#hades deity

[sword-of-the-unseen]

I'm disabled and because of this I can't drive, as you can imagine there are several frustrations with this. However in a pagan/witchy context one of the biggest frustrations is I can't just get in a car and drive myself to a cemetery. I need to basically ask my mom "hey can you please drive me to a cemetery so I can talk to the spirits?" She'll say yes but it's still frustrating.

[grave-of-flowers]

introduction

☘︎ Hello! I’m Evalynn! I go by she/her and I’m a Hellenic Polytheist and witch! I’m a devotee of king Hades and Queen Persephone!

☘︎ While this blog is mostly for Hades and Persephone, rhere may be a few posts of other deities or things I enjoy!

☘︎ I’m cool with pretty much anyone on my blog unless you’re a piece of shit or spread hate :)

[studioaphres]

What would Hades jewelry look like without the usual stereotypes?

While researching symbolism for Greek mythology-inspired jewelry, I keep coming back to one question:

Why does Hades-inspired jewelry so often look like “death” jewelry?

Black stones. Skulls. Bones. Darkness. Occasionally a pomegranate if Persephone is invited to the meeting.

And while death is obviously part of Hades’ domain, reducing him to a generic god-of-the-dead aesthetic leaves out a huge part of his symbolism.

Hades is the ruler of the Underworld, but he is also associated with the wealth beneath the earth, which is reflected in his name Plouton (“the Wealthy One”).

There are also other symbols and associations that could offer completely different directions for jewelry: keys, the cypress, narcissus, Cerberus, the cornucopia, the bident, underground riches and precious stones, among others.

One response to my survey actually mentioned wanting mythology-inspired jewelry that avoids:

“stereotypes like black rough designs for Hades and flowers for Persephone.”

And that really stuck with me.

Because a piece can still feel unmistakably connected to Hades without literally putting a skull on it.

So I want to ask the Hades devotees and mythology lovers of Tumblr:

If you had to design a piece of jewelry inspired by Hades without using skulls, what would you use?

A symbol? A plant? An animal? A gemstone? A particular myth or epithet?

I’d especially love to hear about less obvious or historically attested associations that you feel deserve more attention.

I’m exploring questions like this while developing APHRES, a contemporary jewelry project inspired by Greek mythology and Hellenic symbolism.

If you want to contribute to the research, I’m still collecting responses to my anonymous 2-minute survey:

🔗 https://form.typeform.com/to/oUF4UxXu

[norcalbruja]

Me, a fool who’s tempting fate: “The gas tank is getting low, but I can fill it up on the way home.”

A train, stopping on the tracks: “HEY GIRL, TIME TO IDLE FOR HOWEVER LONG YOU NEED TO! Kthanks.”

Me, panicking: “OH HADES, KING OF THE UNDERWORLD, HELP A BROKE GIRL OUT!” *starts up “Road to Hell” on the Hadestown soundtrack*

Train: “Well played, girl. 😆” *starts moving*

Me: “Thank you Hades and Hermes, I’m going to the gas station now.” 😭

—

I posted this on my regular facebook for fun, but yeahhhhhhh things tend to happen when I play god-oriented music. I should probably start posting the minor happenings on my spirit blog, in case there’s a pattern.

[sword-of-the-unseen]

CW: mention of harm to and death of animal

Whenever I think back on my practice I'll think about things I've done that definitely make sense with how my practice is. Here is one of those times.

When I was in 8th grade (13-14) I moved so I went to a different school, I was familiar with the area which definitely helped. One day we took a field trip to a reservoir, picture a gorgeous lake with a nice walking path around it, and nature is all around you. We're able to walk around, swim, lounge on the "beach".

There is one of those outdoor bathrooms that alot of nature parks have, it's small, has a few stalls, and its only real light source is from the windows. Some of the other students went in the bathroom to change into swimsuits and I was hanging out talking to someone when all of a sudden we hear screaming and things being thrown. We both ran in to the girls room to see what was going on and in a corner I saw a little field mouse curling up in fear and pain.

