Demeter And The Founding Of The Elevsian Mysteries
 
 

The Homeric Hymns: To Demeter
 
 

11, 185-299.
 

Hades has carried off Demeter's daughter, Kore. After vainly searching for her, Demeter comes to Eleusis, in disguise as an old woman, and there is received into the house of King Celeus.

Soon they came to the house of heaven nurtured Celeus and went through the portico to where their queenly mother sat by a pillar of the close-fitted roof, holding her son, a tender scion, in her bosom. The girls ran to her, but the goddess walked to the threshold: and her head reached the roof and she filled the doorway with a heavenly radiance.

Then awe and reverence and pale fear took hold of Metaneira, and she rose up from her couch before Demeter, and bade her be seated. Demeter, bringer of seasons and giver of perfect gifts, would not sit upon the bright couch, but stayed silent with lovely eyes cast down until careful Iambe placed a jointed seat for her and threw over it a silvery fleece.

Then she sat down and held her veil in her hands before her face. A long time she sat upon the stool without speaking because of her sorrow, and greeted no one by word or by sign, but rested, never smiling, and tasting neither food nor drink, because she pined with longing for her deep bosomed daughter, until careful Iambe, who pleased her moods in aftertime also, moved the holy lady with many a quip and jest to smile and laugh and cheer her heart.
 
 

Then Metaneira filled a cup with sweet wine and offered it to her; but she refused it, because she said it was not lawful for her to drink red wine, but bade them mix meal and water with soft mint and give her to drink. Metaneira mixed the draught and gave it to the goddess as she bade. So the great queen Deo received it to observe the sacrament.

Of them all, well-girded Metaneira first began to speak: 'Hail, lady. I think you are not meanly but nobly born; truly dignity and grace are conspicuous upon your eyes as in the eyes of kings that deal justice. Yet we mortals bear perforce what the gods send us, though we be grieved; for a yoke is set upon our necks, but now, since you are come here, you shall have what I can bestow: and nurse me this child whom the gods gave me in my old age and beyond my hope, a son much prayed for. If you should bring him up until he reach the full measure of youth, any one of womankind that sees you will straightway envy you, so great reward would I give for his upbringing."

Then rich-haired Demeter answered her: "To you also lady, all hail, and may the gods give you good. Gladly will I take the boy to my breast, as you bid me, and will nurse him. Never, I ween through any heedlessness of his nurse shall witchcraft hurt him nor yet the Under cutter, because I know a charm far stronger than the Woodcutter, and I know an excellent safeguard against woeful witchcraft."

When she had so spoken, she took the child in her fragrant bosom with her divine hands: and his mother was glad in her heart. So the goddess nursed in the place Demophoon, wise Celeus' goodly son whom well-girded Metancira bare.
 
 

The child grew like some immortal being, not fed with food nor nourished at the breast: for by day rich-crowned Demeter would anoint him with ambrosia as if be were the offspring of a god and breathe sweetly upon him as she held him in her bosom, but at night she would hide him like a brand in the heart of the fire, unknown to his dear parents, and it wrought great wonder in these that he grew beyond his age; for he was like the gods face to face.

She would have made him deathless and un-aging, had not well-girded Metaneira in her heedlessness kept watch by night from her sweet-smelling chamber and spied. She wailed and smote her two hips, because she feared for her son and was greatly distraught in her heart, so she lamented and uttered winged words.

"Demophoon my son, the strange woman buries you deep in fire and works grief and bitter sorrow for me." Thus she spoke, mourning.

The bright goddess, lovely-crowned Demeter, heard her, and was wroth with her. So with her divine hands she snatched from the fire the dear son whom Metaneira had borne unhoped-for in the palace, and cast him from her to the ground, for she was terribly angry in her heart.

Forthwith she said to well-girded Metaneira: "Witless are you mortals and dull to foresee your lot, whether of good or evil, that comes upon you. For now in your heedlessness you have wrought folly past healing; be witness the oath of the gods, the relentless water of Styx, I would have made your dear son deathless and un-aging all his days and would have bestowed on him everlasting honour, but now he can in no way escape death and the fates.

"Yet shall unfailing honour always rest upon him, because he lay upon my knees and slept in my arms. As the years move round and when he is in his prime, the sons of the Eleusinians shall ever wage war and dread strife, with one another continually.

"Lo! I am that Demeter who has share of honour and is the greatest help and cause of joy to the undying gods and mortal men. Now, let all the people build me a great temple and an altar below it and beneath the city and its sheer wall upon a rising hillock above Callichorus. I myself will teach my rites, that hereafter you may reverently perform them and so win the favour of my heart."
 
 

When she had so said, the goddess changed her stature and her looks, thrusting old age away from her: beauty spread round about her and a lovely fragrance was wafted from her sweet-smelling robes, and from the divine body of the goddess a light shone afar, while golden tresses spread down over her shoulders, so that the strong house was filled with brightness as with lightning. So she went out from the palace.

Straightway Metaneira's knees were loosed and she remained speechless for a long while and did not remember to take up her late born son from the ground, but his sisters heard his pitiful wailing and sprang down from their well-spread beds; one of them took up the child in her arms and laid him in her bosom, while another revived the fire, and a third rushed with soft feet to bring their mother from her fragrant chamber.

They gathered about the struggling child and washed him, embracing him lovingly; but he was not comforted, because nurses and handmaids much less skilful were holding him now.

All night long they sought to appease the glorious goddess, quaking with fear, but, as dawn began to show, they told powerful Celeus all things without fail, as the lovely-crowned goddess Demeter charged them.

So Celeus called the countless people. to an assembly and bade them make a goodly temple for rich-haired Demeter and an altar upon the rising hillock, and they obeyed him right speedily and harkened to his voice, doing as he commanded. As for the child, he grew like an immortal being.
 
 
 
 
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