Mysteries

There were many different religious groups in Greece and Rome that didn't correspond to the usual official religions of the various gods and goddesses. Their rites and sometimes their teachings were kept secret, so that they were only understood by the cult's initiated members. For these this reason, these groups were known as "mystery religions."

The main beliefs and themes of these mystery cults had to do with fertility, seasons and the afterlife or eschatology. In addition, Greece and Rome syncretized the teachings of the mysteries with their own knowledge, such as the Pythagoreans and Platonists (and Neoplatonists).

One important thing to know about the mystery cults is that the initiations were often opened to women, and even to foreigners and slaves. Just about anyone could choose to follow a particular belief. In the Neolithic period and the Bronze Age, women might have played a more important role in their communities and in their religions, but their status was reduced with the coming of the Hellenic people.

Women, young or old, often took advantage of participating or attending religious festivals or initiation to cults, particularly those of the Dionysiac or Eleusinian Mysteries, to get away from their domestic duties.

I have only chosen to discuss certain mystery religions as a background, being more interested with the myths themselves, and not so much in their rites and customs. You will find brief information about the rites and teaching of the cults here, as well as the myths behind each cult.