#hellen look outside

[flopso-draw-thang]

hellen look outside pleaaaaase gouge my eyeballs out

[coriander-candlesticks]

On today's episode of "Is This a Bad Idea or Am I Just Anxious": is it disrespectful to have a separate tarot deck for "public"/"for fun" spreads?

Audience vote says "no" but if anyone has a strong opinion about it I'd legitimately love to hear it

[thou-saucy-witch]

recently got a tree cut in our yard and now we have a giant stump left behind, and I'm considering making that an outdoor altar to Pan.

[huescoven]

THE GODS ARE NOT THEIR MYTHS —

I'd like to begin by stating that all religions have mythos. Christianity has the bible, Islam has the Quran, etc. That is to say, that most of these religions are centered in mythic literalism, as portrayed in their sacred texts.

The mythology surrounding the Gods, since we do not hold a sacred book, has been written by worshippers, for other worshippers, rather than prophets.

While myths may paint the Gods with human-like flaws, these narratives are symbolic, representing aspects of the human experience and the natural world rather than literal truth. The gods embody ideals, fears, and cultural values of ancient Greece, serving as a mirror to humanity's own complexities. In essence, the myths are not factual accounts but rather rich, allegorical tales that reveal deeper truths about existence, morality, and the cosmos, used by the ancients in order to make more sense of the divine, in their own perspective of the world.

We must also remember that whilst a lot of the subjects in these myths do include traits deemed unacceptable in our modern world, the ancients had different values and beliefs that were seen as "acceptable" or at least normative in their societies. Thus, we cannot place modern morals onto ancient writings.

Often times, people look down upon worshippers of the Gods, due to the mythology and the "horrible acts" they've committed, but this limited view embodies, again, mythic literalism, which is not present in Hellenic Mythology.

Instead, we must look outside of these myths for evidence of the Gods; both in the lives of the ancients, and in our own.

// short one today, because i could speak about this topic for ages, but i don't want to bore you all too much.

[cosmic-ghost-hermit]

Which hellenic deity is reaching out to you?

Take what resonates and leave the rest behind but always be open to new experiences. Also thank you so much for all the support from yall. I really appreciate everyones feedback on my readings. It really solidifies the idea that i can do this professionally. I hope my readings assist yall more 💙

_________

PILE ONE

Astrology: Leo, Aquarius, Capricorn

Cards: 3 of pentacles, 10 of wands, 4 of swords, big picture thinking

Song: Beginnings by Madeon

Hey there, friend! You have a couple different deities from the hellenistic pantheon reaching out to you. Three to be exact. It seems like they have been reaching out to you for a while now. Either you haven't noticed or they have been keeping their identities secret from you. They have been watching you work your ass off trying to handle everything on your own. It seems like you have been rejecting their help because you have some pride in doing things independently. They want you to know that you are not weak by accepting help from anyone. The door is open to work with them if you ever you want to accept them. I see very clearly Lady Athena wants your attention. She has been looking after you since you were born. She is the main deity reaching out to you. There is also Lord Ares reaching out as well. I can deduce pretty easily that you have been through war your whole life. It could be internal war but it could also be literal. Both Lady Athena and Lord Ares want to take over the war for you so you don't need to fight anymore. They want you to rest. They want to take care of you so you can have a breath of fresh air that you don't breathe in battle. You have been fighting for so long. The last deity who wants to work with you is Mother Gaia herself. She wants to scoop you up in a cradle of comfort. I see you are a truly environmentally conscientious person and she really really likes that about you. I see you trying your best to be waste-free. She really likes when you go outside and appreciate her regularly. She sits with you whenever you are on your porch. The beautiful thing about all three of these entities reaching out to you is that it is an invitation. It is not a demand. They want to help you because they like you and everything you do intuitively. You really wouldn't have to change anything drastically about your routine to work with them. They love you for you and are only asking to help take some stuff off your plate.

PILE TWO

Astrology: Gemini, Libra, Pisces

Cards: Knight of Swords, Page of Cups, 7 of Cups, Water Your Garden

Song: Family by Mother Mother

Hello, pile 2! You have two deities reaching out to you. Lord Ares has been asking to work with you for months. I see that you might be too scared to work with him. You have definitely noticed his call already. You have seen vultures, horses, dragons' and dogs in places you should not have seen them. That's Lord Ares calling out to you. In dreams, he might appear to you as a shadowy figure even if it isn't a dark setting. He's seen how lonely you have been. He wants to help you. You don't need to be scared believe me. Mythologically he is probably the safest male god you could work with. He is a protector of SA survivors. I dunno if you have heard about the myth when he slaughtered his daughter's assaulter. I think the way you view Lord Ares is understandable. He is portrayed as this scary war god but genuinely he represents a lot more than just war. He is also a minor god of dance 💃 He wants you to know he wants to keep you safe and protect you. Lord Apollo is also reaching out to you. I see you find a lot of comfort in music which is why he is reaching out. I see you turning a lot of the pain you have been through into art. Lord Apollo wants to see you get the love you deserve for all the pain you endured. He and Ares want to work together to help you take care of yourself. There is such a tenderness and restful vibe in the energy I'm getting from the cards. They want you to know the scary parts are over and you can relax finally. Leave the scary things to them.

PILE THREE

Astrology: Cancer, Scorpio, Virgo

Cards: 10 of Cups, The Wheel of Fortune, 7 of Pentacles, Breath of the Cosmos

Song: He^rt by Starcadian

Hi pile 3! Welcome to your reading. The deity reaching out to you is attempting to be mysterious while also trying to get your attention so you might not have picked up on their signals that they sent out. I see Lady Artemis is this mysterious energy. Her symbols are deer, archery, wolves, wild plants, the moon and the stars. There are plenty more symbols of hers that I could name but I feel that she wants you to do your own research if you choose to work with her. I'm unsure what she wants to assist you with but I do know it is something that will fulfill you more than anything you have worked on before. She really desires to be there for you when you start this journey. I also see Zues wanting to help you as well. He specifically wants to assist you with something financial. I see you are working on something that you have given so much energy to. He really likes what you are making and wants to sponsor you and help you complete the task at hand. The work you are completing has something to do with speaking or maybe even writing. It looks like you could draw so much wealth from this endeavor. Use his connection to the planet Jupiter to your advantage. Jupiter is the planet of higher learning and abundance. Perhaps you are working on a thesis paper and he enjoys how you have spoken about the subject of this paper. These two don't seem to want to work together on anything. It feels more akin to them helping you in different areas of life just to give you a leg up. They welcome you with open arms.

