Myths and their context in worship
Let’s talk about the myths. The preverbal elephant in Hellenism’s room. Most of were aware of the myths before we even consider worshiping the Theoi. We may have been given the suggestion to read up on the myths when we first came to Hellenism. We may even have given that same suggestion to others; but more and more we, as a community, have been looking at where the myths actually fit into our worship and their relation to how we perceive the Theoi. It’s time to fully look at the myths, what they bring to Hellenism, and just how important, or not, they are to our worship. Let’s start with what is to be gained from the myths. Then we’ll take a look at the issues with myths. Finally I’ll go over some alternative sources, and where we can learn about our faith, outside of the myths.
In my opinion, the primary reason for learning the myths is to learn about events and genealogies attributed to the Theoi. The myths tell us about the Titan wars, Zeus and Hera’s wedding, how Athene became patron to Athens, and more. Myths can be used to describe events which people never witnessed, to explain fantastical things, and to pass down explanations.
The myths provide explanation of parentage for both Theoi and heroes, though there are often conflicting versions of the myths. Still, myth provides an explanation of why Heracles is divine, along with Castor, Pollux, Helen, and many others. Divine parentage, real or invented, is shared through the myths, explaining great deeds and giving an additional sense of authority to city founders and family lines.
Myths can also explain traditions used in worship. Tradition of preparing a wooden bride, the reason why the cuckoo is a symbol of Zeus, why laurel is regarded as sacred—all of these things and more are explained in myth. They’re dressed up into fanciful stories and tails worthy of reward, but they provide reasons for why certain traditions are observed. These traditions rarely are rooted in actual events, but more often than not are attributed to a time that was ancient even to the ancient Greeks, and to people who may never have existed.
Another reason for learning the myths is strictly for the stories. Many of the myths were written for competitions, and we even have some records which who won different competitions. Some of the myths are just good stories, and greatly enjoyable.
While not common, you can also find mention of ritual activity in some myths. The detail is often glossed over, but it can serve as inspiration, support other evidence you’ve found of ritual traditions, or even help you to build your own from scratch.
There are plenty of reasons not to rely on the myths though. They obviously contain problematic material, they are not an accurate representation of how the Theoi were viewed in worship, they are not infallible holy texts, and they contain very little information on how to actually worship. The myths are stories, and while stories can contain lessons, be entertaining, and convey knowledge, these stories are often given more importance than they really have. The first resource people mention is reading the myths. The first place we’re directed to look is in the myths. And so many misconceptions about our faith and worship come from those myths.
The myths were all written by mortals, most of them even written explicitly for entertainment. None of the poets claimed to be spreading the words of the Theoi, to be defining the one true Gods-defined way that things happened. This leads to multiple versions of the same stories, but also puts us in a place where we now have to search for information on how things are expected to be done. Especially for those of us who came from a faith where a single, compiled source was readily available and credited with divine authorship, this can be a daunting task, and may be why many fall back on the myths as their first source. The myths, however, were not meant to be taken literally. They were stories and allegories, exaggerations and fabrications inspired by the Theoi and the traditions which were passed down.
Additionally, the myths do not serve as accurate portrayals of the Theoi, often humanizing the Theoi and showing Them engaged in the very worst of mortal behavior. From theft to murder and adultery, the Theoi of the myths are no better than people. They’re shown as imperfect, fallible, selfish, and petty. But this image of the Theoi is so very different from the one held within spaces of worship, that it’s like looking at two entirely different pantheons. Indeed, anyone coming into Hellenism with just the myths acting as their inspiration is going to have an incomplete and inaccurate picture of not only how to worship, but of who they’re worshiping.
A common question at this point is, “But what about the problematic stuff in the myths? Do we just brush it under the rug with the explanation of ‘the myths don’t reflect actual worship’?” Well, not exactly. We need to acknowledge the myths, because they were written within the context of Hellenism. We can however, look critically at the myths. Realizing that the myths did not literally happen and that they were fabricated by mortals gives us a different perspective on them. It allows us to start looking at what the myth is trying to convey, and to look at the social environment which resulted in the writing of these specific myths. For example, Persephone’s abduction by Haides follows ancient Greek wedding traditions very closely, though dramatized. Clues within the myth indicate that Persephone is aware of the consequences for eating the pomegranate seeds and that she lies to Her mother Demeter about unwillingly eating the fruit. Within context, the myth shows Persephone with a great deal of agency, while meeting the socially expected standards of the time by denying Her own agency. The result is a myth that on the surface looks to be a story about abduction and rape to the modern reader; but was carefully crafted to illustrate Persephone’s cunning and authority within its original context. Looking beyond the myths is invaluable though. We can gain a lot of understanding of the myths by analyzing them within their proper context, but it doesn’t solve the issue of there simply not being all the information there.
When we start looking beyond the myths for how to worship, and for how the Theoi have been viewed over time, it can be daunting, to say the least. Figuring out where to begin is the biggest challenge. It leaves us wondering how we’re supposed to figure out who the Theoi are, if the myths don’t really tell us that after all.
Let's begin with Pausanias' Description of Greece. Withing this work we can find descriptions of actual worship, of traditions practiced in different areas. While certainly a long read, even just a portion of Pausanias' work will give a much more detailed look at how the Theoi were worshiped than any of the myths will. From details on which Theoi were considered patron to an area, to which colors were used to adorn doorways and suppliants during a festival. Importantly, Pausanias also recorded local legends, detailing why certain monuments had been built and traditions had been established. This gives us insight into how the people of ancient Greece thought the Theoi had influenced their lives, not through the filter of poetry and entertainment, but their honest traditions.
Next, we need to look not to the poets and story tellers to learn who the Theoi are, but to the philosophers. The philosophers present a drastically different view of the Theoi.
“The gods of the Greek philosophers are perfect, wise, alien to any moral wrongdoing, and the source of good but not of evil among mortals. They are not jealous, they don't get angry, they don't send false dreams, and especially they don't rape women. Good persons recognize the gods as their masters or superiors and carry out their orders, which are, essentially, to act justly and promote human virtue.”
Other clues lie within evidence of cultic worship. Looking at the roles in which the Theoi were honored can be enlightening, pushing us to question what we learned within the myths. Indeed, the image presented when looking at worship differs greatly from that presented by the myths. One might expect that Pan, notorious in myth for pursuing women and nymphs even when it's clear that it's unwanted, would be distrusted by women and kept separate from them in worship. Contrary to that though, Pan is often honored along side local nymphs as a protector of nature. In Sikyonia there is even a sanctuary shared by Pan and Artemis. In Arcadia, women would shout and holler when approaching Pan in worship.
In the end, we're left looking at two very different versions of the Theoi. The one popularized by the poets, and the one studied by the philosophers. I think that each has it's own relevance, and insight to bring to the table; but the question is, how much value do they each bring to our understanding of the Theoi?
--Betegh, Gábor. “Greek Philosophy and Religion.” A Companion to Ancient Philosophy, Aug. 2012, pp. 623–639.
--Garrett, Jan. Homer's Gods, Plato's Gods, people.wku.edu/jan.garrett/pgods.htm#socnew.
--Larson, Jennifer. Ancient Greek cults: a guide. Routledge, 2009.
--Pausanias, et al. Pausanias: description of Greece. Harvard University Press, 1971
