#just-another-dionysus-devotee

[dionysusmybeloved]

How to Celebrate Lenaia

The Lenaia was an ancient annual Athenian festival, held during the 15th-17th day of Gamelion (roughly January today) dedicated to Lord Dionysus, the god of wine, theater, and revelry. I know I'm a little bit late but I wanted to make this as a quick informational post for this year's Lenaia and how you could celebrate it, from January 12th–15th :D

🎭 Attend, Perform, or Read Plays 🎭

• Famous for its theatrical performances, of which were primarily comedies but also tragedies, you can read or perform classical Greek theatre as a way to celebrate:

Classical Comedies:

The Frogs by Aristophanes

Lysistrata by Aristophanes

The Birds by Aristophanes

Peace by Aristophanes

The Knights by Aristophanes

The Wasps by Aristophanes

The Clouds by Aristophanes

Classical Tragedies:

The Bacchae by Euripides

Medea by Euripides

Oedipus Tyrannus by Sophocles

Antigone by Sophocles

The Oresteia (Trilogy by Aeschylus: Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, The Eumenides)

The Persians by Aeschylus

📜 Recite Hymns Dedicated to Lord Dionysus 📜

• As the festival honors Dionysus, reciting hymns is another great way I've managed to connect with him. Here's a list of hymns that are about Dionysus that you could try:

Homeric Hymns: #1, #7, #26

Orphic Hymns: #30, #45, #46, #47, #50, #52, #53

You could also write your own poetry, hymns, or chants :] This can also be said the same with plays, writing your own plays can be a great way to celebrate and honor Dionysus.

🍷Drink and Offer Wine to the Gods🍷

• Wine-tasting or mixing drinks is probably one of the best ways to celebrate. If you’re underage or prefer non-alcoholic options, you could substitute wine with grape juice or any fruit-based beverage. Give a toast to Lord Dionysus and maybe pour a small offering in his honor.

💟 Host a Symposium Gathering 💟

• Symposia was a key part of ancient Greek culture, which often involved drinking, discussions, and entertainment / parties. With this info, you could prepare a small feast, talk and engage in meaningful debates, or even learn a little by deepening your understanding of the festival by reading about stories of Dionysus in Greek mythology or the history of ancient Greek theater, if that's your cup of tea (wine).

🍇 Explore Nature and the Outdoors 🍇

• Since Dionysus is also connected to the nature and the wild, you can always try and take some time to visit a vineyard, park, or gardens. Just going outside is also good enough as well!

🕯️Light Candles and Burn Incense🕯️

• Using candles and burning incense can create an authentic space for celebrating, which can enhance your connection to Dionysus and the spirit of Lenaia itself.

🍾 Celebrate with a Purpose 🍾

• Above all else, Lenaia is supposed to be fun, joyous, and creative! You don't have to do any of these or you could also try doing many other activities that I haven't even included in this post. Even if you’re celebrating alone, with friends, or other fellow devotees, you should embrace the playful and festive energy of the occasion. Just dancing, singing, and enjoying yourself is already enough to honor Dionysus.

With that said, I hope you have a Happy Lenaia!

[superkooku]

Who did Asclepius resurrect ?

A couple days ago, I discussed the idea of mortals defeating gods with @kill-me-with-a-spoon on a comment section of my "thoughts on Epic" post.

We talked about Diomedes and Perseus briefly, but then a third example came in : Asclepius.

And I find this specific mention interesting because I didn't think about it but it kinda makes sense 😂

He didn't defeat any god like the two former heroes, that being physically overwhelming them. Instead, he simply "cures" death, thus Thanatos' doing. Not only his, but the Fates' too considering they cut the thread of life. And he meddled with Hades' realm, something that he hated and we know how that ended.

(Hades hating doctors will never not be funny)

I made some research on him for personal projects and so I want to use it right now for personal ramblings about who exactly Asclepius resurrected.

@kill-me-with-a-spoon was pointing out that if, by technicality, he didn't interfere with Hades' domain if souls he resurrected didn't cross the Styx. And I've got to say, I think he did.

Also, I completely agree with the fact that they're still killable. They won't die from the same cause since Asclepius heals their injuries but he doesn't deify anyone.

If we look up different sources, here's the list of people he resurrected.

Hippolytus (according to Pausanias and latin sources like Pseudo-Hyginus or Ovid)

What makes this particularly interesting is that Artemis is the one who has this idea. It shows that portraying her as a man hater is completely wrong since she asks her male nephew to resurrect her male friend/devotee. It shows her bond with Hippolytus (his death was very unfair, so I get it) and with Apollo too, since she trusted her brother's son completely.

Then, it's just funny but in-character that Theseus isn't the one who has the idea to resurrect his son, because of course he wouldn't think about it 😂. It's even funnier if we take late sources stating that Asclepius was among the Argonauts. Because Theseus was too, so they knew each other personally and yet Theseus couldn't think about it.

Another detail : Hippolytus seems to forgive Theseus in Euripides' play, but NOT after coming back to life in Pausanias' version. Different versions, I know, but if we mix the two, then we could interpret that maybe all this time in the Underworld gave him the opportunity to think about it, or maybe, with a new chance to live, he doesn't want to stay with his father.

I get you, Hippolytus. Go have fun.

Capaneus (according to Stesichorus)

What's interesting here is how Capaneus died : he participated in Polynice's siege against Thebes but was killed... by Zeus. He was struck by lightning because of hubris.

And then Asclepius comes and resurrects this guy. All the more reasons for Zeus to be angered. That means he came in and decided to undo divine punishment, the same one that will be his own doom in the future. It's pretty chilling for me.

