Tag: Hellenic

Prayer to Hephaestus

He, the Sooty God, who’s thundering forges melt metal and earth
Skillful, quickfingered god who has granted me favor
I thank you with these offerings of frankincense
I offer you sweet wine
I offer you the meat and fat of the thigh
I pray my words have reached your ears, small words on small wings
Heard under the blows of your mighty hammer
Each time I light my kiln, rough fingered God, I thank you

I’m very interested in Hellenismos. I’ve read numerous negative opinions on the few 101 books that have been released. In your opinion, what should be the first book that a newcomer to Hellenismos dives into?

baringtheaegis:

When I started out, I had no idea there even were Hellenismos 101 books and went straight to academic texts. It proved a steep learning curve, but I did rather enjoy the sudden submersion. In general, that is the way in which I take on any new subject: go straight to the hard stuff and let myself be overwhelmed until things click in my head.

Once I finally discovered there were 101 books, I was beyond them and found most of them to be biased towards personal preference and low on general information on ancient Hellas to explain why our modern practices are as they are. Because I had my own personal preference by then, going through modern texts about Hellenismos became grating really quickly. I only read Timothy Jay Alexander’s ‘A Beginner’s Guide to Hellenismos’ fully. I have some others but I only leafed through those.

It is my firm belief that when you start out, you should invest in neutral sources. Hellenismos is not standardized. There are huge differences in belief and practice between practitioners from various countries and even between various groups. Learn about ancient Hellas and the ancient practices, then get in touch with the community—perhaps through 101 books—and merge the two. I gave out my source book list a while back, and it’s not odd my favourite ‘101’ books are on there as well. Personally, I would say invest in three books (in this order) when you think this might be the religion for you:

Kindt, Julia – Rethinking Greek Religion
Who marched in religious processions and why? How were blood sacrifice and communal feasting related to identities in the ancient Greek city? With questions such as these, current scholarship aims to demonstrate the ways in which religion maps on to the socio-political structures of the Greek polis (‘polis religion’). In this book Dr Kindt explores a more comprehensive conception of ancient Greek religion beyond this traditional paradigm. Comparative in method and outlook, the book invites its readers to embark on an interdisciplinary journey touching upon such diverse topics as religious belief, personal religion, magic and theology. Specific examples include the transformation of tyrant property into ritual objects, the cultural practice of setting up dedications at Olympia, and a man attempting to make love to Praxiteles’ famous statue of Aphrodite. The book will be valuable for all students and scholars seeking to understand the complex phenomenon of ancient Greek religion.

Mikalson, Jon D. – Ancient Greek Religion
Ancient Greek Religion provides an introduction to the fundamental beliefs, practices, and major deities of Greek religion. It focuses on Athens in the classical period, includes detailed discussion of Greek gods and heroes, myth and cult, and vivid descriptions of Greek religion as it was practiced, ancient texts are presented in boxes to promote thought and discussion, and abundant illustrations help readers visualize the rich and varied religious life of ancient Greece. The revised edition includes additional boxed texts and bibliography, an 8-page color plate section, a new discussion of the nature of Greek “piety,” and a new chapter on Greek Religion and Greek Culture.

Burkert, Walter – Greek Religion
In this book Walter Burkert, the most eminent living historian of ancient Greek religion, has produced the standard work for our time on that subject. First published in German in 1977, it has now been translated into English with the assistance of the author himself. A clearly structured and readable survey for students and scholars, it will be welcomed as the best modern account of any polytheistic religious system.

Kindt’s work is easily accessible and is a venerable fount of practical information. ‘Rethinking Greek Religion’ will help you form a realistic image of ancient religious practices and give you the understanding you need to get through any further scholastic reading. It doesn’t tell you much about modern Hellenism, but once you have read this book, you should be able to understand why certain modern practices exist. Mikalson’s text is more linear and condensed. It attempts to explain the whole of ancient Hellas in one breath. You could switch between reading either Kindt’s or Mikalson’s work first, but I have found that it’s much easier to nuance Mikalson’s words if you have read Kindt’s work first.

