#kharits back at it again

[rottenpumpkin13]

Hullo im not dead

Anyways belated Miniroth Easter drawing :D

KHARITS we missed you buddy 😭🩷 I hope you're well 🥕 Thank you for the awesome art (and Miniroth's bunny sweater!)

[piristephes]

The 5th lunar day, to the Eumenides/Kindly Ones.

The 5th lunar day, as all lunar days ending in 5, is dedicated to the Kindly Ones. They were midwives to Eris, the Goddess of Strife, and assisted the birth of Horkos, the daimon/god who punishes the oath-breakers.

Hesiod, Works and Days 218 ff : "The better path is to go by on the other side towards justice; for Dike (Justice) beats Hybris (Outrage) when she comes at length to the end of the race. But only when he has suffered does the fool learn this. For Horkos (Horcus, Oath) keeps pace with wrong judgements."

Hesiod, Works and Days 804 ff : "Beware of all the fifth days [of the month]; for they are harsh and angry; it was on the fifth, they say, that the Erinyes (Furies) assisted at the bearing of Horkos (Horcus, Oath), whom Eris (Strife) bore, to be a plague on those who take false oath."

At Haliartos there is in the open a sanctuary of the goddesses they call Praxidikai (Those who Exact Punishments) [the Erinyes]. Here they swear, but they do not make the oaths rashly. The sanctuary of the goddesses is near Mount Tilphousios."  (Pausanias, Description of Greece)

 Make no empty promises today, philloi (friends), honour the things you say.  Also a good day to demand justice to the Gods if you have been wronged in any way and to pray to the Semnae - The Holy Ones, another euphemistic title to the Furies.

I found a quote that was rather lovely about a family who was in charge of priesthood towards Them:

Callimachus, Fragment 123 (from Scholiast on Sophocles Oedipus at Colonus 489) (trans. Trypanis) (Greek poet C3rd B.C.) : "And evermore to burn for them [the Eumenides] honey-sweet cakes is the duty of the sober priestesses, the Hesykhides (Hesychides, Of the Quiet, Of the Still)." [N.B. The descendants of the Athenian hero Hesykhos (Hesychus) were encharged with the priesthood of the Eumenides.] 

 Honey-cakes were really common offerings to the Gods back then. There are a lot accounts of Them receiving goat meat and wine as offerings too. Likely done in a chthonic manner, which means you take no part of what’s being offered and pour it on the ground/burn it all/bury it.

Pausanias, Description of Greece 10. 38. 8 (trans. Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.) : "[Myonia, Lokris] has a grove and an altar of the Meilikhioi (Gracious Gods) [the Erinyes]. The sacrifices to the Meilikhioi are offered at night, and their rule is to consume the meat on the spot before sunrise."

 They are punishers of evil-doers, inflicters of madness, guardians and oathkeepers, powerful and fearful Goddesses, described to be either daughters of Night (Nyx) or born out of the blood of Ouranos. If you wanna know a bit more about them, Theoi has a bit about their worship throughout Greece and you may also read the Oresteia, which tells the story of Orestes, the son of Agamemnon and Klytaimnestra.

Pausanias, Description of Greece 8. 34. 1 (trans. Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.) : "[Near Megalopolis in Arkadia] is a sanctuary of goddesses. They call the goddesses themselves, as well as the district around the sanctuary, Maniai (Maniae, Madnesses). In my view this is a surname of the Eumenides [Erinyes]; in fact they say that it was here that madness overtook Orestes as punishment for shedding his mother's blood. Not far from the sanctuary is a mound of earth, of no great size, surmounted by a finger made of stone; the name, indeed, of the mound is the Tomb of the Finger. Here, it is said, Orestes on losing his wits bit off one finger of one of his hands [in his Erinys-driven madness]. Another sanctuary called Ake (Remedies) because in it Orestes was cured of his malady. Near to the place called Ake is another . . ((lacuna)) a sanctuary called . . ((lacuna) because here Orestes cut off his hair on coming to his senses. Here too it a sanctuary of the Eumenides. The story is that, when these goddesses were about to put Orestes out of his mind, they appeared to him black; but when he had bitten off his finger they seemed again to be white and he recovered his senses at the sight. So he offered a sin-offering to the black goddesses to avert their wrath, while to the white deities he sacrifices a thank-offering. It is customary to sacrifice to the Kharites (Charites, Graces) [perhaps the Semnai] also along with the Eumenides. Historians of Peloponnesian antiquities say that what Klytaimnestra's (Clytemnestra's) Erinyes did to Orestes in Arkadia took place before the trial at the Areopagos; that his accuser was not Tyndareus, who no longer lived, but Perilaos, who asked for vengeance for the mother's murder in that he was a cousin of Klytaimnestra."

