#thracian polytheism

[sabazium]

Masterpost

Info:

Zagreus in Ancient Greece

Zagreus in Phrygia, Thrace, Anatolia & Rome

Zagreus in Alcmeonis

Dedicated:

Hymn to Zagreus

‘Fatherhood’, Zagreus & Hades

Prayer to Zagreus

Titled Zagreus

Statue of Zagreus Mēn

Epithets

Aes:

Zagreus Mēn

Zagreus Sabazius

Zagreus the Winged Serpent Hunter

Zagreus the Scarlet Thunderer

Zagreus Master of the Cosmos

Zagreus & Hades

Zagreus & 'Eat your young'

Night-ranging Zagreus

Now farewell, Zagreus

Zagreus & Chthonia

Zagreus the Great Hunter

[thewhisperofzagreus]

Zagreus Mēn / Lunus Of the moon, lunar god

Beneath the silken veil of night A celestial ruler casts his light, Master of the moon’s ethereal gaze, The Moon God-King conquers all this maze. With lunar luminescence as his throne He illuminates dreams and their unknown. In shadows and whispers, he weaves the tale, Of nights eternal and dreams to unveil.

[rainbeausworld]

The Horned Serpent

So before I get started on this one, I have a couple of things to get out of the way. First, I will be using she/her pronouns for the Horned Serpent; this is just because UPG and because I'm used to it. I know someone else who venerates/worships the Horned Serpent, uses they/them pronouns for them, and considers them to be beyond gender / present as whatever gender they feel like. Second, I will be focusing on my interpretation of her on the Gundestrup Cauldron, in part because there's really not a lot of literature on her, even when you include works that specifically analyze Cernunnos' depictions. Third (and related), I will be using the National Museum of Denmark's estimate as to when/where the Gundestrup Cauldron was made, which is roughly in the Danubian or Wallachian Plain(s) around 150 BCE to 1 CE (link).

So first a little historical & cultural context. This area, as far as culture groups, would have been a heck of a melting pot, between the Dacians and Thracians that already lived there, the Scythians coming in and also living near by, the Gauls that moved in around the 300s-200s, the Greeks who came up and started establishing colonies along the Black Sea in the 300s, and the Romans, encroaching on everyone's business around the time the Cauldron was built. A pretty solid primer on the history of the region is A Companion to Ancient Thrace, published by Wiley Blackwell.

So I'm gonna try to make sense but it might be a little disorganized going forward. Anyway, onto the actual thoughts & stuff. So anyone who's taken even a passing glance at Cernunnos is well aware of the Horned Serpent, since she is present in basically every ancient art you can find with him. On the Gundestrup Cauldron, she appears three times, all on the interior panels. One is at the Hero's heel, who's holding the wheel; a second is at the end of a line of heroic riders, which seems to be a Thracian horseman motif; and of course the famous Cernunnos panel. In Thracian Tales of the Gundestrup Cauldron, published by Najade Press, Jan Best presents an interpretation of the interior panels as a story, and assumes that Cernunnos is singing in his famous panel, specifically about the secrets of immortality, a concept which was very popular at the time. I agree with this and I also assume that the depiction of Taranis / the wheel god is that he is also singing, and if he is singing then the lions and griffins - both predators associated with kingship (griffins were protectors of the pharaoh, and also decorated certain tombs out in ancient Persia), then the action of passing off the Wheel must have symbolic meaning, such as being handed the Wheel of Heaven.

The Gundestrup Cauldron's exterior also has very clear influence from the Scythians, you can almost 1:1 map the gods based on Herodotus's retelling of the Pontic stories. I believe there are also thematic parallels going on here on the Wheel God panel, featuring a new god/king being given the symbol of his domain. Wikipedia actually has some relatively thorough articles on Scythian religion as well as the genealogical myth specifically, which is the myth that I personally associate with the wheel-giving panel. As well, the animals in this panel don't appear to be particularly concerned with attacking anyone - if anything, the griffins and lionesses are slightly tilted from one to the next, which makes me think it's more likely that they are dancing, especially if the human/divine subjects are singing, especially if the human with the helmet is receiving a high honor, potentially his rank amongst the gods. In this panel, she is just at the hero's feet, not really joining the parade if the animals, but clearly not ready to attack either, but her attention does seem to be drawn towards the hero.

The final panel she is on is the panel featuring the nine soldiers and the heroized dead, represented by the "Thracian horseman" motif. After Alexander the Great and his penchant for having statues of himself be on horseback, it became popular for wealthy men and nobles to depict themselves riding horseback to a goddess or sacred tree (unfortunately my best source discussing this in English is also not great and he comes up with some..... questionable theories), but the popularity seems to have blown up to the point where even deities such as Zeus were depicted on horseback in a similar manner. There are also mentions in a few other sources that the Thracians believed in the ability for people to essentially become immortal after death. Unfortunately, I'm having trouble sorting out my notes and this essay has been nagging me for weeks now.

Anyway, I interpret this panel as what is expected to happen to us after we die - the "ordinary", so to speak, are lead to a deity, likely to be reincarnated (this is honestly just a guess on my part largely due to the popularity of that in Greece for ever, and Grecian influence was in full swing by the time the Cauldron was made), meanwhile the "extraordinary" are lead by the Horned Serpent.

This is where I tie all three together to my upg/theology: The Horned Serpent is a friend and ally to Cernunnos. He teaches the secrets of life after death to those who will listen. The Horned Serpent is by his side during his teaching, and when we die, if we have proven ourselves worthy during life, she guides us through the trials of the afterlife. If we succeed in these trials, we are awarded with apotheosis - becoming a god or godlike - and she stands by our side as we earn this prize.

@musingmelsuinesmelancholy sorry it took me so long x.x & I hope this makes sense!

[thracianmoon]

To The Lady Bendis

[ID: image of the moon adjacent from the centre of the image. Next to it an animated image of a slender, sparsely leafed branch sways. The image is black and white, with a starry sky with clouds behind the moon and the branch.]

Welcome—this is my devotional blog to Bendis, the Thracian goddess of the moon, the wilds, and the hunt. This is meant to be a collection of resources, personal worship, rituals, and any other sort of veneration to Bendis.

Submissions are welcome as long as they involve Bendis, whether historical notes or personal worship.

𓆩⟡ Links ⟡𓆪

[tba]

main blog is @thedansemacabres

[zerogate]

Plutarch is for us the chief mouthpiece of the theory that all religions are fundamentally one, under different names and with different practices. For him and Maximus of Tyre ‘the gods’ are symbolic representations of the attributes of a Deity who is in his inmost nature unknowable. Maximus and Dion Chrysostom are ‘modernist’ in their views about myth and ritual; Philostratus and ��lian are genuinely superstitious. The Hermetic writings are good examples of the Plutarchian theory. They show, however, that the combination of philosophic monotheism with popular polydaemonism was becoming difficult, though the writers are equally anxious to retain both, as indeed the Neoplatonists were. Syncretism was easier when the gods were regarded as cosmic energies, or when their cults were fused in the popular worship of the sun and stars.

Dionysus and Orpheus were two nearly connected forms of the Sun-god, and the worship of both was influenced by the rites of the Thracian Sabazius. The central act of both mysteries was the rending in pieces of the god or hero, the lament for him, his resurrection, and the communion of his flesh and blood as a ‘medicine of immortality.’ The Egyptian Osiris had also been torn in pieces by his enemies; his resemblance to Dionysus was close enough to tempt many to identify them. In the Egyptian worship the doctrine of human immortality had long been emphasised, and this was now the most welcome article of faith everywhere. It was easy to fuse these national mystery-cults with each other because at bottom they all symbolised the same thing—the hope of mystical death and renewal, the death unto sin and the new birth unto righteousness, based on the analogy of nature's processes of death and rebirth.

While Judaism was purging itself from its Hellenistic element and relapsing into an Oriental religion, the bond of union in a people who were determined to remain aliens in Europe, Christianity was developing rapidly into a syncretistic European religion, which deliberately challenged all the other religions of the empire on their own ground and drove them from the field by offering all the best that they offered, as well as much that they could not give. It was indeed more universal in its appeal than any of its rivals. For Neoplatonism, until it degenerated, was the true heir of the Hellenic tradition, and had no essential elements of Semitic origin. Christianity had its roots in Judaism; but its obligation to Greek thought began with St. Paul, and in the third century ‘philosophic’ Christianity and Platonism were not far apart.

The real quarrel between Neoplatonism and Christianity in the third century lay in their different attitudes towards the old culture. In spite of the Hellenising of Christianity which began with the first Christian missions to Europe, the roots of the religion were planted in Semitic soil, and the Church inherited the prejudices of the Jews against European methods of worship.

Hellenism was vitally connected with polytheism, and with the sacred art which image-worship fostered. These things were an abomination to the Jews, and therefore to the early Christians. We, however, when we remember later developments, must take our choice between condemning matured Catholicism root and branch, and admitting that the uncompromising attitude of the early Church towards Hellenic polydaemonism was narrow-minded.

Porphyry made a very dignified protest against the charge that the Pagans actually worship wood and stone. ‘Images and temples of the gods,’ he says, ‘have been made from all antiquity for the sake of forming reminders to men. Their object is to make those who draw near them think of God thereby, or to enable them, after ceasing from their work, to address their prayers and vows to him. When any person gets an image or picture of a friend, he certainly does not believe that the friend is to be found in the image, or that his members exist inside the different parts of the representation. His idea rather is that the honour which he pays to his friend finds expression in the image. And while the sacrifices offered to the gods do not bring them any honour, they are meant as a testimony to the good-will and gratitude of the worshippers.’ The early Christian horror of idolatry was a legacy from the Jews, who were, on the aesthetic side, too unimaginative to understand a mode of worship which for other nations is natural and innocent.

-- William Ralph Inge, The philosophy of Plotinus

[witnesstruesorcery]

The Pillar of The Gods

Recent photography from a trip to the 𝗧𝘀𝗮𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 in my hometown, the old ruins in the city of Kings. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsarevet… © Borislav Vakinov

[lotusik]

[image:  Triple-formed representation of Hecate. Marble, Roman copy after an original of the Hellenistic period. Museo Chiaramonti.]

Suggested reading for the goddess Hekate.(This is a big list so I’ve put in bold a few titles that I’d consider essential.)

Historical: (these do not all focus on Hekate but are important for gaining a good perspective of ancient times.)

Circle for Hekate - Sorita d’Este (Volumes 1 – History & Mythology and Volume (2017) 2: Devotion (TBR) Avalonia, UK.

Hekate Liminal Rites: A Study of the rituals, magic and symbols of the torch-bearing Triple Goddess of the Crossroads - Sorita d’Este & David Rankin (2009) Avalonia, UK.

Hekate Soteira - Sarah Iles Johnson (1990) Oxford University Press; 1st edition. 

The Restless Dead - Sarah Illes Johnson (2013) University of California Press.

Mantike: Studies in Ancient Divination – Sarah Iles Johnston (2005) Brill     Academic Pub.

 Hellenic Polytheism: Household Worship - Christos Pandion Panopoulos (2014) Labrys.

The Chaldean Oracles - Ruth Majercik  (2013)  Prometheus Trust.

Greek Magical Papyri in Translation - Hans Dieter Betz, (1997) University of Chicago Press.

Thracian Magic - Georgi Mishev (2012) Avalonia, UK.

Arcana Mundi: Magic and the Occult in the Greek and Roman Worlds: A Collection of  Ancient Texts – Georg Luck (2006) Johns Hopkins University Press.

Magic, Witchcraft and Ghosts in the Greek and Roman Worlds: A Sourcebook     – Daniel Ogden (He also has a book called Greek and Roman Necromancy I’ve not read yet.)

The Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics) - Apollodorus (Author), Robin Hard (Translator) (2008) Oxford University Press.

The  Goddess Hekate – Stephen Ronan (1993)  Chthonios Books.

Magika Hiera: Ancient Greek Magic and Religion – Christopher A. Faraone.

 ------------------------------

Theogony - Hesiod

The Orphic Hymns – Orpheus

The Homeric Hymns - Homer

The Voyage of Argo: The Argonautica – Apollonius of Rhodes

Medea - Euripides (Greek play)

Medea - Seneca (Roman play)

The Aeneid – Virgil

The Metamorphoses of Ovid – Ovid

Macbeth – William Shakespeare (play)

-----------------------------------

Modern books from a historical perspective: (There are many more than this but my reading interest is mainly historical so I’ve read very few of them.)

The Hekatæon - Jack Grayle - (2019) Ixaxaar Occult Literature.

Evensongs for Hekate: Poetry, Hymns, and Prayers - Sara Croft (Self published).

Hekate: Her Sacred Fires -  Sorita d’este editor/various authors (2013) Avalonia, UK.

The Temple of Hekate - Tara Sanchez,(2011) Avalonia, UK.

Hekate: Keys to the Crossroads: A collection of personal essays, invocations, rituals, recipes and artwork from modern Witches, Priestesses and Goddess of Witchcraft, Magick and Sorcery - Sorita d’Este editor/various authors.(2006) Avalonia UK.

-----------------------------------

I’ve not read these but have heard good things, they are all contemporary:

Hecate: Death, Transition  & Spiritual Mastery - Jade Sol Luna, 2nd Edition 

Hecate II: The Awakening of Hydra – Jade Sol Luna, Tara International /JSL INC Press.

Lunatik Witchcraft - Shay Skepevski. 

Queen of Hell – Mark Alan Smith (2010)  Ixaxaar Occult Literature/Finland.

Liber Khthonia - Jeff Cullen (2020) Chicago, IL: Brujo Bros LLC.

------------------------------------

Websites:

http://hekatecovenant.com/

https://www.theoi.com/

https://nehetisingsforhekate.tumblr.com/post/87604951156/hekates-many-names-part-1-of-3

---------------------------------

Bonus! Recommended courses!

http://www.strategicsorcery.net/sorcery-of-hekate/

https://www.theblackthorneschool.com/courses/hail-hekate-walking-the-forked-path/

and I'd recommend this course for anyone interested in the PGM:

https://www.theblackthorneschool.com/courses/pgm-praxis/

Need some help with pronunciation in the PGM?

https://www.greekmagicalpapyri.com/courses

[soritadeste]

Recommended Reading: The Goddess Hekate

Recommended Reading: The Goddess Hekate 

This selection of books will give you a rounded perspective on the Goddess Hekate, and the context in which she was and is worshiped.  I might not agree with all the perspectives or practices given in these books, but feel it is important to have a wide perspective – especially when starting out.  These 10 books will provide you with solid foundations from which to explore the areas you are most attracted to further.