PILE FOUR

Astrology: Aries, Sagittarius, Taurus

Cards: The Emperor, 6 of Wands, 9 of Wands, The Blue Flame

Song: Esctatic Baby by Yeasayer

Welcome pile four! I see 2 deities VERY clearly for you. They both only recently took an interest in you. Something changed very drastically in your life. This big change is what invited these two. The first is Lord Posideon. He saw the strength of your flame from the coastline. I have a feeling you are land-locked. You are as far from the sea as you possibly can be and he saw your passion from that distance. He is so intrigued by you. He wants to help kindle your flame so you don't burn out your passion too early. You felt so called to do whatever it is you are doing and you are giving it everything you have. Your whole soul is aimed at what lit this flame in you. He loves seeing how fired up you are. It's probably been a while since you felt this way. He wants to you slow your roll juuuuust a little bit. Don't burn out your fuel too quickly and cultivate your fire into victory. The other deity reaching out is Lord Dionysus. He wants to help you with the same thing Lord Posideon wants to help you with. He wants to see you bloom and grow. He wants to see your venture fruitful. He doesn't want your work to go unrewarded. I think you might smoke bud or something and he connects really well through that with you. Again the same message of "Don't over-do it" is coming through. They both love the enthusiasm you are giving but just make sure you are still caring for your body. Make sure you are setting good boundaries with yourself and your work. They can't wait to see where you go with this. Good luck, friend!

[samwisethewitch]

What Non-Pagans Need to Know About Fiction Featuring Pagan Gods

In light of Marvel's Loki show dropping a second season and a new Percy Jackson series on the horizon, I want to say some things about how fandom spaces can be respectful of real-life pagan religion.

Let's get one thing out of the way: literally no one is saying you can't enjoy fiction that uses pagan gods and heroes as characters. No one is saying, "Stop writing stories about our gods." In fact, many ancient cultures wrote fiction about their gods -- look at Greek theater or the Norse Eddas. The act of writing fiction about the gods is not offensive in itself.

But please remember that this is someone's religion.

The gods are not "just archetypes." Their myths are not "just stories." Their personalities are not a matter of artistic interpretation. For many pagans, the gods are very much real in a literal sense. I don't think Thor is a metaphor or a symbol -- for me, Thor is a real, autonomous spiritual being who exists outside of human perceptions of him, and who I have chosen to build a relationship with. Even if you are a hardcore atheist, I would hope you could at least be respectful of the fact that, to many modern pagans, the gods are both very real and very important.

When authors are not respectful of this fact, they reduce the gods, these very real objects of worship, to fictional characters. And here's the thing about fictional characters: they are fundamentally tools for authors to use to draw a desired emotional response from an audience.

Dracula's personality and behavior is wildly different depending on who is writing him, because different authors use Dracula to create different reactions in their audiences. In the 1931 film starring Bela Lugosi, he's equal parts alluring and disturbing, a symbol of America's mixed desire and disdain for foreigners. In Nosferatu, he's more strictly frightening and disgusting. In Francis Ford Coppola's movie, he's a tragic, romantic figure clinging to the last scraps of his humanity. In Netflix's Castlevania, he's an incredibly powerful being who has grown bitter and apathetic in his immortality. All of this is Dracula, and all of it is fine, because Dracula is not and never has been a central figure in anyone's religion.

Let's take a look at what happens when authors give this same treatment to real gods:

In Hellenic polytheism, Apollo is one of the most beloved gods, both historically and today. Apollo loves humanity, and humanity loves him back. He is the god of sunlight and of medicine, but also of poetry and song. He is one of humanity's most consistent defenders when one of the other gods gets wrathful. And while he does have dangerous or wrathful aspects of his own (he's also the god of disease, after all), he's also kind and soft with humanity in a way other gods often aren't, at least in some historic sources.

In the Lore Olympus comic series, Apollo is a villain. He's characterized as an abuser, a manipulator, and a violent man child. LO!Apollo is downright hateful, because the author wants us to hate him. Lore Olympus is a retelling of a myth about an abduction and forced marriage. Lore Olympus is also a romance. In order to get the audience to sympathize with Hades and root for his relationship with Persephone, Rachel Smythe needed to make someone else the villain. Apollo is the most obvious and extreme character assassination in Smythe's work, but several other gods (notably Demeter) also get the asshole makeover to tell the story Smythe wants to tell.

Here's where this becomes a problem: Hellenic polytheism is a fairly small religious community, while Lore Olympus is a massively popular webtoon with 1.3 billion views as of August 2023, print books available from major retailers, a TV adaptation in the works, and a very active online fandom. Rachel Smythe currently has a MUCH bigger platform than any Hellenic polytheism practitioner. Smythe and other authors are shaping how modern culture views the Hellenic gods, and that has a very real impact on their worshipers.

This means "Apollo is an abusive asshole" is becoming a popular take online, and is even creeping into pagan communities. I've personally seen people be harassed for worshiping Apollo because of it. I've seen new pagans and pagan-curious folks who totally misunderstand the roles Apollo, Hades, and Persephone play in the Hellenic pantheon because of Lore Olympus and other modern works of fiction.

