#hellanic polytheism

[hellenismrules]

The gods are all in their own “groups” of sorts, or at least most of them are, I’m going to try and break down the groups, what they are, and the divinities in those groups.

Now another thing to mention is that some gods are in multiple groups, as they’re not confined to just one role or job and have a broad range of skills and abilities!

The names of the groups are,

Theoi Olympioi

The Olympian’s, in a broad spectrum. Basically everyone who is not in the Theoi Khthonioi.

Theoi Agoraioi

These are the gods of the peoples assembly and marketplace, some of the gods in this group are;

King Zeus

Lady Athena

Lady Dike

Lady Themis

Lady Colliope

Lord Hermes

Lord Hephaestus

Lord Apollo

Theoi Daitioi

The gods of feasts and banquets

Lord Dionysos

Lady Hestia

Lady Aphrodite

The Charities

Occasionally the Theoi Mouskoi also join the Theoi Daitioi

Theoi Gamelioi

The gods of marriage

King Zeus

Queen Hera

Lady Aphrodite

Lord Hymenaios

The Erotes

Lord Peitho

The Charities

Lady Eunomia

lady Harmonia

Lady Hebe

Theoi Georgikoi

The gods of agriculture, I would like to note that most of those in this group are Chthonic deities, though I couldn’t find specific names

Lady Demeter

Theoi Gymnastikoi

The gods of the gymnasium

Lord Hermes

Lord Heracles

The Dioscuri

Lady Nike

Lord Agon

Lord Eros

Theoi Halioi

The gods of the sea, most of those in this group are minor sea divinities, nymphs, and others.

King Poseidon

Lord Apollo

Lady Artemis

Lady Aphrodite

The Dioscuri

Theoi Iatrikoi

The gods of medicine and healing

Lord Apollo

Lord Asclepius

Lady Epione

Lady Hygeia

Lady Panaceia

Lady Aegle

Lady Iaso

Lady Akeso

Lord Telesphorus

Theoi Ktesioi

Gods of the house and home

King Zeus

Lady Hestia

Lady Hekate

Lord Hermes

Theoi Montikoi

Gods of oracles, divination and prophecy

Lord Apollo

King Zeus

Lady Phoibe

Lady Themis

Lady Dione

Lady Mnemosyne

Lord Hermes

Theoi Nomioi

Gods of the countryside and country pursuits

Lady Artemis

Lord Hermes

Lord Dionysos

Theoi Mousikoi

Gods of music, dance, and education of the arts

Lord Apollo

Lady Artemis

The Muses

The Charaties

Lord Hymenaeus

Lord Lino’s

Lord Dionysos

Lord Hermes

Lady Aphrodite

Theoi Polemikoi

The gods of war

Lord Ares

Lady Athena

Lady Enyo

Lady Eris

Lady Nike

Lord Deimos

Lord Phobos

King Zeus

Lord Apollo

Theoi Thesmioi

The gods of divine law and order

King Zeus

Lady Demeter

The Horae

Lady Themis

Lord Apollo

Theoi Khthonioi

The gods and divinities of the underworld

King Hades

Queen Persephone

Lady Hekate

Lord Erebus

Lord Hypnus

Lady Makaria

Lady Nyx

Lord Tartarus

[skyrim-crossing]

Do you still worship Dionysus?

I do lovely! I have worked with him for nearly 7 years now 🩵

[tobesco]

Lady Hestia’s altar setup tonight before bed. I added the little wooden chest with a small leather bound notebook for sigils inside, the candle snuffer, a lighter and the glass plate for the main candle to sit on.

I’ve also been veiling for three days (and I had been before that, but not actively calling it veiling) and it’s been pretty great! I just use a bandana that covers my hair and it works great with my work since I work in a kitchen and have to cover my hair anyways. I feel as if I’m most connected to her in this way since I haven’t made plans or progress in other ways (such as spells or rituals - I’m actually pretty nervous to try any of those for a while...)

I haven’t been as interactive or reaching out to her as I want to be, but I wrote out a couple prayers to her before bed tonight as my devotional to her for a lack of devotion over the last couple days due to work.

I am in love with her and how she is so patient with me. I have a lot to learn and a lot more to grow and I’m glad she allows me to learn slowly because I was afraid she would want me to jump in right away. But I am so thankful and so grateful to be devoted to her.

[hellanistpunk]

Okay so this was prompted by this post and especially @honeyandincense 's addition.

Theres also this post by @breathing-in-gilded-dust thats very similar and might be of use so go show them some love.

