The Eleusines

The Eleusines are an inter tribal Kinfolk Fellowship and secret society that helps prepare female kinfolk for their role as mates to garou.

Overview

Named for the Eleusinian mysteries of the ancient Greek cult of Demeter and Persephone, this secret society of female Kinfolk originally began with the Black Furies Kin, but now includes women of almost every tribe. The Uktena and Wendigo female Kinfolk have their own ceremonies, so membership in the Eleusines usually numbers only one or two at any given time. The secrecy of this group lies in the fact that it has always been a secret society. According to the Fury Kin, the Eleusines have existed for as long as there have been Kinfolk.

The purpose of this society is to initiate and prepare female Kinfolk for their “duties” as mates to the Garou and mothers of their children. The Eleusines maintain that werewolves, because of the animal nature that lies so close to the surface, need special understanding to be successful in not only mating with their Kin, but in sustaining a relationship.

When the Children of Gaia Kin joined the Eleusines in significant numbers, sometime during the Middle Ages according to the group’s lorekeepers, they added to it the three-fold nature of “the goddess.” Young, unmarried, and unmated women who join the cult do so as “maids.” Their job consists of learning what they need to know to mate with Garou and bear their children. Once they have borne children, they enter the second stage, becoming “mothers,” whose job is to serve as examples for future maids.

Since the likelihood of becoming a widow is higher among mates of Garou, the third stage is composed of those who have loved and lost: the “crones” or “hags.” Sometimes these women are quite young, but they remain as crones unless they remarry and reclaim their status as mothers. The crones are the actual teachers of the mysteries, the leaders of the meetings, and, in some cases, matchmakers within their tribes.

While some Garou may know of the existence of the Eleusines, they do not interfere with the practices of the cult since their beliefs tend to support the Garou. In the aftermath of the Skin Dancer problem, the Eleusine leadership has gone so far as to swear to Garou female leaders that they intend no harm to any Garou. Thus, they have become something of an open secret, one the Garou agree to not notice.

References

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