In alphabetical order:

Circle for Hekate, Sorita d’Este (Volumes 1 – History & Mythology and Volume 2: Devotion)

Hecate: Death, Transition & Spiritual Mastery), Jade Sol Luna

Hekate Soteira, Sarah Iles Johnson

Hekate: Her Sacred Fires (various)

Hellenic Polytheism: Household Worship, Labrys [Not specifically about Hekate, however this book provides a solid basic introduction to appropriate ways in which to conduct household worship of the Hellenic Gods, including Hekate]

Keeping Her Keys, Cyndi Brannen

Lunatik Witchcraft, by Shay Skepevski [Very difficult to obtain book by Australian artist and mystic with modern 21st century rites]

The Chaldean Oracles, Ruth Majercik  [Not about Hekate, but will give you a more rounded perspective on the Chaldean Oracles]

The Restless Dead, Sarah Illes Johnson [Not only about Hekate, history book, focus on – as the title suggests – the restless dead! ]

The Temple of Hekate, Tara Sanchez [Modern Pagan / Wiccan practices suitable for beginners]

Thracian Magic, Georgi Mishev  [Not just about Hekate, but about Thracian & Baltic folkloric and magical practices too]

This should get you a really wonderful and rounded perspective to build on - and create your own work that resonates with you - or indeed join one of the established traditions! 

[teawitch]

Could you recommend any books on paganism?

Let’s see, Paganism is a broad topic. I’m going to skip the obvious, like books on mythology. Check out Sacred Text and Project Gutenberg for some free resources on those. So for some books on concepts regarding modern paganism in varying ways. 

One Heart, Many Gods: The Absolute Beginner's Guide to Devotional Polytheism

Devotional Polytheism: An Introduction

For the Love of the Gods: The History and Modern Practice of Theurgy

The Practical Art of Divine Magic: Contemporary & Ancient Techniques of Theurgy

Thracian Magic: Past & Present  - note: this is not a “how to” book but more a study of how modern folklore practices tie into ancient practices. 

Zeus Grants Stupid Wishes: A No-Bullshit Guide to World Mythology - I know I said I was going to avoid books on mythology. I lied. 

[thegrapeandthefig]

30 days of Dionysus - 8

Day 8 -  Variations on this deity (aspects, regional forms, etc.)

That’s.. such a wide topic...

Let me start off by reminding everyone that ancient Greek cultus was not homogenous. Ancient Greece was a cluster of independant cities which, while sharing a pantheon, did things differently. So yeah, we’re gonna have plenty and plenty of regional forms and aspects for each god. I also want to point out that we’re also talking about a religion that changed a lot over the centuries. When someone now, in the 21th century, refers to “hellenic polytheism”, we’re talking about a simplified, unified, modernized version of the old cultus, no matter how recon you want to be. And that specific modern version is largely based upon the biggest ressource we have: Athens, and its golden age: the 5th century BC. 

Now, if you’re historically inclined like myself and many others on this website are, you can dig into academical articles and books and find out more about more localized ways of doing. 

As a said, there were many ways I could have gone with such a vague subject for today but I’m going to take the “regional form” route and talk about something I haven’t seen that much on tumblr yet: the thracian cult of Dionysus and its link to Orphism. This will be long, so I’m gonna put this under the cut and if you’re interested: buckle up. 

Thrace is a large region located at the northern part of modern-day Greece, the southern-middle part of Bulgaria and western part of Turkey. 

Basically, Thrace was its own thing, politically and culturally but we know very very little of pre-greek colonization Thrace because we don’t have any written source at all. What we know however, is that greek colonization began quite early on and that by the end of the 7th century BC, the Athenians were interested by the area for various reasons.

Context apart, the cult of Dionysus became so important in Thrace that during the Hellenistic period (aka post-Alexander the Great), we start seeing versions of myths were Dionysus is from Thrace. This has misled some historians into believing or at least, wondering if Dionysus has Thracian origins. Today, it has been proven that Dionysus is a completely Greek deity. Which means he was  most likely introduced in Thrace by Greek settlers. 

Anyway, here is the point: Dionysus was the most popular deity in Thrace and from this region, he gained two important epithets: Sabazius and Zagreus. Sabazius was the local Thracian god who got merged into Dionysus’ cult. This syncretism gave Dionysus an association with solar cult, for example. An association we don’t find in the “traditional hellenic context”. We have an example of Dionysus’ importance among the elite of Thrace in the 4th century BC, where he appears as the guaratantor of an oath about a regulation/treaty between one of the Thracian King’s successor and the people of Pistiros. 

As for Zagreus, this epithet is directly linked to the Orphic tradition. As far as I’m aware, the Orphic interpretation of the Thracian Dionysus comes from the bulgarian archeologist Alexander Fol. Keep in mind the information I will be giving here either from him or from other researchers who have taken his work into account. 

Let’s recap a little on the orphic myth of Dionysus-Zagreus: When Zagreus is born as the child of Persephone and Zeus, he unfortunately doesn’t succeed to escape Hera’s wrath and the Titans she sent upon him. Titans, who, when they get to kill the infant, dismember and eat him. Zeus, angered by the situation, kills the titans with lightning. Apollo collects what is left of Zagreus’ body in the ashes, Athena saves his heart and he then reborn as the son of Zeus and Semele, under the name of Dionysus. 

