Abstract
In this article, the writer provides a comparison of the worship and ritual rites of Cybele, Demeter, and Isis and their relationship to the larger idea of "The Great Mother" and the goddess. The writer discusses that a search for unity can be found by studying the myths and the cults of the goddesses Cybele, Demeter, and Isis. The writer maintains that the rituals of the pre-Christian cults emphasize unity with the earth and nature, something often lacking from modern religion. Full accounts of the myths and mysteries of each goddess are given followed by an analysis of their similarities.

From the Paper
"It is said that Demeter was so overcome by her moroseness such that no human being could recognize her. She sat by a well in Eleusis disguised as an old woman. Eventually, the daughter of the Eleusian King, Keleos, came upon her and invited her back to their home. Once a white fleece was laid out for her, Demeter sat on a stool in the house. She sat there for a while not speaking or eating. Finally, the wife of Keleos, Mataneira who had a son, Demophon, asked Demeter to nurse him for her. Because Demeter nursed him, he grew like a god. At night, she would put him in a flame in attempt to make him immortal. Once his mother saw what Demeter was doing, she screamed in terror. At this time, Demeter revealed herself for who she was. She claimed that because Mataneira had stopped her actions, Demophon would never attain immortality, but would be strong nonetheless."

Tags:cults, nature, fertility, rituals

Abstract
In this paper, the painting "The Return of Persephone" by Frederick Leighton reveals the symbolic classical mythology of Persephone's return from Hades through the Elysian Mysteries. The symbolic return from the dead of Persephone through Demeter's influence, defines the critical point that reveals the immortality of the human condition in the Elysian Mysteries. With Persephone being placed alongside the mighty Thrice Great Hermes at the dividing line between the upper and lower realms, her return defines a rare instance of return from the land of the dead to the living.

From the Paper
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Tags:leighton, persephone, art

Abstract
This paper analyzes how Homer's "Hymn to Demeter", "The Iliad", and "The Odyssey" all explore the traditional customs of providing shelter for strangers and the consequences for breaking such customs. The paper points out that, in these three tales, one can see the importance placed on good hospitality. They are a reflection of the ancient tradition of receiving guests with kindness and generosity. Breaking these traditions proved disruptive of the rest of the community, and efforts were then taken to restore order. The paper concludes that Homer's writings give us key insight into the everyday values of Greek life and culture.

From the Paper
"These traditions are also highlighted in the breaking of them by the characters in Homer's tales. He highlights the action which broke these taboos, but also a negative response to it by the other figures in the story. When Demeter refused to allow healthy harvests, Zeus had to step in to stop her from taking the lives of millions of people in order to save her single daughter, (Morford and Lanardon 313). This shows the general negative attitude towards disregarding the health and welfare of strangers. Another prime example of breaking this taboo is the account of Achilles and his actions towards Hector's body. Many cultures showed respect to guests, even forced guests as in the case of prisoners of war. It was custom out of respect for fallen soldiers to return the body in order to get the proper funereal rites. In The Iliad, Achilles refuses this custom when he drags Hectors body and refuses to surrender it to the Trojans, (Homer Book 22, line 494). This was a taboo, despite the fact that Hector was an enemy."

Tags:hospitality, ancient, tradition

Abstract
The paper analyzes the connections between the ritual calendar of the Romans and the cyclical elements contained in the myths of Demeter and Dionysus. The paper discusses the issue of whether myths or rituals came first and concludes that it is likely that the rituals preceded the myths.

From the Paper
"Demeter was the Roman goddess of corn and the earth's fertility. She and Dionysus were considered to be benevolent helpers of mankind. Like many of the Roman gods and goddesses, they were honored and represented by daily activities. Demeter and Dionysus were represented by the acts of breaking bread and drinking wine. Demeter lost her daughter to Hades and Dionysus died with the coming of the cold season. It is not difficult to see the mythological connection to death and the coming of cold in the ancient world. The story of Demeter has many cyclical elements, including the compromise that Demurrer's daughter would spend only a portion of the year on earth. This coincides with the fertility cycles and winter on earth."

Tags:agriculture, religion, philosophy, worship

Abstract
This paper first discusses real-life, Ancient Greek marriage rituals and Greek attitudes towards marriage in order to demonstrate how many of the aspects of marriage in Greek myth paralleled aspects of marriage in real life. The paper then discusses three different Greek works and compares each one's depiction of marriage.

From the Paper
"Indeed, many of the things we see in Greek myths happened in real life as well. For example, the Greek girls usually married quite young, around the age of 14, which was meant to ensure that the girl was a virgin and pure in mind and body. "Marriage to a family member was an acceptable alternative and occasionally encouraged in order to consolidate family wealth" - if we look at many of the marriages between gods (taking only this example), we will notice that many of them were affiliated. Remember, for example, that almost all of the Olympian Gods were in some way related, most of them being brothers and sisters, and that many of them were married, like Zeus and Hera, for example."

Tags:homophrosune, union, of, hearts, ideal, relationship, husband, wife, love, friendship

From the Paper
" In one of those peculiar but enduring distinctions that exist between the worlds of high and low culture, the stories of the people of classical Greece have come down to us as myths rather than folktales and so are to be considered in general of greater consequence. However, for the purposes of this essay on the importance of food in fairytales, we shall set aide this distinction for the moment because it is from Greek myth that comes the archetypal story of food and folklore.
The particular story being referred to is that of Demeter who was for the Greeks the goddess of corn and the harvest. When her daughter Persephone was abducted by Hades, god of the underworld, Demeter's grief was so great that she neglected the land; no plants grew, and famine devastated the earth. Dismayed at this situation, Zeus, the ruler of the universe, demanded that..."