1. Divination in ancient greece

https://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1177&context=classics_papers

2. A breif history

http://elibrary.bsu.az/books_163/N_38.pdf

3. Google books preview of the greek magical papyri

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=K0hCj5u3HNQC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

4. Theres often free information on museum pages thats to go along with certain exhibits

https://www.bl.uk/greek-manuscripts/articles/ancient-books

https://www.bl.uk/greek-manuscripts/articles/greek-bibles-in-antiquity

5. Oxford handbook

https://journals.openedition.org/kernos/pdf/2415

6. Function of mythology and religion

https://dc.etsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3471&context=etd

7. Female voices in hellanistic poetry

https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/293017

8. Myth and gender anthenian autochthony

https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/293492

9. Greek cults ( post by @buildawitch who is amazing for putting this on tumblr 💜)

https://buildawitch.tumblr.com/post/185102234372/ancient-greek-cults-book

Feel free to add your own(free or books), later on i might link a goodreads list for paid resources.

[hellenismrules]

I’ve been working with Zeus and Hades for a long while, so here’s how I see them and my favorite interactions since I don’t see many funny interactions with these two.

How I see them Personality wise:

Zeus: a sort of BBQ dad that shows up once every six years, says something super wise and random and then disappears until you need him again

Hades: The dad that doesn’t get paid enough and is constantly giving you the look of “What the fuck did you just do” but is very prideful of your accomplishments

Appearance wise? I don’t see them as completely humanoid, though I also don’t see them being more animalistic?

Zeus: all that I’ve seen from him in zoned out inspiration and zoning back in to a big drawing of Zeus, I see him a somewhat tan, with lighter har that matches the color of his eyes, with four bovine horns, other then that I can’t describe him.

Hades: I can’t describe him well at all, other then pale and dark eyed, he hasn’t shown me a lot of himself, but he does talk to me the most out of anyone I’ve worked with (I think that’s a good thing??)

Now for the interactions! 🤣🤣🤣

For context, I was using the Keyboard method for the first two

Hades: Give me fire, girl

Me: you’ll have to wait until the morning, King Hades

Hades: GAH!

Zeus: Celery

Me: I don’t like Celery- it tastes like perfume water!

Zeus: Yes.

Me, doing a love reading for me and my Gf:

Hades, clearly done with my bullshit because we both knew I didn’t need this reading: You love each other. Gross. I didn’t say stop the reading.

Hades then proceeds to give my friend @ember1224 two very ominous romance readings about their lack of communication with their partner.

[skyrim-crossing]

I've never met anyone who worshipped Dionysus before and I'm kind of curious, how do you worship Dionysus? Is there anything special that you need to do ? Like offerings or things like that ? If you don't want to answer that's totally fine !

Hey, it's no problem! There are many ways in which people can do it, it's all up to what your comfortable with. As he is the god of wine and theatre (and other things I will probably mention too) you do need to be careful if you're going to consume alcohol and/or drugs, and have sex/masturbate. Only do so if you're over the legal age, comfortable, and in a safe place. Okay, now to it.

As mentioned, lots of people have different ways of worship. So feel free to mention how my experience is different to yours. To me, I try to incorporate my religion into as much of my daily life as possible. For example, I sometimes help look after dolphins at my local aquarium, practice theatre and dance, and the most important thing, just to be happy.

However, I set time aside at the end of every week to meditate at my altar. Altar picture below (excuse the mess, I'm redecorating 😂)

When it doesnt look like a bomb site, I have a soft pillow that I sit on, light my off camera wine candles, and put on some music. I don't really pray or anything, I just kind of sit there and feel the good vibes, you know?

As you can see, I am obsessed with pinecones. Thankfully, pinecones are heavily associated with Dionysus. I have over 50 different pinecones, and I tend to rotate them when I clean my altar. I collect crystals too, but they are more for myself than for Dionysus. I'm buying a lot more items to make a brand new altar because most of these things are just random pieces I've found lmao. Here are my favourite things:

A copper offering bowl my boyfriend bought me from Greece

This plate I definitely didn't take from my grandparents house

And this stupid cute necklace I bought off etsy (I wear it everywhere)

As I'm only 16, I dont do drugs or go to parties or anything, but I will occasionally have a glass of red wine or grape juice, when I sit at my altar.

Ultimately, the best way to worship Dionysus is to have fun and be happy ^^

[amongstthewillowsandstars]

What is Paganism?

The Cambridge Dictionary defines it as "A Religion that worships many gods, especially a religion that existed before the main world religions."

