Praise be the Theoi!

Side devotional blog for the Theoi! Follow me at @anthea-nara! Have a blessed day and may the Gods be with you! 💗

[hadit93]

I used to do magic when shit hit the fan in my mundane life. Now I do regular magic to ensure shit never hits the fan. Doesn’t even come close.

Something it took me a long time to learn: wealth magic for financial stability is not born out of greed and is very necessary to the contemporary magician/witch. Don’t neglect it.

[markusbones]

If you look at the world and say “Yes, there are enough homes for people, yes, there is enough food for people, but if we give it away for free they won’t have earned it and the economy will collapse.” Then you have chosen money (a constructed medium of exchange) over living beings who only want to continue living in peace and safety.

And I have no qualms telling you, that is the wrong choice, and you have been brainwashed by this destructive, exploitative system.

[s-c-r-ee-ch]

Apollo, god of knowledge

Burgtheater, Vienna

[teawiththegods]

“A story is told that there was a man who had made many costly and lavish offerings to Apollon, but was told by the Pythia that the truest worshipper of the gods was instead a man in Arcadia who garlanded his household statues each month and made modest offerings at all the festivals.”

— “Kharis: Hellenic Polytheism Explored” by Sarah Kate Istra Winter

[goopygoopygoop]

HELP

Can someone please tell me where the myth of Hyacinthus and Apollo was written down? Like where is this myth from? Where can I read it not as a summary on a website? Someone help me I am losing the small amount of sanity I had left looking for the original version, not summary, of this myth. 

[my-name-is-apollo]

There is no one original version of this story (or any Greek myth), the myth is retold by different authors in their works. One detailed accounts is given by Ovid in his Metamorphoses, there are descriptions of artworks of Hyacinthus done by Philostratus the elder and Philostratus the younger. (I’ve linked to the translation of their work, so give it a read if you can, those 3 are my favorite)

Some other sources are:

Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 1. 16 (trans. Aldrich) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.) :

“Aphrodite, furious with [the Muse] Kleio (Clio)… caused her to fall in love with Magnes’ son Pieros (Pierus). As a result of their union she bore him a son Hyakinthos (Hyacinthus). Thamyris, son of Philammon and the Nymphe Argiope, the first male to love other males, fell in love with Hyakinthos. Later on Apollon, who also loved him, accidentally killed him with a discus.”

Hesiod, Catalogues of Women Fragment 102 (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C8th or 7th B.C.) :

“. . rich-tressed Diomede; and she bare Hyakinthos (Hyacinthus), the blameless one and strong …whom, on a time Phoibos (Phoebus) [Apollon] himself slew unwittingly with a ruthless disk.”

Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 3. 116 (trans. Aldrich) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.) :

“Amyklas (Amyclas) and Lapithes’ daughter Diomede had Kynortes (Cynortes) and Hyakinthos (Hyacinthus). They tell how this Hyakinthos was loved by Apollon, who accidentally killed him while hurling a discus.”

Bion, Poems 11 (trans. Edmonds) (Greek bucolic C2nd to 1st B.C.) :

“When he beheld thy [Hyakinthos’] agony Phoibos (Phoebus) [Apollon] was dumb. He sought every remedy, he had recourse to cunning arts, he anointed all the wound, anointed it with ambrosia and with nectar; but all remedies are powerless to heal the wounds of Fate.”

Pausanias, Description of Greece 3. 1. 3 (trans. Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.) :

“Amyklas (Amyclas), son of Lakedaimon (Lacedaemon), wished to leave some memorial behind him, and built [Amyklai (Amyclae)] a town in Lakonia. Hyakinthos (Hyacinthus), the youngest and most beautiful of his sons, died before his father, and his tomb is in Amyklai below the image of Apollon. On the death of Amyklas the empire came to Aigalos (Aegalus), the eldest of his sons, and afterwards, when Aigalos died, to Kynortas (Cynortas). Kynortas had a son Oibalos (Oebalus).”

