A landmark account of the Eleusinian Mysteries by one of the leading mythologists of the twentieth century

The Sanctuary of Eleusis near Athens was the center of a religious cult that endured for nearly two thousand years and whose initiates came from all parts of the civilized world. In this classic work, Carl Kerényi examines the Mysteries of Eleusis from the standpoint not only of Greek myth but also of human nature. He reveals how the yearly autumnal mysteries were based on the ancient myth of Demeter’s search for her ravished daughter Persephone, a search that he equates not only with woman’s quest for completion but with every person’s pursuit of identity. Drawing on archaeology, objects of art, and religious history, Kerényi explores what the mysteries may have been like for those who experienced them and suggests rich parallels with other mythologies.