St4riel

Main: @stariel-and-stuff Witchy content moved to TikTok (@starielthewitchling)

[st4riel-the-w1tchling]

My Intro Post!!

Hello and welcome to my blog!! My name’s Ari, but you can call me whatever idc. I’m a girl, a minor, an Aquarius if that matters to you and I have 2 younger brothers.

I lived in Australia for lots of my childhood however moved to Spain last year. I’ve done research and while different people seem to have different definitions of the term, I identify as Hispanic as I’m quite immersed in the Spanish culture, language, etc, never plan on leaving and have been raised like a Spanish kid (my parents have wanted to live here since they were kids so they’ve been preparing us for life here since we were newborn) even though I’m genetically Australian. If you believe I don’t fit the term idc that’s your opinion but this is how I identify.

I’ve been practicing witchcraft since late 2021 and believed in the Greek gods since I was a kid (because of PJO lol). I call myself a Greek pagan witch with animist and omnist beliefs, I believe the terms Hellenism and polytheism may apply but idk enough about them to use them to describe myself.

I started working with Aphrodite 4 days into my practice cuz I’m a bit silly however I’ve gotten more consistent and comfortable with my worship over time. Now working with her is just a part of my daily life, I love all her different epithets (I think is the word) she’s just so cool. I want to start working with King Hades and Queen Persephone in the future.

I’m trying to get better at note taking cuz I often forget. This blog is for saving notes #info, #paganism, #animism and #witchcraft stuff, I’ll post stuff related to #greek mythology under its own tag if not practitioner based, all deity/entity stuff is under its own tag (eg. #aphrodite, #hermes, #odysseus, #telemachus, etc).I also post related fandom stuff here like; #hades game, #pjo, #epic the musical, etc and stuff I’m more critical of like; #anti Madeline miller, #anti lore olympus under their own tags. My posts and asks are under #stariel posts and #stariel asks, all reblogs and queued are #stariel reblogs and #q, if I add a bit of my own input to a post it goes under #stariel convos, if I’m interacting with the community/mutuals it goes under #stariel community and #fave contains well all my fav posts.

I love spirit work and when I’m more experienced I plan on working with ghosts and animal spirits though currently I’m content just talking to my plants, house, divination tools and Aphrodite. I also want to start Ancestor Work soon. I’m a big fan of baneful protection magic and glamour/love magic. I’m pretty proud of my clair senses, intuition and divination abilities, I’ve always been an empath (my definition is; good at sensing energy and emotions) so I’ve put lots of effort into improving these skills which I’m quite happy with the strength of now.

You may also see special interest junk here (I’m neurodivergent) however I’ll try keep it at a minimum and it’ll only be posted if it is related to the topics of this blog (eg. Marvel comics [that and witchy stuff are my 2 big things] and also other interests like #Hermitcraft).

I’m a nickname person, I have some of the best nicknames ever (Stariel was one and now it’s my user for everything) so now I give everyone/thing nicknames lol. Just a warning, if we become friends I’m giving you 10,000 nicknames. I’m also a yapper as you can see below, irl I’ve learned to contain and summarise my paragraphs but on tumblr I let myself go wild and add as many irrelevant details/thoughts I have so I apologise in advance for the essays.

I personally believe hugely in free speech so there’s no DNI for this blog. Everyone is welcome as long as civil discussion is maintained no blatant straw manning/mud slinging if you want to debate me or someone else here on a topic make sure to be respectful about it, thanks.

And that’s about all I have to say right now, I seriously should make intros for my other blogs. Enjoy your stay!!

[vor-leser]

Every major Achean hero from the iliad because i love drawing funky facial features :>

[post-troy-stress-disorder]

i have strong opinions about the "odysseus spares astyanax" au. it could potentially be sooo good but i have a very specific vision in my brain and i havent yet seen anyone else do it the way im imagining. i guess the main thing is odysseus cannot be absolved. he is itching to kill this kid, he knows it's the right move, but for some reason he cant and he hates that he cant. make him raise the boy against his will. make him cold and distant. make him regret the decision every single day and constantly wonder if it's not too late to still go through with it while he lies awake and watches the boy sleep at night

also astyanax isn't a symbol of innocence or redemption, he's a ticking time bomb & a living breathing reminder of odysseus' folly & with every passing day he looks more like hector & odysseus is increasingly aware that he very well could be raising his own destruction

