Hellenic Problems

Where problems unique (and not-so-unique) to traditional Hellenic polytheists are expressed daily.

[ruadhan1334]

pagan author and blogger Kenaz Filan is a TRANSPHOBE

Read the comments

Seriously, read them.  He’s blaming victims, telling a transwoman that her antiandrogen meds are somehow failing and making her act like a “man”, and, in a side-thread about the public toilet “debate”, thumbs his nose at the facts to say that the “safety of [his] female friends and family” is more important than a trans woman’s feelings.

Apparently he was only speaking out against Zsuzsanna Budapest and other pagan TERFs to gain some kind of brownie points he no longer cares to maintain.  He’s let his true transphobe colours show and siding with TERFs and their apologists in this thread.

[hellenicproblems]

I really didn't want to post this, here, but since he's kind of well-known in general polytheist circles, I feel that I should, for the signal boost.

[hellenicproblems]

someone: the classics are so refined

diogenes: i'm gonna throw a chicken at plato and then i'm gonna reward myself by whacking it in public

vase painters: how many dicks do you think are enough? at least 5

aristophanes: you need 3 fart soundboards to perform this play properly

lucian: the moon is full of gay people, anyway let's argue about whether sleeping with girls or boys is better

catullus: i want to make out infinity times with my girlfriend

the entire roman senate: ostensibly we are a respectable body but actually we are a preschool full of man-sized babies

ovid: haha then what ;)

horace: i fucking hate this goddamn tree also hey wanna hear about a wet dream i had

martial: you're hot but you queef too much so i don't want to have sex with you

someone: such elegance

[hellenicproblems]

I'm really glad a lot of people are still liking pay and following this blog, but I think I may have exhausted a majority of the community problems I know of, if not all of them. So I'm going to open this up to taking some Asks for advice and pointers. You're still open to suggest new "Problems" for images, but if they've been done before, I'll just reblog those for you. :-)

[hellenicproblems]

Being black and being hellenic. That's the real doozie.

I can only imagine. Hell, being black and any kind of pagan, outside of Voudu or Santeria, seems to bring all the racists out.

[hellenicproblems]

Hey, I have this person I know that claims they're the offspring of Apollo and well they think of themselves as high and mighty. I mean could they actually be what they claim they are?

In theory, it's possible --and certainly in line with ancient thought, Alexander the Great is a famous example who boasted being the son of Zeus-- but it's not the most likely event, and unless this person had actually achieved something at least noteworthy - enough to garner a Wikipedia entry, I'd regard such claims with scrutiny. The reason there are surviving accounts of people who took Alexander's claim at apparent face value is because he was hell of famous and did a lot for Greece, certainly something in line with an alleged progeny of Zeus.If this person has done nothing but talk themself up, they're probably full of shit.

[bayoread-deactivated20200607]

Would you say there's a strong connection between lesbians and Aphrodite?

I think there’s a strong connection between everyone and Aphrodite. No one more than anyone else.

[peoniesandpraxis]

Just to add, historically;

Aphrodite Pandemos is the epithet for Aphrodite of everyone/all the people and the poet Sappho, who was definitely bisexual, had a close relationship with her.

Definitely agreeing with bayoread on her not being more strongly connected to one sexuality more than any other, I just wanted to add some sources ☺️

[bee-girlfriends]

Aphrodite could have coined the phrase “I’m not hetero or homosexual, I’m just ~sexual~.” js

[hellenicproblems]

Word.

[hellenicproblems]

I recently watched a documentary (whose name escapes me at the moment,sorry) about Hellenism in Greece. There was a moment at a YSEE meeting in the documentary where the film crew found the former head of the Greek Communist Party had converted to Hellenism, and said that many other former Communists were at the meeting. Is this at all common in other places, or just a rondo coincidence?

Don't know if it is, or not.

[hellenicproblems]

Is there any one single founder of MODERN Hellenism? (i.e. someone who revived the religion and inspired its modern philosophy and theology)

Not really. There have been revivals in several firms since at least the 18th Century, when Platonism enjoyed a revival in Acsdemia, and during the Victorian era, Hellenism was revived in many artistic circles. I believe that YSEE first formed in the 1970s by committee, which does indeed suggest a revival in the homes of more than just the original committee.The modern movement can't be traced to any one person and it's hard to pinpoint even an approximate decade.

[hellenicproblems]

What's your novel called?

The one with the Hellenist characters? It's called SIMPLE MAN: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF PETER WEST. It's available on Amazon. It's a relatively minor fact about them. I have a couple still-unfinished stories (one featuring Ripley, a major character in SIMPLE MAN, and another featuring Angelica, a minor character from SIMPLE MAN) which are better detailed about their polytheism. Still, it might be useful to read the first book to get a feel for the characters.

[hellenicproblems]

thank you for promoting Hellenistic Polytheism in such a positive way. I became a Hellenist very recently, and I was wondering if there are any Hellenistic places of worship in the United States. If there are, where would they be located?