Lycurgus

So, there are a lot of Lycurguses in mythology.

In the beginning, I thought it was Lycurgus of Thrace, which would've been hilarious because if this guy comes back to life, he'll come back traumatized and insane (also, any grapevine would be the source of PTSD flashbacks). And again, that would've mean undoing divine punishments.

BUT it seems to be a separate Lycurgus that was resurrected. Not the one who offended Dionysus.

It's also not Admetus' brother of the same name, though the logical link would've been easy to make (because of Apollo's servitude and Admetus also being an Argonaut according to some sources).

Honestly, Wikipedia is the only place where the Lycurgus that Asclepius resurrected is distinguished. Even then, the article speaks of a probable case and lists Apollodorus as a source. So not even researchers are completely sure of which Lycurgus it was.

Hymen/Hymenaios : yeah, according to the Orphics, he resurrected some guy named Hymen, even though the only figure with this name is a god... it would've been very interesting to analyze if I had more details about it. Unfortunately, there aren't really.

Tyndareus

Glaucus : It's funny how Asclepius resurrects both Theseus AND Minos' son. Though that exploit is more often attributed to the prophet and healer Polyidos. I wonder if there was some untold teacher-student relationship between the two, since Asclepius is one of the inventors of medicine (with Chiron)

And then there's this woman :

This cracks me up, because this little story alone states that Asclepius as a GOD still resurrects the dead even though he was punished for it. Tbf, he probably had to explain this to Zeus, that he had to compensate his partners' mistake. Still, that's hilarious that not even divine might stopped him.

Don't tell me he didn't know what he was doing. He's a smart guy and his father is literally mr. God of prophecy. I like his audacity.

So, coming back to the initial subject, with the sheer number of mentioned names, I do think they had the time to be buried and cross the Styx (except Capaneus, who was probably turned into ashes lol).

Asclepius definetly meddled with Hades' domain, thus angering the god of the dead and he 100% provoked Zeus.

But, not all the gods were agaisnt him. If we take the version where he resurrects people with gorgon blood, then Athena, who gave it to him, was in favor of his operations.

Then, there is Artemis who asked him to bring back Hippolytus and finally, quite obviously, his n°1 supporter is his own father Apollo (oh god, I could make a whole new post rambling just about Apollo and Asclepius).

So yeah, I really like this myth for many reasons and this is one of them : how it's tied to many other stories, how different figures behave and react to Asclepius' antics, how it puts the system of life and death into questions, etc...

Anyways, if you have anything to comment on about this myth, don't hesitate. I'd love to discuss it more !

My main source about all of this was Theoi.

[hyakinthou-naos]

My Day to Day Life as a Hellenic Polytheist: Altars, altars, altars! [post 4/4]

Hello Temple patrons and visitors, in lieu of doing days 6, 7, & 8 of @wisdom-devotee 's 31 Days of Hellenic Polytheism I decided to instead answer the questions through a narrative blog post (since the questions for these three days flow together).

I have kept a standing altar (an altar that I leave out and erect all the time) of one kind or another, pretty consistently for the past 7 years.

I just recently moved into a new home, which means crafting a whole new setup for my altars and worship space. In this new home I've actually been able to create, not just 2 standing altars, but 7 shrines dedicated to my 5 Household Gods - as well as 2 Hindu deities (Shiva and Shakti-Durga-Kali). All of these altars have been an immense labor of love and I am so happy with how they have turned out.

Standing Altar 1 - Honoring the Okios and Household Gods:

Standing Altar 2 - Honoring Lady Aphroditê and Oceanic Witchcraft:

Shrine to Lord Apollo:

Shrine to Lady Hekatê:

Shrine to Lord Hermes:

Shrine to Lady Hestia:

Shrine to Lady Aphroditê:

Shrine to Lord Shiva / Shiva-Dionysus:

Shrine to Shakti / Shakti-Durga-Kali:

- Aön

[the-gangaridaean]

Relationships between God and Devotee are not monolithic

Something I've been meaning to discuss is how people have different relationships to gods, and thankfully, coming from a South Asian background, I've seen the full diversity of that in play.

The Sufis, yearning for a glimpse of their 'piya', positioning themselves as pining lovers of God. Amir Khusrau writes, "خسرو نظام کے بل بل جایا، محی سہاگن کینئی ر موسی نینا ملائکہ۔" — "Khusrau, coming close to Nizam, has become his (newlywed) bride by just a glance." While Khusrau addresses Nizamuddin Auliya, he directs the poem towards God. An aunt of mine believes that when you love God so ardently, prayer and ritual become mere suggestions. Furthermore, Bulleh Shah writes, "ਰਾਂਝਾ ਰਾਂਝਾ ਕਰਦੀ ਨੀ, ਮੈਂ ਆਪੇ ਰਾਂਝਾ ਹੋਈ। ਸੱਦੋ ਨੀ ਮੈਨੂੰ ਧੀਦੋ ਰਾਂਝਾ, ਹੀਰ ਨਾ ਆਖੋ ਕੋਈ।" — "By chanting Ranjha's name, I have become Ranjha. Don't call me Heer anymore, there is no difference between me and Ranjha anymore." Referencing iconic lovers of Punjabi folklore, positioning himself as Heer, and God as Ranjha, he postulates the yearning for Divine Union.