 I wanted to make this post because I recently found out that I was born on a their day. Quite an ominous one, but as always, the Gods of the Underworld are portrayed as some of the scarier forces of the Cosmos - which makes it easy to understand why people are nervous to get in touch with some of Them - but that doesn’t mean that the Theoi Khthonioi are less honourable in any way. They are just as necessary to the world as the other Gods are, and you may always honour Them just as much. Hekate, Hermes Chthonios, The King and the Queen, along with the Kindly Ones, are all well-deserving of praise for their role in the universe.

May their fiery wrath strike only the deserving and keep us safe from any evil!

 Errosthe (Be strong/healthy!)

[herateleia-blog]

@stvrvcined, carried over from here.

Muninn is the death of fall and the birth of winter---the storms that seem to roil in the sky, as the weather shifts, and the chill soaks into your bones. She’s a hike up a snow-covered mountain, nothing but the sound of your own breath and snow ‘neath your feet. Permafrost, beneath the earth, that stands to the heat, and refuses to melt or shatter---for all that it basks in Hebe’s sunlight. She doesn’t shrink from the embrace, but leans into it, eyes heavy lidded.

Considering Hebe’s words, Muninn nods, propping her chin on her fist and turning that sharp silver gaze onto the other goddess, thoughtful as ever. Her own people didn’t, as a general rule, frequent this realm in the way that she did. Her type of chill was nothing like the bitterness of hail- softer than that, but no less deadly for it.

“How many siblings do you have again?” The vanr asks, lazily. She doesn’t generally show much interest in other pantheons---other gods or goddesses. Hebe is the exception to the rule---one of the only ones, and it’s only due to Hebe that she even asks. She’s curious to the bone, and it’s only made worse when she gives a shit.

          Hebe closes her eyes shut and exhales loudly---not quite a sigh, but a close cousin of one, in the same family of a groan and thrice removed from a whine.  She wants to lean back, reach for a decorative pillow to cover her face with only to lower it dramatically a short moment later.  Only that would mean letting go of Muninn to do it and, well, she’d rather not.

Family---siblings---both are a touchy subject, though it shouldn’t be.  In most families---even godly ones---it wouldn’t even be an issue.  Except with hers, where it is.  

“That’s, um.”  A bit of a loaded question on some days---not all days, these days---but on the whole it’s a can of worms that Hebe isn’t eager to unravel, and so.  “It depends on who you’re asking?  Or what you mean, I guess.”  That’s better put---gentler.  

“By blood or by heart, you know?  And if blood, then whose blood.  You know?”  Oh, Hebe hopes that Muninn know!.  Or that she won’t have to explain it at least, though she might have to anyway.  It would probably be good for her to unpack that baggage, only Hebe doesn’t realize it just yet.  

“For my mom’s kids---blood sibs---there’s Ares and Eris and ‘Thyia and Hephaistos,” Hebe ticks off a finger for each sibling named, “and that’s two brothers and two sisters on that end.  Though Hephaistos doesn’t have a dad and Eris has... another mom, I think?”  It’s weird, the Eris thing, and Hebe doesn’t have an explanation for why things are they way they are except that for That’s Just How It Is.  

“But with my dad, it’s---” too many to count by a long shot, though her mom knows all the names, all the bloodlines.  Hebe bites down on her bottom lip and forces herself to continue.  “I’m not really close to all of them?  Besides, like, Hermes...  and Apollon and Dio and... Athena, kind of.  And I guess the older Kharites and---”  Too many to name them all, but it doesn’t even occur to Hebe to mention Heracles’ name.

“What about you?  How many do you have?”

[constantly-disheveled]

Hellenic Polytheism 101; Part 2

You can find the first part of this series, here. 

Welcome back!! In my last post, we covered the basic topic of what exactly Hellenic Polytheism is, some rudimentary vocab to get you warmed up, and the most common names of Theoi you would come across in the HP community. 

In this post, we will cover three more topics; less commonly worshiped deities and other entities that are important, the classics, like the Iliad & the Odyssey,  and mythology, and why it’s still so vital to your worship, and lastly, we will cover the Delphic Maxims, and the “Pillars of Community” in order to establish the basic ideas of humanity, justice, and how these characteristics influence our worship.  Let’s dive in! 

Lesser Worshiped Theoi + Deities

So, there are tons of other deities and entitites that are relevant to hellenismos, or that you may come across at some point or another in your journey. Some of the more common names would be:

Amphitrite

Eros

Nyx

Oceanus

Pan

Rhea

Iris

Thanatos

Helios

Hekate

Selene

Asklepius

Now these all can be divided into a few different categories, including Titans or Primordial Deities. Outside of the few listed above, you also have others who might not necessarily classify as deities, but more like nature spirits. These are categorized as nymphs, and split from there further into: naiads, dryads, and neireids, and more. 

