Tag: Hephaestus

ritual-and-chaos:

I always see people refer to Hephaestus as the ugly god or the ugliest of the gods, and I can’t help but wonder–

I read a comment earlier about Hephaestus frequently being headcanoned in rps as the sole POC individual, meaning the “ugly” god would also be the POC god. Super racist, regardless.

I’ve straight up ignored the script of Hephaestus being the ugly god, in my own practice. I don’t see him as ugly. I think they meant imperfect, because at the time physical “perfection” (aka able bodied societal aesthetic pleasing people) was seen as favor from the gods.

If he was cast down and disabled because of it, that would make him lose favor via aesthetic perfection. I hate even typing that, but that’s how I understand that system to have worked.

So, I don’t think Hephaestus is ugly. If anything, I think he’s normal looking. Not even super buff. Just a hard working human-shaped divine being who has a disability.

Anyways, my mental picture of Hephaestus is non-white, in the sense of a typical “olive” or “bronze” skin color. I don’t even think I did that intentionally, meaning I picked that up from his aether/astral representation, but I wanna be clear that I wasn’t doing it because of racist undertones.

The idea that Hellenic gods would all be white is laughable anyways, so I imagine others of that pantheon appear to pagans and polytheists alike as non-white individuals all the time.

I just hope the rpers figure out how shitty that is, and cut it out.

antehia:

hephaestus · god of fire and metalworking 

Hephaestus was the god of fire, metalworking, stone masonry, forges and the art of sculpture. He was the son of Zeus and Hera and married to Aphrodite by Zeus to prevent a war of the gods fighting for her hand. He was a smithing god, making all of the weapons for Olympus and acting as a blacksmith for the gods. Hephaestus’s ugly appearance was the reason Zeus chose him to marry Aphrodite, but despite this she had many affairs with both gods and men. In one story, Hephaestus builds a tricky invention which catches Aphrodite laying with Ares, the god of war, trapping them both in the bed to be laughed at and ridiculed by the other gods.

blood-and-fire:

  • hephaestus keeping up with the latest art movements and always trying them out to see what works for him
  • hephaestus encouraging kids and adults to be creative and experiment with their art and to not be angry with themselves if it doesn’t turn out how they want it to
  • hephaestus encouraging everyone to love their art
  • hephaestus making sculptures designed to be touched because art includes interaction
  • hephaestus taking up glass painting and decorating every single window and glass pane he can find
  • hephaestus transforming mobility aids into works of art ( because grey is so boring when you don’t like the colour )
  • hephaestus making sculptures out of glass that scatter light everywhere when the sun shines on them
  • hephaestus with paint splatters on his arms and hands because there is no better palette than the human body
  • hephaestus messing around with clay sculptures and loving how pliable and uncertain the result is
  • hephaestus making art out of scavenged things people dump in forests and by rivers
  • hephaestus making art out of seemingly useless things
  • hephaestus making art
  • hephaestus

Iron bending Hephaistos,
Like smooth clay within your palms,
You create beautiful things.

The sharp blades of Athene’s spears,
And the wickedly lethal swords of Ares
Are all of your making.
Immortal as you are my golden Theos,
Nothing you craft is less than perfect.

I pray to you as a bladesmith,
And I ask for you to bless my forge with your skilled presence.
Guide me, oh god,
Show me your craft so that I may please you with my work.

Fire-filled Hephaistos, this I pray to you!

@temples-wreathed-in-laurel

“Prayer to Hephaistos”

(via kitienen)

Hephaistos and His Retinue

winebrightruby:

Hephaistos is a god I respect a great deal but interact with very seldom – things like levees fall under his purview, and I am a big fan of levees, but I don’t build levees myself, if that makes sense. So this is mostly research-based.

Hephaistos’ relationships with Zeus and Hera vary in different myths/cultic centers/parts of Greece. For someone who actively worships Hephaistos, I imagine these relationships might be rich avenues to explore.

