#Harpocrates Worship

[khaire-traveler]

🌑 Subtle Harpocrates Worship 🌹

Take time to sit in silence with yourself; become comfortable with your own presence

Keep secrets that people tell you; don't tell the stories that aren't yours to tell (e.g. a person's trauma, an embarrassing thing someone has shared, etc.)

Have a candle that reminds you of him (no altar needed)

Wear jewelry that reminds you of him

Keep a picture of him in your wallet

Have a stuffed animal snake, snail, or hawk (sparrowhawk specifically)/bird of prey

Have imagery of roses, wings, sunrises, or secrets/mysteries (maybe fog?) around

Take a walk under the new moon (if it is safe to do so in your area)

Watch the sunrise; watch the first sunrise of winter

Engage with childhood media or activities

Drink some wine or berry-flavored tea; raise a glass in his honor

Read about mysteries; mysteries in history, unsolved cases of things, mystery novels, etc.

If you have long hair, wear it in a side-braid

Learn when to keep certain things to yourself; practice restraint

Take time to meditate in a dark and quiet environment; take that time to decompress and practice mindfulness

Ground yourself regularly; practice emotional regulation skills

Learn not to judge a book by its cover; be more understanding with people

Study psychology/the human mind

Be kind to children; play with them if offered

Wear blues, purples, muted colors, or colors of the sunrise

Explore new places, especially abandoned places or places that have an air of mystery to them

Sit with a loved one in silence; do your own thing as you are together

Engage in a relaxing activity; read a book, draw, do yoga, etc.

Take a self-care bath/shower, especially with dim light (please be safe about this)

Forgive yourself for past mistakes; practice releasing past regrets

Learn to become comfortable within your own presence

Light a bonfire and sit in front of it under the night sky; focus on the peace of the moment, the warmth of the fire, the silence of the night

-

This was a requested deity, and it was rather difficult to find information on him, unfortunately. He was a result of cultural fusion between the Greeks and Egyptians, and very little is known about him. He is known as the God of Silence, interestingly due to a cultural misunderstanding on the part of the Greeks, thinking his raised finger meant hushing when the Egyptians symbolized childhood with his raised finger (raised finger as in this: 🤫). Honestly, I had never heard of him before receiving the request. 💀

Nonny, wherever you are, I hope you find this helpful! Take care, friend. 💜

Link to Subtle Worship Master list

[servantofthegodss]

Dua Heru-sa-Aset 🙏

Praise Horus, Son of Aset

Praise Horus in the Horizon

Praise the Divine Falcon

Praise He Whose form and Whose appearance are not perceived

[nyxshadowhawk]

Hellenic Paganism FAQs

I see a lot of the same questions asked on r/Hellenism and other pagan spaces online, so here's my answers to them:

Is [god] mad at me for [thing]?

No.

Versions of this question are asked almost every day, about all kinds of situations, and the answer is always no. Your gods are not mad at you. Contrary to popular belief, gods do not anger easily. I think there are two main reasons why people assume this: The first is that the Greek gods are often perceived as being quick-tempered, petty, and vindictive in mythology, but this isn't an accurate or fair perception (see below). The other is that a majority of new converts are ex-Christians, and in many sects of Christianity, God is constantly breathing down your neck to catch you in a sin. If you grew up in that kind of culture, it can be very difficult to break out of that mindset.

In truth, Greek gods are kind and very forgiving, and it's nearly impossible to offend them by accident. You'd have to actively try to piss them off, and even then, you're more likely to get an "I'm very disappointed in you" than a show of divine wrath. Even in mythology, the things that anger them tend to be big things like kinslaying (murdering your family), desecration (intentional — as in not accidental — destruction of temples and holy objects), crimes against their worshippers, and disruption of the natural order. You can't do any of that by accident. Gods also aren't constantly looking over your shoulder for reasons to punish you. Believe me, they've got better things to do, and they don't have any reason to alienate their own worshippers over petty shit.

Can I worship multiple gods?

Yes! This is a polytheistic religion. Worshipping multiple gods is kind of the point. Gods do not get jealous of each other or possessive of their worshippers. Even if you have a patron deity, it is not going to prevent you from branching out to other gods. There's technically no limit to the number of gods you can worship; you're only limited by the amount of time and resources you have to devote to each one. Historically, people often had a handful of gods associated with their city, their profession, their local natural features, etc. that they worshipped regularly. They would cycle through the other ones as-needed or on their respective sacred days.

You also don't have to worry about putting different gods on separate altars, asking permission before working with a new god, or whether the gods you're working with will like each other or not. They expect to be worshipped alongside each other.

Can I mix Hellenism with Christianity or another religion?

Yes! Mixing religions is called "syncretism," and it's normal. It's how religion is supposed to work. All pagan religions are intercompatible to some extent; Ancient Greeks interpreted everyone else's gods as versions of their own with different names. (This is called interpretatio graeca.) There's lots of weird Greco-Egyptian hybrid gods, like Hermes Trismegistus (Hermes + Thoth), Hermanubis, Harpocrates, Isis-Aphrodite, Osiris-Dionysus, Zeus Ammon, and Serapis (Zeus + Hades + Dionysus + Apis + Osiris). There's lots of other examples of syncretism within and around Greece, and the Romans made syncretism their whole thing. Again, gods will not get mad if you choose to syncretize. But it is a good idea to be mindful of cultural appropriation when approaching syncretism.

Why do gods do such bad things in the myths? / How should I interpret the myths?

