Irregular in her ways and a woman-lover

Dagan ✸ 24 ✸ she, he ✸ ftm butch, tme ✸ ancient Greek religion/Hellenisticism ✸ Zeus Ammon, Hera, Athena, Hekate, Kypris, & Hermes ✸ eng + j'apprends le français + μαθαίνω ελληνικά

[ombrokharis]

about me

Dagan ✷ she, he ✷ ftm butch ⚢, tme ✷ @seedsandsprouts’s 🫀 ✷ audhd ∞ ✷ 24 years old ✷ white, southern and western European-American ✷ anthropology & classics student, undergraduate ✷ Zeus enthusiast

about my religion

I've been worshipping the theoí for eight years and reconstructing ancient Greek religion for six!

about this blog

first thing's first, here is the link to my personal library of sources on ancient Greek religion! 😀

wip!

my other blogs

@butchetaira is my ancient Greek sex blog (18+ ONLY)

FASCISTS FUCK OFF.

Fuck racism. Fuck white nationalism. Fuck antisemitism. Fuck sexism. Fuck queerphobia and transphobia. Fuck ableism. Fuck the ruling class. Diversity, Unity, and Love until the day the Sun explodes. Be intolerant of intolerance.

I don't answer anon hate 🧄

[kamshakahara]

I don't mean to start a fight with this, also because black washing is 97% of the time bullshit but it doe's sits right with me how Helen is black in the new odyssey movie. She's canonically blond and blue eyed not because 'yes' but because back in ancient greece it was a sign of bad luck. It kind of like. Takes away a huge point in her character. I also talked about it with my history of art teacher and he said that they most likely did that only for it being a token character. Idk if this all makes sense😞

[ombrokharis]

Once again, I am asking people who don't know shit about the Homeric epics to shut the fuck up. Helen is neither described as yellow-haired nor blue-eyed. The issue of the color blue has been one of the Big Homeric Questions for fucking centuries. And the word for "blonde" doesn't mean what you fucking think it means in Greek.

You don't give a shit about proper Hellenic representation. You're just a racist who would rather have a white non-Greek play Helen over a Black woman.

[temperamentalgreen]

🌱🌾Demeter, 𐀯𐀵𐀡𐀴𐀛𐀊🌾🌱

"As the Basket comes, greet it, ye women, saying “Demeter, greatly hail! Lady of much bounty, of many measures of corn.” As the Basket comes, from the ground shall ye behold it, ye uninitiated, and gaze not from the roof or from aloft, child nor wife nor maid hath shed her hair, neither then nor when we spit from parched mouths fasting. Hesperus from the clouds marks the time of its coming: Hesperus, who alone persuaded Demeter to drink, what time she pursued the unknown tracks of her stolen daughter.

Lady, how were thy feet able to carry thee unto the West, unto the black men and where the golden apples are? Thou didst not drink nor didst thou eat during that time nor didst thou wash. Thrice didst thou cross Achelous with his silver eddies, and as often didst thou pass over each of the ever-flowing rivers, and thrice didst thou seat thee on the ground beside the fountain Callichorus, parched and without drinking, and didst not eat nor wash.

Nay, nay, let us not speak of that which brought the tear to Deo! Better to tell how she gave cities pleasing ordinances; better to tell how she was the first to cut straw and holy sheaves of corn-ears and put in oxen to tread them, what time Triptolemus was taught the good craft ---

O Demeter, never may that man be my friend who is hateful to thee, nor ever may he share party-wall with me; ill neighbours I abhor

Sing, ye maidens, and ye mothers, say with them: “Demeter, greatly hail! Lady of much bounty, of many measures of corn.” And as the four white-haired horses convey the Basket, so unto us will the great goddess of wide dominion come bringing white spring and white harvest and winter and autumn, and keep us to another year. And as unsandalled and with hair unbound we walk the city, so shall we have foot and head unharmed for ever. And as the van-bearers bear vans full of gold, so may we get gold unstinted. As far as the prytaneia let the uninitiated follow, but the initiated even unto the very shrine of the goddess, as many as are under sixty years. But those that are heavy and she that stretches her hand to Eileithyia and she that is in pain, sufficient it is that they go so far as their knees are able. And to them Deo shall give all things to overflowing, even as if they came unto her temple.