There are tons of other examples of this in modern pop culture, but I'll just rattle off a few of the ones that annoy me most: Rick Riordan depicting Ares/Mars as a brutish asshole hyped up on toxic masculinity; Rick Riordan depicting Athena as a mother goddess; Marvel depicting Thor as a dumb jock; Marvel depicting Odin as a cold, uncaring father; DC depicting Ares as purely evil; whatever the fuck the Vikings TV show was trying to do with seidr; the list goes on.

All of these are examples of religious appropriation. Religious appropriation is when sacred symbols are taken out of their original religious context by outsiders, so that the original meaning is lost or changed. It requires a power imbalance -- the person taking the symbols is usually part of a dominant religious culture. In many cases, the person doing the appropriation has a much bigger platform than anyone who has the knowledge to correct them.

When Rick Rioridan or Rachel Smythe totally mischaracterizes a Greek god to tell a story, and then actual Hellenic pagans get harassed for worshiping that god, that's religious appropriation.

Religious appropriation is a real issue. This isn't just pagans being sensitive. To use an extreme example: Richard Wagner and other German Romantic authors in the 19th century used the Norse gods and other Germanic deities as symbols in their work, which was a major influence on Nazi philosophy. Without Wagner, the Nazis would not have latched onto the Norse gods as symbols of their white supremacist agenda. To this day, there are white supremacist groups who claim to worship our gods or who use our religious imagery in their hate movement. We are still reckoning with the misinterpretation of our gods popularized by Wagner and other German Romantics almost 200 years ago.

Again, no one is saying you can't enjoy fiction based on pagan mythology. But there are a few things you can do to help prevent religious appropriation in fandom spaces:

Above all else, be mindful that while this may just be a story to you, it is someone's religion.

Recognize that enjoying fiction based on our gods does not mean you know our gods. You know fictional characters with the same names as our gods, who may or may not be accurate to real-life worship.

Do not argue with or try to correct pagans when we talk about our experience of our gods.

Don't invalidate or belittle pagan worship. Again, this mostly comes down to recognizing that our religion is totally separate from your fandom. We aren't LARPing or playing pretend. Our sacred traditions are real and valid.

If you see other people in your fandom engaging in religious appropriation, point out what they are doing and why it isn't okay.

Please tag your fandom content appropriately on social media. Always tag the show, movie, book, etc. that a post is about in addition to other relevant tags. This allows pagans to block these fandom tags if we don't want to see them and prevents fandom content showing up in religious tags.

For example, if I'm posting about Athena from the Percy Jackson books, I would tag the post #athena #athenapjo #percyjackson #pjo. You get the idea.

And if fiction sparks your interest and you want to learn more about the actual worship of the gods, you can always ask! Most pagans love talking about our gods and trading book recs.

If you are writing fiction based on real mythology, talk to people who worship those gods. Ask them what a respectful portrayal would look like. If possible, include a note in your finished work reminding audiences that it is a work of fiction and not meant to accurately portray these gods.

[elizabethemerald]

The Meeting

The Beginning of the New Pantheon: Part 3

Masterpost

“What do you mean, what?” Cassie demanded. “Do you know about Olympus and the Hellenic gods?” 

“Yes, we know about the Greek gods!” Sam snapped. “We’re not stupid you know!” 

“I’m just asking!” Cassie put her hands up in surrender. “I wasn’t certain if I had actually stumbled into an alternate dimension where instead of Olympians the domains were managed by sentient mayonnaise and the oceans were filled with shredded cheese.” 

Her statement knocked both of them onto their back foot in a way that announcing she was on a mission from Zeus didn’t. Maybe they were used to higher powers reaching out with missions? 

“Has that actually happened?” Tucker asked. 

Cassie took a moment to think about all of the weird alternate realities she and Young Justice had gone through. 

“Uh… not exactly, but pretty close sometimes.” Cassie said. She pulled out her JL comm “Anyways! I’m going to call for backup. I can explain more once they are on the way.” 

“You probably won’t get very much range on that thing.” Tucker said, looking at her comm. 

“Wha…t?” She looked down at her comm in confusion. 

The top of the line Wayne Tech communication device that Red Robin had personally modded and improved even beyond the rest of the League’s equipment was now a generic two way radio. Like something fresh from the box at Radio Shack, from back when Radio Shack still existed and was popular. Her confusion changed to mounting horror as she pulled out the palm computer that was capable of hacking into the pentagon and instead revealed a flip phone capable of playing snake (maybe). 

“Ok, while not an alternate universe full of mayonnaise, Amity Park is still apparently trapped backwards in time, and all technology is forced to match. Cool. Cool. That might make calling for help a little difficult.” 

Sam looked sympathetic as Cassie tried to contain her freak out. Tucker looked curious at the thought of whatever advanced technology that might be available outside the city. Cassie took a deep breath and steadied herself. 

“I’ll go for help personally as soon as I can, but in the meantime, I’m here now. If you two or Phantom need any help, I’ll do whatever I can.” Cassie declared, her voice once more steady and sure. 

“How do you know Phantom?” Sam demanded. 

Before Cassie could respond or explain, a wailing claxon sounded, the loudspeakers screaming a warning of some kind. Both Sam and Tucker tensed and Cassie prepared for a fight, whatever was coming, she would be here to help. 

.

Donna gave a small sigh of relief as she touched down just outside Titans Tower. Nightwing was there to greet her, and it was clear that the rest of those she had asked for were already here. She led the way to the Tower’s war room. By the time she had settled at the head, the rest of the table was full. Not everyone present would be part of the New Pantheon, but she knew those who would be needed the support from the rest. 

“Thank you all for meeting me so quickly.” Donna started. “Diana, Cassie and myself have just returned after being summoned to Mount Olympus by Zeus himself.” 

Everyone in the room sat forward, laser focused on her. She had to take a steadying breath. Sure, Zeus had named her the next Queen of Olympus, and it would be her duty to guide and lead the New Pantheon, but she was not alone. She had friends here, allies, some who would share the responsibilities, some who would willingly follow her orders. They could take the domains of the gods and make something better of them, for the whole planet. 