The majority of modern Hellenists don't take myths literally. We definitely don't treat them like the Bible. It's important to remember that Greek myths are at least two thousand years old! Nothing ages well after that long. Ancient Greeks had a very different value set from people today. So, for example, Zeus has disturbing SA myths because he's portrayed as an Ancient Greek king, and that's how Ancient Greek kings were expected to behave. Anyone who worships Zeus can tell you that Zeus, the entity, is not like that at all! He's very gentle and fatherly. What's actually important in those ancient myths is that Zeus is supposed to be the ultimate embodiment of power, and in those days, that was one way of showing how powerful and virile Zeus is. It's important to read between the lines and see what myths are actually trying to say, instead of taking them at face value. It takes time to learn how to interpret myths, but they can teach us a lot about the gods in this symbolic, indirect way if we know how to look at them.

Exactly how Ancient Greeks interpreted myths is a whole other discussion that I don't have space for here. The short version is that they didn't treat them like we treat the Bible or modern media. Myths are not literal or allegorical, it's a secret third thing. Myth straight-up didn't play the same role in society that our stories do today. So, until you learn more about that, I recommend taking the myths with a grain of salt. Enjoy them as stories, learn whatever you can from them, but please don't base your opinions about who the gods are as entities purely on myths. See below for other kinds of sources!

Do I need to pray every day?

Nope. Don't drive yourself crazy thinking you have to maintain a regular practice forever. That's asking a lot of yourself. Life gets in the way, and you don’t always have the time, energy, or emotional bandwidth to practice. (I tried to do regular rituals in August. I lasted about five days out of what was supposed to be a week-long series of rituals.) It’s important to remember that, in Ancient Greece, religious activity was just built into people’s routines. That’s no longer the case — we have to go out of our way to do even the most basic devotional activities, and that makes practicing much harder than it’s supposed to be. The gods understand that we’re human, and they understand the limitations of the way our lives are structured. Regular practice is, frankly, unrealistic.

Do I need to wait for a god to reach out to me before I worship/work with them?

Nope. This is a common misconception based on the way modern paganism is often presented. It's perfectly okay to seek the gods out based on what you need from them, and you don't need permission to begin working with a new one. (Gods want your worship the way corporations want your money. They're not going to turn you away.) It's possible that a god might "reach out" to you, but you can't control whether that happens or not, and you don't need to wait around for that to happen.

Do I need a patron deity? / How do I tell who my patron deity is?

You do not need a patron deity. Historically, your patron deity was the god that rules your profession. (So, the patron of doctors was Apollo, of merchants was Hermes, of agricultural workers was Demeter, of artisans was Athena, of politicians was Zeus, etc.) Nowadays, a patron deity is a god that takes a personal interest in you and your spiritual development, and whom you have a special connection to. I'm lucky enough to have one, but not everyone does, and you don't need a patron in order to practice or to have close relationships with gods. If you do have one, you don't need to only worship that one god.

If you have a patron deity, you will know. Chances are, it will not be subtle about getting your attention. I knew my patron deity because I became inexplicably obsessed with him more than once, and when I started doing research into him, everything about him resonated. Please do not ask if random symbols you're seeing are signs, or which god a tarot spread is pointing to. Part of what makes a sign a sign is that you think of the god when you see it! If you want gods to reach out through signs, I recommend familiarizing yourself with their iconography (symbols and attributes). Tarot doesn't have a one-to-one relationship with any group of gods, so it's unlikely that tarot will point you towards any specific god, unless you're already really familiar with the gods and your cards.

How do I talk to gods?

That's what divination is for. There's lots of divination methods: tarot and oracle cards, dice, pendulums, scrying, etc. Personally, I'm partial to automatic writing, which is writing a question, and then writing whatever comes to mind as the answer. I get answers in full sentences. (No, I don't know for sure that I'm talking to gods and not just to myself, but I recognize the gods' "voices," and I experience very intense waves of emotion and insight when I speak to them.) If you're a more visual person, scrying is also a great tool to receive messages from gods in the form of images. Simply meditating is also a good way to interact with gods, and something you should probably practice anyway.

Divination takes time to master. If you're not getting clear answers right away, take some time to familiarize yourself with your tool. Try using it to ask about your life, not just to talk to gods. Don't take it too seriously. Some methods are more reliable than others, and you may be better suited to some than others. I advise against yes/no divination, because it tends to be too vague and can be easily influenced by what you want to hear.

And please, for the love of Zeus, do not use candle flames! I know candle divination is the trendy thing on TikTok right now, but it's almost completely ineffective, because candle flames are easily affected by external factors: the length of the wick, the quality of the wax, the humidity of the air, drafts, you breathing on it wrong, etc. And any answers you might get from a candle flame will be vague, anyway! 90% of the time, it's not a message from a god, it's just the way fire works. Please don't read into it.

What can I give as offerings?

Standard offerings for all gods include bread, meat, milk, honey, cakes, olive oil, barley meal, flowers, fruit, wine, and incense. Some gods have more specific offerings consistent with their domains or personalities (like, for example, offering sun water or bay leaves to Apollo). You can also offer creative works like songs, poems, dances, art, etc., and devotional activities. Gods will appreciate almost anything you do for them.

As for how to dispose of offerings, I usually just eat them if its food. I don't give food offerings often, because I'm uncomfortable with "wasting" food, so I'm not really the right person to ask about that.

Which historical texts should I read?

