#twelve olympians

[theogonyofbeauty]

Ares.

[nightrandi]

Dodekatheon +Hades

[midnightsvnrise]

ἀπόλλυμι

The Destroyer

art by me :)

[ancientsstudies]

Demeter

The roof of the cabin constructed of growing grass and has tomato vines growing on the walls.

[auxiliaryslinky]

HELPOL JOURNALING/REFLECTION PROMPTS — heavy shadow work prompts, Olympian edition.

Featuring lesser-discussed aspects or sides of the gods. Massive "read to filth" warning!!

ZEUS – Forming pacts, promises, and oaths to others is an obligation, an action that puts integrity and trust on the line until what is agreed upon is fulfilled. Breaking an agreement breaks spirits and stability in relationships. So what have you promised yourself in the past that have never been put to fruition—any resolutions, goals, that you never got to fulfill? Why were they never completed?

POSEIDON – The very soil you stand on is supposedly the safest place to be, but the earth moves and shakes unapologetically, taking down all that towers above it. Have you had moments where what you built and stood for crumbled to the ground mercilessly, and you were left to pick up what had been destroyed? Could you have stopped it from breaking even if you couldn't prevent it from happening?

HERA – Life is a journey traversed through both familiar roads and unpaved paths. These journeys can be literal expeditions and long travels to be in new places, and for some, it is a long-winded path to a less physical but equally beautiful destination. Write a letter about your travels to your past self, who was yet to begin their long journey just to get to where you are now. Thank them, thank yourself.

HESTIA – Transparency is the lesser mentioned but equally important partner of communication as a key aspect of negotiation and bureaucracy. Is there ever a time when you or somebody else had twisted the truth or altered the manner in which to express it to raise the chances in your favour, or has somebody else done it against you? Do you think it was worth it to do so?

DEMETER – Abundance is never ensured or constant, and there will be inevitable periods of darkness and drought where one feels as if they are losing everything and gaining nothing at the same time. Whenever you are hopeless and feel as if nothing good will ever replenish all that you have lost, there are reasons as to why you're still here despite it. What or who are these reasons that stayed even when all else has vanished from you?

ARES – Respect for another person's inborn dignity is respect for human life and existence. Most of us attempt to be gracious and polite to preserve the dignity of others. Ignoring your own, and therefore disrespecting yourself, is not an exception to the rule. How many times in the past six months, up to a year ago, have you shamed yourself, been self-deprecating, and been cruel to yourself?

HEPHAESTUS – As much as our passions and specialties fuel us, there will be inevitable times when burnout exists. In periods of creative rut and artistic block, even the greatest artisans feel as if nothing they create is good enough. In the worst cases, these periods may last so long and so painfully that they stop altogether. If you are still a creative now, how do you get over these artistic dry spells? If you've given up and dropped an art form, is there still an ember of passion within you, or has it truly died out?

ATHENA – Intellect is not merely measured by academic excellence or the ability to quickly solve a problem on paper with genius skill. It also involves displaying a deep understanding of concepts and experiences, and the ability to apply learnings in profound ways. What are the greatest realizations, revelations, or life lessons you have had in the past year? Do you think understanding these has made you a smarter person about your life, or at the very least more aware?

APHRODITE – Passion and love are forces with no morality, only power. When harnessed healthily, these can fuel perseverance, healing, improvement, and even renewal. When left uncontrolled and unsupervised, they can quickly corrupt and turn irrational as fast as they can influence. Are you somebody who allows themself to be thoroughly ruined by its intensity, or do you attempt to rein it in as much as you can help it?

APOLLON – The excess of anything good becomes bad, and the indulgence in something seemingly beneficial can be blinding. Potent medication is administered with specific doses for a reason. And many good things in life are not meant to be had all at one time, though it is undeniably irresistible. Do you have any guilty pleasures or vices that you struggle with working on or experiencing, and are you aware of their long-term effects on you? Do you still take care of yourself regardless of or because of it?

