History Main / MysteryCult

* ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'': The Court is openly an institution dedicated towards science, but most of the Court's real agenda is kept a secret from anyone outside their inner circles. The Court's inner circles do not openly advertise how to obtain membership, only inviting those who show their preferred mindsets, like a [[DoesNotLikeMagic healthy skepticism towards magic]]. The deeper into the Court's inner circles you make it, the shadier, more amoral, and downright creepy things get. [[spoiler:There are several reasons for this. One reason is because the Court is willing to resort to deeply immortal lengths to achieve their goals, and this policy helps keep their crimes hidden. Another reason is that the Court is in a paradox of DoesNotLikeMagic while also needing magic to achieve their goals, meaning that the Court's leadership secretly hates half of their own underlings. The biggest reason is because magic is shaped by ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve. The Court wants to abandon Earth to create a new world, one completely under their control while being empty of the magic they hate so much. By limiting information about their project from the public, they hope to avoid letting their world be "contaminated" by more magic.]]

* ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'': The Court is openly an institution dedicated towards science, but most of the Court's real agenda is kept a secret from anyone outside their inner circles. The Court's inner circles do not openly advertise how to obtain membership, only inviting those who show their preferred mindsets, like a [[DoesNotLikeMagic healthy skepticism towards magic]]. The deeper into the Court's inner circles you make it, the shadier, more amoral, and downright creepy things get. [[spoiler:There are several reasons for this. One reason is because the Court is willing to resort to deeply immortal lengths to achieve their goals, and this policy helps keep their crimes hidden. Another reason is that the Court is in a paradox of DoesNotLikeMagic while also needing magic to achieve their goals, meaning that the Court's leadership secretly hates half of their own underlings. The biggest reason is because magic is shaped by ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve. The Court wants to abandon Earth to create a new world, one completely under their control while being empty of the magic they hate so much. By limiting information about their project, they hope to avoid letting their world be "contaminated" by more magic.]]

* ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'': The Court is openly an institution dedicated towards science, but most of the Court's real agenda is kept a secret from anyone outside their inner circles. The Court's inner circles do not openly advertise how to obtain membership, only inviting those who show their preferred mindsets, like a [[DoesNotLikeMagic healthy skepticism towards magic]]. The deeper into the Court's inner circles you make it, the shadier, more amoral, and downright creepy things get.

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mithraic_mysteries The Mithraic Mysteries]] was a cult dating to about the first-fourth centuries. Because of their [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin mysterious nature]] we know almost nothing about them beyond what we can guess from statues, reliefs, and the like. We're pretty sure that their god was born from a rock as a fully-formed adult, but other than that it gets pretty vague. A popular myth rose up about hundred years ago in connection with the cult which says that Christianity was based on it (It's highly unlikely, as Christianity seems to have started first). One theory is that the religion was a response to the discovery of Axial Precession, the phenomenon that how long it takes for the positions of the stars in the sky to travel around the sun is not quite the same as a year, such that the positions of the constellations on the solstices change a little bit each year, which would have been a big surprise to people at the time and would have had some big religious implications.

** The Dark Angels chapter of Space Marines have a Mystery Cult as the foundation of their chapter teachings: recruits are taught the history and traditions of the chapter by progressing through sequential circles of knowledge, slowly illuminating the DarkSecret and subsequent RedemptionQuest at the heart of the chapter.

* In ''Webcomic/AnEpicComic'', [[spoiler: the Society of the Free Mind's inner circle is only accessible if you become a free mind. The reason for this being is that you can't actually fully comprehend the true intentions if your mind is limited to the comic.]]
* In ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'', the Court is openly an institution dedicated towards science, but most of the Court's real agenda is kept a secret from anyone outside their inner circles. The Court's inner circles do not openly advertise how to obtain membership, only inviting those who show their preferred mindsets, like a [[DoesNotLikeMagic healthy skepticism towards magic]]. The deeper into the Court's inner circles you make it, the shadier, more amoral, and downright creepy things get.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': The League of Robots - a secret society of well-to-do wealthy robots (that somehow ends up having Bender as a member), that ostensibly exists to mastermind the robot dream of killing all humans, but in actuality turns out to be more like a stagnant gentleman's social club.

