Underworld Gods in Ancient Greek Religion: Death and Reciprocity

Description

This volume presents a case for how and why people in archaic and classical Greece worshipped Underworld gods. These gods are often portrayed as malevolent and transgressive, giving an impression that ancient worshippers derived little or no benefit from developing ongoing relationships with them. In this book, the first book-length study that focuses on Underworld gods as an integral part of the religious landscape of the period, Mackin Roberts challenges this view and shows that Underworld gods are, in many cases, approached and ‘befriended’ in the same way as any other kind of god. Underworld Gods in Ancient Greek Religion provides a fascinating insight into the worship of these deities, and will be of interest to anyone working on ancient Greek religion and cult. Cover Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of Contents List of figures Thanks Preface A note about periodisation 1. The religious landscape of archaic and classical Greece Greek religion Thin coherence and the Underworld Imagined differences: ‘chthonic’ and ‘Olympic’ gods 2. Landscapes of the Underworld The Anthesteria The Keres: when is an underworld god not an underworld god? Concluding note 3. Hades as god and place Hades and mortals Concluding note 4. Death and plenty: Agriculture and the underworld in mythology Persephone, Kore, and the Mysteries Agriculture and the rape of Demeter Concluding note 5. Rites-of-passage and metaphorical death Hermes the transgressor: on passing through the Underworld Marriage and death: Persephone at Lokroi and Hades in Athens Concluding note 6. Personal interactions with Underworld gods Curses! Underworld gods and the katadesmoi How to get to the Underworld: the gods on the ‘Orphic’ tablets How to get the Underworld to come to you: Necromancy Concluding note 7. The dead – belief and reality What happens to the dead? Dying into death: how to die Concluding note Afterword: Hekate, the missing figure Appendix 1: Underworld gods on curse tablets Hermes Appendix 2: Underworld-related cults of Demeter Cults of Demeter χθόνια: an underworld provenance? Other ‘chthonic’ cults of demeter: rape, grief, and (in)fertility Bibliography Index