supremewitchybitch

[supremewitchybitch]

What would you say is the most sacred place for Hellenic polytheists?

I know you’re looking for a temple or sacred site as an answer, Anon, and try the Acropolis, or any of the old temple sites for that… Delphi even… but to me, the most sacred place for Hellenic Polytheists is their home, their oikos. Even in ancient times, the majority of daily worship took place there, and it was where the most personal of connections was made with the Gods.

Back in ancient Hellas, most religious activities surrounding the household revolved around the central hearth, which was the physical manifestation of Hestia. The male head of household, the kurios, presented slaves, children and his new wife to the heart fire so they became part of the oikos and fell under the protection of Hestia and the other household Gods.

The courtyard of the home often held a bômos, a free standing, raised, altar where the majority of household worship took place. Some houses also had a wall niche, an indoor worship area, either in a room especially designated for worship, or in the main family room. These altars were used to worship the Ephestioi (Εφεστιοι), the most personal of the household Theoi. These almost always included: Hestia, Zeus Ephestios (Overseer of the Hearth), Zeus Kthesios, and Agathós Daímōn. Worship of these deities was highly personal, and many other Theoi could be added to this worship list.

Hestia was represented by the hearth fire that was always kept burning. If it went out, the male head of household would go to the prytaneion (Πρυτανεῖον), the structure where state officials met and where the city kept a fire for Hestia burning day and night, for a new flame. All fires in the house were lit from this one fire, so Hestia would watch over everything and everyone inside the house. Zeus Ephestios was and is a more active defender of the home. He shields the actual structure of the house. Where Hestia watches over the occupants, Zeus Ephestios guards the very walls, the roof, the floor, and any possessions inside the structure. He was worshipped at the main altar.

Zeus Kthesios guards the pantry, and was honored there as well, where he had his own shrine, often adorned with a kathiskos. Agathós Daímōn and the ancestors were also worshipped at the main altar, although they may have had small shrines to themselves, especially in the case of wall niches.

In the courtyard of the house, the Herkeioi (Ἑρκειοι) were honored: those of the herkos or front court. Most notably, this was Zeus Herkeios (Ἑρκειος), protector of the enclosure of the house. And just outside the house, and especially near the gate to the street, small shrines and altars were placed in honor of the less personal protectors: Apollon (sometimes in his epithet of ‘Aguieus’ (Ἀγυιεύς), protector of the streets, public places, and the entrances to homes), Hermes Propylaios, Hekate, and especially in Sparta, the Dioskouroi. Hēraklēs sometimes took the place of Apollon.

Zeus Herkeios’ altar stood in the courtyard and He, from the inside of the house, protected against anyone wanting to harm the house or the family living in it. These altars were most often pillars, on or around which the offerings could be placed. Hermes, Apollon, and Hekate were represented by a pointy four-sided post. The top was reserved for Apollon, the bottom often held a niche where Deipnon offerings could be placed to Hekate, and Hermes’ face (and sometimes his genitalia) was  carved into the post. Hermes sometimes got his own post, called a ‘herm’, which was a rectangular post, with His face carved on top, and his genitalia carved out on the front.

 Temples were of great importance to the many festivals of ancient Hellas, but nowhere was the worship of the Theoi so varied and extensive as in the home. Especially for modern practitioners who often lack temples and community, their own homes are the focal point of worship—as it should be, because at its core, Hellenismos is a household religion—a family religion—and I think that’s beautiful.

[supremewitchybitch]

Household Gods

We usually think of ancient Greek religion as taking place in temples, but there was as well a strong aspect of household worship.

For the most part, household gods were not only household gods–they usually had community temples and festivals as well, although the god was often known by a different epithet or epithets within the household.

The following is a short list of gods who were frequently worshipped within the home.

Hestia

Hestia is the household god par excellence. She is far, far more than that–she occupies a central role in the ancient Greek religion and plays a part in not only household worship but civic rites as well, and takes part in the offerings given in rites honoring most other gods–but she was a center of household worship. She received offerings at family meals, and each new child born to a household was presented to her.

The hearth of each home belongs to Hestia.

Hekate

The hekataion was the home of Hekate within the household, and stood before the door, at the threshold of the house. The many small Hekate triformis statues still in existence may have served to represent the goddess in this context.

Hekate protected the household from evil from outside the home.

Hermes

Hermes was represented before a home in the form of a herm, typically a four-sided pillar with the head of the god on top and an erect phallus on the front. The herms within a city brought good fortune to the city (the destruction of the herms in Athens in the 5th century BCE was a serious crime), as a household’s herm did to the individual home. The herm had a practical function as well, serving as a boundary marker for the property on which it stood.

