#hermits-notes

[hermitslibrary]

"… in the realm of dionysos gender isn’t real. it’s a grand, theatrical illusion: something that is fluid and playful, something that you can put on or take off as the situation demands or hell, just because you feel like it. we aren’t our genitals or the roles that society assigns us based on them. we are something more, something deeper. do you know the face you wore before you were born, before you had a body? dionysos does, and he’ll show it to you if you truly wish to see. but don’t be surprised if it ends up being something strange, something you never could have imagined – for everything in the realm of dionysos is a little bit queer."

source: the bakcheion wordpress

[thesunsaesthetic]

the divine twins in nature: apollo and artemis

posted by lykeia of apollon on wordpress

"in euripedes aclestis there is a great quote in his confrontation with thanatos that I frequently use in which apollon challenges that death should only come for that which is ripe for it. this is part of the harmony of his divine song. he ages and matures things until they are ripe for their destruction, just as he holds off foul weather for the fruits to ripen to plant new seeds.

although he is the destroying force in nature, it is to a purpose, just as his warding the living from his destructive forces is to a purpose. destruction is necessary to breed life... as a destructive god (and preserving god by warding off these forces) he is the god of every natural force which destroys life."

destructive forces associated with apollon:

➼ god of locus and mice (which bring plague / famine)

➼ wolves

➼ winds

➼ fire ; loosely paired with the sun and its heat

➼ carrion eating creatures

➼ ravens

"artemis as the sustaining and nurturing part of nature is the energy of the natural world... ultimately she is that which is always propelling life forward. if apollon is the dance and the path, then she is the dancer and the one hunting prey down the forest trails. she vitalizes that which he orchestrates from the moment she receives the new life, and pursues forward each living being into growth as an bow launches and arrow."

life-giving forces associated with artemis:

➼ the provision of food, both through the hunt and lactation, even the welfare of crops

➼ "powerful females of the animal kingdom" such as bears, lionesses, even dogs, "who not only lovingly care for large litters but exemplify the protective and loyal part of her nature"

➼ creatures which represent the wealth of food, such as rabbits and hares.

➼ the way the moon increases and decreases, "in which the growth of life is aptly symbolized"

read the article in full:

Apollon, Artemis and Action of Nature

I remarked in a conversation with a friend yesterday that it seems to me if I were trying to simplify the domains of Apollon and Artemis tha

[hermitslibrary]

Proclus on Hera and Zeus

This is a piece of a larger post on Platonic thinking (in particular, from Proclus) regarding Hera and Zeus.

"[According to Proclus], in the Hellenic theology Hera is 'the source of all the Titanic division [diairesis] perceived in souls according to allotment [moiras, i.e., destiny],' (In Tim. III, 249). What he means in effect is that Zeus has more to do with what souls have in common, and Hera more with that in which they differ. Hence their relationship expresses the conflict in the functions they perform in their joint work of ensouling the cosmos. He alludes to the Titans here because they are also responsible for conflict in the cosmos, conflict Proclus understands as necessary because it brings new planes of reality into manifestation. That’s what Hera does, too.

Hera has in a sense taken upon herself the tougher job, and this is why she is portrayed the way she is in the myths. She deals with the things that draw souls apart, and often into conflict; but this is necessary, because things have to be in conflict sometimes if they are to fully express themselves according to their peculiar destiny and find their niche in the world. She drives the process of manifestation forward." - Edward P. Butler

[hermitslibrary]

"in orphic thought, dionysos and apollo were two different revelations of the same divinity.

dionysos represented esoteric truth, the foundation and interior of things, open to initiates alone. he held the mysteries of life, past and future existences, the relations between soul and body, heaven and earth.

apollo personified the same truth applied to life on earth and social order. the inspirer of poetry, medicine, and laws, he was science by divination, beauty by art, peace among nations by justice, and harmony between soul and body by purification.

in a word, to the initiate dionysos signified nothing less than the divine spirit in evolution in the universe; and apollo, the manifestation thereof to mankind on earth."

source: pythagoras and the delphic mysteries, by edouard shuré (ch. 3, pg. 35)

[hermitslibrary]

"but I pray to mnamosyna, the fair-robed child of ouranos, and to her daughters [the mousai], to grant me ready resource; for the minds of men are blind, whosoever, without the maids of helikon, seeketh the steep path of them that walked it by their wisdom." pindar, paean 7

(image source)

[hermitslibrary]

"any one who really wishes to understand the religion of antiquity should have before him a clear and living picture of the antique landscape, as it is represented, for instance, in certain hellenistic reliefs and pompeian frescoes. it is saturated with religion in a manner quite foreign to us. one could hardly have taken a step out of doors without meeting a little temple, a sacred enclosure, an image, a cult-pillar, a sacred tree. nymphs lived in every cave and fountain. these pictures completely answer to the description which the geographer strabo gives of the lowlands at the mouth of the river alpheus. 'the whole tract is full of shrines of artemis, aphrodite, and nymphs, in flowery groves due mainly to the abundance of water ; there are numerous hermae on the roads and shrines of poseidon on the head lands by the sea.’"

a history of greek religion, martin p. nilsson, vol 2 (p. 118 - 119)

[hermitslibrary]

On [Hellenic] Gods and the World

"Those who make the world are Zeus, Poseidon, and Hephaistos; those who animate it are Demeter, Hera, and Artemis; those who harmonize it are Apollo, Aphrodite, and Hermes; those who watch over it are Hestia, Athena, and Ares." - Sallustius On Gods and the World

Edward P. Butler answered a question on this quote, which both answered questions and created more.