[post-troy-stress-disorder]

fucking embarrassing when i tell someone im into epic poems and they ask what's my favorite and i have to be like the odyssey :/ like damn what a basic bitch answer. now i sound like a fake fan

[shrine-of-the-theoi]

This is the best artistic rendition of Mother Hera I've ever come across. She's so beautiful I can barely move my eyes. So gentle and loving. Btw this is not my creation. The creator has their name in the corner and they're in devianart so all credits to them and a load of gratitude cuz this is very very accurate to how I see my Mother in my mind. I found this pic on Pinterest so yep. BUT MOTHER DO I LOVE YOU?!!!!! I could cry just by looking at this.

[sixofclovers]

hecate

[homunculus-argument]

Grave offerings and burying the dead with tools and goods is actually such a deeply human thing to do. It's not really even necessarily about how much you believe in a literal afterlife or them taking the tools with them. It's also just going Wait, I'm Not Done Taking Care Of You, let me make you one more pair of socks so your feet won't be cold when you go wherever it is where I can't follow.

[approaching-the-scrungularity-d]

I think I may never be sad ever again. There is a statue entitled "Farewell to Orpheus" on my college campus. It's been there since 1968, created by a Prof. Frederic Littman that use to work at the university. It sits in the middle of a fountain, and the fountain is often full of litter. I have taken it upon myself to clean the litter out when I see it (the skimmers only come by once a week at max). But because of my style of dress, this means that bystanders see a twenty-something on their hands and knees at the edge of the fountain, sleeves rolled up, trying not to splash dirty water on their slacks while their briefcase and suit coat sit nearby. This is fine, usually. But today was Saturday Market, which means the twenty or so people in the area suddenly became hundreds. So, obviously, somebody stopped to ask what I was doing. "This," I gestured at the statue, "is Eurydice. She was the wife of Orpheus, the greatest storyteller in Greece. And this litter is disrespectful." Then, on a whim, I squinted up at them. "Do you know the story of Orpheus and Eurydice?" "No," they replied, shifting slightly to sit.

"Would you like to?"

"Sure!"

So I told them. I told them the story as I know it- and I've had a bit of practice. Orpheus, child of a wishing star, favorite of the messenger god, who had a hard-working, wonderful wife, Eurydice; his harp that could lull beasts to passivity, coax song from nymphs, and move mountains before him; and the men who, while he dreamed and composed, came to steal Eurydice away. I told of how she ran, and the water splashed up on my clothes. But I didn't care. I told of how the adder in the field bit her heel, and she died. I told of the Underworld- how Orpheus charmed the riverman, pacified Cerberus with a lullaby, and melted the hearts of the wise judges. I laughed as I remarked how lucky he was that it was winter- for Persephone was moved by his song where Hades was not. She convinced Hades to let Orpheus prove he was worthy of taking Eurydice. I tugged my coat back on, and said how Orpheus had to play and sing all the way out of the Underworld, without ever looking back to see if his beloved wife followed. And I told how, when he stopped for breath, he thought he heard her stumble and fall, and turned to help her up- but it was too late. I told the story four times after that, to four different groups, each larger than the last. And I must have cast a glance at the statue, something that said "I'm sorry, I miss you--" because when I finished my second to last retelling, a young boy piped up, perhaps seven or eight, and asked me a question that has made my day, and potentially my life: "Are you Orpheus?" I told the tale of the grieving bard so well, so convincingly, that in the eyes of a child I was telling not a story, but a memory. And while I laughed in the moment, with everyone else, I wept with gratitude and joy when I came home. This is more than I deserve, and I think I may never be sad again.

Here is the aforementioned statue, by the way.

[starweaverblog]

What bad characterizations or popular opinions that the people have for the greek gods and goddesses you most dislike?