The herm was a home’s guardian, and would be anointed with oil or draped with garlands by individuals before their homes.

Other herms stood by the side of country roads and thoroughfares, again providing both protective and practical functions for travellers. The earliest forms of these were simple piles of stones which served as road markers.

Apollo Agyeius

Apollo Agyeius was represented before the home in the form of a conical stone or pillar. He protected the household from evil.

Zeus Herkeios (Zeus of the Courtyard)

Zeus Herkeios had an altar in the courtyard of the home, out in the open, where he received his offerings. Possession of such an altar was the mark of a good citizen; without it, one would not be eligible to hold certain offices. It is probable that only households of a certain standing would be expected to have an altar to Zeus Herkeios.

While the precise realm of Zeus Herkeios is uncertain, it seems likely that he protected not only the physical house but the family within the household as well; he would be a protector of the family over generations.

Zeus Ktesios (Zeus of the Storeroom, Zeus of Possessions)

Zeus Ktesios was represented in the storeroom of the home in an interesting and unique way; the householder took a two-handled jar with a lid, wrapped it in white wool, and filled it with an “ambrosia” made from water, olive oil and fruits. The jar was closed and kept in the home’s storeroom or larder.

His concern was the prosperity of the household; the presence of Zeus Ktesios within a home would ensure its material security and wealth.

Zeus Meilichios (Kindly Zeus, Zeus the Mild)

Zeus Meilichios was a chthonic or chthonian deity, which is to say that he had power beneath and within the earth. While he could be dangerous, he could also provide great gifts and blessings if treated properly. He was a giver of wealth and abundance and was often represented in the form of a snake, underlining his association with the underworld.

Although Zeus Meilichios was primarily worshipped by individuals, in Athens he was honored with a community festival as well, the Diasia.

[supremewitchybitch]

[supremewitchybitch]

I’m actually remarkably chill considering I’m consistently under the spells of many wizards

[supremewitchybitch]

can someone please change the fucking prophecy

[supremewitchybitch]

I'm sorry sir but no a "shrimp" did not in fact fry this rice. you're lumping crustaceans together in a very unhelpful and bigoted manner. our chef is a giant freshwater crayfish.

[supremewitchybitch]

[supremewitchybitch]

we could be so fucking wet and loud

[supremewitchybitch]

Our lives are NOT over. The reality of the next few years is looking bad and we are dealing with a threat we have never experienced, but we have cities and states protecting your rights. We have a slow moving government and inevitable lawsuits, the division of state and federal, a very large diverse and dense country, and a digitally connected and educated (mostly) populace that is not helpless. And we have an entire globe impacted by and invested in our wellbeing. He may have won, but that doesn’t mean their entire agenda is happening, or will be able to happen at all.

We will grieve, we will be enraged, we will be scared, and we will continue to stay hopeful, grounded, and fight for our future.

[supremewitchybitch]

god if there was a book of forbidden spells I wouldn’t even hesitate

[supremewitchybitch]

Lines of thought that seem Normal but are actually rooted in extreme puritanism:

-Seeing the nude human body is inherently traumatic -Sex scenes in art are pointless -Wearing kink-related clothing in public is the similar to performing a sex scene in front of unwilling participants -Depicting female characters expressing sexuality is always degrading -People's sexual fantasies are always an endorsement of the behavior they want to see in real life -Sex work is more traumatic and coercive than other types of work The goal is to treat sex as just another thing people do. That is a much healthier attitude than hiding it! It's not uniquely traumatic, it's not weird to talk about it or include it in society.

[supremewitchybitch]

It's actually funny how humans decided "fuck living in caves with all these creepy crawlies", got out of caves, built houses that have all the nice parts of a cave without any of the yucky parts, and then all the little bugs and spiders and other creepy crawly creatures that used to also live in caves thought "sweet, new and improved caves" and moved right back in with us.

[supremewitchybitch]

i’ve been a 23 year old girl and i can tell you it does not

[supremewitchybitch]

[supremewitchybitch]

you're allowed to say "sex" on the internet. See? I just did it. Sex. Sex sex sex. You don't have to say s*x or smex or Adult Fun Times or s3x or "spice" any other variation of self-censorship on tumblr dot com you can just spell out the word SEX i am going to scream until the heat death of the universe

[supremewitchybitch]

GO APOLLO GO

SIC 'EM

EVERYONE LEND HIM YOUR STRENGTH!