Why have the Eleusinian Mysteries, an ancient religious cult shrouded in secrecy, continued to fascinate us thousands of years after their final rites were performed? This book dives into the heart of that question, tracing the Mysteries from their Archaic roots to their reinterpretation in the modern age. Blending literary analysis, historical context, and cultural theory, it explores the complex motivations behind initiation, moving beyond the traditional focus on the afterlife to uncover the civic, emotional, and social reasons that drew ancient Greeks, including women and outsiders, into...