The Bhakti movement emphasises multiple sorts of relationships with Ishvar. Shaktas revere Devi as a Mother, Shaivas revere Shiva as a Teacher, Vaishnavas revere Vishnu and his avatars in different ways. Taking Krishna as an example, Meera Bai writes "प्रेम की माला जपते जपते आप बानी में श्याम, साँसों की माला पे सिमरूँ मैं पि का नाम" — "I have chanted and chanted the rosary of love, till I become one with Shyam (another name for Krishna), and in every breath I will remember the name of my beloved (Krishna)." Meera Bai is the prime example of mādhurya bhāva, or the romantic relationship with the divine. Surdas writes "नंदलाला, तुम्हारे बिन सूनी लगती गलियाँ, तेरे हाथ की छन-छन में बसी हैं ज़िंदगियाँ।" — "Nandalala, the streets feel empty without your presence, when my very life is in your little hands." He channels Yashoda, Krishna's adoptive mother, a mother who misses her child. This is vātsalya bhāva, or a mother-child relationship.

While I cannot find if anything similar existed in Ancient Greece, partially because I'm not looking too deep into it right now considering it's late for me, I do not think why it should be a, for the lack of a better term, "marginalised" practice. There is nothing nonsensical about devoting yourself so ardently to a god that the feelings you feel are almost like romantic love. The Church is 'married' to Christ, Sufis are 'married' to Allah, certain Hindus are 'married' to Krishna. I don't see why the same practice is seen as 'weird' or 'cringe' when pagans do it. I don't see why it isn't considered normal, especially with deities associated with Love, Sexuality and Romance, such as Aphrodite, the Erotes, Dionysus and (somewhat) Apollon.

I consider myself a child of Aphrodite, but I do not mean I'm her literal or spiritual child. She's my mother the same way Yashoda is the mother of Krishna, the same way Tara is the mother of Ramakrishna Paramhamsa. The practice of godspousing is not entirely different.

While yes, I do understand that some people may not think of their relationship with the gods on a deeper level, and few still parade their title as a 'god's spouse' to feel better about themselves, or for the, for the lack of a better term, 'uwu' factor, if that makes any sense.

In Conclusion

This is my personal take on the matter, and while I understand people from a Western background may not see it the same way I do, I am simply correlating two concepts I've found pretty similar. Feel free to discuss, and also feel free to send any resources my way which you think I should read up on. Choosing to be an asshat, however, will put karma on your ass and I will be an asshat back before blocking you.

[light-of-delphi]

so im very new to hellenic polytheism, and ive been seeing potential signs of dionysus reaching out to me, and im curious how i would go about reaching out to a deity. (this is my first time😭)

as in like, how do i know if they’ve accepted, and if i ask for a specific sign …. what kind of sign do i ask for??? i would like some specifics of reaching out to deities !!

Ciao, hello!! This is an awesome question and, honestly, not something I've seen or heard talked about too often! So, lets dive into it.

The Basics of Deity Work

First things first, you think a deity's reaching out to you. Before coming to this conclusion, ask yourself a few questions.

☀ Is there a different, physical reason behind these signs occurring? Or do they seem intentional / what's the pattern of these signs? ☀ Could there be a different deity reaching out to me? Or is it who I believe it is? ☀ Could this also simply be some other non-divine energy reaching out to me? Depending on the signs, you can try narrowing it down from here.

But I've reached my conclusion, and it is a deity, so what now?

In that case, congratulations! The next step would be worship if you don't already worship this deity. They could be sending you signs in an attempt to draw you in rather than outright work with you. This means you should start with the most basic form of deity work: Worship.

Consider this a crash-course on worship. Here are some tips and advice.

☀ Worship is different from devotion - you have not reached that part with your deity yet. You're in the beginning stage. Think of it as being a new hire when you've been hired to a new job. Ask your coworkers with more experience (devotees, long-time worshippers, god spouses, priests, etc.) for some advice with navigating the new job. They're going to be able to give you more specific advice. ☀ Worship does not have to be some extravagant thing involving rituals every day or invocations 24/7. It can simply be about praying, offering, and thanking. Thinking about them, remembering them, learning about them, casually. When you become a devotee (which can be on your terms or, in some cases, the deity will approach you about this), this casual worship can turn into scheduled, routine devotional practice. ☀ When worshipping, use caution. Make sure you are properly vetting and are actually communing with the right entity. Tricksters like to get involved in relationships that aren't theirs. Even trickster gods, not just trickster spirits or no-good energies. Loki pretended to be Apollo before I realized that Apollo weirdly had two energies that were completely different from one another.

Well, now I've decided / been asked to become a Devotee. What does that look like?

I'm glad you asked, buddy!! Devotion is entirely dependent on your relationship and standing with a deity. My devotion consists of a lot of sitting with my Gods, talking to them, researching them, and writing about them. I consider this blog an act of devotion and my posts are smaller acts of devotion and love.

Here's your devotion crash-course.

☀ First and foremost: Talk about them. This may be hard to do if you aren't in an accepting environment, so in this case, find another outlet. Write about them in your journal or grimoire. Start a blog or social media page dedicated to them and what they stand for. Make subtle mentions of them. Or, if you're home alone, tell the stillness of your home about them. ☀ Divination is your best friend, especially if you struggle to see and/or hear them. Divination helps with clarifying energies and helps you communicate with them directly or through a middle-man (for example, the Fox spirit I'm building a relationship with would be a middle-man between me and Apollo or Loki or any of my Gods if I don't get a response or hear back from them when I need to pass a message, and he'll return messages to me). ☀ Research them. Come up with a schedule if it helps, or try to do it whenever you're free and have enough spoons. Back when I started worshipping Apollo, it started with me just doing research on who he was. Then, when I became a devotee of his, this research began getting a lot deeper and I started learning a lot of UPG. ☀ Do things that connect to what they represent. Act and get on stage for Dionysos. Sing for Apollo. Grow and nurture plants for Demeter. Clean and tidy your house for Hestia. Save money for King Hades. Stretch your back for Hermes. Play a prank for Loki, and send someone love for Venus. Connect with the things under their rule. ☀ Honor their families and loved ones. For Apollo, I veil. Yes, in part out of devotion for him, but more recently, I do so on behalf of his mother, Leto.