* In ''Literature/{{Elantris}}'', the aptly-named Mysteries is an enigmatic cult with a very unpleasant (and largely deserved) reputation. Turns out that it's a corrupted knockoff of the peaceful Jesker religion, but where Jesker is dedicated to living in harmony with [[TheForce the Dor]], the Mysteries is just about hacking into it to gain supernatural powers. [[spoiler: King Iadon of Arelon is a follower of the Mysteries, and when he's caught in the middle of sacrificing a servant as part of a ritual, his already-shaky reign outright collapses]].

* The best known example were the Eleusinian Mysteries, which is believed to have been a Demeter cult that had the story as Persephone at its center, as an explanation for the passing of seasons and possibly a cyclic nature of life. There are also records of a cult of Isis in Ancient Greece.
* The Orphic Mysteries, another ancient Greek mystery cult with its own variation on the canon of Myth/ClassicalMythology, that focused primarily on chthonic (underworld) figures, named after Orpheus, the legendary bard who entered the Underworld to retrieve his wife. Its central deity seems to have been Dionysus-- specifically, the god Zagreus who was dismembered, eaten, and reborn as Dionysus (or something-their relationship is hard to pin down).

* There is a serious scholarly debate about whether the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_of_the_Mysteries Villa of the Mysteries]] in Pompeii shows initiation into a Dionysian cult, or an allegory for marriage/rite of passage. The rest of us just look at the pretty pictures. If the art is of an initiation, the process involves being whipped by a winged woman in thigh-high boots, which was probably some sort of symbolic punishment or purification.

** Chaos cults often operate very covertly, and avoid being recognized for what they are through a combination of profound secrecy and of masquerading as more innocuous faiths.

** The Adeptus Mechanicus, maintains a stranglehold on Imperial technology because many of its "mysteries" include the secrets to maintaining and operating the machinery that keeps the Imperium going. (Also, their Omnissiah may or may not be a sleeping EldritchAbomination, and it wouldn't really help their cause if that were to get out if it's true.)

[[folder:TabletopRPG]]
* In ''TabletopGame/CallOfCthulhu'' the cults that worship the Franchise/CthulhuMythos deities are like this. They're intensely secretive because their abhorrent practices would get them imprisoned or executed in any civilized country. By the time a new member finds out what the cult is really up to they've probably been driven insane.
* Most cults to evil gods in ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' settings tend toward this in many good-aligned lands. It's when the evil god's cult becomes the state religion of a given land that open worship (with [[ReligionOfEvil all it entails]]) becomes a thing.
** One prominent variety of mystery cult presents itself to the world as a pastoral religion that offers freedom and catharsis and has rituals involving walking through mazes in animal masks. The hidden parts of the religion are its brutal predatory philosophy, rituals that involve HuntingTheMostDangerousGame (often initiates who got cold feet upon learning of their religion's true nature), and demon summoning. Only the highest echelons know their ''real'' deity- Baphomet, the [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Demon Prince]] of Beasts.
* Shar, one of the major deities in the ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' is usually worshiped by secret cults instead of large public temples, being the goddess of Darkness, Secrets, and Forgetfulness. And the colors of her priests are black and purple.

* Mystery cults are common enough in the ''TabletopGame/{{Nobilis}}'' universe that they're available as starting contacts on the lifepath system.
* The Secret Societies in ''TabletopGame/{{Paranoia}}'' play with this trope to various degrees, with the Illuminati being the textbook example. Members know almost nothing about the group, and typically their only contact are random visits in the middle of the night by a single masked stranger delivering inexplicable orders. This being ''Paranoia'', it is entirely possible that the inner circle of any given society is just as commpletely clueless as the new recruits...