As such, Zagreus is sometimes called the “First Dionysus” and has in essence a much more chtonic aspect than his “second” version and it is *believed* that the orphic cult of Dionysus-Zagreus is actually closer to the primitive Thracian cult practices. Fol’s interpretation of it is that Thracian Orphism is an elite oral tradition preaching the principles of harmony between the chthonic Zagreus and the solar Orpheus (among more stuff). That would give us a bacchic practice more focused on the idea of a twice-born god, paired with with a more symbolic version of the classical sparagmos/dismemberement of offerings/animals. In this case, it is not only bacchic madness, but a reenactement of the first incarnation of Dionysus. 

I won’t go into full detail with Orphism and all the philosophy around it because omg not now + there would be a looooot to say and there are a lot of debates around it.

Lastly, there is a third, less important epithet that Dionysus gained from Thrace:  Bassareus, derivative from a word meaning “fox-skin”, which was worn by dionysian worshippers during mysteries.  

It also appears that there were several oracles of Dionysus in Thrace, but I won’t go too far into this, as the sources are a bit scarce the exact localization of the oracles are a work in progress. Traditionally however, an oracle of Dionysus was supposed to be situated on Mont Pangaion.

I think I will stop here. If you want sources or reading recommandations: ask and I’ll be happy to provide. Hopefully that was not too messy and somewhat helpful. 

[sabazium]

Epithets of Zagreus

Sabazius — honored, [his] own.

Mēn — of the moon.

Eubuleus — good counsel, wise in counsel.

Chthonius — of the earth or underworld.

Sōtēr — a saviour, a deliverer.

Agetor — ruler of gods, humankind, and the universe in general.

Agrios — wild.

Eleuthereus — liberator.

Laphystios — devourer.

Polú-mētis — cunning.

Archegetes — leader or founder.

Brimos — dreadful.

[sisterofiris]

Something which has concerned me as of late is the rather strenuous expectations the Hellenic community as a whole has about miasma, khernips and katharmos - namely, it seems like the expectation is that lustral water needs to be used EVERY time someone conducts household worship. Could you shed some light on this?

Oh boy, this is a big can of worms you’re handing me - but one I’ll open up with pleasure, because I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately.

Before I begin, I should clarify a couple of things:

as we all know, Ancient Greek religious practise varied from region to region and city to city, and the information we have about many places (especially rural) is limited. For all we’re aware, villagers in Euboea may just have purified themselves by throwing salt at each other. Thracian farmers might’ve done it via an equivalent of the Ice Bucket Challenge. Who knows? I’m exaggerating a bit, but the bottom line is that just because it isn’t attested doesn’t mean it didn’t happen somewhere.

in my opinion, if something works for you and isn’t disrespectful to the Gods, it isn’t a bad thing. I’d rather see happy, genuine, non-historical worship than no worship at all.

I myself am a reconstructionist. Historical continuity matters to me. While I’m aware that we can’t know everything, and that our understanding is constantly evolving alongside academic research, I want my practise to be well-rooted in the past wherever possible. As such, I consider it very important that people with beliefs similar to mine understand Ancient Greek practise as best we can, before we adapt it to suit our modern world.

I’m still learning about this subject. I’m fairly sure the information below is accurate, but if I make any mistakes, please let me know!

That said, let’s move on to the fact that many Hellenic polytheists’ interpretation of pollution and purification is, historically, pretty wrong.

We do know that purification before prayer or ritual is important. Ancient texts are clear on this: the Iliad and Odyssey, among many other works, repeatedly show people washing their hands before approaching the Gods (Il. 9.171-172, 16.227-230). It seems that this was most basic and essential act for any type of ritual. At its bones, it was a way of keeping clean before something important, like washing our hands before dinner - in fact, hand-washing before dinner was done in exactly the same way as for ritual (Od. 1.146). The most common description, χεῖρα�� νίψειν, simply means ‘to wash one’s hands’.

But something modern Hellenic polytheism seems to have lost is the large variety of religious terms used to describe pollution and purification. Not all kinds of purification were the same. Some were done with simple running water, like the examples above. Others feature what modern Hellenic polytheists call lustral water, or khernips (χέρνιψ) - fire extinguished in pure water. (Yet others include torches, barley groats and other purifying agents, which we’ll leave aside for the purpose of this post.) The point is: all of this is lustral water, but not all of it is khernips, and not all of it was necessary for everyday worship.

Let’s take a side-step through the question of miasma and katharmos. These are two highly specific religious terms which are unfortunately often narrowed down to ‘dirty’ and ‘clean’. Miasma (μίασμα), in fact, refers to a metaphorical stain caused by impious behaviour: that is, murder, incest, adultery, sacrilege, and other severe crimes. Jean Rudhardt describes it as ‘a bloodstain, a defilement attached to the hands of those who did dirty work’ and ‘the fears of a guilty conscience’. Miasma affects its surroundings, which is why criminals were exiled and banned from communal rites. Specific purification rites were required, and in fact, this often included the criminal’s exclusion from lustral water until their crime was expiated.

Miasma is a bad thing. Average people did not and do not have it. Let me say this again: you do not have miasma. If you do have miasma, please turn yourself into your local police station today.

