendance was expected. Moreover, the whole human race’s existence depended on the celebration of this festival. It was extremely important for personal existence, not just in life but in death also. An initiate into the mysteries had a vision of the union of the path of life to the path of death. They could see the way into the underworld, and therefore could be at peace by having experienced the beginning and the end as a union. Participating at the mysteries offered initiates a guarantee of life without fear of death, of confidence in the fate of death.
Dr Kerényi does a hermeneutic essay on the subject with impressive findings. The mysteries of Eleusis, he mentions, is a “philosophy of life, possessing substance and meaning and imparted a modicum of truth to the yearning human soul”. The Visio Beatifica is no other than a peak reached after a purification process involving fasting, the taking provably of alcohol and / or psychotropics, which supported by the surroundings and by expectations, spiritual preparation and psychic preparation, determined visionary states on initiates. Visionary states can be induced by fasting alone, so adding alcohol or even a variety of pennyroyal, as Dr Kerényi claims was the third ingredient, must have induced into awake visions. Dr Hoffmann’s words on the subject were: “the volatile oils containing poley oil (oleum pulegii) might very well, added to alcoholic content of the kykeon, have produced hallucinations in persons whose sensibility was heightened by fasting”.
Dr Kerényi states that within Greek religion “the Eleunisian mysteries were unique of their kind, and this uniqueness was their characteristic trait”. The main theme of the mysteries is synthesised by the author: “Once upon a time the path to the underworld was opened. Persephone was the first who took this path into the darkness as booty and bride of the subterranean god with whom she celebrated her marriage as marriages are celebrated here on earth and to whom she bore a child as women bear children here above. Since then the world has been what it is for us mortals: full of plant food and full of hope. Hope because the way she first travelled has led to her ever since. This hope would not have had such great religious value for those who cherished it if they had not, already here on the earth, attained certainty of the goddess’s existence, certainty conferred by the beatific vision they had of her. In addition, they possessed a myth to which the experience of the mystery night gave a particular credibility. It was a sacred talk that has not come down to us”.
A really interesting book for those interested in mythology, Jungian psychology or human thought. The author compares archaeology, mythology, pottery and other craft works, mainly in Ancient Greece to come up with his findings, which seemed reasonable to me. However, as I mentioned at the beginning of my review, he could have done a bit more of work on looking to myths in other continents to support his argument. You can find a synthesis of this book on panacas.com.
The festival was celebrated on a specific time of the year and in connection with agriculture. All the dance, rites, the procession and so on, had to be done on a specific period. It was of such importance, that not just females but even gods’ attendance was expected. Moreover, the whole human race’s existence depended on the celebration of this festival. It was extremely important for personal existence, not just in life but in death also. An initiate into the mysteries had a vision of the union of the path of life to the path of death. They could see the way into the underworld, and therefore could be at peace by having experienced the beginning and the end as a union. Participating at the mysteries offered initiates a guarantee of life without fear of death, of confidence in the fate of death.
Dr Kerényi does a hermeneutic essay on the subject with impressive findings. The mysteries of Eleusis, he mentions, is a “philosophy of life, possessing substance and meaning and imparted a modicum of truth to the yearning human soul”. The Visio Beatifica is no other than a peak reached after a purification process involving fasting, the taking provably of alcohol and / or psychotropics, which supported by the surroundings and by expectations, spiritual preparation and psychic preparation, determined visionary states on initiates. Visionary states can be induced by fasting alone, so adding alcohol or even a variety of pennyroyal, as Dr Kerényi claims was the third ingredient, must have induced into awake visions. Dr Hoffmann’s words on the subject were: “the volatile oils containing poley oil (oleum pulegii) might very well, added to alcoholic content of the kykeon, have produced hallucinations in persons whose sensibility was heightened by fasting”.
Dr Kerényi states that within Greek religion “the Eleunisian mysteries were unique of their kind, and this uniqueness was their characteristic trait”. The main theme of the mysteries is synthesised by the author: “Once upon a time the path to the underworld was opened. Persephone was the first who took this path into the darkness as booty and bride of the subterranean god with whom she celebrated her marriage as marriages are celebrated here on earth and to whom she bore a child as women bear children here above. Since then the world has been what it is for us mortals: full of plant food and full of hope. Hope because the way she first travelled has led to her ever since. This hope would not have had such great religious value for those who cherished it if they had not, already here on the earth, attained certainty of the goddess’s existence, certainty conferred by the beatific vision they had of her. In addition, they possessed a myth to which the experience of the mystery night gave a particular credibility. It was a sacred talk that has not come down to us”.
A really interesting book for those interested in mythology, Jungian psychology or human thought. The author compares archaeology, mythology, pottery and other craft works, mainly in Ancient Greece to come up with his findings, which seemed reasonable to me. However, as I mentioned at the beginning of my review, he could have done a bit more of work on looking to myths in other continents to support his argument. You can find a synthesis of this book on panacas.com.
March 1, 2024
Fascinating and informative, he goes into depth with what fragments we know of the myth and the cult, in addition to how it changed over time. Utterly fascinating.
October 23, 2024
Si te interesan los misterios de Eleusis, es una lectura obligatoria. Recomendaría leer previamente el Himno Homérico a Deméter.
December 11, 2024
jeszcze nie widziałam, żeby filolog klasyczny napisał rekonstrukcję mitu jak kryminał!
August 20, 2020
I was torn between giving three and four stars, maybe because Kerényi as a writer was not as coherent as I hoped, or anticipated from having read Jung, who I think had serious literary talent. At times, I found the presentation to be a little too fragmentary between description of archeological evidence, hermeneutical analysis and comparative study etc.
The book could have lived more up to its epithet "archetypal image", which seems to be there mostly because of mutual influence between Jung and Kerényi, but can sadly be misleading about the book's focus. It raises more questions as it answers, though, largely because of the very nature of secrecy within the cult, but because of Kerényi's unfortunately fragmented display of writing.
Nevertheless I can forgive what this book lacks, this is excellent source material on a fascinating topic in the history of religion, a cult celebrating divine feminine aspect of nature and humanity alike. I look forward to reading the author's other work, especially on the Dionysian mysteries.
The book could have lived more up to its epithet "archetypal image", which seems to be there mostly because of mutual influence between Jung and Kerényi, but can sadly be misleading about the book's focus. It raises more questions as it answers, though, largely because of the very nature of secrecy within the cult, but because of Kerényi's unfortunately fragmented display of writing.
Nevertheless I can forgive what this book lacks, this is excellent source material on a fascinating topic in the history of religion, a cult celebrating divine feminine aspect of nature and humanity alike. I look forward to reading the author's other work, especially on the Dionysian mysteries.
December 5, 2007
When I write books, I want them to be like this.
February 13, 2011
What was the secret philosophical doctrines behind the Eleusinian Mysteries? Although we cannot know for sure, Karl Kerenyi provides a very plausible possibility.
March 19, 2025
This book is a treasure trove of scholarly information pertaining to the Eleusian mysteries.
January 12, 2015
A well-researched, although somewhat dated examination of the Eleusinian Mysteries.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews