An Act of Devotion

Hellenic Polytheist | Lycian Reconstruction | Aphrodite 🕊️ | Ares, Hestia, & Demeter

[orsialos]

Khaîre, and welcome! If you've found my blog you are probably a Hellenic Polytheist or pagan. I'm touched you'd want to join my humble corner of the internet.

About Me

Rabidly Pro-Choice, Pro-Universal Healthcare, and a Trans Rights Activist

This blog is strictly 18+. Mature content is sometimes posted and I am not responsible for making sure my followers are not underage

My asks are always open, although responses may be delayed. I am using this blog less frequently than previously, but am still around!

Side blog (all things HelPol with a dash of other religions) (inactive atm)

Search my tags - just add the tagged word or phrase @ the end of the url (sorry loves, I'm not sure why tumblr won't make this the default when using the search feature). Suggested search tags in my bio

Hellenic Polytheist Practices

Devotee of Lady Aphrodite

Main Worship - Ares, Demeter, & Hestia however I respect and honor all the Theoi

Hellenic Polytheist for ~ 6 years; Lycian & Boeotian Reconstructionist (dash of Corinthian and Kyprian too)

εὐσέβεια (eusebeia): reverence and loyalty to the Theoi

κᾰθᾰρμός (katharmos): ritual purity/cleanliness

Χάρις (kharis): giving to the Theoi so that they may return their blessings

ἀρετή (arete): realization of personal excellence and potential

ξενία (Xenia): Hospitality and giving to those less fortunate

Master List - Hellenic Polytheism Resources

Aphrodite

Chthonic Aphrodite (not mine)

Ares, Aphrodite, & Harmonia theory

On Her Birth - Hesiod's Theogony

Aphrodite, the Many Faced

Aphrodite Areia (not mine)

Communicating with Aphrodite (and the other gods)

Thoughts about the historical origins of Aphrodite (not mine)

Aphrodite & Persephone - frenemies, or much ado about nothing?

Quick introduction to Aphroditus (trans Aphrodite) (not mine)

Ares

Ares - More than a stereotypical war god

Ritual Binding of Ares

Researching Ares - where to start

Festivals & Calendars

Thesmophoria (Festival) (WIP as of 8/22)

The Adeia (new festival for Demeter courtesy of Aurora)

The Adeia - my version for Demeter & Ares

Unnamed Festival in honor of Ares - WIP (currently researching)

Developing a calendar (not mine)

More calendar advice (not mine)

Resources & Recommendations

Hellenic Phrases & Sayings (not mine)

Research sites (not mine)

Hellenic Polytheism General Info

Ritual Purity (not mine)

On Miasma (not mine)

Kharis / The Beggar & the Oracle of Delphi

What is Eusebeia? (not mine)

Why Personal Devotion Matters (not mine)

Hellenic Prayers (not mine)

Hellenic phrases for prayers & worship (not mine)

Incense in Ancient Greece (not mine)

Master List - My Devotionals & Poems

Aphrodite

to Aphrodite, my beloved Mother

Her Heavenly Grace

Delicate Adonis

Loud-roaring Aphrodite

Delicate Adonis is Dying (not mine but I love it so much)

Ares

the beloved of The Laughter Loving Goddess

to Ares, (with love and hope)

Other Deities

a journey with Demeter Anêsídôra

for Gaia, from the garden bench

a humble prayer for deliverance from sickness

Kore, a mournful ode

for Apollon

Personal / misc

Icarus and I

[foogriffy]

would you still love me if i was a worm?

[hestiashearthfire]

Sometimes I think of going back to the Church. You know, I miss the community and I miss having IRL co-religionists. It’s hard. I like Hellenic Polytheism, but I do miss Church. I feel like we don’t talk about that enough. For some of us, leaving the old religion is really hard. It’s a loss to be grieved. I think that’s important to acknowledge.

[orsialos]

I'm with you so much, OP. I grew up in a Unitarian Universalist congregation and I miss it something fierce. I feel like I am on a spiritual island now. Yes it's lush and beautiful and makes me happy, but it's still just me. I miss gathering in song with dozens of other voices, praising the creators of the universe in our own ways while still joining together in prayer.

I think often about going to the local UU congregation where I live. Maybe one day I might do it. As much as I crave community and connection, I am also a hermit and am often loathe to leave my safe and quiet house. And as a worshipper of Aphrodite and the old gods I just don't know if they hold a space for me.