What you probably do have is lyma (λῦμα), literally ‘the thing you wash away’. This is pollution caused by common occurrences like birth, death, and sex. You incur it through your everyday life, sometimes knowingly, sometimes not - like by walking past places where people have recently died, or by coming into contact with people who have recently had sex. Lyma is also caused by rightful death, like the execution of a criminal, or killing people on a battlefield. Lyma is not a bad thing.

This is what you wash away with clean, running water before interacting with the Gods. Βy doing this, and by being hosios (ὅσιος, another specific religious term for following the right order of things, conform to the laws which regulate acceptable behaviour towards other humans and Gods), you become katharos (καθαρός, pure). This is your natural, human purity.

Did you hear that? Religiously, humans are naturally pure. We need cleansing because of what we do and what happens around us, not because we’re inherently ‘dirty’ in the Gods’ eyes.

Back to purification. By now I’ve established that there’s two types - expiatory rites for miasma, which often prevent you from taking part in religious ceremonies, and clean, running lustral water to wash away your everyday lyma. However, there’s a third type, and this type is khernips.

Khernips literally means ‘handwash’. You can still see this meaning in use in the Odyssey, in the often reused lines χέρνιβα δ’ ἀμφίπολος προχόῳ ἐπέχευε φέρουσα / καλῇ χρυσείῃ ὑπὲρ ἀργυρέοιο λέβητος / νίψασθαι: ‘then a handmaid brought khernips in a beautiful golden pitcher and poured it over a basin, so he could wash’ (Od. 1.136-138, 4.52-54, 7.172-174, etc). But its meaning in Classical Greek religion is very specific: it refers to lustral water in which a burning brand is extinguished, sprinkled on the altar and participants before a major communal sacrifice (θυσία, thusia). This water was sacred, and unclean people were not permitted to touch it. According to Jean Rudhardt, this is because khernips was not simply meant to purify you. It was meant to consecrate you - to bring you into that sacred state necessary for important rites.

The bottom line of all this? There are different types of lustral water, just like there are different types of pollution, and not all apply to everyday household worship. While I firmly believe that purification before prayer and ritual is vital, I don’t think we need to do much more than wash our hands. Like I said at the beginning, if the whole extinguishing-fire-in-water thing works well for you, great - and for all we know, maybe it was common in some parts of Ancient Greece! Ancient Greek religion and religious terms are a very complex subject (despite the length of this post, I actually had to gloss over a number of finer points I’m not qualified to discuss) and it’s absolutely possible that we’re missing out on something. But as of now, this is what we know, and as a reconstructionist, it’s what I choose to draw from.

Lastly, if you’re interested in reading more about the subject, I recommend Jean Rudhardt’s Notions fondamentales de la pensée religieuse et actes constitutifs du culte dans la Grèce classique (unfortunately, I’m not sure if you can find it in English?), as well as Robert Parker’s Miasma: Pollution and Purification in early Greek Religion. Lesley Maditinou, a Hellenic reconstructionist, also wrote a thorough and accurate article about the subject here.

I will now close this can of worms, but I hope I was successful in sorting through some of it :)

[rainbeausworld]

Cernunnos: The Good Liar

And now that I've probably offended a few people with my snazzy new epithet for the guy, it's time for me to try to spill some UPG all over this page.

Cernunnos is very special to me; he was the first deity to reach out to me and he's been a central point of my practice for as long as I've been active in it (there've been a few accidental hiatuses). He's introduced me to my second most important deity, the Horned Serpent, and through that, pointed me down the path I now currently walk.

I think, at least in GaulPol, he's pretty well known as a liminal deity, but that one has never quite sat perfectly for me. I think as I present my notes of my UPG, it'll become clear that Cernunnos as I understand him is more of a "union of opposites" than a "between all things" - something I definitely wouldn't have been able to enunciate not long ago.

First I remember not really having a clear way to describe him beyond "Druid, I think", which would at first glance look like a liminal role if it weren't for the fact I couldn't quite square that away in my head. And then I gave him a couple epithets, "Keeper of Secrets" and "Provider of Ecstacy" (both of these were written back to back, in the same prayer, and I still stand by them).

Then I began using the title "Songmaster(s)" for the three main deities on the interior of the Gundestrup Cauldron - Cernunnos, Taranis/the wheel god, and the Mother-Queen - and I began to look at music as a way for the gods to create, not just stories but create reality itself.

The next major one I remember is writing a prayer and sharing it with a Discord community October 31st 2022:

Songmaster, First Dancer

Truth is your friend and secrets are your trade

Madness, your tool, peace, your accomplishment

Your quiet patience is unshakeable, and your quick action is keen

And recently, as I was singing and trying to reflect on his relationship with the Mother-Queen, I found myself scribbling down some notes from a song I didn't fully intend to sing, addressed to him (quotes are exact lines):

"she shines on you, and you grow"

Shadow, child of sun; darkness, friend of light

"embrace light, embrace night all the more"

I heavily associate the Mother-Queen with the sun, light, and fire, and have had the thought "her light touches all things" in my head for a minute, and Cernunnos I associate with a dark, shadowy forest because of a couple of intense experiences, so the poetic play there was pretty obvious, but it took me a bit to start piecing out what this is all supposed to mean. One friend pointed out that, as we learn, as truth is illuminated to us, it also reveals how deeply our ignorance runs. Which I definitely think is a solid read, but for me personally, for my relationship with him specifically, I think it's deeper than that.

