Lists of Mystai or Mysterious Lists? In Search of the Worshippers of Demeter Chthonia in Hermione

Lecture by Jenny Wallensten | Swedish Institute at Athens

The Demeter temple as reconstructed by Dr Jesper Blid, Opuscula 14, 2021, p. 125. © Dr Jesper Bild, Opuscula 14, 2021, p. 125.

When the traveller Pausanias visited the city and territory of Hermione, he found much to write about (2.34.4-2.35.11) and was very impressed by its main sanctuary, that of Demeter Chthonia (2.35.4-2.35.10). This goddess was celebrated with a magnificent procession and strange sacrifice each summer and most likely with mystery rituals. In my paper, I will address what is usually included among the evidence for Hermionian mysteries, several documents that have been interpreted as lists of mystai. Do they corroborate the existence of mystic rites, and can they help us identify the worshippers of the intriguing goddess Demeter Chthonia?

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Date

May 27, 2025, 5:00 EEST

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Otto Wagner Postsparkasse, Georg-Coch-Platz 2, 1010 Wien, Seminar Room 1 & 2, 3th floor

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