Nymphs can be and are commonly honoured as part of a worshipers retinue. Many deities also had certain groups that followed them. For instance, Dionysos and Pan had Satyrs, and Aphrodite commonly was seen in the presence of Naiads.  Nymphs can also be incorporated into ones practice through local cultus; where one makes their own connections between the Theoi and their local area. I honour a group of Naiads at the fountain that resides in the center of my city. 

Next you have more complex deities. These would include groups like the Kharites, the Mousai, the Moirae, and the Erinyes. Thats the Graces, the Muses, the Fates, and the Furies. Less commonly worshiped but definitely honoured our of respect unless you had a specific tie to them. The Kharites were closely associated with Aphrodite, so I tend to give them more attention than I might the Erinyes. The amount a practictioner involves the former will just depend on them, and is by no means expected. In fact that’s one of the great things about Hellenic Polytheism- nothing is absolutely required. It is easy to personalize, and makes room for error. 

Moving on to our next topic- Mythology and the Classics!

If you’ve made it this far, and have done any research or have any knowledge of greek culture, you probably know a few myths by heart, and you most definitely recognize the Iliad and the Odyssey. Some of my favorite myths include that of Dionysos and Amythest, Hermes stealing Apollons cattle, Hephaestos catching Aphrodite and Ares in the golden net, and of Argus becoming a peacock, Heras sacred animal. These myths shape our knowledge of the Theoi, they give us examples of their attitude, their character, and their desires. Myths are where a lot of our associations come from. The saem can be said for the Classics like the Iliad and the Odyssey. While they may or may not be nonfiction, they were written and given to us as a way to identify with the Gods, seeing how they interact with each other, with humans, and even with their Heroes and children. They are so important to read because these are where we get our information from! We get a bulk of our worship from these texts, as well as from personal experience and the study of ancient culture. 

Virtues and Maxims- AKA How to be a Good Person

Our last topic for this post is about the Delphic Maxims, and the Pillars of Community, also known just as the Pillars. The Delphic Maxims were a list of 147 decrees that were supposed to have been given by Apollon to his Oracle at Delphi, to give humans an idea of how to behave and tenets to follow for a good life. Think of them similar to the 10 Commandments. They included things like, “Be/Know Yourself (Σαυτον ισθι)” a phrase often associated with Apollon for it’s inscription on his temple in Delphi, “Judge incorruptibly (Αδωροδοκητος δικαζε)” and “Control your anger (Θυμου κρατει).” You can find more of these here. 

The Pillars of Hellenismos are similar to the Delphic Maxims, in that they seek to show the reader how to live correctly, but they are more closely related to the Theoi and how you can honour and respect them. These include terms like Xenia, Arête, Sophia, and Eusebia. A great post on those can be found here. These pillars range from being hospitable, to being humble, to being the best you can be. They are more commonly studied and used than the Delphic Maxims are, but again are by no means required to be observed. I do highly recommend it though, because if anything, it’s a safe bet to not offend the Theoi, rather than trying to mindlessly follow a giant list. 

[rottenpumpkin13]

Doth my boi deserve headpats?

YES ALL OF THEM ASHSJSKSH 🖤

[rottenpumpkin13]

Pumpkin and salty’s dynamic:

ALAJSGDSJ ACCURATE @salternateunreality2

I need everyone to know that Salty screams at me to eat food every day. I am nourished because of bullying.

Unrelated: I love the colors you use in your art now 😯💖 It makes everything pop

[rottenpumpkin13]

Cloud’s Prank

That is the face of a man pleased with his actions LMAO!

[rottenpumpkin13]

Lazard coming back at the end of the day

LAJSSHDGSJSJ PERFECT

[herateleia-blog]

Hera's relationships with the other goddesses of olympus?

meta | always accepting.

        Hoo boy!  There’s actually way more gods that exist within Olympus than those of the Twelve—I happily include all the gods’ retinues as Olympian unless they’re specifically tied to a different specific location.  Sort of like how I don’t prescribe to the “Hestia gave up her throne for Dionysus” retcon that appeared later down the road.  BUT THAT’S JUST ME!!!  

I’m not in the mood to dig up a complete list of all the gods that can be said to exist within Olympus, so I’ll be working off my memory here and focusing on the main women of the mount.  

GENERALHera puts up a wall between herself and others, permitting only a few “intimates” to enter into her inner circle.  Those who are not her intimates can never be certain where they stand with the (former) Queen, only that they should be fine as long as she is not crossed—but who knows for certain where the lines are drawn?  Essentially, Hera is greatly liked when she’s in a good mood and usually feared and/or distrusted when she’s in a poor mood.  