“They gave us dire news, and a mission, a larger mission than any we have faced before.” She watched as the others tensed, ready to spring into action, so she raised her hands a little. “The Earth is not currently in any danger. The threat that they foresee will come in decades, not days.” The room relaxed, the air feeling breathable once more. “Since we have been given the time to prepare, we can prevent what they predicted from impacting the denizens of Earth.” 

“Well then, what is this threat, so that we may vanquish?” Damian demanded, his hand tightly grasping a weapon, his chest puffed out so he could make up for his short stature. Donna carefully hid, her grin, he would not appreciate being taken less seriously. 

“The Gods of Olympus are dying.” Donna said, then she continued on to explain what she, Diana and Cassie had been told. 

“I’m not certain I trust when they say that there is nothing that can be done.” Red Robin said, leaning forward while he thought. “We’ve faced impossible and improbable before and succeeded.” 

“That’s true, but in the meantime, we should consider the option that has been provided, successors to the gods chosen from among our numbers.” Donna said, she knew no matter what she said that there would be some of them who would try and find an alternative, she wasn’t certain there was one, Greeks in general and the Olympians in particular weren’t known for giving up without a fight, at least as long as they had any other option. 

“Who was chosen to be a successor?” Impulse asked, then zipped around to the other side of the table, an armful of snacks appearing in his arms. 

“I was chosen by Zeus to be his successor and the next Queen of Olympus.” Donna said. 

She had mentally braced herself for disparaging remarks or someone contesting her potential rule, instead she was surprised by the outpouring of support from her companions. Everyone seemed to feel that Zeus had chosen well and that she deserved her future role. 

“You definitely should be Queen, but I’m kind of surprised Cassie didn’t end up as Zeus’ successor considering the whole lightning lasso thing she’s got going on.” Kon said. 

“Cassie was chosen by Ares to be his successor.” 

Donna could see the other three members of Young Justice scowl at the God of War’s involvement, except Dick quickly snapped his fingers at them. 

“Hey let’s keep our diplomatic faces on for the time being. I’m sure some of us aren’t happy with some of these decisions, but the last thing we want is for this to devolve into an unnecessary conflict with the Olympians.”

She smiled at him, glad for his support. The Olympians ruled through a monarchy, and the League teams knew they needed a single leader during a crisis, but maybe this New Pantheon could rule with something more egalitarian. 

“And speaking of our Boy Wonder, Nightwing, you were chosen by Apollo to be his successor. The League’s Sunshine boy will be our God of Light.” Donna announced with a smile, but when she met Dick’s eyes she knew he could see more truth in her words. Apollo was not just a god of light, he was also a God of Truth, which made perfect sense for a detective like Dick. Plus there were few who could equal Apollo’s wrath when scorned. 

“Wait, does that mean he’s your kid?” The younger Superboy, Jon asked. 

“We are not literally becoming the gods, we are taking their place.” Donna said quickly before anyone could get any weird ideas. “So no one needs to marry their sibling, no one needs to eat their children, and I will not be leaving a bunch of demi-god bastards all over the planet.”

“If Cassie was chosen by Ares, where is she?” Impulse asked. “Did he already make her a god and we missed it?” 

“No. The Olympians agreed not to elevate anyone until all of their chosen successors were together. Cassie went to make contact with a group of heroes who were not in the League database.” Donna watched as Red Robin frowned and started to type on his wrist computer. “According to Cassie they weren’t even on the super secret Young Justice only database that the rest of us are supposed to pretend we don’t know about.” 

His frown grew more pronounced and Dick smiled and reached over and ruffled his hair. 

“So who are these heroes we’ve apparently never heard of, but have caught the attention of the Olympians?” Dick asked, half to take the attention off Tim and half out of genuine curiosity. 

“None of them have names I recognize, half of them don’t even have hero names, just regular civilian names.” Donna replied as she pulled out her copy of the list. She had less information on the new heroes as reaching out to them wasn’t her responsibility.

“Maybe it's something like Constantine?” Stephanie asked. “He’s always just known by his full name, even though his enemies call him the Hellblazer.” 

“They could also face magical threats of some kind.” Raven said, her hair floating a little and the shadow under her writhing for a moment. “Demonic incursions are usually handled without the input or knowledge of the rest of the League.”

Donna bit her lip. As a demi-god, Cassie was one of the better members of the younger heroes to face a magical threat, but it was very possible for her to get in over her head. She would trust the younger girl, but if she didn’t report back by the time the rest of Young Justice and the Teen Titans were informed and gotten over their respective fits about it, she would have to go herself to ensure that Cassie was safe. 

Though how much trouble could she really get into in the middle of the country?

[greenwitchfeeder]

Royalty

Cw: weight gain, clothes ripping, soft feedism

*knock knock* “Princess, may I come in? I got what you asked for.” Hellen, my hand servant, said as she stood outside my room. I had an important court meeting in a few hours so I was dressed up in my formal dress, but it meant I had to skip second breakfast so I was starving. After my hangry outburst at the last meeting, I was threatened to be put on a diet. I had put on some weight in the past couple years

“Yes, please come in!” I eagerly replied.

Her slender frame gracefully entered in her maid uniform carrying a tray of food. “It took a little bribery of the cooks and the guard, but I was able to get what you asked for. I hope it is up to the standards you expect.” She explained while I was visibly bouncing in my seat with excitement.

“I’m sure it’s going to be delicious, just give it to me already!” I said teasing. She knows how excited I get about food. She took the cover off the tray to reveal my favorite foods, steak with buttery mashed potatoes and gravy, asparagus, bread rolls with even more butter, and a strawberry shortcake for dessert. I was salivating just looking at all the delicious food. Eagerly, I grabbed the utensils and started cutting my steak.

“Princess, if I may. I am concerned that your usual…eating habits may result in that dress being unacceptable for the court. You have a tendency to drop food when you’re excited. Would you prefer if I fed it to you.”

