Editing Kykeon

{{Short description|Ancient Greek drink}}
[[File:NAMA Circé &amp; Ulysse.jpg|thumb|Circe and Odysseus, white-ground lekythos by the Athena Painter, ca. 490–480 BC. From Eretria National Archaeological Museum in Athens, 1133.|250px|right]]
'''Kykeon''' ({{Langx|grc|κυκεών}}, {{Lang|grc-Latn|kykeȏn}}; from {{Lang|grc|κυκάω}}, {{Lang|grc-Latn|kykáō}}; "to stir, to mix") was an [[Ancient Greece|Ancient Greek]] drink of varied description. Some were made of water, barley and naturally occurring substances. Others were made with [[wine]] and [[grated cheese]].<ref>{{cite book |title=A History of Greek Philosophy |last=Guthrie|first=W. K. C.|volume=1 |publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1978|page=449}}</ref> It is widely believed that kykeon refers to a [[psychoactive]] brew, as in the case of the [[Eleusinian Mysteries]].<ref name=Wag>{{cite book|last=González Wagner|first=Carlos|title=Psicoactivos, misticismo y religión en el mundo antiguo|url=|date=1984|publisher=[[Complutense University of Madrid]]|page=|isbn=}}</ref> A kykeon was used at the climax of the Eleusinian Mysteries to break a sacred fast, but it is also mentioned as a favourite drink of Greek peasants.

==Ancient sources and description==
Kykeon is mentioned in [[Homer]]ic texts: the [[Iliad]] describes it as consisting of Pramnian [[wine]], [[barley]], and grated [[goat's cheese]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Homer |author-link=Homer |title=[[Iliad]] |at=XI, 638–641}}</ref> In the [[Odyssey]], [[Circe]] adds some honey and pours her magic potion into it.<ref>{{cite book |author=Homer |author-link=Homer |title=[[Odyssey]] |at=X, 234}}</ref> In the [[Homeric Hymn]] to [[Demeter]], the goddess refuses red wine but accepts kykeon made from water, barley, and [[Mentha pulegium|pennyroyal]].<ref>{{cite book |title=[[Homeric Hymn]]s |chapter=Homeric Hymn to Demeter |at=210}}</ref>

Pennyroyal, or mint, was supposed to have digestive properties: In [[Aristophanes]]' ''[[Peace (Aristophanes)|Peace]]'' [[Hermes]] recommends it to the hero who ate too much dry fruit and nuts.<ref>{{cite book |type=play |author=Aristophanes |author-link=Aristophanes |title=[[Peace (Aristophanes)|Peace]] |at=v. 712}}</ref> Pennyroyal was also said to have medicinal qualities for women, acting as a contraceptive and abortifacient and in birthing and nursing the newborn.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt3fgxdk?turn_away=true&seq=20 |title=The Homeric "Hymn to Demeter": Translation, Commentary, and Interpretive Essays |date=1994 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0-691-01479-1 |edition=STU - Student}}</ref> This possibly could have linked the Eleusinian mysteries to female sexuality. However, its use as a digestive aid could have also been useful in breaking a fast.<ref name=":2" />

Aristocrats shunned it as a peasant drink: [[Theophrastus]]' ''Characters'' depicts a peasant who goes to the [[Ecclesia (ancient Athens)|Ecclesia]] drunk with kykeon.<ref>{{cite book |author=Theophrastus |author-link=Theophrastus |title=Characters |at=IV, 2–3}}</ref>

==Eleusinian Mysteries==
{{main|Eleusinian Mysteries#Entheogenic theories}}
In an attempt to solve the mystery of how so many people over the span of two millennia could have consistently experienced revelatory states during the culminating ceremony of the [[Eleusinian Mysteries]], it has been posited that the barley used in the Eleusinian kykeon was parasitized by [[ergot]], and that the psychoactive properties of that fungus triggered the intense experiences alluded to by the participants at Eleusis.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.psychedelic-library.org/Mixing%20the%20Kykeon%20Final%20Draft.pdf |title=Mixing the ''Kykeon'' |journal=Eleusis: Journal of Psychoactive Plants and Compounds |series=New Series |volume=4 |year=2000}}{{full citation needed|date=April 2020}}</ref><ref name=Wag/> Ergot is a common fungus that can infect cereal grains such as barley, a main ingredient in the kykeon.