At the end of the day, devotion is different between practitioners. But with that being said, let's kind of get to the point because I went on a bit of a ramble there.

Reaching out to the deity... How exactly?

This process can prove to be a tad bit vexatious simply because of the fact that it's a process of trial and error. Sometimes, deities may not immediately respond, or you may get into contact with the wrong entity, or there may be a block - anything. But the first thing you're going to want to do is invoke them.

This looks different for everyone. I've found it easiest to call them by praying to them and formally requesting their presence. But for some people, it can look like repeating their name, shaking their fists at the sky, you name it, it's probably been done. But invoking them is how it starts. Since you're just starting out, I'd recommend something more formal like lighting their candle and praying, or simply just praying to them.

After that, hold a divination session using your preferred method (mine is a tarot session!) after having cast a circle and putting up proper protections. The Old Gods have an intense energy that can throw you off, overwhelm you, or upset you, so cast a circle, veil, and do whatever you need to do to protect your energy. This may take some trial and error.

Once you get into contact with them, ask them if they're reaching out for the sake of worship, or for the sake of working with you. Ask what they'd like to help you with. Ask what they'd like in return. Ask them anything you need to clarify the boundaries and constraints of your relationship with them. Communication is key.

Finally, the conclusion.

I really do hope this helps, please don't be afraid to ask me some clarifying questions to better understand! Or, if you need a deity reading, I may be revamping my etsy to open up readings soon.... 👀👀

I hope this helps you out, and whoever happens to find this. A mi piace aiutare la gente <3 Blessed be, and may the Sun be your guide! A domani!

[ghost-bxrd]

Just saw the Percy Jason ship.

Now thinking of batkids as demigods.

Will take away the questionable aspects of Bruce letting kids fight crime, because demigod kids have no choice on fighting, what with being monster catnip...

Which would be the Olympian parents...

Dick being a Hermes kid? Got the whole lovable menace, way deadlier than he looks vibe...

Timmy Athena, of course.

Jason... maybe Hades? Devoted to family but with rather...questionable ideas about appropriate bonding? Strict ideas about punishment?

Alfred being a son of Hestia, the goddess of home and hearth...

Steph Dionysus' daughter... Cass as Ares' kid...

Dami can be Bruce's kid with Eris, goddess of vengeance...

There was a post a while ago where we brainstormed a little on the bats as demigods! With Dick being a son of Aphrodite and Jason a son of Nemesis, Thanatos, or Hades I think? And Bruce being an actual god hehe. But that’s all I can recall right now.

I love how everyone is in agreement that Timmy’s a child of Athena tho ksksks. And Cass as an Area kid who hates war and killing 🥺

Although I think we’d have to revise Alfred as either a devotee to Hestia, or a demigod/legacy of another god, because Hestia is a virgin goddess and doesn’t have any children if I remember correctly ✨

[windsweptinred]

Oh I loved these questions @zigzag-wanderer thank you! 

I'm going to do these one at a time, since this first answer completely got away from me and just stopped short of becoming a full on essay. 😅 I'll return to answer 25 in another post. 

20. What do their family/friends think of their relationship?

What would Dionysus’s family think of Orpheus and their relationship? In general?... Look at the new toy he's brought for us to play with. 😅

It's probably going to depend on the god when it comes to the Olympians. Mortal loves are ten a penny in their family, here today, gone tomorrow. So some may have complete disinterest in Orpheus. I can imagine Ares for example, not giving a flying fuck about a little human musician, beyond taking part in the family betting pool of how long he's going to survive before being, (A) Transfigured (B) Abducted (C) Unalived or (D) All three. 

Other gods may show slightly less indifference though. We know from Persephone that Demeter is a fan of his music. And wouldn't that just be too adorable, her fawning over him like a talented child at a family gathering. While Orpheus stammers and blushes and Dio preens. It's a powerful affiliation that may come in handy, considering Orpheus would have a significant target on his back when it comes to Zeus and Hera. 

Orpheus is the first mortal EVER to successfully complete the ‘cave run’. A fact that's not going to escape Zeus for long. And one he's certainly not going to let stand. We know with Zeus, his modus operandi when it comes to complications is to obliterate them. And at the end of season one, we see Zeus backed into a corner and I believe, at his most dangerous/impulsive. Worse still, Zeus may plan on reiterating his lesson on love with an increasingly rebellious Dionysus. And we saw what happened to Dennis… 

Hera would see this relationship as the perfect opportunity to fuck with Dionysus. She detests her husband's half mortal progeny and Dionysos being in love would be too much of temptation to wound him purely out of spite. They should count their blessings that she'd presently have bigger fish to fry. 

Aphrodite is a fun one to contemplate. What the goddess feels about her youngest brother/grand nephew's?? love life, I imagine like her, is as changeable as the breeze. But Orpheus is such a little devotee of amore isn't he? He lives to love, he's got a tattoo in homage to her son Eros on each arm for crying out loud. That man needs love to breathe easy. If it wasn't for Dionysus and Apollo, (we'll return to that little nugget later) I reckon Orpheus could have easily received the patronage of the goddess of love. As it is, I reckon she'd have a soft spot for him. But most importantly, she'd know Orpheus’s heart was true. And on her more tender days, she'd find pleasure in knowing Dionysus was truly happy in the joys of her dominion. 