I got a little embarrassed, and I couldn’t feel my face flush red, but she was right. This dress was already tight and hard to move in, and I had a hard time being tidy in the best of conditions.

“Yes, I believe you’re right. Thank you.”

Hellen picked up the utensils and began preparing my food. As she presented me the first bite, I couldn’t believe how delicious it was. The juicy meat paired perfectly with the gravy and mashed potatoes and felt warm and comforting as it warmed my belly. I closed my eyes and squealed a bit in excitement before opening my mouth for another bite. Every bite was divine, not just because of how the food was prepared, but how she was serving it to me. After a few bites of steak, she would change to the veggies or the rolls so I wasn’t eating the same thing all the time. The contents of each fork full was perfectly balanced, severing containing too much of one thing. Slowly, my belly started feeling full and pressed against the tight fabric of the dress. I probably outgrew this one, I’ll have to ask the seamstress to make me a new one, a bigger one.

“Thank you Hellen, I’m lucky to have a servant as thoughtful as you,” I said, when I finally broke out of my food induced daze.

“Thank you for the praise, my princess. It is an honor to serve your excellency.” A slight blush broke out over her face. She tends to be reserved with me but I know how much she enjoys the praise. “Are you ready for your cake now?”

“Yes, please!” I said enthusiastically. In reality, I was starting to reach my limits, but the cake looked so delectable that I couldn’t help myself but to try it no matter how full I was.

The first bite melted in my mouth with creamy, sweet, tart goodness. I couldn’t help but let out a small moan as the treat passed my lips then open my mouth for another. I mindlessly rubbed my bloated tummy as she kept feeding me bite after incredible bite. There was about a quart of the cake left when I heard a loud *RIIIP* emanate from my side.

The seams of my dress split on the side, revealing my stretch mark lined love handles. “Oh my goodness, my princess, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to…”

“No, don’t stop!” I exclaimed. “Keep going! I want you to feed me the rest! Please don’t stop now!” I could see on her face how shocked and embarrassed she was. She was hesitant at first, but picked the fork back up and got back to work. By this point my stomach hurt from how stuffed it was, causing me to moan a little louder with every bite. Every so often I would hear a little rip as the tear in my side got bigger, letting more of squishy body push out of the side.

I opened my mouth to receive another bite, but was met with a pair of soft lips and a tongue. Gentle hands caressed my sides and bloated tummy and she kissed me deeply and passionately. I opened my eyes and to see my adorable servant lost in her own actions. Without thinking, I reached out and pressed her narrow frame against my soft body and kissed her back. Her hand massaged its way from my jiggly love handles, under the rip in my dress to my back, and gradually lower, grabbing and squeezing my fat ass.

When I finally came to my senses, I was able to mutter under the waves of pleasure, “Thank you Hellen, never stop treating me like this”

[dontmixpaintinyourcoffee]

A glimpse into my twisted mind

Head under the cut for close-ups and notes for this whole process because hoo boy this musical sure has eaten my brain

So first things first, I'm gonna write out the notes I have at the top down here because they're pretty foundational for all my designs going forward.

Historical accuracy is not a priority here. The story is primarily a fantasy based on the aesthetics of Mycenaean and Hellenic Greece. If the time period is more nebulous the anachronisms are less distracting.

This is more personal preference than anything. I love a good historically accurate piece, but I think I would find it more frustrating than satisfying in this case. If literally everything was accurate to the best of our knowledge except for the dialogue... it would drive me nuts. Plus, it's a reinterpretation and a fantasy story. When I look at it I don't want to think "Oh that's The Odyssey", I want to think "Oh that's THIS version of The Odyssey"

Also, to be frank, I'm being lazy here. I want to draw about this musical for fun, and I want any research I do to be for fun too.

From what I understand, we get most of our modern-day "common knowledge" of Greek mythology based on stories from the Hellenic/Hellenistic (still not sure which one is right) period, especially from Roman influences. However, The Odyssey takes place in The Bronze Age, around 1200 B.C.E. The Mycenaean period is something like 1600-1100 B.C.E. There's a solid 500 year distance MINIMUM between the two time periods. Hopefully I can take references from both, put my own spin on it, and make something that clearly calls back to "Ancient Greece" while still obviously existing in a world far outside our reality.

Now for God's Favorite Punching Bag!

This is a weird process, because there isn't a "canon" look for any of the characters, but I still wanted there to be a somewhat instinctual knowledge from the EPIC audience that the guy I was drawing was probably Odysseus. So I started with some of my favorite interpretations that I've seen. These Odys are brought to you by:

@gigizetz

Neal Illustrator on YouTube

@wolfythewitch

VirusAP on YouTube

They feature some crucial differences in build, shape, and style, but there are some interesting similarities across all of them. All of them share a heavy brow, some kind of facial hair, a prominent nose, and a crooked smile (not pictured in these doodles but it's there trust me.)

After that was figuring out the outfit(s). I took a LOT of inspiration from the Hades games, because I think they embody the kind of look I'm going for. Clearly based in history, but not beholden to it. So I took the designs of some of the important mortals that show up (Odysseus, Achilles, Patroclus, and Theseus) and laid them out next to designs of Odysseus and Eurylochus by Neal Illustrator and Gigi. Then for fun I added in one of the few pieces of pottery art I could find that didn't have Odysseus bare-ass naked.

I really like having some kind of cloak or wrap around his shoulders and neck, and I like the leather arm guards that pop up in quite a few of these designs, so that's probably going to be fairly consistent. I also really like the circlet shown in the Neal Illustrator and Hades II designs, it's a nice reminder that he is actually a king. With all that established, we finally move to my actual designs.

The man himself! Mid-Polyphemus encounter. I think this is the point in the story where he's the most put together. He just did the most heinous thing he's ever done*, but he's finally finished. He has 600 men to set an example for, and they're finally going home. He's trying to project confidence. He's well-groomed, he's got his circlet, he's got his comrades, he's not feeling good, but no one else needs to know that.

*up until that point anyways...

