Η Λέξεις και Οι Θεοί (The Words and the Gods)
~A Guide on Respectfully Using The Greek Language in Worship and Witchcraft~
Hey Tumblr pals! I’m writing this post to speak about an issue I feel very strongly about: the Greek Language. I grew up in a Greek Orthodox Church, went to Greek School, danced in Greek Festivals and folk dance competitions (The above is a photo of myself and two friends performing a traditional Pirgousikos dance), worked part time in a Greek diner, baked (and still bake!) Baklava and Tsoureki and Koulourakia on special occasions, the whole sha-bang.
Since joining the Witchblr community I’ve met a lot of people that feel really connected to the Greek pantheon. Let me begin by saying I am in NO WAY going to discourage you from worshiping the Ancient Greek gods. That is no one’s place to say. Ancient Greek religious culture is not closed, and has influenced a TON about how we understand religion, myth, spirituality, and storytelling in the modern west. It is perfectly fine for a non-Greek person to worship Ancient Greek gods.
What I AM going to do is talk about the Greek language, and how to appropriately use it in your devotion to/appreciation of Ancient Greece, the Greek pantheon, and Greek Culture.
First, some things to understand about the Greek Language:
1. There are many forms of Greek.
The 2 most common that people learn are “biblical” (also called “ancient” or “koine” Greek), and “modern.” Each are the same language but have slightly different rules regarding how they work, and different current uses. Also keep in mind that not all regions of Greece speak Greek the same way. A person from Athens will speak differently than a person from Cyprus. Greek is a living language with nuance just like English, German, or French!
2. Biblical Greek is a highly religious language.
Like Latin in the Catholic Church, it is mostly seen and used in Greek Orthodox churches. It is the language we pray in, and it is how we connect to God. This makes it a very sacred language for many people
3. The Greek language and Christian religion were almost wiped out by the Ottoman Empire from 1453-1890s.
Greeks held on to these aspects of their ethnic identity under grueling circumstances. The Ottoman Turks were not kind to Greek Christians and worked very hard to destroy their sense of ethnic identity. Greek people today still feel the shadow of the Turkish empire because in the 1970s Turkey invaded Cyprus and illegally took the northern half of the island from Greek Cypriots. People alive today remember fleeing their homes from Turkish bombs! Again, the language is special and sacred and must be treated with respect.
Now that you understand some basics about the language, here are a list of things you should NEVER DO with it:
1. DO NOT use Greek letters to spell anglicized words.
For example, you do not spell “Greek” as ΓΡΣΣΚ. That spells GRSSK which is gibberish. I’ve seen some people spell Aphrodite ΛΡΗΓΦΔΙΤΕ which literally spells LRIGTHTHITI which just looks stupid. If you are going to use Greek letters, spell actual Greek words.
2. DO NOT get it tattooed on your body without CAREFUL CONSIDERATION of why you MUST use the Greek alphabet instead of the alphabet of your language.
For example, Aphrodite may be the deity you worship, but avoid getting her name tattooed in Greek on your body unless you have a very strong spiritual or cultural connection to the language as well. Remember that this is the language a large body of people pray in and that barely survived Ottoman oppression. It is not a “cool” or “exotic” fashion statement.
Next, some practices I highly encourage Greek Pantheon worshipers to do with the Greek language:
Greek is an incredible language! You like the Greek gods and want to use their language to worship them and communicate with them? Learn all that you are able about Greek! Study the alphabet, order children’s books, read about the history of the language. You’ll quickly learn more than me! 😂
2. Use it (properly) in spells and prayers!
Want to use Greek characters in spells or sigils? Go for it! Just make sure you are studying the language so you can use it as appropriately as possible. It’s okay if your spelling isn’t always perfect or your grammar is a bit off, as long as you are respecting the language and those who used it and still use it by doing your best and learning from your mistakes!
Treat it as a special, sacred representation of a history and a people. If you have to ask yourself if the use of the language is respectful or not, it probably isn’t!
I understand that there are other Greek speaking people who may disagree with some of my points here. The intention of this is not to speak the will of all Greek speakers. It is to advise non-Greek speaking witches and pagans who want to use the language in their devotion and work on how to respectfully approach this beautiful and important language.
Finally, I appreciate that you made it all the way to the end of this post! Please take this advice and have productive discussions with others about the use of languages in worship and witchcraft!