Buckle up because it's a lot unfortunately:

Zeus is an as*hole: people fail to realise Zeus was made by an ancient civilization to fit the perspective of a great ruler in ancient Greek times that wanted to expand his lineage, and is a KING of cosmos, an immortal ruler powerful enough to defeat anyone. He's not a silly man to judge, but a religious figure like all the greek gods

Athena is mean: still making it based on Ovid's version instead of doing the bare minimum to see her achievements and how much she cared for her humans and her heroes. If people stopped using Medusa as a backbone to criticise it, it would be a good start

Dionysus is lazy/boring: he fought in Gigantomachy and in India, he survived Hera's wrath by having to dress as a girl until he was found then had for a while be punished by her. He's the god of theatre, festive and wine, things that are far from boring. He can manipulate his enemies to madness, transform them, he has the strength to tear flesh. He also found love famous enough to equal to Eros and psyche. He's a character that found happiness after years of torment. What exactly is boring and lazy about him??

Apollo is a r*pist: that's one unfortunate stereotype that came after LO. In truth he did it once and later helped his son and the mother later on with the help of Athena to find closure. However his character is more than a cheap stereotype

Demeter is an abusive mother: again how is it abusive to cry to everyone to return her kidnapped daughter being silenced in the process and as a last resort bring winter to finally have people notice your pleas? How is it abusive to live her daughter and wanting her to be safe?! How are people defending Hades over a mother? How is she a SA victim a supposed toxic abusive mother? People do your research for once

Hera is a girlboss: she's not. She's the Queen of Olympus, she's complex and is worth mentioning the huge amount of torment he unleashed upon Zeus children and affairs because she knew she didn't have a chance to do it on Zeus. If anything she's a ruler with a strong iron fist, not a feminist icon to glorify

Ares is a villain: all he did was have an affair with Aphrodite and later be in danger on losing his immortality because he killed his daughter's r*pist. Anything modern media has made him to be because he's associated with the raw nature of war, doesn't realise the meaning of war in ancient Greece.

Artemis is a man hater: she's not a hater, she could have men as her followers (virgins). Her nature is representation of virgin women and the protection of young girls, she even fell in love with Orion. However as a goddess when she sees hubris, like any god they won't care for the gender of the human that does it and punishment will be acted accordingly.

Hades is misunderstood: he never was to begin with. Ancient Greeks respected him as all the greek gods, worshipped him etc. whatever false impressions you may have of him was based on Hollywood and modern media spreading misinformation online.

I will repeat it again:

The Greek gods were and still are a Religion worshipped by many. The least people can do is respect the historical significance of their existence and not make bland and false assumptions of their characters. They aren't fictional characters, they are immortal religious deities and whether you believe in them or not, the BARE MINIMUM is respecting them and don't believe everything you see online without doing proper research.

[furry-cherry-blossom]

Can we like, stop making Hades out to be a bad guy in Greek myth and zues to be a good guy. Honestly Hades is like not even evil in most Greek iterations. Zues is the one who fucked everyone and caused issues. Zues is the fuckup, Hades mostly just wanted a wife. And in most iterations she willingly went no trickery and willingly wanted to stay. And after thousands of years Demeter is still upset about it. Persephone willingly stayed Hades isn't evil, and neither is the location known by the same name.

[ombrokharis]

Actually insane of you to tag this as Hellenic polytheism. Please refrain from using our tags if you're going to trash our gods. Let alone the king of them.

There's also the fact that you are dead wrong. There is not a single Greek or Roman source that depicts Persephone as a willing bride to Haides.

[furry-cherry-blossom]

This is a lot of talk about tags from someone with the fucking Hercules movie in their bio. The most inaccurate version of any Greek gods ever. "Our tags" include me, Hellenistic polytheism is what I follow. The king of the gods is in fact an asshole objectively. 7 years of the Odyssey was his fault. He fucked so many people some with consent some without. He is objectively a bad person. Also, my friend who also follows it and worships Zues agrees he's an asshole.

I have a question for you, in Greek myth who has to complete 12 labors?

[athenaeum-of-the-herald-deactiv]

I feel like every time I look away from this app for 3 days there's a new argument.

Firstly, the obvious, there is NO iteration of the Hades and Persephone myth (The Taking of Persephone/The Raping of Persephone respectively) where she went willingly. The ONLY places I see this argument are from people heavily invested in modern media retellings (Lore Olympus truly did a NUMBER on this religion). If there IS a version where she does and Demeter is this bitter mother over it, I am begging to see it.