"Sallustius is classifying the Gods according to the disposition they adopt toward the world (cosmos). These are classifications of modes of activity. It is important to remember that these are only facets of the total activity of the Gods involved. The primary importance of these classifications is what they say about the structure of being, about the products of the Gods' activity; as determinations of the nature of the Gods they are necessarily limited, because there is always a surplus of existence over activity in divine individuals--they ARE always more than they DO." - Edward P Butler

Do read his whole response if you're interested in this, it's fascinating.

[hermitslibrary]

hera and juno's unexpected epithets

most of hera's epithets relate to her being the ultimate queen of the heavens - hera potnia (queen), hera skeptoukhos (scepter bearer), hera pangratis (all-powerful), and hera zygia (married) . several are specific by region but worshipped alongside zeus with a similar epithet (like zeus and hera olympia or hera hēniochē alongside zeus - basileus). there were still many that i was surprised by!

⋆｡‧˚ʚ ɞ˚‧｡⋆

disclaimer: i am using these posts to save my preliminary research. i’m a beginner to hellenic polytheism. this is not intended to teach but to share what i’ve learned. happy to take corrections!

─ hera aigophagos - the goat eater

Αιγοφαγος ; good post about the source of this epithet

─ hera alexandros - defender / protector of men

Ἀλέξανδρος ; "... under which she was worshipped at sicyon. a temple had been built there to hera alexandros by adrastus after his flight from argos." (smith)

─ hera boôpis - cow-eyed

Bοῶπις ; "ox-eyed; having large, full eyes" (wiktionary)

"an epithet commonly given to hera in the homeric poems. it has been said that the goddess was thus designated in allusion to her having metamorphosed io into a cow; but this opinion is contradicted by the fact, that other divinities too, such as euryphaessa and pluto, are mentioned with the same epithet; from this circumstance it must be inferred, that the poets meant to express by it nothing but the sublime and majestic character of those divinities." (encyclopedia mythica)

good post about hera boôpis

─ hera the chera - the widow

χῆρα ; "... was believed to have been given her by temenus, the son of pelasgus. he had brought up hera, and erected to her at old stymphalus three sanctuaries under three different names. to hera, as a maiden previous to her marriage, he dedicated one in which she was called pais (παῖς); to her as the wife of zeus, a second in which she bore the name of teleia (τέλεια); and a third in which she was worshiped as the chera (χῆρα), the widow, alluding to her separation from zeus." (smith)

─ hera exacesterius - one who averts or cures evil

can't really find sources for this one, other than that it was also used as an epithet for apollo. i saw this epithet here

─ hera hēniochē - the charioteer

"this name is only found in lebadaea in boetia and is linked to the oracle trophonius. in the context of this sanctuary, hera henioche received offerings alongside zeus basileus (“king”), implying that she was indeed worshipped in close relationship with zeus... there are a few theories as to how hera ended up with the henioche epithet. first, we know that in this city held a festival called basileia, which included horse races. another theory considers the epithet as a metaphorical link to hera as a goddess of marriage. the idea being that hera 'leads' young people to marriage, the same way horses are led by the charioteer." (dithyram blog)

─ juno kalendaris - of the calendar

second definition "of or belonging to the first day of the month"; juno kalendaris was worshipped on the first day of each month. (latin lexicon)

─ hera moneta - the advisor

"the romans, in need of money during the war against pyrrhus and the men of taras, prayed to hera; and [the story goes that] she replied to them that if they hold out against the arms [of the enemy] with justice they would not go short of money. successful, then, in their request, the romans honoured hera moneta, that is advisor, having determined to stamp the coinage in her temple." (source)

─ hera oplosmia - bearing arms / shield

Οπλοσμία "we have faint glimpses of a war-like hera... the hera Οπλοσμία of elis is only known to us through lycophron and his scholiasist." (cults of the greek states, vol. 1)

─ juno quiritis - spearholder / protector of spearmen

"as juno curritis/curitis/quiritis (“protector of spearmen”), she was worshipped by the 30 curiae (archaic military and political administrative groups), with a temple or shrine in the campus martius [an area where soldiers traditionally trained." (source)

"traditionally, roman marriages included a ritual where the bride's hair was cut or parted with a spear - some see this as the result of Juno's association with marriage, although other explanations for the ritual are given as well." (source)

─ hera tropaia - bringer of victory

Τροπαία (source)

─ juno zöógonos thæá - the vivific goddess

ζωόγονος Θεά

vivific definition: imparting spirit or vivacity (from merriam webster)

"juno (íra) is called by the orphic theologers, according to proclus ζωόγονος θεά, or the vivific goddess: an epithet perfectly agreeing with the attributes ascribed to her in this Hymn (ed. orphic hymn 16, or 15 in the taylor trans.). and in theol. plat. p. 483, he says that juno is the source of the soul's procreation." (thomas taylor 1792). (source)

excited to keep getting to know the different sides of the beautiful queen of the sky!

sources: theoi, this google doc, wikipedia page for hera