A hierophant () is a person who brings religious congregants into the presence of that which is deemed ''

holy Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

''. As such, a hierophant is an interpreter of

sacred mysteries Sacred mysteries are the areas of supernatural phenomena associated with a divinity or a religious belief and praxis. Sacred mysteries may be either: # Religious beliefs, rituals or practices which are kept secret from the uninitiated. # Belief ...

and

arcane Arcane may refer to: Comics and literature * Anton Arcane, a DC Comics character * Arcane Jill Watson, a fictional character in ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' franchise * Arcane literature, fictional literature in the Cthulhu Mythos ...

principles. The word comes from

ancient Greece Ancient Greece () was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity (), that comprised a loose collection of culturally and linguistically r ...

, where it was constructed from the combination of ' (''ta hiera'', 'the holy') and ' (''phainō'', 'to reveal').

Greek priesthood

''Hierophant'' was the title of the chief

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

at the

Eleusinian Mysteries The Eleusinian Mysteries () were initiations held every year for the Cult (religious practice), cult of Demeter and Persephone based at the Panhellenic Sanctuary of Eleusis in ancient Greece. They are considered the "most famous of the secret rel ...

in ancient

Attica Attica (, ''Attikḗ'' (Ancient Greek) or , or ), or the Attic Peninsula, is a historical region that encompasses the entire Athens metropolitan area, which consists of the city of Athens, the capital city, capital of Greece and the core cit ...

. It was an office inherited within the

genos In ancient Greece, a ''genos'' (Greek: γένος, "race, stock, kin", plural γένη ''genē'') was a social group claiming common descent, referred to by a single name (see also Sanskrit "Gana"). Most ''gene'' were composed of noble families&m ...

of the Eumolpidae, one of the two main clans which managed the Eleusinian cult - the other being the Cerycids. Occasionally from the late fourth century BC and consistently from the first century BC, hierophants practised "hieronymy", which means that they were referred to during their lifetime as "hierophant" instead of their personal name. The known hierophants at Eleusis are: * Zacorus, early 5th century BC * Theodorus, before 415 - after 408 BC * Archias, ca. 379 BC * Lacrateides, before 353 - 350/49 BC or later * -ottus, c. 333 BC * Eurymedon, ca. 323 BC * Eurycleides, ca. 317-307 BC * "Hierophant" (Mnesiarchus?) son of Nouphrades of Perithoedae, late 4th century BC * Chaeretius son of Prophetes of Eleusis, ca. 248 BC * Aristocles of Perithoedae, 183/2-148 BC or later * Amynomachus adopted son of Eucles of Halae, after 148 BC (natural brother of Aristocles) * Menecleides son of Theophemus of Kydathenaeum, last quarter of the 2nd century BC * "Hierophant" son of Eustrophus of Piraeus, last quarter of the 2nd century BC * Theophemus son of Menecleides of Kydathenaeum, end of the 2nd century BC * "Hierophant", ca. 86/5 BC, when he served as

eponymous archon In ancient Greece the chief magistrate in various Greek city states was called eponymous archon (ἐπώνυμος ἄρχων, ''epōnymos archōn''). "Archon" (ἄρχων, pl. ἄρχοντες, ''archontes'') means "ruler" or "lord", frequently ...

* "Hierophant", mid-first century AD * Tiberius Claudius Oenophilus son of Callicratides of Tricorynthus, end of the 1st century AD * Julius "Hierophant", end of the 1st century AD * Titus Flavius Straton, ca. 125 AD * Firmus "Hierophant" of Gargettus, mid-2nd century AD * Decimus Ju- of Piraeus, mid-2nd century AD * "Hierophant" of Hagnous, ca. 138-150 AD * Julius "Hierophant", 168-191 or 192 AD * Tiberius Claudius Apollinarius son of Tiberius Claudius Apollodorus of Acharnae, 191 or 192 - 193/4 AD * Nummius "Hierophant" of Phaleron, 194 - before 209 AD * Claudius "Hierophant" of Marathon, ca. 209/10 AD * Apollonius son of Apollonius, ca. 215 AD * Heracleides, ca. 220-230 AD * Logimus, ca. 220-230 AD * Titus Flavius Glaucus son of Titus Flavius Glaucus of Marathon, ca. 225-235 AD * "Hierophant", before or after Glaucus * Erotius, after 235 AD * "Hierophant" son of Xenagoras, first half of the 4th century AD. * Nestorius, before 355 - not long before 392 AD, an associate of

Julian the Apostate Julian (; ; 331 – 26 June 363) was the Caesar of the West from 355 to 360 and Roman emperor from 361 to 363, as well as a notable philosopher and author in Greek. His rejection of Christianity, and his promotion of Neoplatonic Hellenism ...

, and initiator of Eunapius Eunapius and Vettius Agorius Praetextatus are notable examples.

In modern culture

Rider Waite tarot

In the Rider–Waite tarot deck and similar decks, The Hierophant (known in the

Tarot de Marseille The Tarot of Marseilles is a standard pattern of Italian-suited tarot pack with 78 cards that was very popular in France in the 17th and 18th centuries for playing tarot card games and is still produced today. It was probably created in Milan befo ...

as The Pope) is one of the twenty-two trump cards comprising the Major Arcana, and represents conformity to social standards, or a deference to the established social moral order. As the guide towards knowledge, insight, and wisdom, in a Tarot reading it might, for example, represent a priest, scholar, therapist, or teacher, possibly similar to the Hermit or the King of Cups cards. A. E. Waite wrote that the Hierophant:

...symbolizes also all things that are righteous and sacred on the manifest side. As such, he is the channel of grace belonging to the world of institution as distinct from that of Nature, and he is the leader of salvation for the human race at large. He is the order and the head of the recognized hierarchy, which is the reflection of another and greater hierarchic order; but it may so happen that the pontiff forgets the significance of his symbolic state and acts as if he contained within his proper measures all that his sign signifies or his symbol seeks to shew pforth. He is not, as it has been thought, philosophy—except on the theological side; he is not inspiration; and his is not religion, although he is a mode of its expression.

In ''Dungeons & Dragons''

The original ''

Unearthed Arcana ''Unearthed Arcana'' (abbreviated UA) is the title shared by two hardback books published for different Editions of Dungeons & Dragons, editions of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. Both were designed as supplements to the co ...

'' supplement to 1st edition AD&D detailed how the 15th-level Grand Druid (the in-game head of all druids) could step down from his position and become a 16th-level Hierophant. In 3rd edition D&D, the hierophant prestige class for high-level divine spellcasters appeared in the ''

Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting The ''Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting'' is a role-playing game sourcebook first published by TSR (company), TSR in 1987 for the first edition of the fantasy role-playing game ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' that describes the campaign setting ...

'' and in the 3.5e ''

Dungeon Master's Guide The ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' (''DMG'' or ''DM's Guide''; in some printings, the ''Dungeon Masters Guide'' or ''Dungeon Master Guide'') is a book of rules for the fantasy role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons''. The ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' co ...

''.

References

External links