ARTEMIS – Many people look down on others for reasons they cannot prevent, deny, or remove from themselves. Race, gender, sexuality, conditions, you name it, and some people feel the need to belittle those who are different from others. If you are not part of these minorities, or if you are somebody who experiences some forms of discrimination, how do you advocate and fight for yourself and those who are alienated by others?

DIONYSUS – Merely realizing the utter chaos and clamor of life can render even the most well-adjusted individuals in society to develop an existential crisis that uproots their motivations and reasons for being. In this ever-changing, ever maddening, potentially meaningless existence we live in modern day life, how do you keep grounded to reality, experiencing it, shaping this reality to be distinctly suited and meaningful to you?

HERMES – Luck is a leap of faith, and you never know which side of the probability you will end up having. There are times when the world leaves us no opportunity to choose wisely, and we are thrown into a fit of quick decision-making that may or may not end in catastrophe. Usually, they do end up horribly, but on the rare occasions that chance is on your side, recall a time you made a reckless, potentially dangerous, and non-advisable decision that, by a stroke of luck, ended better than expected. Would you ever dare do it again with the same stakes at hand?

I'll probably make more of these but with specific themes soon >:3. Khaire, self-love and enlightenment be with you! Happy journaling!

[eternalmneme]

This post is one of the parts of a guide for beginners, and new helpols!

Right now I will talk about one of the most important yet difficult things to decide: how do you choose a God/Goddess to worship?

We will meet the Twelve Olympians in this post, but I need to make a little precision first!

The Gods we all know more are the famous “Twelve of Olympus” but among them there is a difference: Ouranic and Chthonic.

Ouranic (οὐράνιοι – “of the sky/heavens”): These are the sky-aligned, upper-world gods, like the Olympians.

They are associated with light, order, life, growth, justice, protection, and public worship.

Offerings were and are usually burned, given in the morning or daytime

Libations are poured upward or into a fire

Worship is facing upward or toward an altar

Praying hands are facing the sky

Altars are usually raised

Examples of Ouranic Gods: Zeus, Hera, Apollon, Athena, Hermes (in his Olympian role or else he could be also Chthonic), etc.

Chthonic (χθόνιοι – “of the earth/underworld”): These are the earth-aligned, underworld gods and spirits.

They are tied to death, fate, mystery, ancestors, spirits, silence, transformation.

Offerings were buried or poured into the ground

Libations go downward

Worship usually happens at night

Praying hands facing the ground

Altars are low, close to the ground or pits

Examples of Chthonic Gods: Hades, Persephone, Hekate (in her chthonic aspect), Thanatos, the Erinyes, spirits of the dead.

Some Gods are liminal: they move between both realms. Like for example Hermes or Dionysus.

Who are the Olympians?

The Twelve Olympians (or Dodekatheon) are the best-known deities in Hellenism. They’re the gods of Olympus (high, luminous) and were widely honored in public worship across the Greek world.

They include:

Zeus – “King of the gods”, sky and weather (thunder, lightning, rain), kingships and rule, law, order, justice, oaths, governance, hospitality.

Hera – “Queen of the gods”, marriage and sacred union, Queenship and regality, divine law and family order, protection of women, fertility within the bounds of lawful marriage.

Poseidon – Oceans and seas, arthquakes (called the “Earth-shaker”), horses and horse taming, storms at sea, harbor protection, sailors, seafarers, and islanders, earth and fertility (older cult aspect)

Demeter – Agriculture and cultivated land, grain and cereal crops, fertility of the earth, sacred law and the rhythms of life, protection of marriage and rural communities.

Athena – Wisdom and intellect, strategic warfare (as opposed to Ares' brute force), crafts and weaving, protection of cities, laws and justice, rational thought and fair judgment.

Apollon – The sun and light, prophecy and oracles (especially Delphi), healing and medicine, music, poetry, and the lyre, archery, plagues and purification, reason, order, and harmony, youth and male beauty, shepherds.

