When we see Miasma being talked about today, we often only hear of the term Miasma being used, but historically there were multiple terms used when speaking of ritual impurity.
𝐿𝓎𝓂𝒶
♡ Lyma is the everyday spiritual impurities that we incur, it is the basis of what separates us from the Gods, we become afflicted with lyma through any contact with bodily fluids or blood and disease. It can be purified through performing khernips or simply washing yourself before prayer.
♡ When we talk about performing purification before praying or worshipping the Theoi, we are mostly talking about purification from Lyma, although we may still describe substances that emit Lyma as "Miasmic"
♡ Although bodily fluids and blood are considered Miasmic substances, acts that may produce these things are not inherently considered miasmic, as we see the Gods being offered animal sacrifices.
𝑀𝒾𝒶𝓈𝓂𝒶
♡ The term Miasma is frequently used as a catch-all term for any sort of spiritual impurity within' the hellenic framework, however historically Miasma referred to spiritual impurity of more seriousness than Lyma.
♡ Miasma is incurred by contact with death, or blood spilled from violence(i. e, hurting another person), and in order to purify from it you usually need to perform fasting, and/or give offerings to purification deities such as Zeus, Apollon or Hygeia.
♡ If Miasma goes un-purified, it can affect your ability to reconcile with the Gods, and it is considered highly disrespectful to perform formal worship while in a Miasmic state.
𝒜𝑔𝑜𝓈
♡ Agos is considered the most severe form of spiritual impurity, it is incurred through comitting heinous acts of disrespect to the Gods, such as disrespecting a Gods temple, or other extreme acts of sacrilege, it can also be incurred via committing murder.
♡ Agos is often seen as a type of curse, one afflicted with Agos is bound to the deity whom they have offended. It is often believed this curse goes beyond the human realm.
♡ Agos cannot be purified by any mortal means, it can only be purified by divine intercession, often after years and years of penance.