Hephaistos was frequently worshiped and celebrated alongside Athena, as they both rule over art and crafts, both useful and beautiful. Several festivals honored them both, and Athens’ origin myth of Erichthonius contains traces of a possible romantic/sexual relationship between them that was lost or discarded as the religion developed. The version of the myth that survives features Hephaistos’ spilled seed impregnating Gaia, who gave birth to Erichthonius, whom Athena then fostered.

Hephaistos was a friend and companion of Dionysos, and when the two of them are depicted together, Hephaistos is attended by satyroi and nymphai, just like Dionysos is. I don’t have any personal experience with this relationship/this side of Hephaistos, but others might.

In his forge and palace, Hephaistos was attended by the Kourai Khryseai (two animated golden statues he had made). He has other attendants as well, most of which are associated with a specific forge (usually a volcano or mountain). Thus, the Kabeiroi are his twin sons on Lemnos, while the Palikoi were his twin sons on Mount Aitna. The Kyklopes and their sons also worked with him on Mount Aitna. Kedalion was an attendant (mortal?) in the forge on Lemnos. Personally, I would speculate that this is a myth-piece that would easily change according to local cultus – the Kabeiroi and Palikoi were strongly tied into mysteries and other practices in their respective locales. So I would say, for anyone pursuing a close relationship with Hephaistos, if there’s a mountain or volcano or other place of power for him near you, consider exploring whether he has other workers in his forge and what other roles and aspects those assistants might have.

Hephaistos was married to Aphrodite, and it went poorly. I subscribe to the thinking that she left him (ended their marriage) to pursue her relationship with Ares. There are doubtless other versions of their relationship.

Hephaistos was married to Kharis/Aglaia. Aglaia is one of the Kharites, and her name means splendor, beauty, or magnificence. I subscribe to the thinking that the goddess’s name is Aglaia, and Homer called her Kharis as an epithet; others may come to a different understanding. Hephaistos and Aglaia had four daughters: Eukleia (good repute/glory), Eupheme (acclaim), Euthenia (prosperity), and Philophrosyne (welcome). These were called the younger Kharites and are sometimes depicted as attendants of Aphrodite, especially Eukleia. I personally find it very telling that Hephaistos is married to Beauty and fathers all these features of an excellent reputation. Very artist-y.

Hephaistos forged weapons and armor for many of the other gods, plus thrones, jewelry, etc. It is not inconceivable that he might be worshiped alongside plenty of other ‘major’ deities.

Offering Ideas for Hephaestus

ritual-and-chaos:

UPG BELOW

Of Fire and the Forge

  • Light a candle or strike a match in his honor
  • Dedicate a bonfire or an indoor fireplace lighting to him
  • Use an electric stove or digital fire in his honor

Of Skill and Invention

  • Learn how to use new technology in his honor
  • Dedicate skill-based activities to him, specifically skills that take time to master
  • Research new interests in his honor
  • Dedicate applying to schools, universities, groups, etc in which skill is required (or learned) to him

Of Sculpture and Crafts

  • Do an art project in his honor, specifically non two dimensional
  • Work on learning a craft in his honor, such as knitting, paper arts, pottery, jewelry making
  • Research art history, not two dimensional, in his honor
  • Notes: Ceramics is really good for Hephaestus, and there’s often studios that will let you try clay for fees. There’s also air dry clay and oven bake clay that is easy to use. 

Of Disability and Illness

  • Do self-care or daily maintenance in his honor
  • Dedicate the effort to going to therapy (physical or otherwise) to him
  • Dedicate calming activities to him, such as coloring or writing

*SLAMS FIST ON TABLE*

AS A CERAMICIST THIS IS RELEVANT TO MY NEEDS

Witchy tip

morgansilvercrow:

Dedicate every piece of technology, every electronic device to Hephaestus.

Ask for his blessings and for his help to keep everything working right.

Word it however you wish, add a sigil, smudge the object, whatever you want to do.  He’s an often overlooked God and he’s a great help with electronics.  If it wasn’t for him, my old (and I mean OLD) laptop wouldn’t have lasted even half the time it did.  Yes, he can be your dedicated God of Dedicated WiFi.

Just be sure to give him respect.  He deserves it.  Offerings don’t hurt, either.