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Citation: S/HE: An International Journal of Goddess Studies Volume 2 Number 2 (2023)
Thesmophoria: Women’s Mysteries of Fertility and the Foundation of Greek Civilization
Mara Lynn Keller
Abstract In ancient Greece, women held yearly women-only rites in honor of Demeter Thesmophoros, to inaugurate the season of sowing to be completed by men farmers. At the Thesmophoria, women ritually celebrated their love as mothers and daughters; honored their role of birth-giver as sacred; and invoked the fertility of Earth, humans, and the grain crops for feeding all the people. The larger community understood these rites that provided a staple food source to be the foundation of peace, a just society, and civilization itself. Women left their daily roles in a male-dominated society to gather in their own sacred spaces, apart from male supervision, to celebrate their own fertility and that of Mother Earth. They took this time to express with one another their feelings of grief, anger, longing, and mother-daughter love. This article answers the following questions: What is the meaning of Demeter’s title, Thesmophoros? What was the mythic focus and practical function of each of the three days of ritual? What was the Thesmophoria’s impact on women and girls and on the larger community? What is the relevance of these rites for women and culture today?
Keywords Goddess Studies, Women’s Spirituality, Ecofeminism, World Religions, Eleusinian Mysteries, Ancient Crete, Higher Education, Holy Lady Wisdom, Sophia, Old Europe, Gimbutas, Earth Mother.In ancient Greece, women held yearly women-only rites in honor of Demeter Thesmophoros to inaugurate the season of sowing to be completed by men farmers. At the Thesmophoria, women ritually celebrated their love as mothers and daughters; honored their role of birth-giver as sacred; and invoked the fertility of Earth, humans, and the grain-crops for feeding all the people. The larger community understood these rites that provided a staple food source…
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