We usually recommend that you start with the Homeric epics (The Iliad and Odyssey) and Hesiod's Theogony and Works and Days. But mythology is not the only resource we have to learn about the gods! There's the Homeric and Orphic Hymns, poems dedicated to the gods that you can recite for them at their altars. There's texts on theology like De Natura Deorum by Cicero, On the Gods and the World by Sallustius, and On Images by Porphyry. There's also Description of Greece by Pausanias, a travel guide (of a sort) that describes the everyday religious life of ordinary Ancient Greeks. Reading Plato is a tall order for some, but I recommend familiarizing yourself with his ideas at least a little bit. Most of these are available on theoi.com or perseus.tufts.edu, and the Internet Classics Archive.

If you're interested in magic, definitely take a look at the Greek Magical Papyri (PGM) as well.

Can I be a Hellenist and a witch?

Yes, but keep in mind, paganism and witchcraft are not interchangeable. You do not have to practice witchcraft to be a pagan, and vice-versa. Modern witchcraft is (long story short) an outgrowth of the popularity of Wicca, a neopagan religion founded in 1951. It doesn't bear much resemblance to ancient pagan religions, and most of the modern witchcraft content that you see on the internet isn't directly relevant to Hellenism (even if it concerns Greek gods). Witchcraft did exist in Ancient Greek religion, but it's different from the modern stuff. You can definitely combine modern witchcraft or Wicca with Hellenism, but I recommend studying them separately. Treat it like any other kind of syncretism.

Okay, that's all for now! Let me know if there's anything I missed or should add.

[artifacts-archive]

Statuette of a Child God, probably Horus the Child (Harpocrates)

Egyptian, Late Period–Ptolemaic Period (664–30 BCE)

The child god Horus was worshipped as the hero-to-be who would avenge his father’s murder. Horus also symbolized eternal life through his role as the sun, battling evil at night to rise triumphant every morning. The Greek form of the Egyptian “Horus the Child” is “Harpokrates.” The god’s youth is indicated by his side lock of hair and his finger touching his mouth. The Greeks and later the Romans worshipped him with his parents as part of a growing interest in mystery cults promising a true and real life after death.

[cosmic-metanoia]

The Final Fantasy Book & Why It Was Written

**Warning - Spoilers for Final Fantasy XVI***

There is something that is breaking my heart and I MUST post about it! Let me preface this by saying I adore Joshua and Clive and I want BOTH to be alive at the game’s ending. I saw someone posted on Reddit towards the earlier part of the game, “Joshua is strong in the spirit but weak in the flesh whereas Clive is strong in the flesh but weak in the spirit.” And that the brothers learn to strengthen themselves in both aspects as the story progresses. It was such a beautiful and PERFECT way to describe those too! With that in mind…

If Clive was the one who survived in the end and Joshua died…I can only imagine the intense joy, relief, and despair at the Hideaway reunion. I yearn to watch the scene of Clive reuniting with his beloved Jill and Torgal and all of the Hideaway family.

The reason why I said “despair” is because I’m thinking about a very specific person – Jote. She centered her life around Joshua as his Shield during the 18 years he was with the Undying. They spent so much time together and she had come to love him as a person, not because he was the revered and worshipped Phoenix. Even if Joshua returned alive from Origin as a normal human devoid of his former Eikon, Jote would still love him the same.

It really tears my heart apart imagining her breaking down upon hearing that Joshua did not make it. I imagine that Clive, being the empathetic soul he is, would be the one to tell her and he would embrace her as she sobbed.

Even if initially their first meeting was a little tense, I feel that Clive and Jote developed a mutual respect and understanding for each other – they both love Joshua and served as his Shield.

As for Clive…I can only imagine how depressed he would be and how agonizing it would be for him to cope over his brother’s death. He thought Joshua was dead for 18 years and joyfully reunited with him...only for their reunion to be cut short by Ultima.

Perhaps Clive wrote the Final Fantasy book as a means of coping with Joshua’s death and honoring his legacy. He would have the help of Harpocrates, Cyril, Jote, and his Wall of Memories to incorporate everything into the book. Joshua became Clive's Shield in so many senses of the word and the esoteric knowledge he garnered helped Clive defeat Ultima. That's why Clive wished for future generations to remember Joshua’s name and not his own. Ultimately, writing that book helped Clive to accept his brother’s death and heal.

[percabeth4life]

What Apollo myths did he make up??

The primary one that makes me seethe is the myth where he bullied Harpocrates. That has absolutely no basis in mythology or cult worship, in fact from what I understand Harpocrates was sometimes considered one and the same as Apollo. Like- that was done solely to make Apollo look bad.

In addition he repeatedly twisted the myths of Apollo to frame him in the worst light possible.

[alienturnip]

Finished FF16 a few days ago and I do have some (long) thoughts about it, so I'm noting them down below. Reactions include the Waloed & Origin arcs.

Tagging @zadien as you requested <3 My thoughts won't be organized but I'll try my best to articulate as I go. Wall of text alert!

I think this is yet another case of "the story didn't satisfy me a lot but the characters bewitched me body and soul" so here I am at the end of the roads... with a lot of grievances toward how the story was structured & written but also impossibly attached to the cast haha, needless to say I have fanart ideas planned and incoming.

Things that I enjoyed a lot:

CliveJill's scene with the snow daisies, where she tells Clive that she wants to spread her wings after all this is over. MY GIRLFRIEND... YOU SHALL HAVE THE WORLD.

Jill being so good with acting dkfjsl <3 <3 she's so cute....