Sometimes islands are prisons, and sometimes they are paradise. Maybe mine is a bit of both.

[wolfythewitch]

Goddess of the harvest

[crazycatsiren]

People who are simply finding comfort in their faiths aren't your enemies.

[orsialos]

"In Hesiod’s Theogony, Ares and Aphrodite, allies in battle in the Iliad, appear as a divine couple. Their third child, after the warriors Phobos and Deimos, was a daughter, Harmonia, who married high-spirited Cadmus, founder of Thebes. It is dangerous to read too much into divine genealogies. There seems to be little significance in the fact that Hebe and Eileithyia were Ares’ sisters, and it is possible that the nature of Harmonia, Harmony, was seen to be connected purely to that of her mother, just as Phobos and Deimos were connected primarily to their father. Wilamowitz, however, suggested that to the Thebans (and Hesiod was a Boeotian poet), the marriage of Ares and Aphrodite, that is to say, of the incarnations of the martial sense and the loving, gave birth to civilization, through Harmonia, and her marriage to Cadmus."

War and the Warrior: Functions of Ares in Literature and Cult. Alexander T. Millington. Pg 98, 2013.

I have nothing to add except that I love this quote and it keeps bouncing around in my head today.

[orsialos]

Interesting to note, the dissertation I'm reading about Ares and his cult worship describes several (at least 3) temples that were dedicated to both Aphrodite *and* Ares. While it is unclear how much of the cult activity included the worship of the two as a divine couple, it is undeniable that the two were linked. Once I'm done with this research, which is all for the festival I'm reconstructing lol, I'm going to start reading more about the dual worship of these two deities.

I *also* think it's interesting to note that Aphrodite has links to the Sumerians and Ares has links to various nomadic war gods from the steppes of the Caucasus region to what is now modern day Turkey as more of a protector deity. I don't know what that means, but it is interesting to ponder as I continue reading more about Ares.

[orsialos]

As I realized I never specified this, one of the dual sanctuaries dedicated to Aphrodite and Ares in the north-west of Argos outside of the urban sprawl, and another is in a flat area next to the modern settlement of Ellinika, between Agios Nikolaos and Elounda and dedicated to Aphrodite (the "ancient Aphrodision" according to late 2nd century BC inscriptions). After conflicts between two rival city-states demolished the old temple, a new temple for Aphrodite and Ares was erected in its place.

I find this second sanctuary particularly fascinating. If the old temple was destroyed over land disputes, why rededicate it to the old goddess who had lost her temple? Was it out of sheer reverence for Aphrodite? While we will literally never know, I often like to ponder this thought when I think of these two seemingly opposite forces at work. Love and war have never been that far from each other.

[lennyeatscurry]

How popular is traditional art here? Especially if you can’t take good pictures? 😭

He’s also very shiny! (And the silver is a hint to Artemis)

[orsialos]

o muses

how compelling your inspiration is! I abandoned a story over a decade ago and today, out of nowhere I remembered dear eilonia and the story she first brought to me. and so without thought I pulled out my dusty of laptop and have been happily typing away for the better part of four hours

I have no idea what I intend to do with this but the words flow forth as if a new found spring gurgling up from the ground. I can't stop, it must be written down!

I hear and do, o muses. thank you for the gifts!

[davidluongart]

Dollhouse 🏛️🌸💘

Some closer details of the illustrations of Aphrodite and Ares based on that French Barbie movie poster, with the Greek phrase on Aphrodite’s golden apple and Ares’s chain bracelet mean “for the fairest”.

The background was based on this adorable Greek Santorini church dollhouse that were sold on Etsy. A bit of accidental “big fat Greek wedding vibes” for the gods, even though they are not canonically married.

Link for the inspo below:

etsy.com/shop/Santorini…

[gemsofgreece]

Besides this being as gorgeous as ever, I really love the harmonious co-existence of the ancient and the modern religion!

[davidluongart]

Thank you, @sworebytheriverstyx !!!!