Hail, goddess, and save this people in harmony and in prosperity, and in the fields bring us all pleasant things! Feed our kine, bring us flocks, bring us the corn-ear, bring us harvest! And bring peace, that he who sows may also reap. Be gracious, O thrice-prayed for, great Queen of goddesses!"

---- Callimachus, Hymn 6 to Demeter 🌾

[grendel-menz]

Article 1 | Article 2 | Addameer

Reading through these articles by Al Jazeera and the HRW had my heart stop cold. Not only do military trials of Palestinians have a 96% conviction rate and prisons full of horrible, torturous conditions, but now there's this. Just vile. Please give the articles a read if you've the time. There's more out there as well.

If you are interested in helping a family survive and escape Gaza, please consider contributing to my friend Hamza's fundraiser, or supporting him other ways. His family has several young children, and I worry about them deeply.

[wholeheartedsuggestions]

are you more of a morning, daytime, or night kind of person?

morning

daytime

night

Voting ended onApr 1

[pinamalodi]

My Zeus

[bodhi-devotee]

Who is Zeus-Helios?

Zeus-Helios is the syncretization of the greek deities King Zeus and the titian, Helios. Zeus-Helios means more to me than i can express without getting derailed, but know i have vowed myself to Him without regret (here’s me gushing). many have been curious as to the logic behind the syncretism of Zeus-Helios and i’m thrilled to explain!

☀️ Zeus is often conflated with the kemetic Amun. Amun is very commonly syncretized with Ra, the kemetic sun god! so a figure akin to Zeus-Helios, Amun-Ra, has already been formed and revered in antiquity. the connection isn’t unheard of!

⚡️ in the orphic hymn to Helios, the title ‘immortal Zeus’ is used to describe Helios! this seems to be one of the most convincing pieces of evidence to me of this syncretism being present in the ancient world!

— tossing aside this one specific instance of the two literally sharing a name, they also often share qualities and domains. both are described as having relevance in fertility and paternity, truth, foresight and omnipotence, justice and oaths, masculinity, authority, and light.

☀️ in orphic myth it is believed Zeus controls and connects all forces of the cosmos, and that all things live in Him. some go as far as to say that our universe is housed in Zeus’ belly! i view the Sun, as the center of and sole connecting force of our solar system, as the physical embodiment of this role.

— from the derveni papyrus, a commentary on orphic belief: "Zeus, when from his father the prophesied rule and strength in his hands he took and the glorious daimon . . . the god [Phanes] who first sprang forth into the Aither (Light). Kronos (Cronus, Time) who did a mighty deed to Ouranos (Uranus, Sky), son of Nyx (Night), who became king first of all; following him again Kronos, and then Zeus the contriver. Zeus when, from his father the prophecy having heard, strength in his hands he took, and the glorious daimon [Phanes], the reverend one, he swallowed, who first sprang forth into the Aither. [So Zeus swallowed the body] of the Firstborn king [Phanes], the reverend one. And with him all the immortals became one, the blessed gods and goddesses and rivers and lovely springs and everything else that then existed: he became the only one."

— and from orphic fragment 168: “Zeus is the head and center, for all things are from Zeus… Zeus is the foundation of earth and starry heaven. Zeus is sovereign of all for he is the first cause of all things. In one divine power, emerging one divinity, the commander of the world.”

⚡️ even in practices that don’t consider Zeus to be a creator god, He is still a life-bearing god of fertility. the Sun gives rise to all living things! the fertility aspect of Zeus, His life-giving rain, would be null and void without Helios. rain and other weather phenomena would not be possible without the Sun evaporating the rain after it pours from the clouds, and the Sun would have no water left to grant life unto earth with if Zeus didn’t rain and give it all back to the land. all natural forces play into each other, but the Sun and the Sky are notably interwoven.