APHRODITE It depends largely on the portrayal, but Hera does not dislike Aphrodite on principle and she doesn’t think lowly of her.  She doesn’t always understand her or approve of her choices, but they work together quite often when their spheres of influence overlap.  Hera respects Aphrodite’s place in the pantheon and her innate independence; she knows that Aphrodite isn’t someone who is meant to be controlled or tied down.  

ARTEMIS I haven’t really interacted with an Artemis, largely because Hera is fairly indifferent towards her.  She doesn’t particularly like her, but it isn’t rife with antipathy the way she fucking hates Apollo/n, and it isn’t personal the way she loathes Leto.  They’ve fought in the past—physically at least once—but Hera prefers to ignore Artemis’ existence unless she can’t avoid acknowledging her.  

ATHENAEveryone has their own opinions on the Hera-and-Athena’s relationship, but I do know that Hera desires a close relationship with her and that Hera would like to think of Athena first as a foster/step-daughter (or something to that effect) before she is Athena’s queen.  The two goddesses have an excellent working relationship, but I do imagine that there is at times some friction between them due to differently aligned goals.  

DEMETER Hera and Demeter (in my view) tend to clash the most out of the sisters because they’ve both got strong personalities and have differing opinions on contentious issues.  Like marriage and motherhood.  Still, Hera and Demeter both love each other fiercely for all that they fight.  If anything, the deep care they feel for each other tends to be at the root of their fighting.  

HESTIA I haven’t had the pleasure of writing a lot opposite a Hestia—though I still love @aventvres‘s old Hestia over @olympianflame—but I feel like Hera and Hestia do get along greatly and come to each other for mutual support and understanding.  There’s a lot of love between the sister Kronides in general and I like to think that they always have each others’ backs when they’re against others, whether they always see eye to eye or not.

AMPHITRITE I’m cheating here as Amphitrite isn’t one of the Olympians, but I do have to make a shoutout to @eternityendures‘s Amphitrite and the beautiful friendship she shares with Hera.  They’re truly each other’s best friends in their adult life.  

HEKATEAlso cheating because Hekate is only part time on Olympus, but this is Hera’s best friend in her young adult life and absolutely one of her soulmates.  One of the most formative relationships in Hera’s life outside of her siblings and children.  

EILEITHYIA When it comes to my Eileithyia and my Hera—which might be different with other Eileithyias or other Heras—their relationship is fraught with friction.  It’s another situation of independent personalities and strong tempers butting heads, but it’s also a case of a daughter rebelling against the unfair expectations of her mother.  In recent days they’ve gotten along a lot better, especially as Hera stopped expected complete obedience and Eileithyia realized she could rely on her mother’s unconditional love.

HEBE Again!  Depends on the individual interpretations, but Hera loves her baby girl to pieces and while she doesn’t always understand her—which is a little sad considering they’re slightly distorted mirror images of one another—it is absolutely unconditional. 

THE HORAI I don’t really have a lot of individual headcanons on the Horai (yet!), but Hera does consider herself their foster/step-mother, which makes them one of the few of Zeus’ children by other women that Hera has wholeheartedly accepted into her life.  It helps that they’re Themis’ daughters, legitimate children, and that Hera helped raise them.

THE KHARITES I really only have headcanons for Pasithea and also for their dynamics among each other, but also Hera basically took over parenting for the Kharites that were Eurynome’s daughters and that fostering of the Graces falls under both Hera and Aphrodite’s purview.  They’re probably a bit closer to Aphrodite than Hera, but Hera loves them dearly nevertheless.  

PEITHOHera’s ex-gf before they both realized they weren’t that into each other.  They’re cool with each other, but not particularly close. 

IRIS Depending on the interpretation, but!!!  Though Hera is Queen and Iris serves her—and this is a power dynamic that doesn’t quite fall away—I don’t think it’s fully one-sided?  Hera depends a lot on Iris’ work, and if Iris weren’t competent and proved that she was both loyal and trustworthy, their dynamic just doesn’t work and Hera would have no reason to entrust Iris with helping her fulfill her agenda.  

NIKE & BIAI’m not sure what their relationship is like!!!  I’m certain that they used to be a lot closer/more companionable before Hera became Queen and I have headcanons where Nike and Bia (and their brothers) gave the Kronides martial training.  Hera was very friendly—perhaps even friends—with them while she was Zeus’ cupbearer, but her marriage raised her status to such an extent that their relationship had no hopes of surviving it.  Also she fucked their brother Zelos and broke his heart because she didn’t love him back lmao.