Now, the less obvious. None of the gods are assholes. I'm sure that's quite the hot take to some people but they simply aren't. Every member of the Theoi has done something we can mortally consider "asshole" behavior. Every single one. Zeus, Hades, Hera, Dionysos, Apollo, Hermes, ALL of them. However that doesn't make them assholes, and to CALL the one you worship and asshole (OBJECTIVELY at that) is honestly a little more than odd to me. The gods are divinity we as mortals do not comprehend and what they do, how they do it, and why they do it, is not up to us to judge. If you worship them, you worship. You don't INSULT them. You certainly don't insult the KING of Olympos.

I believe what @olympianbutch meant by "our tags", was these are the sorts of claims and misinformation that cause problems in our religion. It spreads a dangerous rhetoric that makes it harder for beginners to differentiate the gods from their myths and understand the MEANING of them. It turns away potential worshippers of Zeus who develop an incorrect and biased assessment of him with no merit.

Look, I understand passion. But I highly suggest researching this religion thoroughly before making such broad, sweeping claims that are blatantly incorrect. No one should be insulting you, but you shouldn't either. Simply apologize, and understand.

Additionally, anyone can like any media. Hercules, Percy Jackson, Epic the Musical, whatever. It's okay to be in this religion and engage in the media that popularized it in some spaces, regardless of how incorrect that media is. What matters is separating it from the religion.

Let's remember to be kind to one another, and try our best to practice xenia. Safe travels ♡

[khaire-traveler]

ANTHESTERIA STARTS TOMORROW (NEXT THREE DAYS), MY FAVORITE FESTIVAL!!!!

For those celebrating, I hope you have a wonderful time! For those who are unfamiliar with the festival, here are some informative posts and the like:

~ 🍇 ~

Information:

On Antheaterion - @kallisto-aglaia

Anthesteria - @thegodsaremyhome

Anthesteria - @dionysusmybeloved

Ancient Greece's Biggest Festival: The Anthesteria - @margaretkart

Anthesteria - The First Day, Pithoigia - @aceofcupsbiggestfan

Anthesteria - The Second Day, Kheos - @aceofcupsbiggestfan

Anthesteria - The Third Day, Khytrai - @aceofcupsbiggestfan

Rethinking The Anthesteria - @thegrapeandthefig

Celebrating Anthesteria Without Alcohol - @thegrapeandthefig

Anthesteria - Hellenion.org (I do not personally endorse Hellenion, based on things I've heard about them, but they can still be a helpful resource)

Anthesteria - Britannica.org

The Anthesteria - World History Encyclopedia.org

Devotion:

Anthesteria Dionysus Invocation - @beatingdrumspouringwine

Protrygaios Hymn/Poem - @beatingdrumspouringwine

Orphic Hymn 46 to Dionysus - @dionysusmybeloved

Hermes Chthonios Hymn/Poem - @sanguinebutch

Anthesteria, Khytrai Lyre Melody - @princesmeadow

Anthesteria - @nyxshadowhawk (found on @dionysia-ta-astika )

Personal Dionysian Ritual, First Day - @beatingdrumspouringwine

Flower Poem For Bacchus/Poema-florido Pra Baco - @piristephes

Anthesteria Playlist - @nyxshadowhawk

Orphic Hymn 30 to Dionysus - @kallisto-aglaia

Celebration Ideas For Anthesteria - @khaire-traveler (me)

~ 🍇 ~

Have a lovely Anthesteria, everyone, and remember to put up protections to prevent any wandering spirits from sticking around ~~~

Hail Dionysus!!! 💜💚

[just-1-scorpio]

Where do modern writers get the ideas for they crack ships?

I know that the ancients did it too, but at least I can see those couples.

For exemple. Medea and Achilles getting married in the underworld? I can see that. Similarly with Hermes and Hecate. I can see that too.

But Medea and Erebus? Medea and Erebus? I'm sorry wanna be femouse BookTok writer, but I can't see that.

Medusa and Perseus? Why? The only reason why I can imagine someone shipping it, is because of BookTok enemies to lovers slop.

Hestia and Erebus? This worse then Medea and Erebus.

Medusa and Calypso? Hermes and Selene? Thanatos and Hecate? Athena and Medusa? Medusa and Hermes? Prometheus and Charon? Theseus and Astyanax? Eurydice and Caeneus? Medusa and Andromeda? Ariadne and the Minotaur? Charon and Circe? Odysseus and Poseidon?

Suriusly? How do writers get those ideas? Where do they get these ideas from? At this point it can't be just the lack of reaserch.

