Home›Open Questions›Was the kykeon of the Eleusinian Mysteries psychoactive, and was ergot the agent?Open QuestionsWas the kykeon of the Eleusinian Mysteries psychoactive, and was ergot the agent?Citation FormatsGeneral ReferenceGeneral Reference Citation TextDivinity Atlas. "Was the kykeon of the Eleusinian Mysteries psychoactive, and was ergot the agent?." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://divinity.interactivelion.com/open-questions-index/was-the-kykeon-of-the-eleusinian-mysteries-psychoactive-and-was-ergot-the-agent.Copy General ReferenceAPA StyleAPA Style Citation TextDivinity Atlas. (n.d.). Was the kykeon of the Eleusinian Mysteries psychoactive, and was ergot the agent?. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://divinity.interactivelion.com/open-questions-index/was-the-kykeon-of-the-eleusinian-mysteries-psychoactive-and-was-ergot-the-agentCopy APA StyleBibTeXBibTeX Citation Text@misc{divinityatlas-was-the-kykeon-of-the-eleusinian-mysteri, author = {Divinity Atlas}, title = {Was the kykeon of the Eleusinian Mysteries psychoactive, and was ergot the agent?}, year = {2026}, url = {https://divinity.interactivelion.com/open-questions-index/was-the-kykeon-of-the-eleusinian-mysteries-psychoactive-and-was-ergot-the-agent}, note = {Accessed August 30, 2026} }Copy BibTeXOpen QuestionCross-Tradition ConnectionsSourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)Open QuestionProposed by Wasson, Hofmann and Ruck in 1978. It would explain how an experience initiates consistently described as overwhelming could be produced reliably for thousands of people on a schedule. But no ancient source describes anything of the kind, the water extraction needed to separate soluble from toxic alkaloids is delicate, and the argument reasons backwards from the reported effect to a cause that would account for it.What would resolve this Residue analysis of vessels securely associated with the Eleusinian rite, or a text that describes the preparation. Absent either, the question may be permanently undecidable, since the Mysteries were kept for roughly two thousand years and the secret held.OpenClassics, ancient history, archaeochemistry, mycologyR. Gordon Wasson, Albert Hofmann and Carl A. P. Ruck, The Road to Eleusis: Unveiling the Secret of the MysteriesCross-Tradition ConnectionsDiscipline NeededAncient History, Scholarly Disciplines Well-attested Source The Road to Eleusis: Unveiling the Secret of the MysteriesR. Gordon Wasson, Albert Hofmann and Carl A. P. Rucktier 3Archaeochemistry, Scholarly Disciplines Well-attested Source The Road to Eleusis: Unveiling the Secret of the MysteriesR. Gordon Wasson, Albert Hofmann and Carl A. P. Rucktier 3Classics, Scholarly Disciplines Well-attested Source The Road to Eleusis: Unveiling the Secret of the MysteriesR. Gordon Wasson, Albert Hofmann and Carl A. P. Rucktier 3Mycology, Scholarly Disciplines Well-attested Source The Road to Eleusis: Unveiling the Secret of the MysteriesR. Gordon Wasson, Albert Hofmann and Carl A. P. Rucktier 3Question OnErgot, Plants Well-attested Source The Road to Eleusis: Unveiling the Secret of the MysteriesR. Gordon Wasson, Albert Hofmann and Carl A. P. Rucktier 3SourcesThe Road to Eleusis: Unveiling the Secret of the Mysteriestier 3R. Gordon Wasson, Albert Hofmann and Carl A. P. Ruck, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1978View the SourceComments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.View At A Past YearThe atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.Show This Year