Plutarch, Numa 4 :

And therefore it is no mistake when the ancient poets tell their tales of the love Apollo bore Phorbas, Hyacinthus, and Admetus, as well as the Sicyonian Hippolytus also, of whom it is said, that, as often as he set out to sail from Sicyon to Cirrha, the Pythian priestess, as though the god knew of his coming and rejoiced

Colluthus, Rape of Helen 240 ff (trans. Mair) (Greek poetry C5th to 6th A.D.) :

“The shrine of Hyakinthos (Hyacinthus) [at Amyklai (Amyclae) in Lakedaimonia], whom once while he played as a boy with Apollon the people of Amyklai marked and marvelled whether he too had not been conceived and borne by Leto to Zeus. But Apollon knew not that he was keeping the youth for envious Zephyros (the West Wind). And the earth, doing a pleasure to the weeping king, brought forth a flower to console Apollon, even that flower which bears the name of the splendid youth.”

Nonnus, Dionysiaca 2. 80 ff (trans. Rouse) (Greek epic C5th A.D.) :

“The fresh-flowering garden was laid waste [by a storm], the rosy meadows withered; Zephyros (the West Wind) was beaten by the dry leaves of whirling cypresses. Phoibos (Phoebus) [Apollon] sang a dirge in lamentable tones for his devastated iris (hyakinthos), twining a sorrowful song, and lamented far more bitterly than for his clusters of Amyklaian (Amyclaean) flowers, when the laurel by his side was struck.”

Nonnus, Dionysiaca 3. 153 ff :

“On the learned leaves of Apollon’s mournful iris [i.e. the flower of Hyakinthos (Hyacinthus)] was embroidered many a plant-grown word; and when Zephyros (the West Wind) breathed through the flowery garden, Apollon turned a quick eye upon his young darling, his yearning never satisfied; if he saw the plant beaten by the breezes, he remembered the quoit, and trembled for fear the wind, so jealous once about the boy, might hate him even in a leaf: if it is true that Apollon once wept with those eyes that never wept, to see that boy writhing in the dust, and the pattern there on the flower traced its own ‘alas!’ on the iris, and so figured the tears of Phoibos (Phoebus).”

Nonnus, Dionysiaca 10. 253 ff :

“The deathbringing breath of Zephyros might blow again, as it did once before when the bitter blast killed a young man while it turned the hurtling quoit against Hyakinthos.”

Nonnus, Dionysiaca 11. 362 ff :

“A young Lakonian [Hyakinthos (Hyacinthus)] shook Zephyros (the West Wind); but he died, and the amorous Wind found young Kyparissos (Cyparissus) a consolation for Amyklaian Hyakinthos.”

Nonnus, Dionysiaca 29. 95 ff :

“Apollon bemoaned Hyakinthos (Hyacinthus), struck by the quoit which brought him quick death, and reproached the blast of Zephyros (the West Wind’s) jealous gale.”

Nonnus, Dionysiaca 29. 101 ff :

Send me here Phoibos our brother, who knows the art of healing all pains, and he will make the boy whole. But stay, my voice! Leave Phoibos undisturbed in Olympos, or I may provoke him by recalling the wound of his beloved Hyacinthos.

Claudian, Rape of Proserpine 2. 130 ff (trans. Platnauer) (Roman poetry C4th A.D.) :

“[Persephone and her nymphs gather flowers :] Thee also, Hyacinthus, they gather, thy flower inscribed with woe, and Narcissus too–once lovely boys, now the pride of flowering spring. Thou, Hyacinthus, wert born at Amyclae, Narcissus was Helicon’s child; thee the errant discus slew; him love of his stream-reflected face beguiled; for thee weeps Delos’ god [Apollon] with sorrow-weighted brow; for him Cephisus with his broken reeds.”

