Kykeon (, ; from , "to stir, to mix") was an
Ancient Greek drink of various descriptions. Some were made mainly of water, barley and naturally occurring substances. Others were made with
wine and
grated cheese. It is widely believed that kykeon usually refers to a
psychoactive
A psychoactive drug, psychopharmaceutical, psychoactive agent or psychotropic drug is a chemical substance, that changes functions of the nervous system, and results in alterations in perception, mood, consciousness, cognition or behavior.
Th ...
compounded brew, as in the case of the
Eleusinian Mysteries.
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
Homeric texts: the
Iliad describes it as consisting of Pramnian
wine,
barley, and grated
goat's cheese
Goat cheese, or chèvre ( or ; from French language, French ''fromage de chèvre'' 'goat cheese'), is cheese made from goat's milk. Goats were among the first animals to be domesticated for producing food. Goat cheese is made around the world w ...
. In the
Odyssey,
Circe adds some honey and pours her magic potion into it. In the
Homeric Hymn
The ''Homeric Hymns'' () are a collection of thirty-three anonymous ancient Greek hymns celebrating individual gods. The hymns are "Homeric" in the sense that they employ the same epic meter—dactylic hexameter—as the ''Iliad'' and ''Odyssey'', ...
to
Demeter
In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Demeter (; Attic: ''Dēmḗtēr'' ; Doric: ''Dāmā́tēr'') is the Olympian goddess of the harvest and agriculture, presiding over crops, grains, food, and the fertility of the earth. Although s ...
, the goddess refuses red wine but accepts kykeon made from water, barley, and
pennyroyal.
It was supposed to have digestive properties: In
Aristophanes' ''
Peace''
Hermes recommends it to the hero who ate too much dry fruit and nuts.
Aristocrats shunned it as a peasant drink:
Theophrastus' ''Characters'' depicts a peasant who goes to the
Ecclesia
Ecclesia (Greek: ἐκκλησία ''ekklēsia'') may refer to:
Organizations
* Ecclesia (ancient Greece) or Ekklēsia, the principal assembly of ancient Greece during its Golden Age
* Ecclesia (Sparta), the citizens' assembly of Sparta, often w ...
drunk with kykeon.
Eleusinian Mysteries
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
Ergot ( ) or ergot fungi refers to a group of fungi of the genus ''Claviceps''.
The most prominent member of this group is ''Claviceps purpurea'' ("rye ergot fungus"). This fungus grows on rye and related plants, and produces alkaloids that ca ...
, and that the psychoactive properties of that fungus triggered the intense experiences alluded to by the participants at Eleusis.
[
Discovery of fragments of ergot (fungi containing LSD-like psychedelic alkaloids) in a temple dedicated to the two Eleusinian goddesses excavated at the Mas Castellar site ( Girona, Spain) provided some possible support for this theory. Ergot fragments were found inside a vase and within the dental calculus of a 25-year-old man, providing evidence of ergot being consumed (Juan-Stresserras, 2002). This finding seems to support the hypothesis of ergot as an ingredient of the Eleusinian kykeon.
For more on the possibilities of kykeon's psychoactive properties, see entheogenic theories of the Eleusinian mysteries.
]
See also
* Ancient Greece and wine
The influence of wine in ancient Greece helped ancient Greece trade with neighboring countries and regions. Many mannerisms and cultural aspects were associated with wine. It led to great change in Ancient Greece as well.
The ancient Greeks p ...
* Ancient Greek cuisine
References
Bibliography
* — author A. Hofmann is the inventor of LSD
*
External links
*
{{Greek religion, state=collapsed
Entheogens
Ancient Greek religion
Herbal and fungal hallucinogens
Eleusinian Mysteries
Historical foods
Historical drinks
Ancient Greek cuisine