I've also come to believe that the interior panels of the Gundestrup Cauldron are a loose guide of what kind of religious life was expected of the practitioners, so I take it as a loose guide for me. And honestly, going into detail is going to require probably multiple series, but for now suffice it to say that I believe that, when we die, some of those people will be selected to try and earn a kind of divine status. I believe Cernunnos' primary role as depicted on the Gundestrup Cauldron is in teaching harmony between individuals and possibly between the natural world. I also interpret the Horned Serpent as the guide for those who've been chosen to try their hand at earning divinity. So in this context, Cernunnos is the teacher and the Horned Serpent a kind of deliverer.

Okay, that's all well and good, but what does that have to do with the rest of this rant? I've come to the conclusion that, if the Mother-Queen reveals, then Cernunnos' role to her is that he obfuscates. That he purposefully obfuscates certain truths in order that his devotee can learn. I think it's because there are certain lessons that can't really be told - not if you plan on these lessons actually sticking. Wisdom is earned, not given.

Hence the new epithet, "The Good Liar" - he who obfuscates things behind silence or confusing ideas that his student might find truth on their own accord, and come to a new and better place, perhaps even arming his devotees with the skills to move through whatever trials may await us after death.

[yourlocalaphrodisian]

Also, if I may add. Hellenic Polytheism was never bound to Greece. Heck, Alexander spread it around quite a lot. The influence of the Theoi went from Iberia to Afghanistan, Bulgaria to Egypt. Artemis and Asclepius were worshipped in Iberia, and Hellenism, Buddhism and Zoroastrianism formed the main religions of the Bactrian Kingdom (Afghanistan and Northern India). The Thracians (Bulgaria, Northern Greece and North-Western Turkey) were said to be descended from Ares. A simple Wikipedia search can tell you that. Hellenic religion was never solely Greek.

"our religion" you're speaking for the people that actually have the right to call it theirs omfg you colonizer bitch

hey cutie pie ! <3

every once in a while i see stuff like this directed at people who were born outside Greece who have a relationship with the Theoi and/or practice Hellenism. I don't think I've talked about it here before so let's use this lovely anon (who is too cowardly to send their heartfelt words with their username) as a teaching moment for people interested in the Theoi who feel nervous about not being from Greece or having Greek ancestry.

in Hellenism, we have a religious principle and moral obligation to practice xenia. as an epithet of our greater protector Zeus and a practice accepted by many of the Hellas, Xenia is defined as:

Xenia (Greek: ξενία) is an ancient Greek concept of hospitality. It is almost always translated as 'guest-friendship' or 'ritualized friendship'. It is an institutionalized relationship rooted in generosity, gift exchange, and reciprocity.[1] Historically, hospitality towards foreigners and guests (Hellenes not of your polis) was understood as a moral obligation. Hospitality towards foreign Hellenes honored Zeus Xenios (and Athene Xenia) patrons of foreigners [2]

— Wikipedia, on xenia

There are many myths and famous stories that reinforce and teach the concept of Xenia. this demonstrates just how important it was to many of the people whom we revive the religion of. it wasn't only a religious custom, but a social obligation to many if not most of the common people in ancient Greece. other examples of Xenia are found in foundational ancient Greek texts, such as Homer's, Illiad. in fact, the whole plot of the Illiad comes from a violation of Xenia. Paris violated Xenia by kidnapping Helen from King Menelaus, disrespecting him as a gracious host and angering Zeus. in the Odyssey, Xenia is everywhere. every place where Xenia could be applied, it was. both violated or abided by. Odysseus's house, Circe's, Telemachus's, the Phaeacians, and Calypso's to name a few.

so, by pushing people out of Hellenic religion and kicking them out of the Theoi's sacred worship, you are violating Xenia and invoking the rage of Zeus Xenios, protector of foreigners and guests. a quote from Hellenicfaith .com on xenia sums it up quite well in my opinion:

"Such compassion for the vulnerable is the desire of King Zeus. It is thought that a host who performs poorly will blind themselves to the light of the Gods and incur wrath upon themselves, while those who perform well may earn the blessings of the divine, for any wanderer, whether they be beggar, refugee, or any other sort, is protected by Zeus Xenios"

it is blasphemy in Hellenism to deny your fellow man protection and care, and I imagine especially when you aim to deny them the care and protection of the Theoi themselves. it is important for us as Hellenists to love and protect our fellow humans, especially those who knock on our door for aid. the Theoi are for all.

i hope Zeus Xenios grants you the day you deserve, lovely anon.