☀️ Dyeus, the proto-indo-european god Zeus is believed to have derived from, was likely a god specifically of the daytime sky if we follow the linguistic roots! i mean, the sky is just darkness and night until the Sun grants us the Day

thank you SO much for reading. thank you to everyone who shared their curiosity or support. thank you most to Zeus-Helios, my Heavenly Father, for the never ending blessings

[whats-the-word-again]

This was super interesting and something I hadn’t thought to heavily about before, but it makes a lot of sense! I might have to do some further research cause this works very well to how I view both Zeus and Helios… hm, some thinking to do.

[whats-the-word-again]

If I may add to this, while doing some research I found some other sources that syncretise the two! ⚡☀️

Also, I've been thinking about it all day and I really do think I'll be taking on this syncretisation within my practice. It feels right for me. Plus, whilst I've been researching and thinking it over I've felt such warmth in my chest and like someone peeking over my shoulder. Most likely nothing, but it does feel good.

"... He [Zeus] initiates blessings of all sorts, not only by means of the light with which He illumines it, adorning it and giving it its splendour, but also because He calls into existence, along with Himself, the substance of the Sun’s angels; and that finally in Himself He comprehends the ungenerated cause of things generated, and further, and prior to this, the ageless and abiding cause of the life of the imperishable bodies.”

-Flavius Claudius Iulianus Augustus / Julian the Great, Hymn to King Helios

“The clamour from both sides reached the sky and Zeus’ rays.”

-Homer, Iliad, 13.837

“[The sun is] The eye of Zeus, seeing all and understanding all, beholds these things too, if so He will, and fails not to mark what sort of justice is this that the city keeps within it."

-Hesiod, Work and Days, 267

ALSO

Although not Helios himself, Zeus has been equated with other Sun gods in history! These include:

Sol / Sol Invictus [who was syncretised with Helios]

Elagabal [who was syncretised with Sol + Jupiter]

Mithras

Sol Invictus (Unconquered Sun) was the sun god of the Late Roman Empire, taking over from the original, Sol. While Sol Invictus wasn't normally tied to Zeus, he was tied to Elagabal (or Heliogabalus), the Arab-Roman sun god. Elagabal came to Rome during the reign of Elagabalus whose family were mostly priests of Elagabal. During Elagabalus' reign, she also replaced the head of the pantheon from Deus (Zeus/Jupiter) to Deus Sol Invictus, combining the two. So they're all kind of entwined there.

Then adding Mithras into the mix, who was a sun god, but solely associated with Zeus rather than Helios or Sol. This mainly refers to Mithras' role as ruler, guarantor of kingship, and being the supreme god in Mithraism. Also, one of the kings of modern day Afghanistan, Hermaeus, issued bronze coins with the head of Zeus-Mithras on one side and a horse on the other.

Mithras was also occasionally syncretised with the Orphic Phanes, who in Orphic tradition is swallowed by Zeus... if that's anything?

Sorry if none of this makes sense or you already knew this, but I thought it may be interesting to look into Zeus' conflation with other sun/solar deities too!

[bodhi-devotee]

THIS IS SO COOOOOL! other people acknowledging Zeus-Helios in their practice is the most wonderful thing in the world. i love my Father so much and every piece of information that confirms i didn’t pull this syncretization out of my ass makes me jump for joy 😭😭😭

THANK YOU FOR THE INFO! i was aware of Mithras’ conflation with Zeus and aware of Mithras’ solar associations, but i failed to make the connection with Zeus-Helios. thanks for opening my eyes to that

i knew of Sol Invictus but NOT Deus Sol Invictus, or the hymn to King Helios by Emporer Julian. i have so much reading to do now. i seriously appreciate your input 💞☀️