This guy is somewhere just before the Poseidon Incident. His beard is fuller and a bit scraggly, his hair is a bit longer and kinda tangled (the wind does not help), and those eye bags are a touch deeper. Losing those 12-ish people to Polyphemus hit him hard, and losing Polites especially took a toll.

Three guesses of when this takes place and the first two don't count. Those 7 years on Ogygia... They're rough. Physically he's the safest he's been since he left Ithaca, but just having to sit with all the horrors he's done and seen, alone with someone who is impossible to really talk to, achingly close to home... Yeah it's bad. I always pictured this scene happening in the middle of a roiling storm, when he realizes what he's considering doing and he calls out for the last person he knows can still hear him. (Also a little bit of lightning in the back to show Zeus being the one to trap both Odysseus and Calypso here)

IMPORTANT NOTE:

My interpretation of this Calypso is that she's very much manipulative and overbearing, but she won't remove his autonomy. She will provide him with food, but won't make him eat it. This is crucial to this version of the story, because EPIC wants you to sympathize with Calypso at least a little bit. If she was more like her original counterpart I trust that it would have been called out explicitly by the text, so I'm operating under the impression that while she's not a good person, she is at least not so malicious or selfish that she would take away Odysseus' choice in anything. More on her when I get to designing her. Just wanted to make my thoughts extremely clear.

Flashback! Baby Odysseus! Basic setup, circlet, chiton, youthful determination, you know the deal. He's probably about 12 here, which is about the age I picture him doing the boar trial. It was fun trying to hint at the shapes he would grow into in his adulthood. And of course a little bit of Athena influence in the back there. I don't know if a barn owl makes sense geographically, but honestly I just wanted to draw a barn owl. They're cute.

*Insert electric guitar riff*

Maybe my favorite Ody to draw??? He still wears those 7 years on him, but he's trimmed his beard and gotten himself some new clothes, and he's feeling murderously vengeful. Good for him. This is specifically his beggar disguise. I gave him a traveling cloak and some extra cloth to really wrap himself up with. The more he can hide himself, the better. He wants to be invisible, and if someone was to see him he doesn't want them to see any body language. This is just after he shoots Antinous though so... Jig's up :)

[bubbleofdawn]

People in the Hellenic community, I'm curious how you came to paganism?

How did you realize that it was a Hellenistic god or goddess who was calling you?

For me, it happened when I had a crisis of faith. I used to be a Wiccan, but it didn't work for me at all. And I decided to ask why other Pagans didn't like Wiccans. The more and more I learned, the clearer it became that it wasn't for me.

So how did I come to Hellenism?

I was talking to my witch friend about what could be a sign from the gods. But I didn't notice the obvious things that were signs from Apollo.

I was scrolling through my TikTok feed and then a video about signs from the gods started. There was Apollo in the examples. And I decided to look for more about these signs that he can send. And my puzzles fell into place. The next moment, I ran outside in search of confirmation.

The bright summer sun was shining. I mentally asked him:

"Lord Apollo, if you can hear me, send me the number "7" as confirmation."

A bunch of cars with sevens on them passed me that day. There were more than 10 of them in a row.

And then I had more and more confirmation that he was there. And finally, I dared to worship him.

This happened in the summer of 2024 👀✨️

[nyxiathewander]

My Story: How it all started

Not sure if this needs a warning, but mentions of churches hating on the LGBTQ+

Sorry for the long story but figured I would share it.

As a young child, I had a connection and love for the Greek Gods, but living in the bible belt meant having little access to anything outside what my mother provided.

When I was 15, a freshman in high school, I took a mythology class as an elective, and my love and connection for the Greek Pantheon skyrocketed. I could gain more knowledge without my mother finding out, afraid of what she might do if she found out. (Learning about any religion outside the Baptist Church was a huge no-no, including mythology's)

It wouldn't be until I was 16 that I learned that Hellenic Polytheism existed. Being told in my Mythology class that no one worshiped the Greek Gods anymore, I had no idea what to search (though looking back on it I do not know why I didn't just search "What is worshiping the Greek Gods called", but maybe I was afraid of my mom finding my search history, who knows).

Around this time, my mother started giving my sibling and I a choice on whether or not to go to church. I will say I did try to keep going, however, the more the youth minister kept talking, the more I couldn't take it anymore. He would constantly tell us, and I quote " If you find out your friend is of a different faith or Gay, queer, trans, etc. Drop them as a friend. Turn your back on them and do not talk to them anymore." And as someone who is Bi and Poly, I wasn't going to take that.

I never went back to that chruch.

At 17, my mother started going to another church, asking for us to try this one, after seeing how the old one hurt us. I went in with an open mind, and while they were nice, I still didn't feel a connection to Christianity. However, I went for my mom's sake, as she thought she found a church that didn't hate gay people.

Until they did, I am not sure if someone overheard a conversation or what, but one Sunday the preacher said he wanted to go over something and proceeded to go on a rant about the LGBTQ+ community. While looking my sibling and I in the eyes.

Even my mom never went back after that. Stating she could see in our eyes how hurt we were. (and says "She wasn't going to risk my potentially attacking the preacher" to protect my sibling)

At that point, our living situation changed, and she came up to us and flat-out asked if we believed in God. Our answer was no.

At 18, I got more comfortable with our living situation and realized I could get more and more information about Hellenic Polytheism. I had my own job and money, and a small library I could request books from.

For months and months, I researched, and I learned.

I found a calling to Lady Aphrodite.

I built a connection with Her.

And the rest is history.

[artemis-potnia-theron]

Hi 💙

I would like to worship Artemis, i've looking and investigate about hellenic polytheism and i have a special bond with the Delian triad (Artemis, Apollon and Leto), i love them, but i'm new in this and i want to start first with Artemis...

How i could start? How do you begin with her? I don't know how to start and what i have to do... Could you help me? I see how is your relationship with her and i love it ✨

Khaire! 🫂

So excited to hear about your interest in the trio!! They all hold very special places in my heart, so I love to hear when other people find them as well!