Jill being as much of a ruthless mtfk as Clive, they're soooo in tune when it comes to wrecking havoc

Everything about Joshua he brings SO SO MUCH to the table both with his personalities and the themes he represents. I would ramble if not for fear of this post's length...

Dion's contradictory demeanor hahahahaha - he insisted everyone call him "Dion" but wouldn't shut up about "Ifrit" and "Phoenix", he also refused Harpocrates' gift but then gave another to Clive 2 seconds later, then sauntered off without even checking if Clive likes it or not...

I generally bemoan the lack of discussion on Dion's relationship with his country's imperialism and his hands in that (like, everything about him was perfect to address that topic even in very brief ways?), BUT I highly enjoyed Dion's theme about the loss of personhood and to be reduced to a vessel of power and worship, his multifaceted relationship with the concepts of power & duty & hierarchy. So subtly yet powerfully done with so little screen time... I think Clive's own engagement with the theme (which is supposed to be his central theme) comes short in comparison.

Dion's side quest with Harpocrates also scratched my brain in INCREDIBLY ways, but again I won't ramble too much in this post...

(Hahaha by this point I think everyone knows who my fav is)

Dion & Joshua's dialogues are all so well-written (maybe save for Joshua's last speech...)

Everything about Mid & Gav, they're beautifully done, I love them they have such solid places within the narrative and lovely personalities too. When I watched Mid navigating the Entreprise I was just squealing and cheering for her! Her talking about the dream of flight and the danger it might entail, and her plan of turning such a weighted topic into a lighthearted treasure hunt! My gosh 💗 Gav's drinking scene with Clive is also especially touching, I felt a lot for his burdens.

Lady Isabelle may I have your hand in marriage--

Clive holding Joshua or clutching his body...... breaks me every time I love love LOVE tragic siblings

I can honestly write an essay for each of the characters (especially Jill & Dion my thoughts about them are overflowing) but they will have to be separate posts at this point, let me know @zadien (or anyone else reading this 🫣) if you'd like me to talk some more.

NOW onto the criticisms proper...

Waloed & Origin arcs were pretty underwhelming, mostly because I feel like they haven't offered anything new that wasn't already resolved in the previous arcs...? I enjoyed Barnabas' vibe but his impact on me was a big fat 0, and here comes the conundrum because, well, I'm guessing him being emotionless & devoid of a personality is supposed to be the point with his worship of Ultima, but even that was not done well... All his bedroom scenes kinda ruined all of that, not to mention the out-of-nowhere 'mother' appearances that the story doesn't even bother to explore aside from showing her naked body (Benedikta got the same treatment after her death my god I'm so sorry my beloved)...

Idk what I'm supposed to take away from the character and, in consequence, the Waloed arc? I know nothing of who he was, his dialogues didn't even match Clive's growth at that point - again, why is Clive questioning his humanity NOW of all time, when the story has been going so well? Could they have, idk, shown Clive's fear coming back to him after reuniting with Joshua & discovering Dion's descend to madness, so that they can segue into the Waloed arc more smoothly - that despite Clive's best intention he may lose all his control at the most crucial point and ruin all that he holds dear (like Dion), and that he never let go of his guilt at Phoenix Gate, and having Joshua back unwittingly brought back the nightmares he'd lived with for 13 years? Maybe that would give his identity crisis at the beach some more substance instead of "Barnabas bested me twice and now I'm wet and sat" situation he got going on... I am thankful for Mid & Dion's arc & CliveJill romance & everything about Joshua but the main villain & plot points felt so distant... MY BRAIN WAS NOT SCRATCHED

(I adore Mid & Dion & Joshua hahaha they're so colorful in 3 entirely different directions, my silly children)

I am also not really convinced by Ultima's writing. The plot reveal of him being a God who created humanity but then abandoned us all *could* have been pretty powerful and on point if it wasn't executed in such fragmented ways. If only they dig deeper into one or two specific aspects of that concept to explore...

I am especially fond of the idea of Ultima as symbolic for "the absent parent" and "the narcissistic parent" (both in the intimate familial context and the wider context of head-of-state/leader figures), which could have paralleled SO WELL with Anabella & Sylvestre & EVEN ELWIN had they not cut off Anabella's presence immediately after her death, or had they make Dion reflect deeper upon his relationship with his father beyond "I killed him I am so sad", or had they make Joshua's and Clive's memories of Elwin more complicated - maybe in how they (especially Joshua) worshipped his as their father & leader, but less so as a man, someone human & flawed? And then they can explore how the children gaining autonomy & freedom despite their parents & the circumstances that shaped their childhood as a direct mirror to them breaking away from Ultima? The frustrating thing is, I THINK they did try to do that, what with all the Inner Voice snippets and the initial buildups and all, but the execution keeps coming up short...

Ultima & the Eikons as symbols of "power that binds & enthralls" in contradiction with Clive's fight for a "free world" could've been much more relevant and poignant if maybe they allowed us to get more invested in Ultima's backstory (flashback cutscenes perhaps? more involved murals? a more multifaceted discussion around the concept of will? some attempts at humanizing Ultima's race so that when Clive says "you're just like us" we feel it a bit deeper?) instead of just having the guy monotonously narrating all the plot twists... my god. Not to mention all the on-the-nose dialogues of power of friendship & crude slavery allegories... I don't know! I think Square did NOT do it well in this one.

That's all I can pull from the top of my head at the moment! Ready to hop into replies or asks to talk some more, but yea!