I am devotedly wed to the lore that Hermes and Dionysus have a close brotherly bond. And a genuine love and affection for each other. So Hermes may be the only one of Dionysos’s siblings that considers the relationship on how beneficial it is for his baby brother. Not to say that's a particularly positive thing for Orpheus, having the trickster supreme tormenting him, in the name of deciding whether he's worthy. You have to pity the poor man for the kind of shovel talk the messenger of the gods, with his many, many, many talents, could deliver.

And now we get to Apollo…Oh, the complex cyclone of chaos that is the Apollo - Orpheus - Dionysus connection. In myth, Apollo and Dionysus have an equal level of importance/influence over Orpheus. Apollo is sometimes credited with giving Orpheus his lyre. Which could, in Kaos terms, translate as him handing Orpheus a god given talent/patronage. Orpheus was a devoted worshipper of the sun god. And I actually think this holds true in Kaos. I headcanon this tat… 

... That leads off from Orpheus’s lyre tattoo, an intertwined music note, laurel leaf and a sun. Is Orpheus paying homage to Apollo. It makes sense for a musician to pay tribute to the god of the arts. 

However, Orpheus was also a prophet (sometimes THE prophet) of Dionysos. Credited with spreading his worship. And wouldn't that be so on brand for Kaos Orpheus. If he fell head over tits in love with Dionysus, the first thing he would do would be write several hymns/chart toppers about how amazing his boo is. Would Apollo be romantically interested in/jealous of Dionysos’s relationship with Orpheus. Probably not, no. Would that stop him throwing a tantrum about his little brother touching his things/ taking his top spot on Orpheus’s list of bestest gods, also no. 🤣 Let the tug of war commence! … Hopefully with less destructive consequences than in myth. 

What would Orpheus’s family/friends think of Dionysos and their relationship? 

We really don't know much about who Orpheus has in the world coming out of season one, besides Riddy, Dennis (RIP baby) and his manager Calli. And while he could indeed have a close group of friends and relations, him being alone in the world, outside of this little close circle, goes a long way to explaining why Orpheus loves so obsessively. And how he and Riddy bonded in the first place. 

Oh he has his fans of course, and I'm sure their adoration goes some way to filling an insatiable void. But, celebrity is its own curse, and all that love is loud but distant.) An ironic reflection of the gods own relationship with humanity. And indeed in some ways, his own relationship with Riddy… But that's a topic for another post.) 

As for that tiny group who do know him on an intimate, personal level. You can see him clinging to them almost fanatically. He and Calli certainly have a relationship that seems to surpass ‘business’ and strays into the mother/son relationship of myth. And I reckon he overtly treasures that bond with Calli just as much as he did his love of Riddy. 

So, since all he really has left is Calli, how would she feel about his relationship with Dionysus? Joy and exasperation I shouldn't wonder. 

Joy, because you can clearly see how much Calli cares for Orpheus. The way she cradles him in his grief… That's her boy, blood relation or not. When ‘life is good’ for him, she finds joy in his joy, despair in his suffering. And seeing Orpheus happy again, in love again. And knowing what being in love means for his  contentment. That's going to mean so much more than seeing a ‘client’ content. Plus who can't help but love Dionysus? Hopefully some of that affection will go Dio's way too, as that god needs some. 

Exasperation as well, as we do see examples of Calli trying to shepard Orpheus in the right direction, with smoking etc. And Riddy, down to earth Riddy would have probably been an aid in this. As much as one can ever ground someone like Orpheus, Riddy probably did manage to on some level. Dionysos on the other hand…😅 I can imagine he and Orpheus would goad each other on and on, in every sense, to greater heights and excess. For better or for worse. Thoughts and prayers Calli, you're going to need them! 

This is all based on Dionysos being introduced (atleast at first) under a human facade of course. You get the feeling in the world of Kaos,  while people unequivocally believe in the existence of the gods. They're not too used to them wandering around amongst them. How Calli would feel about Orpheus dating the God of Frenzy, well, that's an entirely different kettle of fish. 

I imagine somewhere out there, Riddy will smile, roll her eyes. Mutter something along the lines of, of course, it could only be the God of Excess with you Orpheus. And be immensely happy for him. If we're allowed nice things…Wrapped in Caeneus’s arms. 

(1492 words… Jesus zigzag I apologise. 🙈 Thank you for attending today's lecture. I said they were my new brain rot, I think I've undeniably proven that to myself today. 😅)

[waddleonmywaywardducks]

DINOYSUS MASTERPOST

(all resources will be linked in dinoysus's name. this post will be a little bit different as Im still researching dinoysus and I don't have a committed relationship to him, so has always please dm me or leave it in my ask box if something is wrong! Thank you!)

🍇🍷🍇

recently I've been very called to start worship with dinoysus, as a punk kid, a pansexual trans man, and lover of the arts, I feel as if he's a god I can find comfort in. I get so nervous bringing in a new god into my practice though, I worry that since the relationship is so new, I'll get bored of it....but I'm getting better at it!! Hopefully this post will move me more into wanting to worship him lol, but anyways heres the master post!!

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WHO IS DINOYSUS

Dinoysus is the god of wine-making, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, festivity, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theatre. He was depicted as either an older, bearded god or an effeminate, long-haired youth. His attributes included the thyrsos (a pine-cone tipped staff), a drinking cup and a crown of ivy. He was usually accompanied by a troop of Satyrs and Mainades (wild female devotees). Dionysos' sacred animals were the panther (leopard), tiger, bull and serpent. The god rode on the back of a panther or drove a chariot drawn by a pair of the beasts.

His sacred plants were the grapevine, ivy, bindweed (prickly ivy) and pine tree. Devotees of the god wore wreaths of ivy and carried pine-cone tipped staffs.

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WHAT IS DINOYSUS ROLE?