However, although I consider Apollo(n) to be my spiritual father and Leto to be my spiritual grandmother, the relationship I have with Artemis is an intersection of mother, sister, best friend, love of my life, spiritual mistress, queen, ect...so I will be approaching this from a more Artemis focused perspective lol. Hope that's okay!!

First, I would strongly recommend reading She Who Hunts: Artemis: The Goddess Who Changed the World by Carla Ionescu for a really solid, comprehensive overview of her worship. Understanding her history and domains can be very helpful in understanding Artemis as a goddess. Apollo(n) and Leto are featured in it, but mostly in relation to her.

Theoi.com is a good overall resource, but I would recommend sticking to 'scholarly' or peer-reviewed sources as much as possible when trying to get historical information about her cults, worship, and associated religious practices. The same goes for Apollo(n) and Leto.

In terms of personal practice stuff, it took me years to really forge the connection and relationship I have with her how. She can be prickly in certain ways. Her energy is as intense and wild as anything I've ever experienced. Early on, it felt like getting close to a roaming wolf or a hunting lioness. But once you bridge that gap, she's as protective and loves with as much ferocity as a mother bear. Apollo(n) and Leto were a bit less distant, even in the early days - at least for me. So take your time. Don't rush things with any of them, but most specifically not with Artemis lol.

In terms of activities/stuff she likes, I can list some random, everyday ways I connect with her!

- Being out in the moonlight, walking with the nightroaming critters 🌙🦇

- Going on nature walks, hikes, or just sitting outside! Touching grass really works haha

- Work on healing your 'inner child' through shadow work, but mostly importantly through therapy if it's accessible

- Taking care of and/or spending time with animals

- Reading her myths

- 'Ecstatic' dance. She shares a connection with The Mousai (The Muses) and to singing and music in general - a domain she shares with her brother

- Anything involved in childcare and/or childbirth

- Practicing archery

- Standing up for yourself

- Appericating solitude/independence

- Listening to folk music, lol. She loves The Amazing Devil

- Of course, connecting with others close to her helps! Apollo(n) and Leto are the most obvious ones, but she also has close ties to Hekate, Kybele, Dionysus, Persephone, Demeter, Zeus, Athene, Pan, and many more both inside and outside of her 'main' pantheon.

- In terms of symbols and stuff I've found she likes for her altars, she loves deer, bear, dog, fish, boar, and wolf imagery in particular. I associate green, brown, grey, blue, and purple with her. She's loves amethyst. And of course she loves any nature-related offerings!

- I also love connecting everyday stuff with her - albeit in a UPG kind of way lol. I associate the movies Beasts of the Southern Wild and Princess Mononoke with her as well as A Children's Bible by Lydia Millet and We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shriely Jackson and that's all super UPG! Personalize your practice to you, your life, and your beliefs.

What matters most is fostering a relationship with a good foundation. As cliche as it sounds, it really can be about the journey rather than the destination when it comes to deity work. Enjoy yourself, be respectful, decide what you believe, and listen to the lessons she has to teach you. The rest will come naturally :)

Don't hesitate to let me know if you have any other questions! May Artemis' arrow guide you always.

- Taylor 🌙🏹🦌

[winelovr]

𝜗𝜚 ࣪˖ ִ𐙚 friendly reminder.ᐟ.ᐟ

✦ If you wanted to ask for books/website recommendations to learn more about Hellenic polytheism, do not ask, "What kind of books should I start with?" or "Can you recommend any book for me to read more about Greek mythology/Hellenic polytheism?"

✦ You must ask, "What books do YOU read to learn about Greek mythology/Hellenic polytheism?"

✦ You can only ask this question if you want to know what specific books that person read. because (most) people would be like, "Oh, idk, maybe you can search on the internet or sum?" or "Yeah, you can look it up on the internet."

✦ I know that some of us only wanted to know what kind of book a specific person read; we don't want a long list of endless recommendations.

✦ Disclaimer: this is only for people who need a straightforward answer! If you like a long list of recommendations, then I'm glad!

✦ this also can be applied to anything outside Hellenic polytheism. It is important to ask a straightforward question if you are looking for a straightforward answer.

𝜗𝜚 ࣪˖ ִ𐙚 why does this sound like psychology to me?

[templeof-demeter]

Why do the Gods let bad things happen?

About a month ago I was talking to my fiancée, who is atheist, we joke about me trying to convert her and I finally asked her why she has no interest in religion and she said “It’s a pretty first level of atheism question, but I always wonder why any God would let such bad things happen. And why would I want to worship one that does.”

I remember growing up in a very Christian household and asking this when I was very young, having experienced my fathers death so early I only inevitably questioned how any divine being could let that happen and let the following consequences of that keep going. I actually hadn’t thought much on this question when I became Hellenic Polytheistic, but I understand where this question comes from and want to give my thoughts on it. Especially as someone whose been through the ringer of bad life experiences, but still finds comfort in the divine.

I saw a comment on a Reddit post with an analogy I really liked, by GnawerOfTheMoon

I think this is kind of like why I “let” a spider hiding behind my bookcase eat another bug alive. The answer would be that it doesn’t have anything to do with me, because I am not directly involved in every tiny event that happens in this house even thought it is “mine.” The spider, the bug, and I occupy slightly different realms of experience despite technically being in the same space.

I loved this, it makes the concept I believe so easy to understand and explain. The Gods are all powerful, but they don’t see and involve themselves in every single thing. Oftentimes we expect the Gods to be omni-everything beings, but that just doesn’t make sense for them in my opinion- they can be many places at once, their epithets allow for this, and they are more wise and more powerful than we could possibly understand, but they are not involved in every single situation that occurs with mortals. Especially when looking at mythology- while I believe they are more symbolic, they can hold some truth- there’s no way the Gods could ever be “tricked” or secrets be kept from them if they were omnipotent, so we must assume they are not involved in all activities of the world.