Merriam-Webster defines it as "A pagan beliefs or practices, a pagan religion." Also it includes "The quality or state of being a pagan."

Oxford Languages defines it as "A religion other than one of the main world religions, specifically a non-Christian or pre-Christian religion. Also, a modern religious movement incorporating beliefs or practices from outside the main world religions (Christianity, Judaism, or Islam), especially nature worship."

According to Wikipedia (I know, not always the best source, but handy) it was a term that began being used in the fourth century to describe people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism. This term was both originally used for rural living individuals and for those who were civilians instead of military.

The Pagan Federation International page defines paganism as simply "a polytheistic or pantheistic nature worshiping religion."

The consensus is that it is non-Christian/pre-Christian, polytheistic, and nature worshiping. But what exactly is Paganism other than that simple explanation? I know it is a blanket term that serves to cover many different faiths, some of the most widely known being Wicca, Druidry, Asatru, Hellanism, Kemetism, Ethnic Traditions (Closed Practices) and Non-Ethnic Traditions (Open Practices). Under each one of those "header" catagories if you will is a myriad of other branches of paganism.

And this is where I would like to begin my studies. I plan to research as many of the branches as I am able to to see which path suits me best, with the exception of the Closed Practices of course. For those I would like to make a list acknowledging them, and a space for those who do practice them to provide information only if they are willing to do so.

Feel free to tag along and to correct me on any facts that I get incorrect. I wish for this to be a learning space for all who find it.

Edit: On doing further research I found this wonderful article posted by the American Humanist Association. It includes recommended reading and links to articles to do further research as well, though I am finding one or two of the links don't work.

[hellanistpunk]

Im such a candle offerings stan just ask @sheoftheheights

Sometimes theyre handmade sometimes they're shop brought (depending on my work and the uses)

Anointing oils are brilliant (theres some on my blog but i can also share more ) and sigils either carved or on the jars,I also tie or glue charms to the jars.

I have many posts on my blog about my offering candles and a few essays on candles in ancient Greece

I am a candle offering stan. Not enough Hellenic polytheists offer candles. It’s not necessarily historically accurate, but candle offerings are really cool! You can anoint them with oils and the sacred plants of your deity, and if it’s a scented candle it’s essentially incense that lasts for days. Plus it keeps your altar and statues lit and that’s aesthetic as hell.

[hellenismrules]

Ngl all the reactions to my post on the groups of olympians scared the shit out of me

Also why are like- half of you guys Apollon Devotees (I have nothing against you guys- it’s just something I’ve noticed 🤣)

One of these days I’ll actually make a post about myself and with some basic info and pin it but as of right now I just

I just don’t have the brain capacity rn

Aaanyyyways, my next post will be on the Greek Underworld (or a post I’ll pin about myself, maybe both) and I’ll try and post that tonight- these take a while because I write everything down first in my bigass Latin Trapperkeeper so if I have no internet I can still fact check myself with the stuff I have written down- so please be patient- as always you can request for me to write a whole post on a specific deity it just might take a while since I am only a Junior in high school (year 11) so I’m super stressed and mentally exhausted as a 16yr old, especially since I’m turning 17 soon

[hellenismrules]

I would just like to note that I used to openly work with Finnish and Nordic deities (specifically Loki, Garmr, Fenrir and Lempo) before I moved fully into Hellenism, so if anyone has any questions on other religions I can at least attempt to help 🤷‍♀️

In all honesty I mostly just started this blog to try and help new Hellenistic while also using this to sort of journal my own practices

I mainly use Tarot to communicate with the gods, and most of my knowledge is on the Chthonic Deities as I primarily work with them, though I do also work with Lord Zeus

He really likes my shiny tarot cards (yes that’s how I started working with him 💀)

Im an open book, and willing to answer any questions as long as they’re not super personal :)

[skyrim-crossing]

Any other Dionysus worshipers on here? Feeling pretty lonely :(

[hellanistpunk]

I hope its okay to add my personal experience!

I usually have a shower or wash my hands before hand

Like @artistic-annihilation i also use khernips (however i very un-traditionally have it in a spray bottle)

I usually light some "altar incense"

Then say my prayer with the offering on my altar

Personally i don't tend to offer consumables* however flowers and plants etc. I usually compost.

And candles i usually thank the jar and reuse it either as another offering or something else.

