Orphic and Eleusinian Mysteries

The following links lead to a variety of free, educational resources on the Orphic and Eleusinian Mysteries. New resources will be added, and this list will be updated periodically.

Getting Started

New to Orphism or the Eleusinian Mysteries? Start here!

• Introduction to Orpheus and Orphism
• The Eleusinian Mysteries
• Philosophy of the Orphic Mysteries
• The Greater Mysteries at Eleusis
• The Orphic Rhapsodic Theogony
• The Orphic Hymns: Taylor Translation
• Homeric Hymn to Demeter: Nagy Translation
• Shedding Light on Orphic Gods

Digging Deeper

Resources that provide a deeper perspective on the Mysteries

• The Orphic Fragments of Otto Kern
• The Orphic Tradition and Rosicrucian Manifestos
• The Petelia Gold Tablet
• Plato's Orpheus: Philosophical Appropriation of Orphic Formulae
• The Orphic Diet
• The Platonic Frenzies in Ficino
• The Orphic Lithica

JStor

The following sources require a JStor account to view. Free JStor accounts grant you access to a certain number of articles per month. Accessing JStor through your local or university library may give you greater access.

• The Doctrines of the Orphic Mysteries
• Mythical & Cosmological Structure in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter
• Early Orphism and Kindred Religious Movements
• Divinities in the Orphic Gold Leaves
• EXPERIENTIAL ASPECTS OF ANCIENT GREEK MYSTERY RITES
• The Toys of Dionysus
• Evidence for Orphic Charms in Euripides' Cyclops 646-48?

Art & Music

Experience the Mysteries first-hand through art and music inspired or influenced by these practices.

• Secrets of the Heavens: Ficino's Translation of the Orphic Hymns
• Orphic Hymn to Hygeia
• Prosperpina et Ceres