Artemis – The wilderness and untamed nature; The hunt and wild animals: virginity, chastity, and protection of women; childbirth and midwifery (as protector of mothers and infants); The moon (in later syncretism); Young maidens and transitions into womanhood; Protection of children and purification

Ares – War and battle (particularly chaotic and bloodthirsty war, unlike Athena’s strategic warfare); physical aggression, rage, bloodlust; courage, violence, and masculine strength; warriors and soldiers; destruction and conquest; rebellion, impulse, and raw desire and fatherhood.

Aphrodite – Love (romantic and erotic); beauty and aesthetics; fertility and procreation; sensual pleasure and desire; attraction, charm, and seduction; marriage and union; the generative forces of life; sea travel and sailors (in some cults)

Hephaistos – Fire; metalworking and metallurgy; blacksmithing and artisanship; sculpture, invention, and design, craft and mechanical ingenuity, technology, and forges; volcanic activity; laborers and working-class people;

Hermes – Travel and roads; boundaries and transitions; messengers and communication; commerce, merchants, markets; thieves, trickery, and wit; luck and fortune, language and writing; herds and shepherds; gymnasiums and athletes; soul-guidance (psychopomp — guide of souls to the Underworld); initiations and liminal states.

Dionysus – Wine and grape cultivation; fertility and nature’s renewal; theater and performance; ecstasy and divine madness; mysticism and altered states; death and rebirth; liberation from social norms; initiation rites and sacred frenzy (Maenadism, Bacchic rites)

Some older traditions include Hestia, goddess of the hearth, instead of Dionysus. In a myth she gives the throne to Dionysus, showing her kindness and peaceful demeanor. Many modern practitioners honor all thirteen.

“Which God do I choose?”

When you’re just stepping into Hellenism, one of the first questions that hits is:

“There are so many gods. who do I begin with?!”

The real answer is that there is not any rule! I need to say that the tradition of choosing a God to worship comes from the influence of Christianity. Ancient Greeks worshipped mostly every God and Goddess.

And personally as a “Reconstructionist” I prefer to do it as the Greeks.

But surely its difficult! And not even I sometimes can do it like I want! So you dont EVER need to push yourself through something you dont want or dont feel like doing.

So how do you choose? I would advice to start reading about every God, specially if you dont know much about Greek Gods and mythology in general. Like I said earlier, the Gods you can worship are not only the Olympians, they are many: Gods, Titans, Spirits etc.

Once you read about some Gods, choose the one who you feel a connection to or you are more interested to.

I want to specify that its normal if you dont feel much attraction at first, or you dont achieve how much you want to worship! Its completely normal if you feel overwhelmed or you cant do what you want to do!

I say to give it time, it doesn’t matter the quantity but the quality. Worship also once a week or more, if you feel like you cant do much! The Gods WONT be mad.

“How do I begin to worship?”

I’ll give you a simple example.

The Olympians are a great place to begin, especially if you’re building a home practice. Here’s a simple structure you can use to begin forming relationships:

Each day (or each time you worship):

Cleanse your hands (khernips)

Light a candle or incense

Say something simple like: “Great Olympians, I honor you with respect and kharis. May you watch over my home and life. May my offerings be accepted.”

Pour water or offer food, flowers, or olive oil

Speak freely to the god(s) you feel drawn to.

No pressure. No perfection needed. Just presence and sincerity.

Also you don’t need a dream or a voice to confirm Their presence. You don’t even need to “feel something” every time.

The gods are bigger than feelings, and their relationships are built in slow, sacred time.

I hope I explained all well! I’m always up to questions! 💛

[darimaa2]

olympian gods x object shows

kinda proud of these

[ghostychocoreal]

Finally finished all the designs for the Olympians in my Hades game based D&D campaign :D

(A lot of them are inspired by the Hades and Epic designs, mostly Neal Illustrator’s because I’m a really big fan, so if there are similarities then that’s why!)