I couldn't find much on dinoysus's worship other than the cults that was made in his honor, more specifically the Mainades. In Greek mythology, maenads were female followers of dinoysus. They were portrayed as inspired by Dionysus into a state of ecstatic frenzy through a combination of dancing and intoxication. During these rites, the maenads would dress in fawn skins and carry a thyrsus, a long stick wrapped in ivy or vine leaves and tipped with a pine cone. They would weave ivy-wreaths around their heads or wear a bull helmet in honor of their god, and often handle or wear snakes.

In ceramic art, the frolicking of Maenads and Dionysus is often a theme depicted on kraters, used to mix water and wine. These scenes show the maenads in their frenzy running in the forests, often tearing to pieces any animal they happen to come across. (I also read somewhere that they performed huge orgies while drunk to become "possessed" by the god and were cannibalistic as well. I have no idea if the cannibal thing is true tho, everything else Is.)

In a less intense way of worship, worshippers of dinoysus would host plays and parties in his name.

Worshippers now are often trans, lgbtq+, poc, foreigners/immigrants, people who love the arts, and stuff of that sorts!

UPG

I see dinoysus similarly to how he is seen on Hades 😭😭 he hasn't presented himself to me yet so I'm just going off of what I see in my mind lol but other than that I dont have much upg on him :(

DINOYSUS UPG/INFO POST

- dinoysus 101

- dinoysus deep dive

- another dinoysus deep dive

[ashoss]

I LOVE Hermes kid Dick Grayson, I love Dionysus kid Steph, and I'm torn bc both Athena kid Barbara and Jason make so much sense but it's not fun if we repeat :(

I think the obvious choice for Jason is Ares, but that makes me very sad. Also, given Cass's origin story it makes sense for her father to be Ares–except taking the place of Shiva. Mythologically the gods could turn into animals but unlike the Norse gods I don't think any of them ever was a mother. Except for Zeus, arguably (see: the births of Athena and Dionysus). I just see Ares being attracted to David Cain's…*gestures vaguely* everything. And Cass fighting the heritage of violence she was born to, but I see the same with Jason.

Also to the Zeus kid Dick anon: not to worry fam, I gotchu: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1825744

This series by emavee is mostly Dick & Bruce and has a lot of variations of magical!Dick hiding his identity/abilities from Bruce.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/37798489

That one is werewolf!Dick Grayson but it's the same premise.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/53461267#main

Here's an angsty case fic with regular Robin Dick Grayson and soft dad Bruce.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/45895753

And lastly here's an incredibly soft fic with actual baby bat Dick and more soft Dad Bruce.

Back to PJO Batfam kids: maybe Cass becomes a huntress of Artemis? IDK. Also I see Alfred being a follower if not a son of Hestia. She's another virgin goddess but most top goddesses are for sexist reasons, I say let them fuck nasty.

i do really like Athena kid Babs and Jason!! but i think i might make her a clearsighted mortal and Jason I'm still torn on,, but yeah i kind of want to make them all children of different gods but maybe ill have an exception or two :)

i do like ares kid jason but i feel like that might play into his angry angsty thing too much? its kind of a copout if that makes sense. ares kid cass does make sense but im not 100% sure on it. (and on that mother thing, apollo kid kayla actually has a mortal dad - meaning apollo probably birthed kayla so!!)

hunter of artemis cass is def interesting and i might play around with that? also alfred is 100% a hestia devotee at the least ( or maybe hestia herself? who knows?)

[palameiad]

SUBMISSION:

I wanna know your main 3 suitors hcs !!

ouuugh you're putting me on the spot here cuz you didn't specify and idk where to start 😭 i'll just tack on my antiamphieury designs above and go over some ramblings for them if that's chill! this post ended up pretty long, so i've put everything under the cut 😋

ANTINOUS OF ITHACA 🐺

he/him, 26, leader of the suitors.

bisexual, polyamorous... something along the lines of that. unfortunately i'm a little uncreative with my identity hcs cuz i don't really see any of the suitors' having intense preferences in that regard

a surprisingly pious man despite his diabolical violation of sacred laws (xenia)! i mean, this isn't really a headcanon since the text seems to say so, but i guess it's more emphasized in my characterization of antinous. it's not like it helps him in the end anyway 😔 i think of him to specifically be a zeus, apollo, artemis (yup! the twin gods!!) and dionysus devotee (subject to change)

in the poem; the suitors are often seen dancing which i think is also a form of terrorism over the ithacan palace not just cuz it's not their home but also cuz they mostly suck at it. antinous carries them on his back tho cuz sacred laws be damned that suitor can DANCE

unfortunately for everyone antinous is a daddy's boy 🥲 the earrings i designed him with are matching family heirlooms he and his parents wore. there are excess of another 2 sets because eupeithes had one sister (antinous' aunt) and another brother (antinous' uncle), but the suitor ended up being an only child, so it seems like he's saving the unused heirlooms (now including his mother's, making 3) just in case. (he never does, of course, antinous had many things he intended to do before his death. that's just how it is.)

on family it can get a little hmm. complicated. antinous loves his father and eupeithes loves his son, that much can be said! but their time with the taphian pirates was rough, particularly for a child antinous. and it's not like eupeithes ever intended to harm him – no, not at all! that's his son, his jewel! – but making the choice for them to live like that certainly didn't help either of them in the long run. internally; antinous can't help but blame his father, and eupeithes can't help but blame himself.