*however through research i know some people choose to compost or feed it to animals (if its safe for the animal)

how do /you/ offer to hellenic deities? im very confused on how to since i cant burn my offerings and it seems like itd take a while to get ready for an offering (with the cleaning and stuff) :

Hey nonny! Alright, I’ll give you a break down of of my offering styles, how I prepare for them  and the how I dispose of them.

Okay so. The first, and simplest, form of offering I give is libations. A libation is a liquid offering- grape juice, wine, spring water, coffee, etc. This is the form of offering I give most of because it’s convenient and discreet, and in a house where my practices aren’t supported can be a good thing. It doesn’t even have to be done at the shrine of the deity I’m giving the libation too. It can be done from a special container, or from the cup you’re drinking from. I’ve heard it argued in a forum somewhere that you need to pour out the offering before you consume any of the liquid yourself, which would make since for deities such as Hestia. So for good measure I try to do that. The libation can be poured into a bowl, onto the ground, on to a potted plant(if the offering is plant safe). What I usually do is say a prayer for the deity I’m pouring for, then I pour out some of the liquid either outside or in a bowl/cup. Now, I’ve you don’t have access to the outside world, potted plants, or bowls when you do this you /can/ do it in the sink. This is my least preferred form of disposal of libations because, well, it’s the sink. But it can be done as long as you make it clear for the deity that this is all you can do.  I’d also like to mention that if you’re making the offering to a Chthonic deity such as Hekate, Persephone, Haides, etc. the libation is, historically, all poured out and none is consumed. At least that’s what I gather from my research.

I also do informal offerings for my deities I have a close/devotional relationship with. If I have no way of doing a formal offering format, because of my living situation, this is my default. For example, for Hermes I like to leave offerings of coin for him on the side of a road, or I may leave some almonds for Artemis at the base of a tree. I’ll say a prayer, and then leave.

The more formal ritual I do is not at all that time consuming. I don’t typically follow this format for big festivals and such. This is just if I have the time and I’m in front of my shrines.

1)      Cleanse myself of miasma

2)      Light a candle and incense(if I’m able)

3)      Say/sing a hymn to the deity I’m offering too

4)      Say a prayer

5)      Make the offering

6)      Say another hymn or conclude the ritual

 I have a bar of frankincense soap I like to wash my hands in before I give the offering, or I have a small jar of ‘holy water’ that I make with the water from a river or spring and bay leaves. The traditional name for this is lost on me at the moment, but the actually formation of the water involves a lightning struck branch being plunged into the water. So I substitute the branch for bay(laural) leaves which I light* for a second and extinguish in the water. So in with one of these, I purify myself for the ritual. In the simplest terms, Miasma is the Hellenic verse of bad energies/psychic dirtiness that we accumulate throughout or day. Usually it’s minor miasma and can be simple cleansed away before ritual. If you don’t have access to doing either of these, pining your hair up if it’s long, and simply changing into clean clothes can work. Or, if you have the time, you can take a shower with the intent of being cleansed.

I have candles all over my shrines for my deities. Artemis currently has a special candle for her shrine. So I’d light the candle and the incense. Currently I can’t light incense because it irritates my dad to no end, so I have an electric oil burner. Or I substitute for scented candles. Red apple scented candles would be good for Aphrodite, pinecone or foresty candles would be excellent for Artemis, etc.

I sing or say a hymn, either silently or aloud. There’s a vast amount of Homeric and orphic hymns that can be found all over the internet. Pick one you like for the deity you’re honoring and you’re all set!

Prayer format can be relatively simple. I address the god I’m praying to, listing their epithets that fit the situation for why I’m calling on them. I state the offering I will give after or the offering I gave before the prayer. I will then either request, or praise the deity. Not all prayer has to come with a request. Afterwords, if the prayer does contain a request, I give thanks. Usually I just say thank you. :)

Then I’ll make the offering, which can be anything depending on what you have. Artemis likes animal statuettes as offerings from me, there can be food involved, coin for Hermes, special jewelry or candles, etc. As long as it’s appropriate for the deity, it can be an offering. It can even be a promise of an act you’ll perform such as volunteering at an animal shelter for a set amount of time for Artemis. Offerings don’t have to be physical objects.

Then I’ll either sing/say another hymn , or I’ll close out the ritual. This type does take a little longer, but not as long as you’d think. It only takes about 10 minutes or less.