Burkert is a phenomenon and ‘Greek Religion’ is quite a step up from the previous two works in complexity and academic speech. Still, in his attempt to make an exhaustive whole out of the ancient Hellenic religion, Burkert provides a framework to base a practice off of like no other has managed to do before or since. It’s a hard read, but so worth it.

All in all, this collection will set you back about $100,-. That’s a fair investment, but well worth it, I promise you.

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!

blackbearmagic:

A stray thought for those pagans who feel that their religion just isn’t the same without animal sacrifice, but who don’t actually want to go out and kill a horse or something:

The whole idea behind sacrifice is that it was you willingly giving away a representation of something of great meaning and importance to you. 

If a sacrificial animal came from your own stock, you had to spend the money to maintain the herd, and keep all its members safe, healthy, and well-fed. You had to buy the feed, invest in a guardian dog or two (train said guardian dog(s)), build the sheds, find the pastures, tend the wounded, treat the ill… And in exchange, these animals would feed and clothe you–either by directly providing you with meat, milk, and fibers, or giving you those things to sell so you could obtain your needed supplies. In a lot of the cultures animal sacrifice was prevalent in, people’s stock animals were their life. 

Even if the sacrificial animal was one bought from a herdsman, it was still a representation of your hard work. Whatever trade you had, you had to do it well enough and long enough to have the money to purchase an animal to sacrifice. The coins you hand over to the shepherd represent your bloody knuckles and bruised knees, pricked fingertips, long days and sleepless nights. 

So how does this translate to the modern age?

Keep reading

Hephaestus, God of the Forge

wanderingthroughmythology:

Hephaestus doesn’t get out much, but he likes it that way. The world is superficial, and he has had enough experience with that from his family. He is an introvert in every sense of the world and from his solitude stems his exquisite creations of gold, silver and bronze. People are amazed at the beauty he has weaved into metal, a stark contrast to the maker that holds it. With sweat on his brow and a brace on his leg, he knows he’s not a looker but he doesn’t care. And despite it all, he has a heart of gold that the world cannot touch, and will help almost anyone who needs it. He can see the worth in anything and everyone, and knows that beauty is not as important as function. Maybe that is why his creations are so lifelike.

Khernips

shipping-the-gods:

Khernips, or Lustral Water, is a mixture used in Hellenic Polytheism to ritually wash away miasma. It is not hard to make, and is an incredibly rewarding addition to any ritual.

To make it you’ll need a few things on hand:

  • Fresh water (I use tap water, but if you can manage spring water is even better)
  • Sea Water (if you don’t have this, you can use a sea salt and water mixture)
  • Dried herbs (I sometimes don’t have access to herbs, and just use a lit match)
  • A lighter/match
  • Bowl
  • Towel

So to make it, you mix together your fresh water and sea water, and then you light your herbs and drop them in. Some people use incense opposed to matches or herbs as well.

“When throwing in the lit item, one can utter
‘Xerniptosai’ (pronounced ‘zer-nip-TOS-aye-ee’) which translates as ‘Be
purified’.“ Source: Baring the Aegis

After you’ve finished preparing it, you can choose to ask one of the Theoi to bless it, especially a water/sea related Theos. Then you wash your hands in face with it, and dry off.

E-Shrines of Pagan Tumblr

hellenicappalachia:

this is your 6-month-or-whatever reminder, pagan tag, that I keep a master list of e-shrines. If yours is not linked here, please send me a message and let me know!

(This list is very much in progress. Some were taken from tumblr userlettuceentertainu’s list, which is now kind of out of date. i also wanted to make it organized because I’m picky that way)

This list is the same on as on lettuceentertainu, but slightly more out of date.

This one is also very out of date.