Pseudo-Hyginus, Fabulae 271 (trans. Grant) (Roman mythographer C2nd A.D.) :

“Youths who were most handsome. Adonis, son of Cinyras and Smyrna, whom Venus [Aphrodite] loved. Endymion, son of Aetolus, whom Luna [Selene] loved. Ganymede, son of Erichthonius, whom Jove [Zeus] loved. Hyacinthus, son of Oebalus, whom Apollo loved. Narcissus, son of the river Cephisus, who loved himself …”

Euripides, Helen 1441:

It may be thou wilt find the daughters of Leucippus beside the brimming river or before the temple of Pallas, when at last with dance and revelry thou joinest in the merry midnight festival of Hyacinthus, him whom Phoebus slew in the lists by a quoit hurled o'er the mark; wherefore did the son of Zeus ordain that Laconia’s land should set apart that day for sacrifice;

Tatian, Adress to the Greeks 8 :

Let the far-shooting god tell me how Zephyrus slew Hyacinthus. Zephyrus conquered him; and in accordance with the saying of the tragic poet: “A breeze is the most honourable chariot of the gods,” - conquered by a slight breeze, Apollo lost his beloved.

Philostratus, Heroica 7.30 :

He used to sing of the ancient comrades, Hyacinthus and Narcissus, and something about Adonis.

Greek Anthology 9.751 Plato The Younger :

The stone is Hyacinthus, and on it are Apollo and Daphne. Of which was Apollo rather the lover?

Oppian Of Apamea, Cynegetica Or The Chase 1.300 :

the Laconians contrived a subtle device for their dear wives when they are pregnant. Near them they put pictures of beautiful forms, even the youths that aforetime were resplendent among mortal men, Nireus and Narcissus and Hyacinthus of the goodly ashen spear, and Castor with his helmet, and Polydeuces that slew Amycus, and the youthful twain who are admired among the blessed gods, laurel-crowned Phoebus and Dionysus of the ivy wreath. And the women rejoice to behold their lovely form and, fluttered by their beauty, bear beautiful sons.

Nonnus, Dionysiaca 19. 102 ff :

Apollo brought to life again his longhaired Hyacinthos: Staphylos will be made to live for aye by Dionysos.

Pausanias, Description of Greece 3. 19. 3 - 5 :

“[In the temple of Apollon at Amyklai (Amyclae) :] The pedestal of the statue [of Apollon] is fashioned into the shape of an altar and they say that Hyakinthos (Hyacinthus) is buried in it, and at the Hyakinthia (Hyacinthia), before the sacrifice to Apollon, they devote offerings to Hyakinthos as to a hero into this altar through a bronze door, which is on the left of the altar. On the altar are wrought in relief Demeter, the Maid, Plouton, next to them Fates and Seasons, and with them Aphrodite, Athena and Artemis. They are carrying to heaven Hyacinthus and Polyboea, the sister, they say, of Hyacinthus, who died a maid. Now this statue of Hyacinthus represents him as bearded, but Nikias (Nicias) [painter fl. c. 320 B.C.], son of Nikomedes, has painted him [Hyakinthos (Hyacinthus)] in the very prime of youthful beauty, hinting at the love of Apollon for Hyakinthos of which legend tells … As for Zephyros (the West Wind), how Apollon unintentionally killed Hyakinthos, and the story of the flower, we must be content with the legends”

Colluthus, Rape of Helen 240 ff (trans. Mair) (Greek poetry C5th to 6th A.D.) :

“The shrine of Hyakinthos [i.e. at Amyklai].”

About the festival celebrated in the honor of Hyacinthus:

Ovid, Metamorphoses 10. 218 (trans. Brookes More) (Roman epic C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) :

“And Sparta certainly is proud to honor Hyacinthus as her son; and his loved fame endures; and every year they celebrate his solemn festival.”