I know that there are several people who have been trying, to varying degress of "unsuccessful" for at least the last 10-15 years to build actual temples.  I think a few people have put up large-ish outdoor shrines that they'd open up to people by appointment, but I don't think anyone is doing that, right now.

Thessaly Temenos, the would've-been host group of the ill-fated Hellenic Revival Fest in Louisiana have a large property that probably fits what you're thinking of, but they've reduced their web presence in this last year, and I'm having trouble finding current information for them.

[hellenicproblems]

Are there any hellenic or polytheist characters in modern pop-culture?

Besides the Percy Jackson books?  I suppose it depends on how wide you're setting the net for "pop culture" --are you including only celebrity-status stuff, or stuff with "cult" / "indie" popularity, or things that are practically unknown outside a small handful of people?

Cos the main characters in my first novel would qualify, but no-one has heard of me.

[ruadhan1334]

This really kind of annoys me, but at the same time, at least they’re not defaulting to the tired “Hades = Ancient Greek Satan” meme that doesn’t even work. #hellenismos #hellenicpolytheism

[hellenicproblems]

For everyone outside southeastern Michigan.

[hellenicproblems]

Hellenic Problems #144:

When eclectics don’t understand how or why a woman can be devoted to a male deity, or vice-versa.

[bouquetsofperfumedstars]

Wait, what?

How does identifying as an eclectic pagan have anything to do with not understanding how a woman can be devoted to a male deity or vice-versa?

What even just happened here?

I don’t understand

what

I mean, if anything, I would think that’d more likely be a sexist comment rather than a sentiment shared exclusively by eclectic pagans (who, by the way, all seem to have their own views since they’re, you know, eclectic). My roommate and I were discussing this earlier. (For example, it’s the kind of thing like a man saying “Oh, you don’t see many female devotees of Thor because he’s all manly and shit!”. But the thing is, Thor is worshipped as a Protector God, and that’s pretty great to have as an ally because there are these things in the world called rape and murder that are more often directed toward females, and it’s nice to know your attacker might possibly get a lightning bolt to the face or an equivalent consequence. I dunno bro, but chilling with a Protector God sounds like a good idea.)

I just don’t see how this thought of “h0w can a w0man dev0te herself t0 male deity? nahhHh not p0ssible!!!1!” is exclusive to eclectic paganism.

I’m legitimately really confused about this.

[hellenicproblems]

Sorry for responding so late, but the "problem" info graphic has less to do with eclectic neopagans as a whole, and more to do with a common mindset among many that, well, polytheists, recon pagans and other non - eclectic neopagans do encounter. Considering that American eclecticism is the dominant form of pagan religion given presence online, I really am not obligated to point out that I know that "not all eclectic are like that, but whatever, I'm bored.

[hellenicproblems]

Hellenic Problems #147:

Shaming tactics against Hellenic recon women who wear a head covering.  It’s actually a historically valid thing.

[hellenicproblems]

There’s sufficient evidence that Muslims actually just continued the tradition from the various polytheistic religions of the area.

[jennthem]

There are several places in Greece where women cover their heads. To enter any Greek Christian holy place in Greece women are required to cover their hair and shoulders. It’s not uncommon among elderly Greek women who’ve been widowed to veil in black for the rest of their lives. You can even spot them around any heavily populated Greek town in America, in Baltimore, Astoria or Chicago for example.

[hellenicproblems]

Was just looking through the archives for this blog and thought I'd reblog this person's response before I run to the post office. Also reminds me that I should do more "problem" info graphics, so if you have any suggestions, I was hoping for a weekly or biweekly schedule for new graphics.

[hellenicproblems]

If Hellenism was an hierarchical organized religion like the Catholic Church, what would its leader be called?

It wouldn't be, plain and simple.  It was never that way in ancient times, so why would it be, now?  Hinduism isn't that way, now, and if anything, Hinduism shows us how traditional polytheisms naturally develop --hundreds of autonomuos sects, thousands of autonomous temples to an individual deity or two, and dozens of disparate philosophies, some of which are clearly at odds with each-other.

Hellenismos simply cannot be a hierarchal organised religion, and I won't even entertain such nonsense by answering your question, cos it's barely even mental masturbation.

[null0000000000]

On September 18th local antifas marked the first anniversary since the murder of Killah P (stage name of Pavlos Fyssas) in Greece. He was attacked by a group of Golden Dawn members, a Greek fascist party, and was stabbed to death. Watching over the events, the police made no effort to intervene, the close ties between Golden Dawn and the Greek police never more obvious. More background on the murder can be read here.

This, of course, is not an isolated incident. Just one of countless lives stolen by the forces of fascism and white supremacy all over the globe. Whether it is at the hands of a neo-nazi, a police officer, or neighborhood watch vigilante, they are all manifestations of the same force.

Pavlos, and all the other stolen lives, live on in our hearts. 

From Indybay

[hellenicproblems]