As for disposal, there’s a number of options. If you can’t burn it because of your location, or it’s something that can’t be burned, you can bury it. If it’s food, you can leave it outside under a tree or near something significant to the deity in question. If you really need to, you can throw it away but I’d suggest wrapping it in something first like a clean paper towel. If it’s food, you can consume it rather than waste it. If it’s money, like I have for Hermes, and its piling up, you can take it and buy a new shrine object for the deity or even donate it to a charity that fits that particular deity. For Hermes I often give it to the homeless, or donate it to a homeless shelter if it’s a significant amount.

*Lighting bay leaves on fire can be an irritant to the nose and eyes so do it in a well-ventilated area. Be careful!

[skyrim-crossing]

Yo, uh, this is a bit awkward, but do you mind if I ask? So, I don't know much about greek mythology as a whole, never quite got into it before. But learning a thing or two about Dionysus specifically has been giving me a bit of a pull. Do you think it could be indicative of something I should pursue or maybe just a passing curiosity?

Yeah of course you can ask!

For me personally, that's how I got into Dionysus worship. I was never too into Greek mythos, heavily favouring the Roman and Norse mythos, but out of nowhere I felt like I should start learning about it. This lead to me finding out about Dionysus, and everything fell into place from there. At first it was just simply reading books made for children, watching YouTube videos etc, but then it lead to further studies of a higher academic level.

Obviously you didn't specify if you're religious/seeking a faith, but either way I'd personally say peruse it. Even if you only do a little bit, you hopefully should have enough information to make a judgement on whether it's suited for you.

If it's not, don't feel disappointed or dissatisfied, there's plenty of other mythologies. If this is for religious purposes, it has to be a two way relationship. You might choose a god, but they might not choose you (the idea of Zeus being Professor Oak just came into my head hahaha).

I will always say to peruse something, even if it is just a minor curiosity. You never know where it may lead.

If you want to ask anything else, don't be afraid to send another ask or shoot me a message. I'll do my best ^^ (or dm me on my religious Instagram @that_one_dionysus_devotee )

[skyrim-crossing]

I want to make another blog for my Dionysus/Wicca stuff, but idk if I can even make a 6th blog 😭😭😭

[hellanistpunk]

I very good thread to show how everyones experience with a diety is different!! As we are all different people so what they can aid us with and what they think we need is tailored to us.

(I hope i explained that properly im not the best with words )

This is just me venting tbh, sorry for using your askbox to do that, but...I'm just so tired of seeing Apollo always represented as a pale blonde white twink! Iʾve seen other representations of him but that's by far the one that I see the most. It just doesn't match up with how he appears to me, and this stereotype that he is some carefree himbo??? Where does that come from? He might crack a joke from time to time but he's far more serious than that! I guess I'm just mad on his behalf lol 😄

Lol @rosegoldtunic and I have this exact conversation every time we talk! I’m not even exaggerating! Every single time we Skype we talk about how a lot of people don’t actually know all the aspects of Apollo and because of that he gets labeled as the dumb dramatic pretty boy.

Apollo is the god of many things but what gets emphasized the most is the art and creative aspect. Yet Apollo is also the god of truth, philosophy, knowledge, science, math, and civilization. I mean we have to remember he gave us the Delphic Maxims. And if you read them you can clearly see that this boy is not out there causing trouble and pulling pranks with Hermes and Dionysus. He’s much more likely to be the buzz kill or designated driver.

Apollo is responsible, blunt, strict, logical, and rational. But I think because of the emphasis on his role in music and poetry people get confused since our society has very strict views on how we see creatives vs intellectuals.

Creative people are seen as being emotional and beautiful creatures. Living life outside of the expectations of society. Basically Dionysus. (Tbh a lot of how some people view Apollo is really more Dionysus imo)

Intellectual people are seen as logical, rational, almost emotionless, even cold. And while humanity is learning to not separate intelligence and beauty, I still believe its easier for people to associate Apollo’s level of beauty with creativity than intelligence.

Also when we think about the exact areas of art Apollo represents it really is more about technique and structure than creativity that comes purely from emotions.

Aela said it the best when she said that Apollo is the technical aspect of art while its Dionysus who is the emotions of art. (also people forget there are other creative gods like Athena and Aphrodite and esp Hephaestus. It’s my argument that Hephaestus is the real god of art and creativity but that’s a topic for another post)

So ultimately i think these stereotypes and separations mixed with the lack of knowledge about who Apollo actually is and what he represents has caused a lot of misconceptions and misinformation about him.

I’ve been thinking about writing an entire post about this since like i said Aela and me have been talking about it a lot and Apollo and I have been getting closer and I just feel compelled to clear some things up for him. Esp bc he’s arguably the most popular god so I feel like we should all at the very least know the basics about him.