The Agricultural Cycle, Maternal Grief, and the Sacred Rites of EleusisLugh McKenna
Length36m
About this audiobook
This volume investigates the profound authority of Demeter, the Olympian goddess who governs agriculture, the harvest, and the sacred laws of civilization. The central analysis is dedicated to the abduction of her daughter, Persephone, which serves as the foundational myth for understanding not only the cycle of the seasons but also the core tenets of Greek belief regarding life, death, and rebirth.
The text traces Demeter’s desperate search and the resulting cosmic crisis—a worldwide famine caused by her grief—which forced the Olympian order to negotiate a new balance between the upper world and the Underworld.
The volume culminates in the establishment of the Eleusinian Mysteries, the most revered religious rites in the ancient world, interpreting them as Demeter’s ultimate gift to humanity: a ritual framework for comprehending loss and a promise of continuity after death.