[thegrapeandthefig]

Gods could be generalised, like ‘Zeus’, but they were also localised and specialised: ‘the Zeus of Olympia’ or ‘Zeus of Guests’. In some contexts, the Greeks clearly distinguished between local and shared gods, while in others, they were treated as unified: this has puzzled scholars. ‘Is there such a thing as Zeus, or are there just a huge host of Zeuses?’ This flexibility in divine identity has often been viewed as a central ‘problem’ for scholars of Greek religion, in a way that most Greeks clearly did not conceive of it. There is no answer to this ‘problem’ because the mysterious and flexible nature of divine identity in ancient Greece is not a problem at all: ‘ambiguity was inherent in Greek religious thinking and practice’. A ‘central category of Greek religion’ at the core of the relationship between Greeks and their gods and embedded in the basic building blocks of Greek thought and language about the divine was the belief that there can be no certain knowledge about the gods: this is known as the ‘principle of uncertainty’ or unknowability.

▸ James C Ford, Atheism at the Agora: A History of Unbelief in Ancient Greek Polytheism

[orsialos]

this brought up something I've been long fascinated by. The innate human need to quantify and qualify every detail of our existence and the world around us, to explain away all mysteries and have clearly defined ideas.

While having a quizzical mind is, dare I say, necessary to grow as a person, why must we be so bothered by not knowing that we miss what is in those mysterious places? Pursuit of knowledge is an admirable goal but when it comes to understanding the forces that guide and move our world, why do we expect we should know?

I find the expectation that we unravel all the mysteries of the universe to be quite hubristic. We are mortal, finite creatures trying to qualify the vast cosmic unknown of forces beyond our comprehension. Just as the common citizen does not know the inner workings of the top level government officials (and usually for good reason!), should the same not apply to humans and our pursuit of the divine?

In my many years of trying to find my place in the world and my spirituality, one thing that I ran up against time and time again was this idea that you must know and understand everything. That there are no mysteries because following in your god's footsteps will enlighten you and give you all of the answers. And that just never really sat well with me.

It wasn't until I discovered existentialism that I realized, it's okay to not know. It's okay to not have a purpose in life. It's okay to just be a living creature in this weird little universe that we have. I think that's one of the reasons why I felt so deeply in love with Hellenic polytheism, precisely because it embraces the unknown and the questions that are left unanswered. It makes me feel safe, knowing there is no expectation to become all knowing and understand the deepest intricacies of the universe because truthfully, doesn't that sound a little frightening?

I'm okay leaving some things up to the gods - that comforts me.

[heyitsphoenixx]

the sun literally sets and casts a golden hue over everything every single day and we fucked it all up and invented paying rent

[zal-cryptid]

Aphrodite in all her aspects

[orsialos]

looking for some book recs! Really could be anything and everything, I just wanna read but nothing in my collection is grabbing me and I need to stop defaulting to Lord of the Rings 😅

Preferred genres: historical fiction (esp Japanese, Irish, & Russian), high fantasy (think Lord of the Rings, my golden standard), mysteries/thrillers, philosophy, and non-fiction science (esp anything about microbiology)

Thanks friends 💖

[mythosphere]

Inside every classics major are two wolves. One is alcibiades (whore with hubris) and one is diogenes (hates plato)

[alatismeni-theitsa]

https://www.secretworldofabook.com/post/greek-mythology-retellings-upcoming-2023-releases

I am sure we mentioned it before but this article added new Greek mythology retellings and it's a headache to read. It's always about telling a "feminist" retelling, which is no bad to have more women leads in mythology but here's the problem.

They completely change the main myths and add whatever they please. Like Psyche being a warrior for what? Agamemnon being the bad husband while glamorizing Clytemnestra mistreating Electra and her children as girlboss? Perseus being a bad guy?

Like hold your horses for a moment! Do they not realise that these myths were created and stayed for thousands of years the same for a reason? Because that's the stories of Ancient Greek people! That's their culture and part of modern Greeks as well!

Also why do women need to be warriors all the time in Greek mythology? Not all women relate to want to fights and epic battles, many prefer the old tales when being kind and compassionate was a strong trait not seen as weakness.

I honestly don't know if these books are good or bad but there are many keywords there that alarm me as to the content and phrasing in many of them. The "feminist retelling" brainrot is spreading 😭 The tropes are so predicable at this point, too

[orsialos]

look I'm all for having great stories about women, by women, for women (ok, Barbie anyone???) but repeat after me: ORIGINALITY IS KEY. DON'T COMPLETELY REWRITE A CULTURE AND ANCIENT RELIGION JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE TOO BRAIN DEAD TO COME UP WITH YOUR OWN IDEAS

mother of god it makes me furious in ways I cannot explain. If something is a readaptation of a previous story 99.9% of the time it's horrible. And then especially when you completely change characters and motives. Perseus is a bad guy now? Oh ok sure Jan if you say so.