Instantly I scoop up the little fella and I take it to a grassy area that connects to where taller grass is. As I set the mouse down I get bit, I completely understood that, it was in pain and was terrified. I remember I told the mouse that I was so sorry that they were so mean and that it didn't deserve it. I remember I wanted to cry, the cruelty was never necessary.

I of course was interrupted by a teacher coming over to scold me for picking up the wildlife especially because I got bit (it didn't break skin and I made sure to wash my hands). I explained why I picked it up and it didn't really seem to make a difference. I understand a teacher not wanting students to pick up random animals, but I just wish she was willing to listen to me wanting to help the animal the other students hurt.

I understand being startled by a critter especially if it ran across your foot or something but there was no excuse to treat the mouse like that. If I was a little mouse and all of a sudden very loud teenagers came into where I was, I'd be scared too. Especially because we were in a nature park, we are in it's home.

All I really wanted to do was give the mouse a bit of dignity as it passed. Even though it was in agony, I think dying amongst nature as opposed to the cold bathroom floor would be a bit more comfortable. If the little field mouse is in my space at all 1. I hope my ghost cats aren't giving me too much trouble and 2. I hope you were able to feel safer after I moved you.

[sword-of-the-unseen]

Automatic writing is something I do when communicating with deities. Mainly Hades, Persephone, and Melinoë. When I do it I often do tarot before hand and I use it to clarify anything that came up with the cards. When I do automatic writing I'll put on my headphones and listen to frequency audios and get into a comfortable sitting position in bed. I'll have a notebook in my lap, pen in hand, then close my eyes, and see what messages I get. It can be pretty interesting to look at the results.

[river-in-the-woods]

Reconnecting with Hades

Back when I started my journey in paganism just about 10 years ago, I was a devotee of Hades.

I don't remember now what specifically drew me to Him at the time. Perhaps it was PTSD, depression, heavy Pluto influence in my natal chart. But I paid regular visits to my local graveyard in the town I lived at the time. It was beautiful, secluded, watched over by old twisting trees allowed to grow freely, and quickly became my sanctuary. I tended the graves there and kept an altar and devotional journal to Hades, where I wrote letters and poetry to Him.

Back then I was simply too inexperienced (and traumatised) to really understand how spirituality and devotional relationships with gods worked. There's a lot of things to learn about communicating with gods and spirits, and how mental health impacts the ability to perceive spirits, and so on.

Jason Miller talks about the projection:perception ratio, where in any spirit interaction, no matter the degree of genuine perception, there is always a percentage of one’s inner bias being projected onto the interaction. This percentage can be reduced with time and experience. However, the degree of projection can always increase during times of stress, fatigue and emotional experiences, it is what one is trying to mitigate with discernment (that well-used buzzword in the occult community).

In any case, after a year or two, I eventually felt too discouraged to continue venerating Him, and went on to explore other deities and pantheons (which resulted in pretty much the same outcome lol). I was operating from a deeply held belief that I was simply undesirable, while setting high expectations of spirit interaction that could not be met at the level of experience I had at the time.

That said, I've always remembered Hades fondly. He seemed to me a solemn, but gentle and conscientious god. He had a calm and fatherly presence. I feel like, even if I didn't recognise it at the time, His influence greatly aided in my healing.

As a god of wealth and the Underworld, He can provide us with the inner resources we need in order to grow and change. Even if you feel like you have nothing, no fight in you left, Hades can unearth the raw materials both physically and spiritually to help you rebuild your life. But He does so quietly, consistently, for those who have hit rock bottom must reclaim their life inch by inch. He is kingly and honourable, taking responsibility for His people, while encouraging them to rebuild themselves with integrity.