[ombrokharis]

Are you using garlic to ward off anon hate? Interesting.

yes:) garlic is a purgative agent & also there isn't a squill emoji so i 🧄🧄🧄🧄

[ombrokharis]

Good morning to the "Persephone doesn't descend until June" crowd—i.e., me

[ombrokharis]

soz, y'all

I've been busy ancient Greekin' my shit

[temperamentalgreen]

🪞🐐 Laughter-Loving Aphrodite 🦪🕊

"Of Cytherea, born in Cyprus, I will sing. She gives kindly gifts to men: smiles are ever on her lovely face, and lovely is the brightness that plays over it. Hail, goddess, queen of well-built Salamis and sea-girt Cyprus; grant me a cheerful song. And now I will remember you and another song also." -Homeric Hymn 10 to Aphrodite

"Heavenly, smiling Aphrodite, praised in many hymns, sea-born, revered goddess of generation, you like the nightlong revel and you couple lovers at night, O scheming mother of Necessity. Everything comes from you; you have yoked the world, and you control all three realms. You give birth to all, to everything in heaven, upon the fruitful earth and in the depths of the sea, O venerable companion of Bacchos. You delight in festivities, O bridelike mother of the Erotes, O Persuasion whose joy is in the bed of love, secretive, giver of grace, visible and invisible, lovely-tressed daughter of a noble father, bridal feast companion of the gods, sceptered she-wolf, beloved and man-loving giver of birth and of life, with your maddening love-charms you yoke mortals and the many races of beasts to unbridled passion. Come, O goddess born in Cyprus, whether you are on Olympos, O queen, exulting in the beauty of your face, or you wander in Syria, country of fine frankincense, or, yet, driving your golden chariot in the plain,you lord it over Egypt’s fertile river bed. Come, whether you ride your swan-drawn chariot over the sea’s billows, joying in the creatures of the deep as they dance in circles, or you delight in the company of the dark-faced nymphs on land,(as, light-footed, they frisk over the sandy beaches). Come, lady, even if you are in Cyprus that cherishes you, where fair maidens and chaste nymphs throughout the year sing of you, O blessed one, and of immortal, pure Adonis. Come, O beautiful and comely goddess; I summon you with holy words and pious soul." - Orphic Hymn to Aphrodite 

I was heavily inspired by @ombrokharis beautiful drawings of Kypris. She's still unfinished, but I wanted to post her before the file corrupts. Im planning on switching to a new drawing program soon, which will relieve the worry about that happening again. I would've loved to add more ornamentation and trinkets

[medusaspeach]

Primordials, Ouranos and Gaia - the honeymoon period

Titans, Kronos and Rhea

In some versions of the myth, Ida and Adrasteia were two nymphs whom Rhea entrusted to raise Zeus. Here, they are the daughters of Melisseus, a demigod of honey and beekeeping. Making them bee nymphs, which I thought was so cute.

[temperamentalgreen]

Old W.I.P of Zeus Velchanos 🌧

Started drawing him after reading about The Hymn to Dictaean Zeus. The hymn invokes Zeus as the "greatest kouros," worshipped as a fertility god who welcomes the young initiates at the annual festival at his birthplace, Mount Dicte. In the hymn, Zeus, who "jumps" herds, fields, ships, cities, and young citizens,is called upon to return to Dicte and enjoy the singing that is taking place at his altar.

I mainly experimented with colors in this, and there's still a lot I need to learn before I can finish it. I am grateful to everyone who has given me good advice to move forward. But I had a lot of fun

[ombrokharis]

One of my favorite artists, so FOLLOW THEM!

[medusaspeach]

I finally colored this little guy

some variations

[xaoca]

Electrical discharge pattern, 1900 John Matthias Kuehne

[ombrokharis]

kicking off the new year right with LEG DAY, just like Hermes would want

[ombrokharis]

2026 let's goooo

[shrine-of-the-theoi]

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!!!