The Mysteries, A Novel of Ancient Eleusis Read online



  The Mysteries

  A Novel of Ancient Eleusis

  by

  David Sheppard

  Complete in One Volume

  Previously published in two volumes:

  Daughter of Darkness

  and

  The Dadouchos

  Copyright 2012 by David Sheppard

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN-13: 978-1-4764-2558-0

  ISBN-10: 1-4764-2558-2

  Cover Illustration and Map by Richard Sheppard

  Book Web site:

  https://www.themysteriesofeleusis.com

  FOR

  All the brave women throughout history

  whose stories have never been told.

  Acknowledgements

  The concept of this book is the outgrowth of a conversation I had with a friend of mine several years ago at a coffee shop in Boulder, Colorado. After listening to me talk obsessively about Herodotus, she suggested I write a novel set in ancient Greece. The essence of the story came to me immediately. She also midwifed it through the first draft. My sister-in-law, Nancy Sheppard, read it in episodes as it was written and offered encouragement. The expertise of my editor, Marilyn Mueller, has once again been indispensable. A special thanks to Richard Sheppard for the map and the cover design and illustration.

  Author's Note

  I am the author of Novelsmithing, The Structural Foundation of Plot, Character, and Narration. I used the methods of Novelsmithing to write The Mysteries. I have researched the time period religiously. Practically all sources are a part of my home library. Anyone interested in the size and content of my library can find it listed at:

  https://www.librarything.com/catalog/dshep/yourlibrary

  For field research, I visited Greece twice, once for ten weeks in October 1993 and then for sixteen days in October 2009. I took a considerable number of photos and video clips, some of which I've provided for viewing at www.themysteriesofeleusis.com.

  My readers may follow me on twitter at user name "SheppardDavid" and on my blog www.novelsmithingblog.com. When I travel, I post at

  https://www.palehorseblog.com

  Ancient Greece in the 5th Century BC was a collection of separate city-states, loosely bound by a common language and religion. The ancient Greeks called the encompassing geographical area Hellas, and its people the Hellenes. No one called it Greece. I have used both: Greece/Greeks for narration and Hellas/Hellenes for dialogue.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1: Persia Crosses the Hellespont

  Chapter 2: Night Horseman at Eleusis

  Chapter 3: The Burning of Brauron

  Chapter 4: Flight in Darkness

  Chapter 5: The War Council

  Chapter 6: Return to Eleusis

  Chapter 7: The Oracle from Delphi

  Chapter 8: Entering the Underworld

  Chapter 9: A Cloud of Spirits

  Chapter 10: Evacuation to Salamis

  Chapter 11: The Battle of Salamis

  Chapter 12: Epilepsy

  Chapter 13: Xerxes' Lament

  Chapter 14: The Funeral Pyre

  Chapter 15: The Isthmus of Corinth

  Chapter 16: Halcyon Days at Eleusis

  Chapter 17: The Seizure

  Chapter 18: The Physician

  Chapter 19: Prophecy on the Road

  Chapter 20: The Seer of Epidaurus

  Chapter 21: Encounter with Asklepios

  Chapter 22: The War Machine

  Chapter 23: The Burning of Eleusis

  Chapter 24: In the Persian Camp

  Chapter 25: Contention Among the Ashes

  Chapter 26: The Battle of Plataea

  Chapter 27: Exile

  Chapter 28: A Mistress for the Dadouchos

  Chapter 29: The Vision

  Chapter 30: The Council of Generals

  Chapter 31: A View of the Fates

  Chapter 32: The Broach of Arrogance

  Chapter 33: Reading Entrails

  Chapter 34: A Call to Courage

  Chapter 35: Voyage to a Distant Shore

  Chapter 36: Reviewing the Troops

  Chapter 37: The Battle of Mykale

  Chapter 38: A Final Word to the Generals

  Chapter 39: The Newborn

  Chapter 40: Journey to the Elysian Fields

  Chapter 41: The Funeral

  Chapter 42: The Cost of Salvation

  Chapter 43: Xerxes' Bridge Cables