Colloquia Theologica Ottoniana

The Eleusinian Mysteries belong to the group of subjects that intrigue pre-Christian religion researchers. The continuous keen interest is the result of the signifi cance of these ancient beliefs, their scope and, above all, a mysterious nature. There is a general agreement that the pre-beginnings of the rituals can be traced to as early as in the Aegean culture. Their end, in turn, coincides with the demise of the political existence of the Roman Empire. Undoubtedly, they confirm the widespread belief that the mystery religions are the most stable cultic forms. The rites were by no means a niche phenomenon, in fact, they affected diverse spheres of life of people of individual classes and nations. Among the initiates were both slaves and Roman emperors. The doctrine associated with the ceremonial regulated not only the sphere of religious life, but was a reflection of the outlook on life, concerned social and state affairs. The determination of mystae in an effort to gain initiation in Eleusis stemmed from probably the deepest human desire, the desire to defeat the power of death. The rites were aimed at making the participants to understand the supernatural world and to offer them the hope of eternity. The conviction that there is a supernatural reality is one of the key postulates of the beliefs under discussion. Interesting to note is that the closeness between gods and people is greater than in other pre-Christian cults. Although gods are distant and, at times, raising even fear by their ruthless actions, nevertheless the story of Ceres shows that she can be grateful to people, who have positive attitude not only to sovereignty but also to each other. The story told in an old tale was interpreted symbolically and translated with the use of allegory, which was later typical of ancient religions. Superstitiousness, believing in fortune-telling, inevitability of God’s judgments, the belief that passions are the driving force behind many actions and that love can overcome all obstacles can also be regarded as typical manifestations of piety at that time. Thus, the myth concerning the chthonic deities became the basis for an interesting religious phenomenon that allows us to understand other mystery cults and makes us more familiar with the outlook on life of many people in ancient times.