The Gods help us onto healthy paths after tragedy strikes, they help us understand the whys of nature and humanity, they exist outside of the world we know and they still help us, we consult them as best we can. And this is part of why we worship them in spite of the badness that happens- we desire their light and wisdom. I believe it’s perfectly appropriate to worship them in spite of the badness around us because of this, because they bring light and hope.

This has been in my drafts for about two weeks now, and with recent U.S election results I’ve seen people talking about feeling spited by the gods, feeling that the gods are angry, or just questioning how they could let this happen. While this is an opinion piece, not backed in academic research, I hope this can be helpful in some way.

[alatismeni-theitsa]

Thank you for clarifying your stance on veiling! Many practitioners say that "Hera/Hestia wanted me to veil" and I didn't want to doubt anyone's practice but it did raise an eyebrow. Also I've seen "Does x deity require veiling?" "No but she will ask you to, it's still your choice" this always confused me because aren't you supposed to do something if a deity asks? (Ancient Greek perspective)

I will never stop anyone from dressing however they like but please understand I'm free to express my opinion on the matter, especially when my heritage is used to promote trends that my society has left behind for a good reason. What's more, Hellenic Polytheism practices are not separate from the Greek culture, since Greek people still practice the same customs and know their logic.

It looks to me that veiling among modern Western neopagan women started as an aesthetic first, and that's why they have turned it into a choice. If they do it "for the religion/deity", how come they don't really believe that showing your hair is shameful after a certain age?

I mention shame because it plays a part here. These people misunderstand the reason why our ancient women veiled, probably because they are not familiar with the Greek culture, or similar cultures where people know why women used to veil. Our women didn't have any "spirituality tied to their hair to protect under the veil", like I've seen some western neopagans say. Our women were simply deemed harlots if they showed their slutty hair to people who were not their husbands.

I am exaggerating a little here but that's the basis of the societal norm. In Greek tradition for more than two thousand years, if you passed girlhood you had to start hiding more and more of your body, lest you entice the males or communicate that you want to entice the males. After marriage, the style became even more restrictive because only your husband should see your κάλλη (physical beauty). Your demeanor should be more serious, as well, the more you age, because if you danced or spoke a certain way, you were seen as frivolous and shameful.

It was society, not the gods that wanted them to veil. I said in an older post that veiling is not inherently oppressive and braiding and covering your long hair can help you during manual labor in many practical ways. And of course, your hair is less exposed to the elements, hence a veil will keep it protected (and also cover your shoulders for warmth in the cold Greek mountains in the winter). I am sure women in many nations started covering their hair for a reason and then it became the norm.

Societal norms have always affected religion. Ancient people who discussed veiling usually did not mention religious reasons but reasons for ευπρέπεια, decency, and the good of the community. What is more, veiling is not tied to the ancient Greek religion because it didn't stop for the Greeks when Christianity came. There are many negative comments have been made about Christian Greek women who didn't veil or who found workarounds to veiling.

In Apostle Paul's words, women should be veiling a lot in religious contexts. His opinion expressed what the ancient society around him deemed a basic dress code, not Jesus' words. Today Greeks don't veil because we don't think covering your hair makes you more respectable as a woman. Only our nuns veil, following the strictest dressing code from the Byzantine years.

Another argument from my side is: our ancient women had no choice on the matter so why is it suddenly a choice for neopagan women? Don't both groups follow the same deities? The deity is suddenly okay with their women worshipers not being decently dressed according to the ancient standards? I mean, why will the deity ask you to veil in the first place if they don't still have the same dress standards?

If it's on the worshipers to decide if deities will want them to veil, or what the deities would want... I don't know... As an outsider I get the impression that they don't communicate with the deities as well as they think.

On the "the deity asked me" part: I am sure there are many people out there who take their practice seriously but there are also many people who think the deity pops into their head with recommendations. The way those people seek signs and explain "omens" is... weird, for lack of a better word. An omen for them is "I went to the store and there was a really nice scarf there in the colors of my deity, so that was clearly a sign that I should veil." Sorry, that's not compatible with the Greek customs and the religion you want to follow. An Omen is something shaking and a clear intervention. Not a sun ray on your desk or a song that came on the radio.

And what would that "recommendation" communicate in the first place? Probably something along the lines of "Hellooo Jessie! Hey, would you please do me a favor and cover your head because it is shameful for a woman of your age to show her hair? Thanks!"

Sorry if my statements come off a little harsh but those are genuine thoughts I have, and have seen other Greeks express with some confusion. Please know I am not attacking you as a person, but I simply tell you what I think and how certain things the HelPol community does can look from the outside.

For the people who veil because they genuinely believe that a decently dressed woman should veil, I disagree with your opinion on women's "value" but at least there is no hypocrisy on your part. If, according to your culture, you have energy on your hair that you'd like to protect then I understand that too. On the contrary, if you find a million other reasons to veil except decency or the practices of your people, then clearly you have something else in mind.

[yanny09]

IM SORRY DOR ANOTHER ASK RIGHT AFTER THE OTHR BJT LAST ONE I PROMISE. so. is it okay to nature worship? I’m worried about appropriation. how do I know it isn’t?

HEY HEY ANON!! why is everyone worried about appropriation..? PAGANISM IS MADE TO BE DEVELOPED INTO YOUR OWN LIKING!! ill tell you now the gods love nature worship, the amount of times they asked me to go outside and breathe some fresh air is too many to count. paganism was made from agriculture how can we NOT be expected to love the earth? anon, from all the things you said you need to STOP LISTENING TO WHAT OTHERS THINK /politely and gently. ask your gods, im not mad at you im worried for you. you have helpol friends? AMAZING!! make sure they treat you well. if your worried on appropriation look into reform or constructionsim hellenism, in short the first one (reform) is when you choose what you like. construction is when you FOLLOW what the past greeks did! feel free to ask any questions anon! that goes for you too reader!! BOTH OF YOU HAVE A GREAT DAY OKAY??