I'm nearly done reading Waters of Mnemosyne by Gwendolyn Reece (sans doing all of the exercises/workings included, which I am looking forward to trying). I am both extremely appreciative of her scholarship and perspective, as well as her clear acknowledgement of UPG and how/when doing ancient practices exactly as they were done is not appropriate in modern times. This is such a tremendous resource for folks looking to learn more about or practice Hellenism and it's related magics.
I've also enjoyed finding the similarities and differences between Hellenism and Heathenry. The differences of belief about oaths is particularly interesting. In both traditions, they are done to hold people accountable and to build/strengthen community bonds. But Hellenism/ancient Greece view(ed) them as suspended curses. Within my own understanding and practice with Heathenry, I've not ever seen or heard them described as "curses." There is just recognition of the potential to strengthen or weaken wyrd (energetic connection) between the parties who made the oath. The Hellenistic perspective seems to frame them as something necessary to fulfill in order to mitigate problems. It feels a little hard to distinguish with words, but even if the function is more or less the same, the flavoring of each tradition makes them hit different.
I also appreciate the shared understanding that tending to the large community (or humanity in general) is important, holy, and necessary work. Both emphasize recognizing our part in the ecosystem and finding balance within it, and that is it our responsibility to be in right relationship with all life, human or otherwise.
I'm particularly fascinated by the difference of beliefs around what happens after death. In Heathenry, practicing utiseta on grave mounds to converse with ancestors (and land spirits) is common. In Hellenism, it's believed that we lose our memories upon dying and it seems like the Mysteries involved trying to maintain memory upon death. It goes without saying that the practice of utiseta itself implies that Heathens don't think we lose our memories after death, as there's the capacity to commune with those we knew in life and recognize shared memories and individual personalities. Ancestor veneration is seen in both traditions, but it seems a little more central to Heathenry in that ancestral spirits are "simply" another group of spirits to be in relationship with. Hellenism seems to more heavily emphasize relationships with the Theoi (generally as a tradition, not necessarily reflected in the practices of individuals).
I'm curious what anyone else who's spent time working with these traditions thinks!