Abstract
This paper explains that the Eleusinian Mysteries and their magical initiation rites, begun in a city called Eleusis, were held on an annual basis in honor of the most sacred ritual celebrations of all of ancient Greece. The author points out that the mysteries and the rituals that surrounded them were repeated for more than 2,000 years and were as important to those living in that time as Christmas is to Christians today. The paper relates that the only people who were allowed to participate in the rituals were those who spoke Greek and had never shed blood or had been purified after doing so.

From the Paper
"Historians believe that the Eleusinian Mysteries were derived from this earlier practice. Demeter had promised if the Eleusinians built a temple to her honor she would teach them magic rituals that would create a better existence for them. They built the temple but she did not appear. The world suffered from famine and other ills. Eventually she relented and a poem was written that promised followers a rich reward in this life and in the next life as long as they remained loyal."

Tags:sacred, practice, temple, hierarchy, festival

Abstract
This paper focuses its analysis on the role and significance of rape in the ancient Greek myth of Persephone. The paper begins by defining initiation as a ceremony that results in the admission of a person to a particular association, whether that is an introduction to an age group or an ordination of a priest or entrance to a secret society. The paper goes on to explain that the myth surrounding the rape of Persephone follows this structure precisely with the young daughter being taken away from her mother, Demeter, to the underworld where she spends some time in a state of transition before being reunited with Demeter, but having been fundamentally, and permanently, changed in some sense. The paper asserts that the most convincing argument is to associate the myth with the female initiation of a girl in becoming a woman. The paper concludes that rape is used in the myth because the girl must pass the stage of liminality; otherwise, the myth teaches, there will be dire consequences for man and the cosmos.

From the Paper
"Following this separation kore is in a vulnerable state, as she is no longer part of the household of her father, Zeus. She is in fact at the stage of liminality in the van Gennep structure. This is the equivalent to the day of the marriage, the gamos, for the Greeks. The daughter is on the verge of being transferred to another man's authority but has not quite reached it yet. We are shown, through the myth, that one important aspect of this transferral is the loss of virginity of the bride. '...while I, together with my virginity, lose the air of heaven; stolen from me alike is innocence and daylight.' There is a definite comparison here with the loss of virginity coinciding with the loss of light. It is not merely because kore is being taken down into the underworld with Hades but rather, and more significantly, due to the view of legitimate sex in Greece. Sex was seen as a private affair that should be done in the dark away from others. To do otherwise would make you a barbarian and insinuate the physical act is not part of legitimate marriage. Therefore, the physical act of sex with Hades has transferred the authority of the girl to Hades."

Tags:Greece, ritual, myth, Zeus, Demeter

Abstract
This paper examines the role of goddesses in Greek and Roman mythology. The author discusses how they were worshiped in polytheistic cultures, how goddesses were portrayed as virgins, mothers, wives, always in relation to male counterparts. The paper looks at such goddesses as Hera, Demeter, Gaia, Aphrodite, Artemis, Athena, and more.

From the Paper
"Long ago, the image of the goddess appeared. Stone was carved and bone modeled after a reflection of a maternal figure. Her curvaceous body and falling breasts seem to be humanity's first tangible image of life. From the beginning, the Great Mother was associated with nurturing and life giving. This notion, of Mother Earth as the bearer of all that is living, and the provider of sustenance of life, dates back to a time when we as humans, regarded ourselves as children of nature, and nature as divine, Baring & Cashford, The Myth of the Goddess. London : Penguin Books, 1991. pg. 5. Myths corroborate that women and goddesses were responsible for the discovery of food cultivation and ultimately the preservation of life. While the primacy of the goddess and the idea of the goddess as the creator are not seen in all civilizations, many do show evidence towards this sort of belief."

Tags:aphrodite, gaia, greek, hera, mythology, roman, demeter, cybele, artemis

Abstract
This paper presents a description of the Red Figure Amphora, dating back to 440-430 B.C. The author examines the mythological paintings and carvings depicted on the amphora, and includes information provided by the legend displayed next to the artwork in the museum. The essay also analyzes the various techniques used in drawing, painting and carving, and goes into great detail about the Greek mythological story of the goddess Demeter and her daughter, Persephone, the subject of the artwork. The paper includes pictures of the amphora.

From the Paper
"The Eleusinian Mysteries, held annually in honor of Demeter and Persephone, were the most sacred and revered of all the ritual celebrations of ancient Greece . They were instituted in the city of Eleusis , some twenty-two kilometers west of Athens , possibly as far back as the early Mycenaean period, and continued for almost two thousand years. Large crowds of worshippers from all over Greece (and later, from throughout the Roman Empire ) would gather to make the holy pilgrimage between the two cities and participate in the secret ceremonies, generally regarded as the high point of Greek religion. As Christianity began to spread, the Mysteries were condemned by the early Church fathers; yet the rites continued for hundreds of years more and exercised considerable influence on the formation of early Christian teachings and practices."

Tags:demeter, persephone, hector, attica, zeus, underworld, athens, mythology, greece, homer, rites, kore