Back in April this year, I had a dream of Hades and Persephone - to date the only dream I've ever had where gods explicitly appear. It was an odd dream, and the contents of it are likely of no consequence. Hades and Persephone were leading their spirits through a wild landscape. They encountered a female lake spirit (a Naiad) who demanded a sacrifice of maidens to be appeased, which Hades did not provide. The Naiad grew angry, so Hades exerted His wrath, grabbing her and thrashing her around in all directions before throwing her up into the sky. The Naiad then saw the beauty of the stars and was so impressed that she forgot all about the sacrifice! The Chthonic King and Queen then continued on their way to a small shop selling wooden anamorphic sculptures of dogs and wolves which could only be seen at the right angle.

So, regardless of what the dream meant, it brought Hades back into my consciousness after about 8 years of no contact. He always occasionally came to my mind, and I would always wonder what it would be like to reconnect with him again. I have spent the last 3 years doing daily work with Hekate, training my abilities, learning from my failures. I felt like I might be finally ready to reconcile with the god that I so adored in my youth.

In May, I set up a small shrine to Hades (and Persephone, by extension) with offerings, recited their Orphic hymns, and spoke of how I remembered my time with them fondly and wanted to rekindle our relationship now that I was older and more experienced. Though my life is already quite saturated, I nonetheless wished to have him around, for sentimental reasons.

I did note that prior to this, I had also been seeing a lot of black dogs, a snake and possibly an owl - omens which are also connected with Hekate. It is funny that Hekate and Hades share a lot of similar associations so, I realised I couldn’t actually tell who these omens came from! I’m still not sure to be honest, but I guess it doesn’t matter now.

I was surprised to feel a motherly and fatherly presence with me that remained for the rest of the evening as I settled down to sleep. It was comforting, like I was being watched over by loving parents. A feeling that I’ve never received from my biological parents. It assured me that the manner in which I ceased contact with Hades left no bad impression, and I felt encouraged to pursue a more casual relationship with Him.

Shortly after, I began to see Hades in trance journeys, where He has aided me in healing from trauma. I had not expected Him to show up in my visions during a group drumming journey, but the healing we did together was very effective. In that vision, He guided me to bury my heart in the black, fertile soil of the Underworld where it would root and draw strength from His realm. In moments of stress, fatigue and sorrow, I felt able to access my buried heart and drink of the Underworld’s vitalising force. Three weeks later, Hades appeared to me in a trance journey once more, and returned my heart to me, now suffused with power and ready for my life’s many challenges.

In antiquity, Hades was feared for His role as guardian of the chthonic realms and its denizens, and as a god who passes judgements on mortals. He can be firm, but not simply to punish us as so many historically believed. He is fair, and bids us to take responsibility for our deeds and better ourselves, in life and in death. In that sense I find Him quite similar to Hekate, though in my personal experience, Hades is much more gentle and personable in His approach.

Praying to Hades fills me with a warm and comforting energy like I’ve never felt before. I have been making contact only sporadically, but each time assures me of the depth of His grace and generosity. In matters of healing, I cannot praise Him enough.

He very much feels like an agricultural god (He is known as Plouton and Dis Pater, the wealthy father). I see Him with a broad frame accustomed to labour, and large hands stained with soil. A god who tends the land so that it brings forth the fruits and flowers of his beloved Queen, and a god who tends the spirits of the suffering that they may heal and grow themselves to their fullest potential. He bestows what nurtures the body and the soul. He is the keeper of the River Lethe, which allows us to move on and forget our pain, as well as the River Mnemosyne, which reminds us of our true selves. As such, I can only echo Socrates in extolling Hades as a god of the highest virtue.

And is not that the reason, Hermogenes, why no one, who has been to him, is willing to come back to us? Even the Sirens, like all the rest of the world, have been laid under his spells. Such a charm, as I imagine, is the God able to infuse into his words. And, according to this view, he is the perfect and accomplished Sophist, and the great benefactor of the inhabitants of the other world; and even to us who are upon earth he sends from below exceeding blessings. For he has much more than he wants down there; wherefore he is called Pluto (the rich).

Yes, Hermogenes, and the legislator called him Hades, not from the unseen (aeides)- far otherwise, but from his knowledge (eidenai) of all noble things.

– Cratylus, Plato

[lordhadesshrine]

Credit to tattoo artist