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Karl Kerenyi
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Eleusis: Archetypal Image of Mother and Daughter Paperback – August 12, 1991

by Carl Kerényi (Author), Ralph Manheim (Translator)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 40 ratings
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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.

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  1. Print length
    516 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Princeton University Press
  4. Publication date
    August 12, 1991
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.75 x 8.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0691019150
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0691019154
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book is fascinating reading and serves as a meaningful complement to George E. Mylonas's magisterial work, Eleusis and the Eleusinian Mysteries." ― Library Journal

From the Back Cover

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.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Princeton University Press; New Ed edition (August 12, 1991)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 516 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0691019150
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0691019154
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.75 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 40 ratings

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Karl Kerenyi

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4.6 out of 5 stars
40 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Emily Tomlinson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing
    Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Kerenyi is one of the greatest of all time and this is one of his best.
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  • Gloria M. Dunn Porter
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Mystery of The Mysteries...
    Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2008
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    This book is a sincere attempt to piece together the secret of the Eleusinian Mysteries. Pouring over the Greek myths, history and the social institutions, Kerenyi tries to ferret out the truth behind the mystery. He works hard, and gets very close but in the end it is all conjecture. That said this was a marvelous book. It is clear the Kerenyi knows his Greek mythology and history, and his conclusions are logical enough to be possible. I have been obsessed about the secret of the Mysteries since I first learned about them and Kerenyi's book gets you as close as one can get to an extinct secret ancient religion.
    12 people found this helpful
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  • Nottsdottir
    5.0 out of 5 stars It's Kerenyi -- need I say more?
    Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    I absolutely love this book and while I know that someone was complaining because he isn't able to conclude what the Mysteries were but I'd take Kerenyi's observations over a team of similar experts. The man had knowledge and here you will find it aptly applied. I recommend this book for anyone interested in the story behind Greek Mythology.
    7 people found this helpful
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  • Kelly (Fantasy Literature)
    5.0 out of 5 stars The best-kept secret in the ancient world...
    Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2002
    ...was the supreme revelation of the Eleusinian Mysteries.
    The Mysteries, if you aren't familiar with them, were an initiatory ritual dedicated to the grain mother, Demeter, and her daughter Persephone, who married the lord of death and agreed to split her time between the upper world and the lower. Thousands of Greeks lined up to receive initiation year after year, and afterward they raved of a beatific vision that completely dispelled their fear of death. But they were sworn to secrecy about the things they saw in the Goddesses' temple, and so there are no records explicitly saying what happened there. Many scholars have studied the Mysteries, and at the end of their essays thrown up their hands, figuratively, and saying there is no way we will ever know what the revelation was.
    Kerenyi does a wonderful job, in this scholarly book, of trying to put his finger on the nature of the vision. He starts by ruling out things that it could not have been. Poetic sources vividly describe the abduction of Persephone/Kore, and her return to her mother. There were no secrets there. Thus, the Mysteries must not have centered around either of these events. He then uses archaeological and literary evidence to piece together a surmise about what the Mysteries really were. So many little things, in Kerenyi's hands, add up to become significant. Why won't Demeter drink wine during her mourning period? What is the meaning behind the scene where she puts the boy in the fire to make him immortal? What about tantalizing poetic hints that Demeter, like earlier mother goddesses, might have descended to the underworld herself in search of her daughter?
    In the end, Kerenyi's theory works quite well. The Mysteries could very well have been much like what he describes. And yet, even if he's right, there is still something mysterious about the whole production. We might have finally figured out what the priests and priestesses of Eleusis showed to the initiates. But we have to use our imaginations to recreate the feeling it must have given them, the meaning it must have held, in a less cynical age than our own.
    60 people found this helpful
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  • Johnny
    3.0 out of 5 stars An expert overview of facts without much insight
    Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2024
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    This work extensively covers archeology at Eleusis, and discusses all available tradition of the myth and ritual of Demeter and Persephone. There is some speculative attempt to reconstruct the unspoken mystery. The is less that one paragraph trying to vaguely explain why the two goddesses are the archetypal image of mother and daughter, which is emphasized in the subtitle. This is a difficult read with detailed scholarship, but the question of why this mystery was so important to the ancient Greeks is not made clear.
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  • Luc REYNAERT
    5.0 out of 5 stars Profound analysis of the mysteries of Eleusis.
    Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2002
    I recommend this book as a formidable try to unravel one of the most important ancient pagan mysteries, that survived for more than a thousand years in the Ancient world.
    For Kerenyi, the core of the mysteries was the message that 'a birth in death was possible', also for human beings. This message was 'shown' through the ancient myth of the search of Demeter for her ravished daughter Persephone. She finds Persephone under the earth, where she gives birth to Dionysos. The hope of life in death was symbolized through Demeter's offering of the grain, that will grow again. We can see this important hapenning on a stele in the Ancient museum of Athens.
    The initiated had to fast and were given a drug (the kykeon) just before the procession.
    Nearly all Roman emperors were initiated (with a special place for Marcus Aurelius).
    One of the initiated was Plato, who speaks about it in his work 'Phaidoon'.
    The influence on Christianity by the mysteries cannot be underestimated, for Plato's theory of the soul was adopted by the Church.
    A compelling read.
    35 people found this helpful
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  • Gemma Weston
    5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent resource!
    Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2004
    This is an excellent book, favored especially by many women who find the mother-daughter archetype something that they want to explore. There are many excellent facts of great interest to those seeking to know the background of Demeter's Mysteries.

    The first edition of this book was in 1967. I think it holds up pretty well. The reviewer who calls himself "flygadfly" thereby identifying himself with the ancient philosopher Socrates, states that the information is outdated. To expect current values and philosophies to exist in a book that was published 37 years ago is an illogical expectation.

    I really love this book. It has an honored place in my home library.

    -Gem
    7 people found this helpful
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  • S W
    5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth the money
    Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2004
    Kerényi's scholarship *might* include a touch of fantasy, but on the whole, it is well-researched, and he provided documentation for his claims through extensive footnotes. I used this book as the foundation of my MA thesis, and have never regretted it. I would highly recommend this to anyone who wants to study the Eleusinian Mysteries in a serious way, but remember to read this with "a grain of salt," as one should with any book.
    6 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Claudina Romero
    5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 26, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    It is beautifully written, well-explained, nicely organised...this book is great.
    If you are interested in the Eleusis myths, mysteries, iconography and history, there is no better option than this.
    The format of the book is perfect to take in your bag and I read it in just one day!!!!
    Great great great book!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Wiglere
    2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing work.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 6, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    An unimpressive work. The approach is hugely outdated, and weak in most respects. Kerényi cites quite a few sources, but has no real ability to make critical assessments of their worth or context. His presentation is confused, jumping from one period to another, one stage of the mysteries to another. His arguments are elusive, and smack of modern psychological (and rather air-headed) approaches rather than deriving from an understanding of ancient thought; insofar as they can be pinned down at all, they are often at best weakly derived from the sources themselves. He has no awareness of anthropological materials from comparable societies that have mystery cults, and consequently does not really understand how to analyse them. His treatment fails to meet up to what would be expected now in terms of an understanding of classical sources, comparative religion, mythology and its symbolic representation in poetry and cult, or anthropology. Unfortunately, there is no single work on Eleusis which does show the necessary understanding in these fields, though there are many articles on various aspects of the mysteries. The book may be OK if you want to get a general (though confused) idea about some of the materials relating to the mysteries, but cannot be recommended beyond that.
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