[pagansprite]

and in my experience, that is a gr8 way to get started with deities that are not very well known.

the way i see and interact with maia is very much colored by hermes. she is, like he is, ouranic and cthonic. and i very much get the feeling that she has a playful side !

and my understanding and worship of harpocrates is very much shaped by my understanding and worship of his parents. he is very much the Heir to their power.

[pissmaster228]

Serapeum's name makes more sense once I've actually woken her up. TL DR It's a temple to a fusion god (created to legitimize an empire) made of ritually sacrificed bulls and the god of the dead and rebirth. The earliest serapeum had a daughter library of the Library of Alexandria.

From Wikipedia:

A serapeum is a temple or other religious institution dedicated to the syncretic Greco-Egyptian deity Serapis, who combined aspects of Osiris and Apis in a humanized form that was accepted by the Ptolemaic Greeks of Alexandria.

Serapis or Sarapis is a Graeco-Egyptian god. A syncretic deity derived from the worship of the Egyptian Osiris and Apis, Serapis was extensively popularized in the third century BC on the orders of Greek Pharaoh Ptolemy I Soter, as a means to unify the Greek and Egyptian subjects of the Ptolemaic Kingdom.

The cultus of Serapis was spread as a matter of deliberate policy by subsequent Ptolemaic kings. Serapis continued to increase in popularity during the Roman Empire, often replacing Osiris as the consort of Isis in temples outside Egypt. Alongside his Egyptian roots he gained attributes from other deities, such as chthonic powers linked to the Greek Hades and Demeter, and benevolence derived from associations with Dionysus.

The Serapeum of Alexandria in the Ptolemaic Kingdom was an ancient Greek temple built by Ptolemy III Euergetes (reigned 246–222 BC) and dedicated to Serapis, who was made the protector of Alexandria, Egypt. There are also signs of Harpocrates. It has been referred to as the daughter of the Library of Alexandria.

Ptolemy I Soter ordered the construction of the first temple dedicated to Serapis. It appears that it was a simple and modest building. Ptolemy introduced the cult of this god. Ptolemy III expanded it, at the same time as he ordered the construction of the Library of Alexandria. Starting with the Roman emperor Claudius (emperor from 41 AD to 54 AD), the temple evolved and took on the dimensions of a large sanctuary, until it reached 185 by 92 meters. In this way, the Alexandrian acropolis was embellished with a series of buildings: in addition to the aforementioned temple and library, the temple of Anubis, that of Isis, the necropolis of sacred animals, the obelisks of Seti I and the great column of Serapis, which was still standing in the 3rd century, were added.

The Serapeum of Saqqara was the ancient Egyptian burial place for sacred bulls of the Apis cult at Memphis. It was believed that the bulls were incarnations of the god Ptah, which would become immortal after death as Osiris-Apis. a name which evolved to Serapis.

Ptah is an Egyptian creator god who conceived the world and brought it into being through the creative power of speech. A hymn to Ptah dating to the Twenty-second Dynasty of Egypt says Ptah "crafted the world in the design of his heart," and the Shabaka Stone, from the Twenty-Fifth Dynasty, says Ptah "gave life to all the gods and their kas as well, through this heart and this tongue."

ka=soul, essence of life

[yourantiquarian]

Roman statuette of Harpocrates

ITEM Statuette of Harpocrates MATERIAL Marble CULTURE Roman PERIOD 1st - 2nd Century A.D DIMENSIONS 110 mm x 60 mm x 34 mm CONDITION Good condition PROVENANCE Ex Swiss private collection, acquired between 1970 - 1990 In the Roman period, Harpocrates continued to be a significant deity, albeit with adaptations and reinterpretations influenced by both Roman and Egyptian religious traditions. Harpocrates was originally an ancient Egyptian god associated with silence, secrets, and confidentiality. In the Hellenistic and Roman periods, the cult of Harpocrates spread throughout the Mediterranean, and the god underwent syncretism with various Greek and Roman deities, blending cultural and religious influences. In Roman art and mythology, Harpocrates is often depicted as a young boy with a finger to his lips, symbolizing the gesture of silence. The Romans associated him with the concept of confidentiality and discretion, making him a popular figure in various contexts, including funerary art and domestic worship. The Roman adaptation of Harpocrates integrated elements of the original Egyptian symbolism with the broader Greco-Roman religious landscape, showcasing the fluidity and adaptability of ancient religious beliefs during this period. Devotion to Harpocrates also found a place in mystery cults and esoteric traditions in the Roman Empire. Read the full article

[zerogate]

In earlier times the shrines of Isis had an equivocal reputation. The goddess was popular with the demimonde, and her worship can have had little connection with moral purity. But such scandals are not recorded in the third century, when indeed they would have hardly have been tolerated. In our period the worship of Isis was organised in a manner very like that of the Catholic Church. There was a kind of pope, with priests, monks, singers, and acolytes. The images of the Madonna were covered with true or false jewels, and her toilette was dutifully attended to every day. Daily matins and evensong were said in the chief temples. The priests were tonsured and wore white linen vestments. There were two great annual festivals, in the spring and autumn. The autumn festival was the occasion of public grief and joy over the death and resurrection of Osiris-Sarapis. The processions and ceremonies described by Apuleius and others were ingeniously contrived to excite curiosity, stimulate devotional feeling, and gratify the æsthetic sense.