[superkooku]

I wanted to comment but I'm gonna reblog instead.

So we have all these random pairings, meanwhile there are so many actual underrated couples in mythology that MAKE SENSE instead of these.

Seriously, so many ancient couples go well together but are rarely talked about it's actually sad. I'd love a retelling focused on their dynamic because most of the time, the concept is really neat but there aren't a lot of sources. However they're still adorable as concepts.

Now the random retelling couples... yeah 😅. Here are my impressions:

Wtf is going on with those Erebus ships ? Why not let him with Nyx ??? I did not know about that.

Poseidon x Odysseus comes from this tendency to ship male protagonists with their (also male) nemesis. These ships go from "meh" to straight up NOTP for me, based on how much harm they do to each other and how toxic the ship would be. And the actual loved one is neglected. Anyways, Odysseus should stay with Penelope.

Ariadne x Asterius never fail to make me cringe. It's not like Ariadne has a beautiful romance with another mythological character out here 👀... also, I know incest is a thing in mythology, but this is going way beyond the uncomfortable territory. Especially since it's also zoophilia and Asterius probably has the mind of a toddler. Ew.

I don't know where Hermes and Selene comes from, can you tell me ? Because it's so random I feel like the author played spin the wheel. Or wanted to ship Hermes with Artemis but realized she's a virgin goddess

Here are some other random ships or ones that just don't work (but exist) : Medusa x Tiresias, Hera x Poseidon, Hera x Hades, Hera x anyone other than her husband, Medusa x Danae, Telegonus x Penel... oh shoot this one isn't from a retelling 🤣.

So, these random ships aren't bad to me, just weird, AS LONG as it doesn't infringe on another relationship (that's often OTP material) and/or is out of character. Especially for the Hera ships because SHE IS THE GODDESS OF MARRIAGE. SHE WOULD NEVER CHEAT ON ZEUS. Even though she tried to betray him once or twice, it's never at the expense of her domain.

Respect Hera, please.

[cultkinkcoven]

Let yourself be cringe in your worship!!!

The Gods don’t find you embarrassing. The Gods don’t care about seeming cool and professional for the approval of others.

Make that fucking aesthetic photo collage for Aphrodite with cute pics you found on Pinterest .

Dress up like Hermes and go for a damn walk.

Collect random stones you think are cool and put them on your altar.

Put that photo of that cartoon character that reminds you of your deity on your altar.

Make that Minecraft temple to Hekate, domesticate those damn Minecraft wolves for Cerberus.

Make your deities in the sims!

Write soppy melodramatic poetry for Dionysus that no one else will read.

Make self insert fanfics about your favourite Gods and write them all as your best friends. Let them interact with your edgy ocs.

Create an AU where you and your Gods are all characters from your favourite anime.

Record silly little songs for them

Make them paintings that are full of clashing colors and weird forms.

Draw them a fursona

Wear that bright yellow outfit for Apollon.

Put on a dramatic makeup look for Aphrodite.

Call your closest deity that silly little nickname you have for them and let them call you one too.

Share your special interests with your Gods. Design your God as a pokémon or a crystal gem, or a sonic character.

Those losers that try to make you feel bad for being passionate will never have what you have.

In the words of the Great Lord Hermes: “Every human I have ever liked was at least a little bit cringe”

BE CRINGE. BE PROUD. THE GODS LOVE YOU.

[oddyseye]

Can we get something straight here about Penelope and this whole “Spartan” thing?

Sure, we all know Penelope was from Sparta (well, technically), and we’ve all seen enough 300-inspired pop culture nonsense to think that every Spartan woman must be some spear-wielding, leather-clad, muscle-bound badass. So let’s clear that up once and for all: Penelope was absolutely not that type of Spartan. In fact, that vision of Spartan women is more of a modern fantasy than an actual reflection of Spartan society, and Penelope herself would probably laugh in your face if you tried to pin her down to that archetype.

