About Hellenismos and its pillars

mythologyrules:

(this is an old post that i’ve updated)

Hellenismos is a reconstructionist or revivalist religion, which means it’s an attempt at reconstructing or reviving the ancient religion of ancient Hellas (Greece). The extent of the reconstruction of this ancient religious practice is limited, because our knowledge of the religion of ancient Hellas is limited, and also we don’t have the means to practice the religion like the ancient hellenes did. So, Hellenismos has been modernized (how modernized depends on the individual) and adapted to the modern world we live in.

The term “Hellenismos” was first used by the Roman Emperor Flavius Claudius Julianus Augustus (or just Julian Augustus) to refer to the traditional religion of the hellenes. Emperor Julian (reigned from 361 to 363) was one of the first to attempt to revive the religion after the advent of Christianity.

Hellenismos has a very complex ethical system. These ethical guidelines or cornerstones/pillars of the faith (or whatever you want to call them), make up the base of the religion. It’s really a personal choice, which pillars you choose to focus on.

Some of the most important pillars are:

Ethike Arete – striving to be the best person you can be, striving for character excellence (ethics)
Eusebia – reverence, loyalty, and sense of duty toward the Gods
Hagneia – avoiding miasma
Katharmos – the act of purifying oneself, ridding oneself of miasma
Kharis – the reciprocal relationship between a person and the gods
Metriotes – everything in moderation
Sophia – the pursuit of wisdom and understanding
Sophrosune – self-control
Xenia – adherence to hospitality and the guest-host relationship

Studying the pillars can give you a significant insight, so if you really want to learn what makes this religion tick, you should start there!