Pausanias, Description of Greece 3. 10. 1 :

“[The historic Spartan general] Agesilaus again marched with an army against Korinthos (Corinth) [late 4th B.C.], and, as the festival Hyakinthia (Hyacinthia) was at hand, he gave the Amyklaians (Amyclaeans) leave to go back home and perform the traditional rites in honor of Apollon and Hyakinthos (Hyacinthus).”

Pausanias, Description of Greece 4. 19. 4 :

“[During the Second Messenian War C7th B.C. :] Now the Lakedaimonians (Lacedaemonians), as the festival of Hyakinthos was approaching, made a truce of forty days with the men of Eira [in Messenia]. They themselves returned home to keep the feast.”

Herodotus, Histories 9. 6 . 1 - 7. 1 (trans. Godley) (Greek historian C5th B.C.) :

“[During the historic Persian War.] They [the Athenians] also sent envoys to Lakedaimon (Lacedaemon), who were to upbraid the Lakedaimonians for permitting the barbarian to invade Attika (Attica) and not helping the Athenians to meet him in Boiotia (Boeotia) and warn them that the Athenians would devise some means of salvation for themselves if the Lakedaimonians sent them no help. The Lakedaimonians were at this time celebrating the Hyakinthia (Hyacinthia) (festival of Hyakinthos), and their chief concern was to give the god [Apollon] his due.”

(Detailed account about the festival is given by Athenaeus.)

Hope that helped! 😁

[blacksapphrodite]

Detail shots of my Lady Aphrodite statue 💕🕊

[easter-everywhere]

Io Dionysos!

Release me, Bakkhos,

From this chained mind

Instead consume me

With the ivy of Your madness

[hymnstothetheoi]

Homeric Hymn XXIII - Zeus

[1] I will sing of Zeus, chiefest among the gods and greatest, all-seeing, the lord of all, the fulfiller who whispers words of wisdom to Themis as she sits leaning towards him. Be gracious, all-seeing Son of Cronos, most excellent and great!

[hymnstothetheoi]

Homeric Hymn XXIII - Zeus

[1] I will sing of Zeus, chiefest among the gods and greatest, all-seeing, the lord of all, the fulfiller who whispers words of wisdom to Themis as she sits leaning towards him. Be gracious, all-seeing Son of Cronos, most excellent and great!

[theoiboi]

In Hestia’s name, may you always have a home and a roof over your head.

May you always be comfortable and warm with a full belly.

May you always be in good spirits and good company, never knowing the pervading loneliness that envelopes the soul.

[asteri-desmevetai-deactivated20]

How I Worship My Deities

So, as many of you know, I’m a Hellenic Polytheist. I also have depression and anxiety which can make small things overwhelming and/or exhausting to deal with. So worshiping the gods the normal way takes a lot out of me. So here’s a few ways I keep my day to day life and my worship functional.

1. Bullet Journaling

Now, you may be thinking, how is bullet journaling helping you worship your deities? Well. Here’s how. I use a bullet journal to not only keep track of things I need to do each day, but I also write journal entries, which I direct to my deities. It’s also a good way to put in the Hellenic Holidays so I won’t forget them!

2. Altars

So I only make altars for my patreon deities. My Patreon Deities, in order of coming into my life, are Hades, Persephone, Artemis, Apollo, and Dionysus. I don’t have a lot of space, so I asked my deities if they would be okay sharing an altar. For awhile Artemis and Apollo had shared one, but Artemis felt cramped when Dionysus came into my life and requested to be separated. So I di. She’s the only deity who has her own altar space. Hades and Persephone share one and Apollo and Dionysus also shares one. I don’t use altars as a place to pray, I use altars like a place for the gods within my home. I (try to) keep them clean and organize them when I get the chance to. For the most part, these are the places I keep their offerings. 

