ELEUSIMAN MYSTERIES
\ɪlˈuːsɪmən mˈɪstəɹiz], \ɪlˈuːsɪmən mˈɪstəɹiz], \ɪ_l_ˈuː_s_ɪ_m_ə_n m_ˈɪ_s_t_ə_ɹ_i_z]\
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(Gr. Hist.) A festival held yearly at Eleusis, near Athens, in honour of Demeter, or Mother Earth. The ceremonial set forth the revival of nature in the spring-time, as the return of the maiden (Kore) Persephone (Proserpine) from the kingdom of Hades, who had stolen her away from the plain of Enna in the late autumn.
By Henry Percy Smith
Word of the day
Snake's-head
- Guinea-hen flower; -- so called in England because its spotted petals resemble the scales of a snake's head.