These are organized very roughly by religion/geographical area/time period, and then by alphabetical order by the name of the deity the shrine is devoted to. The version of the name used is the one used in the shrine, for example Hecate vs Hekate. I do not know well the differences between Rokkatru, Heathenry, and Norse Polytheism, for example, so Germanic and Norse deities are grouped under one heading. I apologize if I have done anything offensive in this organization, and if I have PLEASE let me know. I can’t guarantee these are all active, but as of 9/22/14 they exist.

@shipping-the-gods I saw you getting e-shrine asks and thought this might eb of interest.

Hellenic Polytheism (Ouranic and Khthonic deities)

A set of e-shrines to the Olympians, plus Haides, Persephone, and Hekate, maintained bypieandhotdogs.

A set of 13 e-shrines, maintained by iamidae.

Athena, Dionysos, Artemis

Zeus, Hera, Hades, Persephone, Poseidon, Amphitrite

Keep reading

ARTEMIS is waiting outside my window. I shut my eyes tight and whisper to her, but she just puts a finger to her lips and smiles. She is telling me to wait, and I fall asleep with her weaving moonlight into a blanket.

HERA sits in my dining room, fingers arched and an eyebrow raised at my dusty wicker chairs. “What’s for breakfast?” She asks. I make pancakes and she doesn’t eat them. Hera never eats them.

APHRODITE peeks coyly from my bathroom, and we laugh as she braids my hair and tells me about the boy down the street who keeps asking her for advice. I do her makeup and we put on matching earrings. The boy down the street waves as we skip down the sidewalk.

ATHENA is lounging on my couch. She is unreadable, but Netflix is open and I can hear her muttering about a new episode. I make popcorn and she tells me about the time she taught a film class at a community college.

PERSEPHONE is lying down in my backyard, and I put up the hammock. We stay there until late at night and she teaches me the names of all the constellations. I tell her I knew someone named Orion once, and she lets out a tinkling laugh. “Didn’t we all?” She says. We fall asleep to the sound of crickets.

ARTEMIS is waiting outside my window. I keep my eyes open and I sit on the roof with her as we tell stories about little girls who grow up to be wishgranters.

no, you are never alone (via fl0wer-kids)

Wait. Amethyst is a Dionysus thing? heeeyoo accidentally honoring him before I really Got it.

pomegranateandivy:

Yes, let me tell you my favorite story! Alright, so this isn’t a canonical version, it’s my personal cliff notes retelling based on different stories and drawing heavy influence from a 1500s story about Dionysus and Amethyst by

Remy Belleau. But here we go.

Dionysus once was slighted by a human. This human pissed him off somehow, different versions say different things, but I like the version that this human had questioned Dionysus’ divinity and that’s what angered him. So, Dionysus, in a mindless rage, vowed that he would destroy the next human he saw. So he changed shape into a leopard and started down the nearest road, looking for someone to rip to shreds. This young girl who was a devotee to Rhea (or Gaea depending on the version) was walking to her temple, and was the next person in Dionysus’ path. Seeing that Dionysus was about to fall upon this innocent girl, Rhea changed her body to quartz just as Dionysus came over the hill and saw the girl. He was enraged, absolutely furious. He clawed and yowled at the stone girl, beyond anger that Rhea had taken this from him. And when he had worn himself to exhaustion, he looked upon the face of the girl. She was young, and beautiful, and terrified at her last sight of Dionysus in the form of a leopard, charging at her. And the weight of what he almost did, and what did happen because of his actions hit him. He had been about to kill this innocent girl in his anger at another human. He hugged her statue and cried, begging Rhea to change her back. But Rhea couldn’t change the girl back to human again. She’d saved the child from a horrible death, but that was all she was capable of doing. And Dionysus wept and wept, until the clear crystal was stained purple from his tears. And when he dried his eyes and looked upon the girl again, he asked Rhea what the girls name had been, and she told him, “Amethyst.” And Dionysus asked her to put the now purple crystal in the earth, and vowed that any who carried a piece of this girl and her memory would have his blessing and favor.

(Edited to correct information about the source, I had peviously been unaware that this myth was created in the 1500s, I’m such a shit Hellenist)