[aboutanancientenquiry]

Herodotus and the World

“The ancient historian Herodotus, the Father of History, is also considered a great anthropologist. In his account of the Persian invasions of Greece in the fifth century BCE, he searches for the forces that transformed Persians from an underprivileged nation into the rulers of the largest empire of antiquity. In his Histories , he explores the non-Hellenic peoples that were either conquered by the Persians or managed to resist or elude their aggression, such as the Lydians, Egyptians, Libyans, Scythians, and Thracians, and describes the lands they inhabit, their resources, customs, religious rituals, and cultural predisposition.”

Munson, Rosaria Vignolo, ed. Herodotus: Volume 2 Herodotus and the World. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.

Table of Contents

Introduction Rosaria V. Munson Physis and Historie 1. The Boundaries of Earth, James S. Romm 2. Herodotus and Analogy, Aldo Corcella 3. Herodotus and Historia, Catherine Darbo-Peschanski The Homeric wanderer 4. Odysseus and the Historians, John Marincola Women in Herodotus 5. Exit Atossa: Images of Women in Greek Historiography about Persia, Heleen Sancisi-Weerdenburg and Addendun by Amelie Kuhrt 6. Women and Culture in Herodotus Histories, Carolyn Dewald World religions and the divine 7. Herodotus and Religion, John Gould 8. Herodotus on the Names of Gods: Polytheism as a Historical Problem, Walter Burkert Herodotus barbaroi 9. Women's Customs among the Savages in Herodotus, Michele Rosellini and Suzanne Said 10. Imaginary Scythians: Space and Nomadism, Franccois Hartog 11. Herodotus the Tourist, James Redfield 12. Herodotus and an Egyptian Mirage, Ian S. Moyer 13. Who Are Herodotus' Persians?, Rosaria V. Munson Us and them 14. Ethnicity, Genealogy, and Hellenism in Herodotus, Rosalind Thomas 15. East is East and West is West - Or Are They? National Stereotypes in Herodotus, Christopher Pelling

Source: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/herodotus-volume-2-9780199587599?cc=us&lang=en&

[homehearthandheart]

Music Monday / 7 May 2018

Welcome, Devotees!

Is your devotional work just the same old song? Try one of the following:

Home Maintenance: Find a playlist of songs that you really enjoy, that remind you of your Gods and Spirits, and that helps motivate you to get stuff done.  While you’re playing that music, tackle a few of the places in your living space where stuff just seems to pile up–clothes on the floor, piles of junk mail, dirty dishes, etc.  A clean home is more hospitable to the Gods and Spirits, and you can dedicate the act of cleaning up to Them!

Deity Devotion: Write a song for one of your beloved Deities.  It can be as simple as giving new words to an older tune, but give it a try and see what comes.

Shrine Improvement: Do you have a playlist of music that you can have going in the background during prayer time and ritual?  In Hellenic and Roman religion, background music helps drown out outside noise that could contain bad omens.  Try putting a playlist together and experiment with playing it during moments of prayer.

Today in the Hellenic Calendar:

Today is the 21st of the lunar month.  The third decade (10-day period) of the lunar month starts today; this is a good time to wrap up projects and finalize things.

It’s also a holy day for the Tritopatores—see below for more info!

If you like incorporating daily hymns into your prayers, Drew Campbell recommends the following prayers for today: To Sabazios (a Thracian deity sometimes syncretized with Zeus and Dionysos); To Ippa (or Ipta, who was sometimes syncretized with Rhea, but more often was depicted as an attendant to the Mother of the Gods); and To Lysios Lenaios (an epithet of Dionysos associated specifically with the loosening of bonds and the winter festival of the Lenaia).

Holy Day for the Tritopatores

In the Attic (Athenian) calendar, today is a holy day for the Tritopatores (pronunciation: tree-toh-PAH-toh-rays or tree-toh-PAH-toh-rees).These ancestral spirits are pretty mysterious in nature—Who They were varied from author to author. They generally seem to be chthonic, primordial entities, considered the sons of Heaven and Earth, or the children of the Winds, or the Winds themselves. Sometimes, They share names with primordial beings like the Hekatonkheires (Hundred-Handed Ones). Whether you honor them as elemental spirits or Deep Ancestors, these often-overlooked Entities fit well into a lot of Hellenic religious strains.

Offerings to the Tritopatores included rams and libations of things other than wine (water, milk, vegetable-sourced oil like olive oil, and honey are all good, traditional choices).

Please do not sacrifice animals unless you have training in humane animal sacrifice. If you lack this training, it’s totally okay to offer a figurine of an animal, or even a cookie shaped like the animal! This is a well-attested sacrificial custom from ancient Hellas.

While the Tritopatores fit into many styles of Hellenic polytheism, don’t feel like you HAVE to celebrate this holy day. You may want to consider celebrating it if:

You have a strong connection to the deep elemental forces and/or deep ancestors of the place where you live, but haven’t found a way to incorporate that into your religious or devotional work.

You belong to a tradition that already has ties to entities like the Tritopatores–They have good crossover with some Orphic traditions, for example.

Daily Reminder: If you know of any resources you’d like us to incorporate on our site, or any sites/projects you’d like us to signal boost, send us an ask or fanmail!