For the mystic, Isis represented the deepest mysteries of life. Proclus makes her say, ‘I am that which has been, is, and will be. My garment none has lifted.’ The worship of Isis was closely connected with that of the dog-headed Anubis, long popular in Egypt; of Harpocrates the son of Isis and Osiris, and above all of Sarapis, who more and more took the place of the old Egyptian god, Osiris. Sarapis was a deity of many attributes; he had a great reputation for miraculous cures, and invalids often slept in his temples. He ended as a solar deity of omnipotent majesty, and as the great god of Alexandria threw Isis somewhat into the shade. Caracalla paid him the compliment of dedicating to him the sword with which he had killed his brother Geta, as South-Italian assassins have been known to offer to the Virgin the knife which they have used successfully on a private enemy.

Isis was a suffering and merciful mother-goddess, who longed to ease human troubles. Her worship had a miraculous element for the vulgar, a spiritual theology for the cultured, and an attractive ritual for the average worshipper.

No other religion practised faith-healing, by passing the night in temples (ἐγκοίμησις), on so large a scale. This Egyptian religion never inculcated a very robust or elevated morality. Its power lay in its charm, and in the hope of immortality which was always strong in the Egyptian religion. ‘There is a famous passage in an ancient Egyptian text relating to the worship of Osiris, which speaks of the loyal votary of the god after death. “As truly as Osiris lives, shall he live; as truly as Osiris is not dead, shall he not die; as truly as Osiris is not annihilated, shall he not be annihilated.” The initiate is to share eternally in the divine life; nay, he does already share it. He becomes Osiris.

[...]

The worship of the Magna Mater had been known and recognised in Attica as early as the fourth century B.C., and at Rome as early as the second Punic war, and was patronised by the aristocracy, though no Roman was allowed to enrol himself among the eunuch priests of the Asiatic goddess. King Attalus at this time presented the senate with the black aerolite, formerly kept at Pessinus and then at Pergamum, which was supposed to be the abode of the Idæan Mother. The grateful Romans, at last rid of Hannibal, erected a temple to her on the Palatine, and ordained an annual holy week in her honour.

The Phrygian religion was wild and violent, as befitted a climate which produces extremes of heat and cold. It included such primitive elements as the worship of stones and trees, and at once horrified and fascinated the West by its wild orgies at the spring festival, which culminated in the self-mutilation of devotees. But it had also an ascetic order of mendicant friars, and ‘mysteries,’ of which little is known.

Till the beginning of the empire, the Phrygian worship was kept under strict control, and attracted little notice except on the festival days when the foreign priests marched in procession through the streets. But Claudius, according to a second-century authority, removed the restrictions on the worship of Cybele and Attis, and Roman citizens began to be chosen as archigalli. Henceforth the Phrygian worship received a measure of official support not extended to other Oriental religions. The festal processions were very imposing, and the death and resurrection of Attis was regarded as a sacrament and pledge of human immortality. The worshippers sang, ‘Take courage, ye initiated, because the god is saved: to you also will come salvation from your troubles.���

-- William Ralph Inge, The philosophy of Plotinus

[khaire-traveler]

✨ Subtle Deity Worship Master List ✨

Greek Deities:

Subtle Aphrodite Worship

Subtle Ares Worship

Subtle Apollo Worship

Subtle Artemis Worship

Subtle Athena Worship

Subtle Dionysus Worship

Subtle Eros Worship

Subtle Hephaestus Worship

Subtle Hermes Worship

Subtle Demeter Worship

Subtle Hera Worship

Subtle Zeus Worship

Subtle Circe Worship

Subtle Hestia Worship

Subtle Helios Worship

Subtle Persephone Worship

Subtle Poseidon Worship

Subtle Hekate Worship

Subtle Hygeia Worship

Subtle Nemesis Worship

Subtle Psyche Worship

Subtle Asklepios Worship

Subtle Haides Worship

Subtle Harpocrates Worship

Subtle Erebos Worship

Subtle Medea Worship

Subtle Tyche Worship

Subtle Lethe Worship

Subtle Selene Worship

Subtle Eris Worship

Subtle Themis Worship

Subtle Talos Worship

Subtle Thanatos Worship

Subtle Nyx Worship

Subtle Phobos & Deimos Worship

Subtle Nike Worship

Subtle Pan Worship

Subtle Hypnos Worship

Subtle Charybdis Worship

Subtle Skylla Worship

Subtle Harmonia Worship

Subtle Galatea Worship

Subtle Hyacinthus Worship

Subtle Triton Worship

Norse Deities:

Subtle Sigyn Worship

Subtle Loki Worship

Subtle Baldr Worship

Subtle Freyr Worship

Subtle Odin Worship

Subtle Heimdallr Worship

Subtle Freyja Worship

Subtle Thorr Worship

Subtle Tyr Worship

Subtle Jormungandr Worship

Subtle Hel Worship

Subtle Sleipnir Worship

Subtle Idunna Worship - created by @soil-and-stanzas :)

Subtle Fenrir Worship

Subtle Frigga Worship

-

This list will be updated as I make more posts! I will be making separate lists for these pantheons because I have too many links lol.