* There are a number in ''TabletopGame/RocketAge''. Venus has several Thuggee-esque murder cults that operate completely underground and are exclusive enough that the induction can kill you. Martian faiths have several sects that fall into this as well.
* The ''TabletopGame/SystemsMalfunction'' setting features dozens of Mystery Cults of varying size and power, all engaging in one massive GambitPileup.
* The same is said of some Chaos cults in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}''. Genestealer "cults" are the opposite due to their hive-minded nature, but their main ''modus operandi'' is to manipulate ''other'' cults which will fit the trope as a consequence.
** The setting also has the Adeptus Mechanicus, which maintains a stranglehold on Imperial technology because many of its "mysteries" include the secrets to maintaining and operating the machinery that keeps the Imperium going. (Also, their Omnissiah may or may not be a sleeping EldritchAbomination, and it wouldn't really help their cause if that were to get out if it's true.)

* ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasy'': Both humans and elves are prone to forming these, with the Empire having multiple ones in each major city. Over half of the time these turn out to be Chaos cults of one kind or another (and half of the rest usually being to some other forbidden religion, like worship of Khaine or a Skaven spy operation), but some of them are genuinely just esoteric cults devoted to unusual aspects or worship of legitimate deities. Practically all cults to [[TricksterGod Ranald]] are mystery cults, despite worship of Ranald not being forbidden or harmful in any way.

* ''Series/TheGoodies'': Druidism is portrayed this way in "Wacky Wales". Strictly PlayedForLaughs, of course.

[[folder:Film]]

* Creator/HPLovecraft was fond of including these in his horror stories, most famously the Cthulhu cultists and the townsfolk in Innsmouth.
* ''Literature/SkulduggeryPleasant'' features so many that they might as well be the entire premise....and in fact may be. Villains in Literature/SkulduggeryPleasant books are almost invariably part of some evil cult bent on destroying the world or killing everyone in it. It's getting so it feels like that is the only possible motivation, out side of maybe revenge, which exists in this series.

* The real-life cult of Mithras has featured in several historical novels, among them Creator/RosemarySutcliff's ''Literature/TheEagleOfTheNinth'' and Creator/JohnMFord's ''Literature/TheDragonWaiting'', which each have a protagonist who's a member. In Creator/RudyardKipling's ''Literature/PuckOfPooksHill'', it's depicted as analogous to the Freemasons, to whom Kipling belonged.

* Apuleius's ''The Golden Ass'' ends with the main character restored to human form by the goddess Isis and entering her cult. He undergoes a number of initiations into deeper mysteries, each costing more money than the last.
* In the universe of ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', the Free City of Norvos is [[TheTheocracy ruled by]] the Bearded Priests, a religion so secretive that no one outside the Priests themselves knows anything about its practices. Not even the ''name'' of the god they worship.
* In much fundamentalist Christian literature, ANY religion other then Christianity is treated like this, with the 'mystery' involving 'secretly worshipping Satan.' This includes BUDDHISM.

* The same is said of some Chaos cults in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}''. Genestealer "cults" are the opposite due to their hive-minded nature, but their main ''modus operandi'' is to manipulate ''other'' cults which will fit the trope as a consequence.
** The setting also has the Adeptus Mechanicus, which maintains a stranglehold on Imperial technology because many of its "mysteries" include the secrets to maintaining and operating the machinery that keeps the Imperium going. (Also, their Omnissiah may or may not be a sleeping EldritchAbomination, and it wouldn't really help their cause if that were to get out if it's true.)
** The Dark Angels chapter of Space Marines have a Mystery Cult as the foundation of their chapter teachings: recruits are taught the history and traditions of the chapter by progressing through sequential circles of knowledge, slowly illuminating the DarkSecret and subsequent RedemptionQuest at the heart of the chapter.

** Most cults to evil gods in ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' settings tend toward this in many good-aligned lands. It's when the evil god's cult becomes the state religion of a given land that open worship (with [[ReligionOfEvil all it entails]]) becomes a thing.
** One prominent variety of mystery cult presents itself to the world as a pastoral religion that offers freedom and catharsis and has rituals involving walking through mazes in animal masks. The hidden parts of the religion are its brutal predatory philosophy, rituals that involve HuntingTheMostDangerousGame (often initiates who got cold feet upon learning of their religion's true nature), and demon summoning. Only the highest echelons know their ''real'' deity- Baphomet, the [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Demon Prince]] of Beasts.