3. Offering Candles and Incense

So this is one of the few offerings I am able to provide my deities. Incense, if I remember correctly used to be given as offerings in Ancient Greece. So usually on holidays, Greek or Witch, I’ll burn an incense stick for all of them and light their candles. Due to their candles nearly being gone and me not having the money to buy new ones, I’ve been lighting incense and making an offering to their offering jars :)

4. Offering Jars

I think I made a post on this but I don’t know if I deleted it along with the rest of my posts when I started my posting life over. Anyways, essentially, it’s a jar I filled with herbs, plants, and items(usually biodegradable). These items are meant to symbolize my deities. I then, when I need to make an offering, pour maybe a teaspoon of honey into each jar. I again usually make offerings on holidays and when I’ve asked for something.

5. Music

I shockingly listen to a lot of Christian music. Mostly because I think of specific gods with each song. Like Head Above Water by Avril Lavinge makes me think of Hades. But aside from that I listen to music as a way to not only help me calm down after a bad day, but as a way to feel my deities. My music usually is on shuffle so I take each song and try to feel who is trying to speak to me.

6. Art, Oragami, and Writing

I’m naturally a very creative person. I love drawing and writing. Origami I genuinely suck at tbh. But Anything I can do that’s creative I dedicate my time and energy doing it to my gods, especially when I can’t focus or make myself do anything but these things. Like right now I”m world-building for a choose your adventure type stories. I’ve been mostly working with Apollo and Dionysus on it, and shooting some ideas they give me off of a friend. But oragami I usually make into offerings for my deities. Artemis usually gets Stars and Persephone Flowers. 

7. Tumblr

I have a side blog, which I need to actually add to, where I put posts that remind me of my deities. I tag them to their respective spaces Like anything for Apollo gets tagged with his name. And so forth.

8. Watching Shows

I used to be a spirit worker, so I”m used to just asking my gods to come to join me when I watch TV because that’s what I did with my spirit companions. I don’t do it purposefully, but I do enjoy feeling Hades or Apollo sitting with me. But I’ve always had an easier time sensing them than I do my other patreon Deities. So whose to say Artemis or Dionysus haven’t joined me once or twice.

9. Just Talking

I talk out loud to myself a lot when I’m at home. I talk about being hungry, debating on taking a nap or what to eat. It doesn’t matter what it is, I talk when I’m alone in the house. Now I did this before I became Hellenic and now that I am, I take the time to actually just talk to my deities, especially if I’m not in the emotional state to write it out in a journal.

10. Astral Travel

Now, again I used to be a spirit worker, I’m not anymore due to how much it drained me, but I sometimes will go to my astral home and just… visit. Sometimes my deities drag me there, but that’s only happened twice and both times depression was hitting me really hard. Other times I go and they come to me to see what I’m up to and I take that time to just have tea or go on a walk with them. I again don’t do this too often because it drains me really badly.

I’ll probably make lists of what I do for each of my deities, and just go ham with that, but essentially I do the best I can with my worship, and it’s gotten better over the last few months :)

[awed-frog]

Sorry i was going through your tag of greek mythology and in one of them you said apollo was a weird god and i just kept imagining why ?

Hello! Thank you for the question - I’m very happy you’re finding interesting stuff in my mythology tag! Unfortunately, I can’t direct you to any online sources because I’m going to share facts I learned in uni, I finished my degree before the internet started to get useful (our Google was actually this thing -

- and it was a bit slow, but beyond awesome). Still, I know I recced some general books about religion and mythology somewhere, and I’m sure you found those already. Oh, and as a foreword - as I’m sure you know, understanding Greek religion is a bit of a hassle because it’s a ‘natural’ religion, which means no official sacred texts or uniform canon or anything, so remember that what follows should come with a lot of footnotes.

I always liked Apollo, but he’s a bit of a frustrating god to study because he’s very complicated. Here are the three main reasons why I called him weird.