[pagansprite]

i don't think i set out to create epithets ? they just kind of came out organically while i was praying/worshiping. there was a role/aspect that i wanted to praise, and i gave it a title.

like hermanubis is Guide in the Dark bc he guides souls to the underworld, he guides/carries harpocrates (the sunrise) through the night. he is Companion (and variations: loyal companion, ever faithful companion) bc a huge part of my understanding of him is that he is at the side of other deities. and if he isn't at the side of other deities, he is near to humanity. Dear Shadow, or Inky Black Shadow, is related to his closeness (he is close like a shadow), is related to how i see him (pure black, blending in with the darkness), is related to the souls he guides (a kind of shadow)

you could look for mythic associations, if there are any stories. iconographic associations, animals, plants, etc.

you can never go wrong with physical attributes (there are many epithets of many deities that refer to eyes or hair or general stature).

where were they worshiped ? if there's any evidence of worship. what sort of landscape or geographical features are associated with them ? where would you find them, basically.

oh and literally like a week ago i was thinking about how a lot of my understanding of lesser-known gods comes from their relatives. parents, children, siblings. harpocrates is his parents. maia shares a lot of features with hermes. so on and so forth. for me, that really only comes out through the process of worship tho. (less epithet focused but im sure there could be some shareable epithets)

Worshippers of ‘minor’ deities, have you ever made up your own epithets for them if there aren’t many known ones? How do you go about it and what are some that you have?

[paganimagevault]

Venus Pandemos by Marc Charles Gabriel Gleyre 1852

"Aphrodite Pandemos (Ancient Greek: Πάνδημος, romanized: Pándēmos; "common to all the people") occurs as an epithet of the Greek Goddess Aphrodite. This epithet can be interpreted in different ways. In Plato's Symposium, Pausanias of Athens describes Aphrodite Pandemos as the Goddess of sensual pleasures, in opposition to Aphrodite Urania, or "the heavenly Aphrodite". At Elis, she was represented as riding on a ram by Scopas. Another interpretation is that of Aphrodite uniting all the inhabitants of a country into one social or political body. In this respect she was worshipped at Athens along with Peitho (persuasion), and her worship was said to have been instituted by Theseus at the time when he united the scattered townships into one great body of citizens. According to some authorities, it was Solon who erected the sanctuary of Aphrodite Pandemos, either because her image stood in the agora, or because the hetairai had to pay the costs of its erection. The worship of Aphrodite Pandemos also occurs at Megalopolis in Arcadia, and at Thebes. A festival in honour of her is mentioned by Athenaeus. The sacrifices offered to her consisted of white goats. Pandemos occurs also as a surname of Eros. According to Harpocration, who quotes Apollodorus, Aphrodite Pandemos has very old origins, "the title Pandemos was given to the Goddess established in the neighborhood of the Old Agora because all the Demos (people) gathered there of old in their assemblies which they called agorai." To honour Aphrodite's and Peitho's role in the unification of Attica, the Aphrodisia festival was organized annually on the fourth of the month of Hekatombaion (the fourth day of each month was the sacred day of Aphrodite). The Synoikia that honoured Athena, the protectress of Theseus and main patron of Athens, also took place in the month of Hekatombaion."

From Plato's Symposium:

"Such in the main was Phaedrus' speech as reported to me. It was followed by several others, which my friend could not recollect at all clearly; so he passed them over and related that of Pausanias, which ran as follows: "I do not consider, Phaedrus, our plan of speaking a good one, if the rule is simply that we are to make eulogies of Love. If Love were only one, it would be right; but, you see, he is not one, and this being the case, it would be more correct to have it previously announced what sort we ought to praise. Now this defect I will endeavor to amend, and will first decide on a Love who deserves our praise, and then will praise him in terms worthy of his Godhead. We are all aware that there is no Aphrodite or Love-passion without a Love. True, if that Goddess were one, then Love would be one: but since there are two of her, there must needs be two Loves also. Does anyone doubt that she is double? Surely there is the elder, of no mother born, but daughter of Heaven, whence we name her Heavenly; while the younger was the child of Zeus and Dione, and her we call Popular. It follows then that of the two Loves also the one ought to be called Popular, as fellow-worker with the one of those Goddesses, and the other Heavenly. All Gods, of course, ought to be praised: but none the less I must try to describe the faculties of each of these two. For of every action it may be observed that as acted by itself it is neither noble nor base. For instance, in our conduct at this moment, whether we drink or sing or converse, none of these things is noble in itself; each only turns out to be such in the doing, as the manner of doing it may be. For when the doing of it is noble and right, the thing itself becomes noble; when wrong, it becomes base. So also it is with loving, and Love is not in every case noble or worthy of celebration, but only when he impels us to love in a noble manner.

“Now the Love that belongs to the Popular Aphrodite is in very truth popular and does his work at haphazard: this is the Love we see in the meaner sort of men; who, in the first place, love women as well as boys; secondly, where they love, they are set on the body more than the soul; and thirdly, they choose the most witless people they can find, since they look merely to the accomplishment and care not if the manner be noble or no. Hence they find themselves doing everything at haphazard, good or its opposite, without distinction: for this Love proceeds from the Goddess who is far the younger of the two, and who in her origin partakes of both female and male. But the other Love springs from the Heavenly Goddess who, firstly, partakes not of the female but only of the male; and secondly, is the elder, untinged with wantonness: wherefore those who are inspired by this Love betake them to the male, in fondness for what has the robuster nature and a larger share of mind. Even in the passion for boys you may note the way of those who are under the single incitement of this Love: they love boys only when they begin to acquire some mind—a growth associated with that of down on their chins. For I conceive that those who begin to love them at this age are prepared to be always with them and share all with them as long as life shall last: they will not take advantage of a boy's green thoughtlessness to deceive him and make a mock of him by running straight off to another. Against this love of boys a law should have been enacted, to prevent the sad waste of attentions paid to an object so uncertain: for who can tell where a boy will end at last, vicious or virtuous in body and soul? Good men, however, voluntarily make this law for themselves, and it is a rule which those ‘popular’ lovers ought to be forced to obey, just as we force them, so far as we can, to refrain from loving our freeborn women. These are the persons responsible for the scandal which prompts some to say it is a shame to gratify one's lover: such are the cases they have in view, for they observe all their reckless and wrongful doings; and surely, whatsoever is done in an orderly and lawful manner can never justly bring reproach.