Also I feel compelled to point out that a strong, interesting female lead ≠ a warrior. You know who's the strongest woman I know? My mum, a fucking pacifist who has only hurt others in self defense. You know who would make a great character for a story? My mum because she's so full of compassionate wisdom and her life practically seems like a story. But oh no, it's all war and battles and proving that we're just as physically capable as men instead of exploring the very real lives that very real women lead

I hate all of it. The only modern reinterpretation I enjoy is The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood tbh and even then it explores Penelope's journey during the events of The Odyssey

[theblonds-deactivated20180919]

Medici Madonna - Michaelangelo (1531) // Katya Zamolodchikova with fan (2015)

[orsialos]

just a reminder that Aphrodite is more than just the "good" side of love. Aphrodite made a promise to Paris that destroyed a marriage and started a continental war.

Aphrodite is not just a "good goddess" who helps with self love and romance and finding your happily ever after. She is the fire that stirs our hearts to kill others in defense of our homes. She is the lust and aching that causes people to stalk those who do not have feelings for them. She is the heartbreak and complete devastation when lovers are torn apart and never reunited again.

Aphrodite is not just your goddess of love and light and pink things and happily ever afters. She is the bringer of victory - Nikêphoros. She is the Warlike - Areia. She is the averter of unlawful desires and actions - Apostrophia. She is one who blessed marriage and unions - Migôntis. She is the one who turns to love - Epistrophia.

[evilios]

This is actually a very important message, which should be understood by people within this branch of polytheistic faith. Aphrodite is a great example of what all Theoi are: an ambivalent power of nature.

Good things can be found in Nature. Bad things can befall on you in Nature. 

Aphrodite was known as the killer of humans for a reason. She is not called “a savior”, in contrast with most Deities, for a reason. I love thinking, with some hint of historical guess, that Aphrodite is among the more “Dangerous” Gods because of how much power She holds: She has immense control over humanity’s desire, She’s very destructive within the life of a polis - a common citizen is more likely to experience a heartbreak than, say, death at sea. While some Gods are dangerous somewhere further away from the city, She’s ever-present everywhere: in personal life, in public life, at war, at sea, in travel and in wilderness.

If you ask me, Aphrodite is quite a terrifying Goddess.

[witches-bottle-deactivated20241]

I think this is something that is very necessary to think about, not even in a gatekeeping context but just how things were. People feared speaking the name of Kore and thus used that and other epithets. I think that, as you say, a deity that is so entirely entwined with the natural way of things is much scarier because of how much sway they have.

Although I'm not entirely for the approach of angry deities because I've experienced scrupulosity, I do feel that it is important to understand that these deities hold immense amounts of power. I mean, look at the hymn for the Daimon which speaks of how it can bring both ruin and prosperity.

[thevivitch]

I definitely run across this a lot, where people assign convenient personalities to gods and goddesses and lose sight of them as forces of nature that are as terrifying as they are beneficent. Thor’s storms will kill you and destroy your crops and the image his hammer will bless your marriage and protect your home. You pray to the gods to not only bless your life but deliver you from the dangerous parts of the world that are within their domain.

Aphrodite is as fickle and capricious as the hearts she holds sway over. She can help you love yourself and others, make your glamour shine a thousand times brighter than any star in the sky, fill your stomach with butterflies, laugh, smile, cry, break apart, hate, resent, fight, hurt, and even kill. Her power causes the greatest stories and the greatest tragedies. Her influence shapes nations as much as individuals.

Praying to the gods is in one part a request that they grant you the boons you wish to make your life better, but woe to those who forget to pray to them to alleviate their suffering too. The gods aren’t vending machines giving out favors, and treating them like plug-and-play rosters of wish-granters will always result in you missing the incredible nuance and context that they can bring to your existence.

[orsialos]

omg y'all the discussion that sprang forth from this quick little post when I was more than a little high really took off! I LOVE the ideas expressed above, but especially the last reblog

remember, the gods are endless and undefined. we as humans feel the compulsion to neatly categorize our world, but doing so with the gods and forces that move the universe is a sure fire way to miss the endless possibilities and sides of these forces that are literally beyond our comprehension

embrace duality, embrace conflicting ideas and motives. the world has never been black & white