1) He’s very old but also foreign and we don’t know where from

If I remember this right, Apollo already shows up in Linear B, which makes him one of the oldest gods in the Greek pantheon. But: in most texts, he’s considered (and identifies himself as) a foreign god, who came from some other land and is not fully committed to Greece (for instance, in Troy he sided with the Trojans like other ‘exotic’ gods, such as Aphrodite). This would be puzzling enough - but on top of that, we don’t exactly know where he’s from. There are some clear connection to Middle-Eastern gods, but most sources place his origins up North (for instance, in the land of the Hyperboreans), which doesn’t make a lot of sense because most of the borrowed elements in Greek religion (and culture) tend to come from Mesopotamia. It’s also hard to understand why Apollo is still considered a sort of outsider in Classical times, so basically after he’s been ‘part of the family’ for two millennia or so? This isn’t the case with a goddess like Aphrodite, who’s also Middle-Eastern but was fully assimilated much more quickly.

2) He’s very distant but also not

Perhaps because he took over the duties of sun god as Greek religion developed and the more ‘basic’ gods were discarded, Apollo is often presented as the god who strikes from afar and doesn’t mix all that well with humans. This is consistent with general sun mythology (you need the sun but you don’t want it too overpowering because droughts are a catastrophe), but fits together very badly with other jobs assigned to Apollo. For instance, as the god of medicine he does interact with people in an extremely direct way (for instance, by sending dreams to the sick praying to him in his sanctuaries), and despite knowing full well Troy would fall, he chose to enter the fray himself and was very aggressive (and underhanded) in his attempts to delay the inevitable. This duality is also expressed in his relationship with women - most stories in this sense are marked by potential lovers fleeing him and rejecting him (possibly another sun-related metaphor), and there aren’t a lot of families or heroes claiming direct kinship with him. Which, again, is unusual, because Apollo is a very powerful god with a well-established place in the pantheon, so you’d expect more genealogy myths and more people bragging about some kind of relationship with him. And on top of all that, there is a very weird but consistent theme in iconography - Apollo striking the giant Tityos with a sword -

- while his mother, whom Tityos had attacked, veils her head in shame and horror. Here you see again this duality between remote distance and alarming proximity: the bow and arrows (Apollo’s ‘normal’ weapons) vs a sword (note the scabbard across Apollo’s back: the sword is clearly his, not wrestled from Tityos). This contradicts the whole ‘sun’ imagery, but it must have been a popular and well-known tale, because we find it again and again in iconography.

(Plus, it’s one of my all-favourite cups, so I’m always happy for any excuse to share it. I mean, look at how the characters fit inside the circle, at the transparent fabric of Leto’s veil, barely hiding her profile  - at the fancy bracelet Apollo’s wearing! Perfection.)

3) Apollo is both cold logic and childlike idiocy

I know that by reading mythology anthologies, you’re left with this feeling all gods are sort of dumbasses and also very changeable, but that’s not so true - except when it comes to Apollo. Like, a very early myth, appearing in the Homeric hymns, is how he gets outwitted again and again by baby Hermes; another story, also incredibly ancient, is Herakles making him look like a fool while storming Delphi. And yet, this is also the god of reason, of logic, of science and moderation. We’re supposed to consider him wise and even-handed, almost Buddha-like - despite the fact he often gets outsmarted and reacts to that in very vengeful, extreme ways (think of Cassandra, or of Marsyas). Again, it’s possible what we see here is simply layers on top of layers - an original sun god, far and indifferent to human emotion, but also the archetype of the Young God, destined to be sacrificed and reborn, and also the conqueror and devourer of the one Grossman beautifully calls ‘Our Lady Underground’ - because Apollo’s powers of prophecy are just him taking over older (and possibly unGreek) rituals.

