What was done, said and shown to initiates in the sanctuary at Eleusis.
Material type
Initiatory rite
Restricted to
Initiates (mystai and epoptai)
Restriction mechanism
social_sanction
Stated reason
The rites of Demeter and Kore were not to be spoken of
Tradition origins
by the 6th century BCE
Recorded practice status
Discontinued
Provisional: no dated status evidence is linked.
Status as of
Not recorded
Status claims
Not recorded
Disclosure dates, source publication dates, tradition origins and dates of practice are separate.
What this disclosure covers
Not recorded.
The source
Eleusis and the Eleusinian Mysteries (SRC-0032; authenticity: Unassessed)
Author
George E. Mylonas
Original publication
1961
Linked edition
Not recorded
Format
Academic
Provenance
academic_fieldwork
Rights of source work
Copyrighted
Identifiers
ol:OL4397162W
Source content hash
Not recorded
Archaeology of the sanctuary and review of the ancient testimony.
Claims about this item
These claims may cite other sources for the same restricted item. Supporting and contradicting evidence remain separate.
CLM-0017 · Content
The password (synthema) of the Eleusinian initiates was a formula stating that the initiate had fasted, drunk the kykeon, taken something from the chest, handled it, and returned it by way of the basket to the chest.
Checked against the Internet Archive text on 2026-11-04. Butterworth renders kykeon as 'the draught' and notes an emendation that would change 'having done my task' to 'having tasted'. The source is hostile and its access to the rites is not established.
SRC-0031: Source authenticity is unassessed; this is separate from the truth of its assertions.
SRC-0031: No source-level content_hash is recorded; linked artifact hashes may identify excerpts, derivatives or metadata instead.
ITEM-0019: The recorded practice status is provisional: no dated status claims are linked.
Evidence qualifications
SRC-0032 · source_authenticity_unassessed: Source authenticity is unassessed; this is separate from the truth of its assertions.
SRC-0032 · source_without_content_hash: No source-level content_hash is recorded; linked artifact hashes may identify excerpts, derivatives or metadata instead.
DISC-0033 · record_unreviewed: Record review status is unreviewed; review is not proof of truth.
DISC-0033 · disclosure_without_coverage: The parts, version or edition covered by this disclosure have not been specified.
ITEM-0019 · status_without_dated_evidence: The recorded practice status is provisional: no dated status claims are linked.
Reviewed means checked against a source. It does not establish source authenticity, independent corroboration or present-day practice.
Item notes
Profaning the Mysteries was a criminal offence at Athens.
