Hellenic Polytheism 101; Pt 1
Hello there! So, this will be a long series of posts, probably five or six different segments, maybe more. But it was highly asked for and I give the people what they want :p With that being said, here is our first post, starting with answers to the most basic questions!
What the Heck is Hellenic Polytheism?!
Well my friend you have come to the right place! Hellenic polytheism, also known as hellenismos, is the modern worship and sometimes recreation of the ancient greek deities! There’s lots of different ways to do this, like taking a more modern approach, or a more traditional, but there’s no wrong way! Typically, this religion focuses on specific deities close to the worshiper, and involves a lot of olive oil. (just kidding…maybe) We will get to that more later!
Terminology That Will Make Your Life A Billion Times Easier!
This will be a nice little list of common greek words or phrases you may come across, and what they mean. This will help keep you up to speed!
Theoi- pronounced (Thee-oye), this is what the Greek deities are called, plural. Is also technically the masculine tense.
Khernips- Also called lustral water, this is kind of like holy water! You make it and use it for cleansing before rituals or going before the gods in general.
Miasma- This is the filth and dirtiness that we get just from being humans. It’s not sin, its literally just a byproduct of humanity. You get it from living and breathing, and also from things like negative emotions, not cleaning yourself, death, weddings, childbirth, and much more. It’s a super complicated topic!
Oikos- Like the yogurt! Oikos means house, or home, and it’s the center of a reconstructionists worship.
Okay these are good basic words to know! We will cover more as we get deeper.
The easy answer is, basically anyone you want to! The less easy answer involves the 13 Olympians, nature divinities like nymphs, dryads, naiads and more, as well as…well… Lets just get started.
So, first and foremost are the Olympians. Technically, there are 12, but a lot of HP’s might jokingly say there are 13 Olympians. Either one is cool. There is also a more modern myth stating that Dionysos was given his Throne from Hestia, but I was recently pointed out this is incorrect. After some more research, I found this article written by @baringtheaegis, who is an awesome resource and blogger! Anywho, as far as the rest of the Theoi, You probably already know the rest of their names! First there’s the “Big Three,” these are the brothers!
Zeus, king of the Gods, ruler of the sky, lightning, justice, and much more.
Poseidon, God of the Sea, Horses, most natural disasters, and more
Hades, Lord of the Underworld, the richest man alive, also..more
Then you’ve got the rest of the Theoi (refer to the list for definition!). In no way are these brief descriptions he only things these deities are known for or rule over.
Hera, Zeus’ Wife, Queen of the Heavens, marriages
Artemis, Twin to Apollon, Goddess of the Hunt and wild things
Apollon, God of Archery, light, music, poetry,
Dionysos, the Debaucher, god of wine, dancing, ecstasy
Hermes, messenger of the gods, a total Businessman, the alphabet
Demeter, goddess of agriculture, Mother of Persephone
Persephone, (also Kore) Iron queen, wife of Hades, ruler of the Underworld
Hestia- Goddess of the Hearth and Home, First and last born
Aphrodite, Goddess of love, sex, beauty, the sea, and more
Athene, Goddess of war, wisdom, strategy
Ares, God of war, battle, women,
Hephaestos, Blacksmith of the gods, technology, husband of Aphrodite
Those are all the main gods you’ll come across!
That’s gonna end this post! Stay tuned in the next few days, when I’ll post the next segment! That one will cover more minor deities that can be worshiped, as well as the Pillars and Delphic Maxims, and maybe a little bit on mythology and the difference between recon and revivalist! Also feel free to send in any questions or topics you’d like to see covered!
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