Ultimately, Apollo’s a kind of ‘everything’ god, embodying things as different as prophecy and rationality, health and pestilence, wolves and mice and dolphins - unlike Zeus, who fits in the mold of the Indo-European gods down to a T, Apollo was clearly a bit of a mystery to the Greeks themselves - so much so that he was given a disjointed mess of odd jobs and tasks. In a way, this always made me like him more - knowing even his people didn’t understand him very well lessened the pressure for me to try and make sense of him. Instead, I sort of chose to consider him the original problematic fave and decided to keep studying in a more relaxed way - to simply read stuff and enjoy.

[hellenic-reconstructionism]

Historically Accurate Offerings to the Theoi

Zeus

Oak

Carnations

Olive branches

Styrax incense

Eagle, bull, swan images

Hera

Lilies

Peacock feathers or images

Pomegranate

Incenses

Cuckoo images

Athena

Olive branch/oil/fruit

Weavings

Myrrh incense

Perfume

Owl images

Apollon

Laurel

Red roses, sunflowers

Frankincense (manna) incense

Palm tree

Raven, swan, wolf, mouse, dolphin images

Artemis

Cedar, palm and cypress trees

Tokens of deer

Jasmine

Myrtle, white flowers

Frankincense (manna) incense

Amaranthus

Peanut

Wormwood

Deer, dog, bear, partidge, quail images

Hestia

Incenses

Chaste-tree

Pig images

Poseidon

Sea anemone

Myrrh incense

Pine

Bull, dolphin, horse images

Dionysos

Ivy

Grape vine

Pine

Styrax incense

Leopard, panther, donkey, bull images

Hermes

Tongue-shaped tokens

Rosemary, saffron

Almond tree and pine tree

Frankincense and styrax incense

Mint (for Kthonios epithet)

Cow, ram, hawk, turtle, hare images

Wild strawberry (purslane)

Ares

Bronze weapons

Frankincense (manna) incense

Swan, vulture, dragon/poisonous snake, owl images

Aphrodite

Roses, myrtle, anemone (poppy)

Quince

Apple, pomegranate

Perfumes and fragrances as incense

Dove, goose, sparrow, turtle images

Hephaistos

Daisies

Frankincense (manna) incense

Donkey, dog, crane images

Asklepios

Frankincense (manna) incense

Bread

Serpent, dog, goose, rooster images

Pan

Pine, beech trees

Fern

Wild flowers

Herbs burnt as incense and the smell of perfumes

Reeds

Goat, turtle images

Demeter

Poppy

Tokens of pigs

Styrax incense

Mint (for Kthonia epithet)

Wheat

Dove, bee, pig images

Persephone

Asphodel

Wheat

Hades

Pitchfork

Pomegranate

Daffodil

Styrax incense

Dried laurel leaves

Poplar, cypress trees

Mint

Daffodil

Hekate

Saffron

Rosemary

Garlic

Red Mullet

Amphiphon (candy)

Styrax incense

Dry laurel leaves

Oak

Ferret, dog, bull, lioness images

Source: LABRYS’ Hellenic Polytheism: Household Worship and Theoi.com

[reallytinydragon-blog]

Easy Ways to Connect More Strongly with your Deities

Say Good Morning when you wake up, say Good Night before you fall asleep

Share your food with them. If you’ve ever wanted some of your friend’s french fries, you know how they probably feel. 

Donate to causes that fall under the jurisdiction of your deity. Are they a goddess for women? Donate to a women’s shelter or Planned Parenthood. Is your deity a patron of the arts? Give to PBS or local theatres.

Cook a full meal in honor of your deity. Seriously. It sounds silly but you can definitely find a regional cookbook based on your pantheon to cook a full ass feast for them.

Write them letters or notes. Keep a little notebook of notes and letters to your deity. Did you see a cute cat that you think Frigga would’ve liked? Maybe you saw a girl’s outfit that would’ve made Aphrodite drool. Let them know, or give yourself a reminder to tell them about it later.

Change your phone background. Does your deity have a temple or built pantheon? Put that shit as your wallpaper! Did you find a picture that so perfectly captures the spirit of your deity? Make it your lock screen.