I'm still unsure about what to do with antinous' mother; i believe the only time we've seen her portrayed is in l'oddisea (1968) (which i can't recommend enough for odyssey likers btw PLEASE WATCH IT ON YOUTUBE FOR FREE PLEA—), where she spends a scene crying as she watches antinous' corpse be taken away, before cutting to eupeithes(?) and his original revenge speech – two rather haunting scenes to watch back-to-back, i'd say. so while i've yet to write her myself, the only thing i can think of is; damn, antinous. you were loved. (melantho seems to be his lover in l'oddisea too so, you can add her for that adaption.)

anti is completely blind in his scarred left eye, i like to think he got it from an incident with the taphian pirates, one way or another.

antinous feud list /ref; leodes (suitor), agelaus (suitor) and probably his whole gang by proxy (also suitors), eumaeus (slave / swineherd) and the rest of the palace's slaves, telemachus (prince, obviously), and like 10 billion other people if i had to guess

EURYMACHUS OF ITHACA 🐍

he/she, 25, leader of the suitors.

omnisexual, polyamorous, vers... this man's never had to make a decision in his damn life 😭

unfortunately for everyone eurymachus was raised in a household where he's never been told "no" before. a 20 something spoiled brat!!

i'll just put it out there that i consider eury to be a zeus, hermes and hecate devotee

the suitors mostly dance to phemius' (or whichever minstrel is unfortunate enough to end up on their door that day) melodies and tales but a drunken eury sung to the group once or twice and they've never forgotten it. even a snake tongue has its uses!!

antinous your co-leader looks gnc af /ref

^ well i mean. he was kinda born looking feminine in the face, her clothing is fairly masculine but eurymachus just isn't strict with this whole "gender expression" thing. he'll wear whatever she wants as long as it costs somebody's life savings

from what i can gather from brief research; makeup was often seen as a form of trickery, or at least, that's how male authors put it. this obviously isn't true in a general sense, but when it comes to eurymachus... well, i suppose it wouldn't be a reach. that snake!!

^ i've mentioned this before; but i hc that eury with easily irritable skin, so she wakes up a little earlier than most of the suitors to fix herself up before putting himself on display for the general public. that or – on unluckier days – he shows up fashionably late to the suitors' assemblies (whatever he may have had to attend to at the time). this pisses off many people (especially agelaus and co. cuz they value "discipline" funnily enough).

she's endorsed by icarius (penelope's father) and well. seemed to be in the lead when it came to which suitor was closest to actually marrying penelope. cuz of his heaps of expensive gifts, so i like to think eury buys a little something for every person she favours (my melantho and matching earrings, melanthius and a helix piercing... i plan for antinous and amphinomus to have something in their full-body designs too) as a... symbol of his love! that's an awfully noble way to put it though, he just likes showing off what's his 🙂‍↕️

^ also yes errr going strictly by the odyssey's text, eury favours both dark flower siblings! i mean we all know she's greedy.... in more ways than one..... walks away and doesn't elaborate

in my huge mind palace he also has a situationship with agelaus and eurynomus 🤫 she likes fucking around with age and co. in general i think

sorry to put this horrendous reference in here but for aura points eury is like a parselmouth to me

also sorry to randomly chuck a modern au in here but i want to make it known that i am a firm believer in the idea that eurymachus would LOVE the real housewives franchise. hell, his situation is basically the real suitors of ithaca 💔

AMPHINOMUS OF DULICHIUM 🐻

he/they, 24, leading and youngest of the suitors.

not a bad person he's just badpersonsexual i fear. his dick has led him to places he wouldn't go with a gun

^ this is a JOOOOOKE this is a JOKE. anyway they sincerely just don't care about that stuff so i'm saying unlabeled + polyamorous

my amphi is mainly based off bears (thanks messy) but i designed him with a bird-like birthmark so second to that i like to think he has an affinity with them too... eagles, specifically. (zeus moment)

^ i consider amphinomus to be a zeus and harmonia devotee

amphi kind of sucks at both singing and dancing (the latter a little less) i'm so sorry brother... you'll get them one day 😭...

i realize that i've mentioned antieury's relationship with agelaus so i'll just tell you that they're on good terms since they're the forbearing and "orange" (you'll only get this if you read my agelaus design notes lol) leading suitors... leodes does have one-sided beef with amphi tho which is a story for another day lmao!!

moulius is a herald and slave of amphinomus who only appears once in the odyssey but given how amphi speaks of odysseus' slaves i think they're on good terms as well. both of them are equally bothered by the suitors' behaviour but amphi assures him that it's fine... probably. we never get moulius' reaction or fate after his owner's death, but he may have been killed by ody and co. as well.

amphinomus' family situation is also interesting cuz they're doting but he feels like it can be. conditional at times. he's the only prince / royalty out of the suitors, so you can imagine there's some inherent pressure on his back when it comes to how they act and definitely when it comes to who they marry!

i think this is part of the reason he decides to stick around the suitors despite. well, everything. they just happen to be a breath of fresh air for amphinomus and it's not like that makes those youths any less insane but. you do understand where he's coming from, yeah?

and errr (flipping through notepad) i think that pretty much it? for now? these are all the general things i've come up with, but everyone's free to ask for more specific hcs with antiamphieury!! i love talking about them a lot 🫶

[tengritexas]

Get attacked!! ✨🌈SEND THIS TO OTHER BLOGGERS YOU THINK ARE WONDERFUL. KEEP THE GAME GOING🌈

Ooo I got a bunch. No lie

I have a bunch of witchy blogs I follow at random :> lets see

So here is a list of my favorites blogs and peeps! I will say the community as a whole has been a blessing and its been neat to meet everyone! Ive made a handful of good friends aswell!

Anyways, the list!