First off, let’s talk about what it actually meant to be Spartan. Yes, Spartan women had a reputation for being strong, but we need to understand that strength wasn’t defined by throwing a spear or taking down enemies with a shield. Spartan women were celebrated for their physical health and were tasked with producing strong offspring to build the next generation of warriors. They were also responsible for the running of the household when their husbands were off fighting in wars, which meant managing estates, controlling property, and overseeing the everyday operations of Spartan life. So, while Spartan women were not helpless, they weren’t exactly wandering around with weapons, challenging every person who crossed them, either. Penelope’s version of Spartan strength was a little more intellectual, shall we say. For twenty years, while Odysseus was “getting lost” (as one does), Penelope faced down a horde of suitors who were camped out in her house, constantly pressuring her to choose a new husband. Did she pull out a spear and kill them all? No. That’s not what spartan women did. Did she start a war? Absolutely not. Instead, she employed the ultimate weapon: patience. She weaved and un-wove a shroud for years as a stalling tactic, keeping the suitors at bay. Sure, there’s no sword involved, but let’s be real: that takes more cunning than any weapon ever could. Spartan women are not known for fighting, but for surviving.

Penelope’s Spartan roots may have given her the ability to endure, to manage her household, and to outsmart the suitors who had overrun Ithaca, but we’re missing the point if we think that means she was out there battling it out like a heroine from some action flick. Her version of strength was mental, not physical. Instead of wielding a spear, Penelope wielded her intellect, her wit, and her ability to play the long game. If you’re expecting Penelope to start slaying suitors left and right, or charging into battle with a sword in hand, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.

Pop culture would love to turn Penelope into a spear-wielding warrior queen, but the actual historical context is far more subtle and far more impressive. She was Spartan in the most meaningful sense of the word: resilient, strategic, and damn clever. Penelope did not need muscles at all. She had the power of endurance — something a spear can’t give you.

[genericpuff]

Until You're Home Again.

Happy New Year to all those waiting for our light to return - our sun, our hope, and our happiness. It will come in time, and when it does, we will flourish again.

[teawiththegods]

I’ve been seeing a lot of posts around social media talking about people hearing the call of Hekate, The Morrigan, and Lilith.

I’m not here to dissuade any of that, just want to remind my fellow pagans and witches that there are a plethora of other deities you can work with in regards to what we’re all currently going through and anticipated to go through.

As a Hellenic Polytheist here are some of my suggestions:

Aphrodite (especially her war side, yes Aphrodite has a war side)

Ares (THE feminist of the pantheon, I will die on that hill)

Artemis (protector of women and children, killer of dickheads, a witch, and a primal goddess. Don’t sleep on her!)

Athena (THE strategist. She’s going to lead you to the path of victory)

Dionysus (THE revolutionist. Dionysus is the destroyer of empires and harbinger of change. Especially in regard to women. Their maenads are lethal to men who try to oppress and suppress them)

Eris (MY GIRL! I mean this bitch started the Trojan War with an Apple. Do I need to say more??)

Demeter (Also a witch and single handedly brought two of the 3 kings to their knees and almost destroyed the entire world because she went against the patriarchy. This is the goddess you want to fight alongside of in this battle! Stop sleeping on her!)

Hera (Arguably the most terrifying deity in the entire pantheon. Even Zeus is terrified of her. She lead the Greeks to victory in the Trojan War using her rage, spite, and power. And she can do the same for us!)

There are of course other deities especially in other pantheons. And you can absolutely and should lean on the deities you already have relationships with. This is just a suggestion in case you would like to connect with a new deity for the collective work we are preparing to do.

As always, if you have any questions about the deities I listed don’t hesitate to ask! 💖

Happy hexing and dismantling oppressive systems, my darlings! 😘

[khaire-traveler]

I'm a big supporter of "the gods love you, regardless of how much you're able to do to worship them", but at the same time, it's difficult to forge a relationship with any deity (or even other people) if you don't allow yourself to be known by them. If you don't have moments of vulnerability, moments of silliness, moments of small joy even, then it's difficult to forge relationships or take them to a deeper level. Loving gods (or even other people) can be a scary thing for some people (hell, it was for me), but if you don't allow your heart to be exposed, even just a little, then you're not going to get back as much as you're hoping to.

Anything that's worth anything in life is going to require some level of risk, as terrifying as that feels sometimes, and in my opinion, having a deeper connection with a deity is one of those things that's worth the risk.

My point isn't that we aren't loved by the gods if we don't do a ritual everyday or pray every hour; my point here is that we cannot deepen our bonds if we aren't willing to dip more than just our toes into our deity relationships. Love your gods, and know that you are loved, but they can't really help you if you won't let them in, you know?