Hello! I'm curious how you came up with the title "Hytheria". I'm interested in creating my own title for similar reasons but am having a tough time. Did you base it on an existing ancient Greek word, or did you just make it up entirely? Thank you in advance! 💜
Khaire Anon!
Thank you for your ask! Hytheria is the simplified spelling of Hythiereia, and Hythiereia is a word we invented for our temple. It is a combination of two words that were used in Ancient Greece in reference to the Hellenic Faith. The first being Hiereia:
Hiereia was the title of the female priesthood or priestesses in ancient Greek religion (source).
The second being Pythia:
Pythia was the name of the high priestess of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi (source).
So Hythiereia is H (from hiereia) + YTH (from pythia) + IEREIA (from hiereia) - and Hytheria is just a simplified spelling that makes the word easier to read/pronounce
For anyone who is curious, it is pronounced like: HIGH-TH-EAR-EEE-UH (Rhyming with Siberia)
Despite the feminine connotations to both Hiereia and Pythia, the term Hytheria is meant to be gender neutral and void of gendered connotations.
If you'd like any help creating your own version / a similar term feel free to message us and we'd be happy to help in any way that we can!
Eirene - peace and farewell,
- Aön