[[Albert Hofmann|Albert Hoffmann]] has confirmed that the ergot of barley would contain two psychoactive alkaloids, [[ergonovine]] and [[lysergic acid amide]]. Both of these alkaloids are soluble in water, meaning that it would have been relatively easy to prepare a hallucinogenic solution. However, there was a lack of evidence that the kykeon would have contained ergot until the excavations at a site in [[Girona]], Spain, Mas Castellar de Pontós.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Muraresku |first=Brian C. |title=The immortality key: the secret history of the religion with no name |last2=Hancock |first2=Graham |date=2020 |publisher=St. Martin's Press |isbn=978-1-250-20714-2 |location=New York}}</ref> According to Dr. Denise Demetriou, this site would have been multi-ethnic and contained open access sanctuaries, one of which being a part of the Eleusinian mysteries.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Demetriou |first=Denise |date=2011 |title=What Is an Emporion? A Reassessment |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41342851 |journal=Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte |volume=60 |issue=3 |pages=255–272 |issn=0018-2311}}</ref> During the excavations at the Girona site, Dr. Enriqueta Pons discovered a main chapel that happened to contain [[krater]]s depicting scenes of the Eleusinian rites. This discovery confirmed the link between the site and the Eleusinian mysteries.<ref name=":0" /> Two artifacts found in the chapel were found to contain traces of ergot sclerotia, a chalice linked to the kykeon and between the teeth of a human jawbone. The presence of ergot found in items that are connected to the Eleusinian mysteries has compelled some historians to believe that this evidence confirms the use of entheogenic substances, primarily ergot which grew on barley. These proponents argue that while not every Eleusinian cult used ergot, it is more than likely that the use of ergot was not uncommon in the mysteries and was prevalent in helping the initiates find divinity.<ref name=":0" /> Others, such as [[Walter Burkert]], have rejected the idea of ergot being used, but acknowledge the possibility of other entheogenic substances in the mysteries.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/AncientMysteryCultsWalterBurkert1987/page/n115/mode/2up |title=Ancient Mystery Cults Walter Burkert ( 1987) |language=English}}</ref> Another possibility could be opium, as the poppy, alongside the grain of wheat, was a common attribution to [[Demeter]]. However, this theory lacks evidence to support the importation of opium to Eleusis to support thousands.<ref name=":1" /> Burkert argues against the use of entheogenic substances in the mysteries, and believes that the process of fasting before the initiation followed by a sacrificial meal would have been sufficient to create “communal bliss”.<ref name=":1" /> Because of the simplicity of this process, it would have allowed for mass religion to be easily accessible, he argues.<ref name=":1" />

==See also==
* [[Ancient Greece and wine]]
* [[Ancient Greek cuisine]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{cite book |title=The Road to Eleusis: Unveiling the Secret of the Mysteries |author1-link=R. Gordon Wasson |author1=Wasson, R.G. |author2-link=Albert Hofmann |author2=Hofmann, A. |author3-link=Carl A. P. Ruck |author3=Ruck, C.}}{{full citation needed|reason=publisher; date|date=April 2020}} — author [[Albert Hofmann|A. Hofmann]] is the inventor of [[Lysergic acid diethylamide|LSD]]
* {{cite book |language=fr |first=Armand |last=Delatte |title=Le Cycéon, breuvage rituel des mystères d'Éleusis |publisher=Belles Lettres |place=Paris |year=1955}}

== External links ==
* {{cite web |url=http://www.x-sandra.com/valencic/valencic/ivan.htm |title=Has the mystery of the Eleusinian mysteries been solved?}}

{{Greek religion|state=collapsed}}

[[Category:Entheogens]]
[[Category:Ancient Greek religion]]
[[Category:Herbal and fungal hallucinogens]]
[[Category:Eleusinian Mysteries]]
[[Category:Historical foods]]
[[Category:Historical drinks]]
[[Category:Ancient Greek cuisine]]