#ananke deity

[thewhisperofzagreus]

What does λευκό νήμα mean

Greetings.

It means "white thread", my nickname and personal tag. It was given to me in my practice and study with the Moirai and Ananke, given their connection to the threads of fate.

[royal-wren]

Muses, sing of all our primordial mothers that make or break our daily existence

Sing of Khaos, greatest mother of all that we appreciate with every breath

Sing of Ananke, even above the Fates as our all-wise mother overseeing and dictating all as the drive and inevitability from beginning to end before her might

Sing of Nyx, a mother so fair and equally loving to every child as innumerable as the very stars she wears proudly

Sing of Gaia, above all the mother watching us all, the one who gives, gives, and gives with the greatest love and devotion to nourish us all

Sing of Hemera, our warm, bright, light-bringing and all-seeing mother who reminds us all to open our eyes and rouse from heavy sleep with a chorus from every bird loud and alert

Sing of Thalassa, mother at sea to all life inhabiting her depths -- and to all that dare to cross and tred her great waters

Sing of Tethys, mother to all bodies of fresh water found in Rivers, Clouds and Water-nymphs, the wing-browed nurse who remains the source of it all

[screeching-0wl]

Hi! I wanted to know if it is possible to worship the primordial gods, and if yes, how? Thanks a lot

Hi there!

So, just in case someone reading it might not be too familiar with them, primordial deities are the first generation of gods and goddesses (emerged fully-formed at creation) representing the fundamental forces and physical foundations of the world. Their worship was not too common and sometimes the deities weren't even given human characteristics.

Yes, of course, it's possible to worship primordial gods!

I worship them similar to how I do it with other generations of gods if that makes sense? So it doesn't make much of a difference if I'm praying to a Titan, an Olympian or a Primordial god. It might only slightly change depending on what kind of deity they are, so if they're Chthonic [Underworld], Ouranic [Heaven] or Einalic [Sea], you know? And when it comes to offerings and such, I just look at their domains and again, the kind of deity they are.

Unfortunately, there is little information on how Primordials were worshipped in antiquity, so in some cases, we can only assume things and rely on UPGs. Some of these gods had temples and shrines and even festivals, others might have had them too although we have no information regarding that.

Here are some notable mentions:

Nyx - Primordial Goddess of Night [Chthonic, although at night she's in the sky]

Notable epithets: Asteroömmatos (Star-eyed), Trophós (Nurse of The Gods), Melanópteros (Black-winged)

Some of her attributes include: wings, chariot, dark mists,

It's likely Nyx was invoked in rituals involving witchcraft

▪︎ Megara, Greece - oracle of Nyx [Pausanias, Description of Greece]

▪︎ Lemuria, Roman festival [May 9] - a rite for Nox was performed during the festival (Roman 'equivalent' of Nyx) [Ovid, Fasti]

Good info on Nyx - epithets + Orphic Hymn: LINK

Khronos - Primordial God of Time (Ananke's consort)[Ouranic]

Notable epithets/his other names: Aion, Poros (Contrivance)

Some of his attributes include: the zodiac wheel,

scythe

Khronos was essentially a cosmological double of the Titan Kronos. In antiquity the two deities were sometimes equated with each other.

Khronos was also sometimes identified with Aion (God of Time, Eternity, and Zodiac) but often that's just considered his other name.

Khronos played a part in Orphic Mysteries.

He is sometimes depicted turning the zodiac wheel.

▪︎ Possible [Alexandrian] festival of Aion: 6 January (his birthday)

Good info on Khronos: LINK

Ananke - Primordial Goddess of Necessity (Khronos' consort)[Ouranic]

Notable epithets: Adrasteia (Inescapable), Tekmôr (Purpose)

Some of her attributes include: a torch

Ananke was considered the most powerful dictator of fate and circumstance; mortals as well as gods respected her power and paid her homage.

Sometimes Ananke was considered the mother of the Fates and thought to be the only being to influence their decisions.

▪︎ Corinth, Greece - sanctuary of Ananke and Bia (Force) [Pausanias, Description of Greece]

Gaia - Primordial Goddess of The Earth [Chthonic]

Notable epithets: Megalê Thea (Great Goddess), Chthonia (Earth), Kourotrophos (Nurse of The Young)

Some of her attributes include: fruit and grain

Gaia was a prophetic goddess and there were stories of her oracles, for example, it was thought that the oracle of Delphi once belonged to Gaia [Pausanias, Description of Greece]

Gaia was often called upon as a witness to oaths, e.g. The Iliad, Homeric Hymn to Delian Apollo, Prometheus Bound

She had shrined all around Greece and was often worshipped along with Demeter, perhaps due to their domains being similar.

Some of Gaia's main shrines:

▪︎ Athens, Greece - sanctuary of Gaia Kourotrophe and Demeter Khloe

▪︎ Sparta, Greece - sanctuary of Gaia, called Gasepton

▪︎ Olympia, Greece - sanctuary of Gaia, called Gaion

Good info on Gaia - epithets + Orphic Hymn: LINK

There are more primordial deities, of course. Although, sometimes the accounts on who's primordial and who's not may vary.

Here's one list and more info on some deities: LINK

Overall, I highly recommend looking for more information about Primordials on Theoi.com and Hellenicgods.org

With time, I plan to make cheat sheets for some of them. I'll link them in this post one they're done, too.

[thewhisperofzagreus]

There is no harsher mistress than Ananke (Necessity), with whom not even gods dare fight.

Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 3. 430 ff + Anankei

[thewhisperofzagreus]

Ananke by Blackout Brother

[optimisticnihilisticdemon]

I’ve been researching various deities, and Chronos (not the Titan) and Ananke seem compelling to me (ironic, considering Ananke is the primordial goddess of compulsion among other things). I’ve noticed that in my whole life, time and the experience of time has been the biggest struggle, joy, and mystery to me. Chronos being the primordial god of time as a force is appealing, but the sense of inevitability and fate that Ananke presided over aligns deeply with my thoughts and experiences with time. The best way I’ve seen experiencing time as a linear, mortal being is that time is a constant tragedy and an unmatched comfort.

I’ve also been drawn to Thatanos in a way that’s related to the whole.. concept of endings, the passage of time, all that. Thatanos is an admirable one, him, I feel like finding comfort and peace in the passage of time and constant endings and beginnings is an impossible task for people to achieve, and all three seem to relate to that for me.

The unfortunate thing is that it’s hard to find resources or information about Chronos and Ananke, much less about how to follow either in a Hellenistic sense. If anyone has resources, pointers, or anything else, I’d love to hear them. I’m mostly worried that it’s too big a thing to attempt given that I don’t have much experience, and frankly terrible spiritual discernment. I’m not very practiced in this, but I’d like to finally have some stability in a part of my life that’s been unstable for a while