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You may have talked about this before, but what is your opinion on giving the gods alcohol as offerings? Personally, I like to give Aphrodite strawberry wine in a small glass, but I wanted to know your thoughts on the matter bc you seem quite educated in a lot of the history. Is there a reason that you specifically should or should not? Do you offer the gods alcohol? If so, what is your favorite thing to give each god?

hi this is a great question thank you so much for giving me the chance to talk about it!!!

i love wine offerings! if we are too understand wine offerings however we should look at the culture of how wine existed in the classical world.

wine was a very central part of diet in the classical world, it was drank daily and with most meals, but this is in part because the wine is not quite the wine we think of today. it was diluted wine. the reason for this is unmixed wine was mostly considered too strong on its own but by mixing with water they had better control over just how strong that wine would be and you could mellow out the taste.

we also know that in the classical world wine was given as gifts and offered to guests and friends. as evidenced in Homers epics.

“Maron the son of Euanthes, who lived inside the shady grove on Ismarus. In reverence to the god, I came to help him, and save his wife and son. He gave me gifts: a silver bowl and seven pounds of gold, well wrought, and siphoned off some sweet strong wine,” - Homer, the Odyssey, IX. 199 - 205, translated by Emily Wilson. 2023. W. W. Norton & Company

With this, Achilles led them in and sat them on chairs with crimson throws and told Patroclus, who was beside him, “Get a bigger bowl, son of Menoetius. Mix some stronger wine, and get them all some food. My dearest friends have come into my home.” - Homer, the Iliad, IX. 256 - 260, translated by Emily Wilson. 2023. W. W. Norton & Company

so it would make sense that if we are looking at offerings as something similar to what you would gift an esteemed guest (as my lovely mutual @xenia-and-wine has mentioned before.) that wine would make for a good offering.

as i said i really do love wine offerings and i think they are great if you have the means to do so and we have an abundance of evidence showing us that alcohol was being used in these religious contexts within antiquity.

“So stay a while and let me get you wine sweetened with honey. First, pour out libations for all the gods, especially father Zeus, and after that, you need to have a drink. Wine can restore a man who is exhausted,” - Homer, the Iliad, VI. 245 - 349, translated by Emily Wilson. 2023. W. W. Norton & Company

“Now guest, give prayers of thanks to Lord Poseidon, and pour libations for the god. This feast is in his honor; pay him proper dues. Then give the boy the cup of honeyed wine, so he can offer to the deathless gods libations. Everybody needs the gods.” - Homer, the Iliad, III. 42 - 47, translated by Emily Wilson. 2023. W. W. Norton & Company

“Each time the singer paused, Odysseus wiped tears, drew down the cloak and poured a splash of wine out of his goblet, for the gods.” - Homer, the Odyssey, VIII. 88 - 90, translated by Emily Wilson. 2023. W. W. Norton & Company

so as a reconstructionist making wine offerings and libations is something i like to do when i have the funds and ability to do so!

as for your question about what kind of wine i give to the Theoi, i tend to use my own favourite wines (i’m very partial to a nice rioja) and this is for the same reason as why if i was to cook for friends or guests i would make them my best meal and give them my favourite drink, i am offering them the best thing i have. but it is kind of up to each individual what type of wine they would like to use.

i mix my wine with water and then either pour it onto the ground from a vessel or onto flames, sometimes i will pour diluted wine into a glass or cup and put it on my altar overnight and discard it again either onto the ground or into flames the following day. my libations are made in combination with prayers to the Theoi.