Iambe – From Lament To Obscenity: Rhythm and music in the Eleusinian myth and mysteries
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65828/7qrdj389Keywords:
Myth, metaphor, phenomenology, Iambe, music, rhythm, Eleusinian mysteriesAbstract
The Homeric Hymn to Demeter formed the theme of one of the longest standing mysteries in the ancient world, the Eleusinian Mysteries. Demeter sets on a quest to find her daughter Persephone who, abducted by Hades, is violently taken to the underworld. An existential-phenomenological study of the myth reveals its importance as an ancient testimony to a journey of transformation of consciousness. It is at a crucial point that Iambe and her music completely change the narrative; her word and jest dramatically affect gods and humans alike.
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A Greek terracotta figurine of Baubo, of the face-in-torso type, holding a lyre. From Priene, Anatolia