Make them a Mix Tape. You know, so you can belt out songs in their honor while making your way downtown. Faces pass. And you’re home bound. 

DIY your Altar. I’m not going to lie, I’m not to altar type. However, it is a fantastically personalized space that you can do anything with. So don’t let anyone stop you from knitting that mini statue of Hecate a scarf. 

[heatherwitch]

Incense for the Theoi

A collection of personal associations. You are more than welcome to add your own, but I don’t want to see any bashing of this list of PERSONAL associations. They work for somebody, deal with it!

Asteria – vanilla, mulberry, frankincense

Amphitrite – ocean, orchid, coconut

Aphrodite – rose, apple/cinnamon, jasmine, sandalwood, vanilla, coconut

Apollo – cinnamon, frankincense, apple

Ares – dragon’s blood, frankincense, pomegranate

Artemis – lavender, spruce, queen of the night, cedar, sage

Athena – green tea, sage, bergamot

Boreas – rain, honey, lavender

Circe – sage, bergamot, violet

Cronus – orange, mint, musk

Demeter – myrrh, honey almond, cinnamon

Dionysus – wine, jasmine, pine, berry

Eos -  jasmine, rain, lavender, orchid

Eris – peppermint, apple, violet

Eros – apple, rose, gardenia

Gaia – peach, oak, myrrh, patchouli, sage

Hades – coffee, dragon’s blood, mulberry, cypress

Hecate – violet, lavender, queen of the night

Helios – coconut, orange, cinnamon, jasmine

Hephaestus – sandalwood, patchouli, musk

Hera – jasmine, linen, orchid, sage

Hermes – musk, sandalwood, strawberry

Hestia – amber, cinnamon, sage, frankincense

Hygeia – linen, rain, gardenia, jasmine

Hypnos – chamomile, vanilla, lavender

Iris – strawberry, violet, lavender

Khione – lemongrass, vanilla, jasmine, orchid

Morpheus – honeysuckle, fairy dreams (Hem), rose

Nike – sandalwood, rose, jasmine, sage, cedar

Nyx – cedarwood, mint, jasmine-rose blend

Pan – cedar, patchouli, oak

Persephone – apple cider, rosemary, lavender, mint

Poseidon – pine, ocean, rain

Prometheus – mulberry, dragon’s blood, chamomile

Psyche – wisteria, peppermint, jasmine

Selene – gardenia, sage, lavender

Themis – sandalwood, sage, patchouli, jasmine

Tyche – sage, amber, frankincense, mint

Zeus – sage, musk, sandalwood, pine

General Incense for the Theoi:

Frankincense

Sage

Sandalwood

Divine Power or Celestial Pack (Hem brand)

With contributions from:

@fuzzynecromancer, @heatherwitch, @hellenicpagan, @hekatesstrygx, @jnet-erin, @katxnightwind, @myrtlerose, @nowgoesthesun, @pomegranateandivy, @pppcme, @studyhallcousins. 

Inspired by:

This lovely post!

[demeterspriestess]

The Pillars of Hellenic Worship

Timothy Jay Alexander says there are seven pillars of Hellenismos: Ethike Arete (ethics), Eusebia (reverence of the Gods), Hagneia (ritual purity by avoiding miasma), Nomos Arkhaios (observance of tradition), Sophia (pursuit of wisdom and truth), Sophrosune (control of self through deep contemplation), and Xenia (hospitality). I’ve seen people say there are nine pillars, some say four, some say “what pillars?” Personally, I think it can be simplified into two categories: ethics and reverence.

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[demeterspriestess]

Hades, Lord of the Underworld

Haunted by darkness and death. Found One who loved Him, And She took away His breath.

From Zeus, Lord of All, He asked for a wife, Kore, who is wise, And so full of life.

“To marry My Daughter, You must prove Your worth. Steal Her from Me, And Her Mother on Earth.”

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