#hellanismos

[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.

[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!

[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.