* The TabletopGame/SystemsMalfunction setting features dozens of Mystery Cults of varying size and power, all engaging in one massive GambitPileup.
* Mystery cults are common enough in the TabletopGame/{{Nobilis}} universe that they're available as starting contacts on the lifepath system.

* ''TabletopGame/MageTheAwakening'' has a number of mystery cults, often used by the Awakened to guide [[{{Muggles}} Sleepers]] to true power. The Guardians of the Veil tend to use Labyrinths, hidden conspiracies that guide the worthy to enlightenment while shunting the unworthy off into temporal power, whereas the Silver Ladder tend to use Cryptopolies, political groups and secret societies that blend mundane influence with Awakened symbolism.
* ''TabletopGame/LeviathanTheTempest'' has this as an upgrade you can purchase for your cult that provides improved defense against investigation. Any investigation will first find the reasonable, sane people you've put in the outer layers, and unless they already know what they are looking for they are unlikely to dig further. The downside is that your outer-layer cultists ''are'' sane and lack the fanatical devotion of your Beloved, so there are a lot more limits on what you can demand of them before they walk away.
* ''TabletopGame/PrincessTheHopeful:'' The most effective Dark Cults will often fall under this trope, keeping their true intentions hidden except from those already corrupted beyond recovery. C.O.R.D. (Community Organization to Reform Detroit) from the Ashes of the Motor City sample setting is a standout example: On the surface nothing more than a group of activists working to address race relations and class disparity in Detroit, [[spoiler: secretly RunningBothSides in order to promote racial strife and class warfare, push both sides past the MoralEventHorizon, and expand its own power.]]

* The Triune from ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}}'' worked a lot like this. New initiates were led to believe that they worshiped benevolent Spirits of Determination, Love and Creation, before gradually being initiated into the true teachings of the Triune and the true evil of the Prime Evils who the Spirits actually were.
* The Morninglight of ''VideoGame/TheSecretWorld''; already distinctly reminiscent of Scientology, the cult maintains a level of uplifting-but-vague ideology that serves to hide their true motives and methods from outsiders. As such, initiates have no idea what they've gotten themselves into, and little chance to resist once the MindRape starts. For good measure, any defectors are labelled "Obstructive Persons" and quietly eliminated.

* The cult the player starts in ''VideoGame/CultistSimulator'' qualifies

* In Webcomic/AnEpicComic, [[spoiler: the Society of the Free Mind's inner circle is only accessible if you become a free mind. The reason for this being is that you can't actually fully comprehend the true intentions if your mind is limited to the comic.]]

* H.P.Lovecraft was fond of including these in his horror stories, most famously the Cthulhu cultists and the townsfolk in Innsmouth.

* The same is said of some Chaos cults in ''Warhammer 40000''. Genestealer "cults" are the opposite due to their hive-minded nature, but their main ''modus operandi'' is to manipulate ''other'' cults which will fit the trope as a consequence.

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mithraic_mysteries The Mithraic Mysteries]] was a cult dating to about the first-fourth centuries. Because of their [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin mysterious nature]] we know almost nothing about them beyond what we can guess from statues, reliefs, and the like. We're pretty sure that their god was born from a rock as a fully-formed adult, but other than that it gets pretty vague. A popular myth rose up about hundred years ago in connection with the cult which says that Christianity was based on it (It's highly unlikely, as Christianity seems to have started first).

* ''TabletopGame/PrincessTheHopeful:'' The most effective Dark Cults will often fall under this trope, keeping their true intentions hidden except from those already corrupted beyond recovery. C.O.R.D. (Community Organization to Reform Detroit) from the Ashes of the Motor City sample setting is a standout example: On the surface nothing more than a group of activists working to address race relations and class disparity in Detroit, [[spoiler: secretly RunningBothSides in order to push the poor and downcast past the MoralEventHorizon and expand its power.]]

* The TabletopGame/SystemsMalfunction setting features dozens of MysteryCults of varying size and power, all engaging in one massive GambitPileup.