“Further, it is easy to note the rule with regard to love in other cities: there it is laid down in simple terms, while ours here is complicated. For in Elis and Boeotia and where there is no skill in speech they have simply an ordinance that it is seemly to gratify lovers, and no one whether young or old will call it shameful, in order, I suppose, to save themselves the trouble of trying what speech can do to persuade the youths; for they have no ability for speaking. But in Ionia and many other regions where they live under foreign sway, it is counted a disgrace. Foreigners hold this thing, and all training in philosophy and sports, to be disgraceful, because of their despotic government; since, I presume, it is not to the interest of their princes to have lofty notions engendered in their subjects, or any strong friendships and communions; all of which Love is pre-eminently apt to create. It is a lesson that our despots learnt by experience; for Aristogeiton's love and Harmodius's friendship grew to be so steadfast that it wrecked their power. Thus where it was held a disgrace to gratify one's lover, the tradition is due to the evil ways of those who made such a law— that is, to the encroachments of the rulers and to the cowardice of the ruled. But where it was accepted as honorable without any reserve, this was due to a sluggishness of mind in the law-makers. In our city we have far better regulations, which, as I said, are not so easily grasped."

-taken from wikipedia and Plato's Symposium 180c-182d

[bijoumikhawal]

Jijoi! Symbolism explanation below cut

First, design. Jijoi’s face is partially based on a possible bust of Smenkhare, who is part of a fringe theory that Nefertiti became pharaoh and adopted a male presentation later in life, maybe being trans. I haven't decided on a default hairstyle for him, just that it's popular for people in his sect to wear top knots as a cultural miscommunication of some images that got brought over. The hairstyle is loosely based on Egyptian hairstyles from late Antiquity- I've seen a few half up hairstyles like this, and the corkscrew curls seem to have been characteristic of local Egyptian hairdressing. This is possible with styling on curly hair, these days people use flexirods for this affect and I've seen Northeast Africans wear their hair like this as a cultural style. The cap is referenced from a Coptic sprang cap.

The tendrils by his ears are a reference to grey herons, black crowned night herons, and demoiselle cranes, all of which have a trailing feather by their eyes leading off the back of their heads. All three of these birds are seen in Egypt and are known to engage in homosexual activity.

Jijoi’s name comes from an older name meaning "bearer of the side lock", and epithet for Horus in the form of a child, worshipped under the name Harpocrates. Harpocrates gained an association as the god of secrets dye to a miscommunication of a visual pun by Greeks and Romans, and in Rome was associated with roses (see the term "sub rosa"). Wether the Ancient Egyptians adopted these signifers as well isn't something I can state, but I combined the roses here with eyes, which are natively associated with Horus.

[safetyrat]

For someone who complains about Tumblr analysists Techno sure likes to set up incredibly symbolic metaphors, huh?

I won’t be going over Phil’s and Techno’s codenames much here, rather I want to focus on Harpocrates, the secret member, and one particular person he might be.

Harpocrates is the god of secrets and silence. He has been called an “embodiment of hope” and is strongly affiliated with roses. Just looking at these truths, there are many connections you can make to various SMP members. That being said, in and of himself he isn’t a particularly well-known or popular deity.

However, the original version that Harpocrates got derived from, is - Horus, one of the most significant ancient Egyptian deities.

Often portrait with a falcon head, being a god of kingship and the sky and strongly associated with one symbol – the eye of Horus.

Now, for some avid SMP watchers this symbol shouldn’t be unfamiliar. After all, it’s the same one that Foolish build at the entrance of his pyramid.

Foolish as a member of the syndicate is interesting. The only plot he is really involved with is the egg, which he is strongly against. So much that he will fight a war about it on the tenth. That’s a thing.

Technoblade has expressed how he views the Eggpire as a government, so it’s not unlikely they’re going to be the main threat the syndicate will be fighting against. And… the enemy of your enemy is your friend?

Another reason Foolish might join is his relationship with Puffy, being her son, who has already shown that she’s willing to work with Technoblade. She isn’t my main suspect of being Harpocrates, I don’t see any big resemblance between her and the god, and Tencho has also used he/him pronouns? I still see a strong possibility of her joining the syndicate under another codename.

Going back to Horus, he doesn’t immediately screen Foolish not considering the eye. However, due to being a skygod worshiped at the same time as Ra, the two did become intertwined, so much that they were sometimes merged as Ra-Horakhty, "Ra, who is Horus of the Two Horizons". This gave Horus the association with the sun, which in Egyptian mythology was very closely connected with the concept of rebirth. Not unlike a totem of undying.

Foolish has actually build a statue of Ra himself. It was meant to protect him from the egg, interestingly enough, but failed to do so, which led Foolish to believe that the egg was unlike any other threat he’s faced before.

Foolish is old, maybe immortal, and if he was alive at a time where Egyptian gods where worshiped Greek deities would feel young to him. But if he was forced to pick one, the one with Egyptian ties would probably make the most sense.

Again, this is just reasons for why it might be Foolish – I would very much not be surprised if it’s not, he isn’t even the most likely option in my mind, just the one I have most arguments for.

Feel free to tell me what you think!!