THE QUESTION: Demeter

As the Week XI assignment indicated, we have been saving up information to talk about Demeter and Persephone--and especially about what they do at Eleusis. This includes what's on the Internet and what's in Powell.

So let that be the BIG question:

-What are Demeter and Persephone doing at Eleusis?
-What is the initiation into the Eleusinian Mysteries supposed to accomplish for a person? In this life? In the next?
-What do the priests do to the initiates physically and spiritually AT ELEUSIS?
-What's all the mystery with the Mysteries?

In doing the assignment,

(a) you should read what other people post on the Yahoo Message Board.
(b) Don't repeat what they say, but comment on it, add to it, expand it.
(c) If there is nothing there about an idea you have, post your own message. This is supposed to be like a conversation. People in a conversation don't (usually) repeat what everybody else has already said before they add their own thought. You can participate any number of times, as in a conversation, but keep in mind that people who hog the conversation get boring and are disliked. At the same time, people who don't participate can't be graded. Try to be polite, as you criticize others' ideas.

A grade willl be based on (a) participation (i.e. number of posts); (b) new thoughts you add; (c) quality of analysis and criticism you bring to the discussion.

You can start posting immediately, and go on until I tell you to stop--or until you run out of things to say.