@thecinnamongoddessence

@mikeyanderson97

@wolvenfang-a

@corvidae-witch

@childofthewolvess

@just-another-dionysus-devotee

@moonkissedmeli

@ravenbro0k

@punk-rock-paganism09

@divine-crows

@astroastrid16

And of course, the OG himself

@assistedbytherats

[ali-laufeyson]

Dionysus!

@chaos-connection @criophorus @dandthegods @diioonysus @devoted-to-the-gods @g-faded-smile @just-another-dionysus-devotee @khaire-traveler @wineanddevotion @zazelll @criophorus @prince-ben-solo

[apollonmybeloved]

HELLO

I literally just found your blog, and I'm SO EXCITED. You're the first iranian hellenic polythiest I've found :D

I'm a Dionysus devotee, and also iranian, I have another blog for it though :3

Oh hiiiii are you living here? I literally have zero hellenist friends irl lol. The only other pagan i know is a Norse pagan.

Feel free to dm me :]

[light-of-delphi]

My Practice

Let's start with a quick rundown.

By traditional terms, I would be classified as an Eclectic Witch. For those who don't know what eclecticism is, it's essentially when you don't quite stick to one practice and mesh together and mold your own. I work in whatever **open** pantheons I please, I practice all sorts of witchcraft, mostly divination, and I research kind of everything. The basis of my (and most) practice is research.

Most of my experience in the field of witchcraft has been research and subtle magic. I like sigils, I like tarot, I like pendulum reading, dream work, shadow work, and the occasional jinx here and there. I've dabbled a little bit into demonology, the Celtic pantheon with Loki and Ođin, and the Angelic realms here and there over the years. So I think it's fair to say I'm a jack of some trades.

Most of my practice is rooted in the Hellenic pantheon, however. I am an avid worshipper and devotee of Apollo. I've been godspoused to him for about a year now, and he is my patron deity. The rest of my "divine team" consists mainly of Neptune (Of Roman Mythology), Dionysus, Hekate, Aphrodite (or Venus? Haven't figured that one out), and recently Hermes / Mercury has been making his way into my little tight-knit circle of Divine presence.

As you can see, I'm not very good at differentiating the two pantheons. I only learned that Neptune was so present in my life while abroad in Italy, on a day trip to Bologna, and I only found out about the presence of Hermes / Mercury whilst roaming the Ufizzi in Florence with a friend.

I'm also a veiling witch! I choose to wear head coverings, though I haven't in a while because I started getting weird stares and looks while abroad. But now that I'm back in the States, I plan on getting back into veiling when I'm out and about. My favorite veil is shown just below, I embroidered a sigil into it :)

Another thing to know is that it took me some time to find my path. You probably won't find your path with the first branch of magic you practice, and that's okay! And if you do, more power to you! That's awesome! But don't limit yourself to just one branch, dip your toes into other open practices too!

That's all I have to say right now -- Expect more like this in the future, though! I'm open to answering any questions in the reblogs or submitted to me on my page. Blessed be, may the sun be your guide! A domani!

[marigoldsandmischief]

hanging out with KT: part 2

so I got to hang out with @khaire-traveler again last night which is always an absolute joy and we just generally had a good time here's the recap for all the KT fans out there

I tell KT that i'm 4 mins away and their ass is standing outside going "where are you" and im like "BRO IM AROUND THE CORNER" and THEN he took another 3 minutes to come outside

we got wendys and i told him to order, he orders a cinnabon and 5 mins later when we park and I give it to him he goes "aww, you got me a cinnabon?" as if he didn't add it to the cart himself . . .

we sit and talk for some time, i show him my new tarot deck, we head back to his place

we sit in his basement and talk about all sorts of shit, but then we doing some tarot readings (IM GETTING SO GOOD GANG I WAS MOSTLY RIGHT WITH MY READINGS)

KT and I have a thing where I'll go "THE FOOL!" and open my tarot deck, and sometimes it WILL be the fool and we both giggle like maniacs

I ask KT to do a reading bc one of the readings I did from a diety felt off, and they said the same so I watched KT go "Hermes, if theres any spirits here that are gross, beat the fuck out of them, beat them to death until they stop moving" and I giggled and ddrew hermes beating spirits to death

and we go "Lord Dionysus, Lord Hermes-" and then a CAR ALARM STARTS GOING OFF so we rush upstairs to see if its my car (it wasn't) meaning this is the SECOND TIME we've done a reading with these two that some weird shit happened

the cards called my ass out hard as fuck

i forced KT to watch three DSMP animatics to explain my new tarot deck

noteable mentions : KT tried singing my tarot reading to me while I played ukulele, I said to KT "damn you a devotee of apollo and yo ass can't play an instrument?" and we both laughed, also KT said something akin to "Riding Satan's Ass" so

it's also funnny bc I make fun of KT for not listening to his gods, and then I get the same tarot reading i've gotten for 3 years and pack up the cards real fast. pains.

[not-oliwolly]

Days 13 & 14 of @wisdom-devotee ‘s 31 days of hellenic polytheism!!

DAY THIRTEEN QUESTION: Do you write your own prayers?

DAY THIRTEEN ANSWER: I guess it sorta depends. I have a few personal prayers i’ve written, however for some deities i haven’t written any yet. Most of the time i just make up prayers on the spot too if there’s something specific i’m praying for🥲

DAY FOURTEEN QUESTION: Do you have any hobbies that fit any of your deities' domains?

DAY FOURTEEN ANSWER: yes! I’m very into drawing and in choir, so i would associate that with Apollo. I’m also very much a theatre kid lol..so i’m in theatre for Dionysus! Another hobby of mine is bone hunting, so i can make sure the animal remains i use for spell work/offerings are sourced ethically..so i suppose i could associate that with Thanatos or Persephone?