G.

27 | death witch | Hellenic polytheist and omnist | 🌸🏺🐏

[thatdeathwitch]

Hello!

🥀 I go by G., and I use all pronouns (they/she/he).

🥀 I'm a Hellenic polytheist and a death witch.

🥀 I'm a Persephone, Hermes, Father Zeus and King Haides devotee.

🥀 Still, as a Hellenic Polytheist, the worship of all the Theoi is part of my craft and practice.

Just a fyi: even if I center my practice around certain Gods, ALL the Theoi deserve to be treated with respect. I do not tolerate any kind of slander about any of the Theoi.

🥀 I'm currently studying philosophy, I also write sometimes, and I love to listen to music.

This is a page of an adult, and that means that from time to time, you can see posts that are +18, so if you're a minor, please be mindful of that.

Index page

- About Persephone

- About King Hades (Haides)

[theadagium]

As a Thanatos devotee, I normally tend to hate the story of Sisyphus. I however usually see the Greek tales as metaphors for how the Greeks saw elements of the world interact with any other. Finally I decided to put some thought into the tale of Sisyphus, and finally I understood. Sisyphus hid death from the world, and his punishment was the torture of repetition. It’s a metaphor for how valuable death, Thanatos, is for us. Ares freeing Thanatos was a metaphor for how without Death there is no glory or passion in life. Without Death, or change, we are all suffering in stagnant repetition.

[bodhi-devotee]

Siddhartha Buddha viewed death as one of his most valuable gurus. for those who’ve asked about grecobuddhist syncretism, i think worship and meditation on Thanatos is fantastic! this post has inspired me to look into his mythology more.

[templehyacinthus]

This is why it is so important to remember that the myths are symbolic and allegorical and do not define the personality of The Theoi 🙏🏻

[khaire-traveler]

Oooo, we're talking about death and Thanatos, my favorite! Admittedly, I haven't reflected extensively on the symbolic meaning of Sisyphus' tale, but something I didn't see mentioned that I, personally, interpreted from the myth was the fact that Death is an incredibly natural, normal part of life. Death is, in fact, so natural that his absence is more than just noticeable; it's detrimental. Hiding Death away from the world is a horrendous crime, with consequences that go far beyond just "oh, nobody's dying". It's an offense to the natural order of all things; something that is SO severe, Haides himself gave Sisyphus an eternal punishment for it. Rolling that boulder up and down a hill for the rest of forever is a testament to the futility of trying to avoid the one inevitable conclusion of all things: Death. But it's also highlighting the futility is trying to avoid change.

Just as OP said, Death incites change - it is the cause of it - so when Sisyphus hid Thanatos from the world, he wasn't just getting rid of the physical process of dying; Sisyphus got rid of every form of Peaceful Death, from the moments of silent epiphanies to the ending of shitty relationships to the conclusion of a person's life journey. Death manifests itself in a myriad of ways, and without Thanatos' presence, we live in a perpetual state of constancy and stagnation. We never learn. We never grow. We never mature.

A world without death is one that is frozen in time, never moving forward or changing in any sense of the word. The wind doesn't shake leaves from the trees, the rain doesn't fall from the skies onto the ground, the grass doesn't grow taller. Everything comes from something else; everything is incited by the "Death" - or repurposing - of another thing. Grass grows by consuming the sun's rays and water from the ground. There is a form of Death present in all things, even in something as seemingly simple as grass growing, so imagine the complexities of our lives existing without any form of Death - literal and metaphorical. We would be nothing - blank slates without purpose or personality. So take Thanatos' hand in your own and embrace the change that follows in his wake.

[mermaidenmystic]

A Solitary Centaur by Ferdinand Keller (German painter, 1842-1922)

[wishmemellon]

Aphrodite fresh out of the shell 🐚

[morphic-mythos]

Can't stress how important it is to revisit your research. Return to the books you read a few years ago. Comb through your old notes and journals. Take stock of what has changed. Are you more receptive to certain ideas now than you were before? How has the breadth of your knowledge expanded and evolved? What no longer resonates?

[ombrokharis]

Materialism is literally inextricable from Greek religious practice because the ideal relationship between gods and humans is one based on mutual gift-giving.

[ombrokharis]

Materialism also doesn't imply consumerism, since I see a lot of people confusing the two.

Anything that leaves a trace, physical or digital, counts as material. If something isn't literally in your mind, it's probably material.

Not everything that is material is bought.

[verdantlyviolet]

If eusebeia is expressed in cult, the problem arises that the rich and powerful once more have a chance to outdo the poor. Against this it was emphasised at least since Hesiod that for the gods it is not the absolute value of the gift that matters, but that each man should make sacrifice according to his means. From most probably the sixth century on, the question about the ‘most pious man’ was answered by an anecdote in the Seven Wise Men style: the god of Delphi, asked who was most pious, did not name the rich man who brought his hecatombs, but a simple peasant who used to throw a handful of barley corns into the flames of his hearth. Thus again eusebeia avoids the extravagant and excessive.

- Greek Religion by Walter Burkert, ‘Eusebeia’ pg274

[antiquatedhag]

I don’t know why people are so afraid of modern implications in Hellenic polytheism. Yes, the foundation of our religion relies on the ancients, but even the ancients themselves would’ve adapted with the times had they been allowed to do so. There’s no shame in transformation and adaptation.

Whilst there is no religion without the foundation the ancients laid out for us, there is also no future for us if we do not adapt. Period.

[khaire-traveler]

I personally believe that the gods themselves have adapted and evolved alongside us. They've seen our communities and societies change and develop. They were there with the rise of technology and modern medicine. They stood with their worshippers - those who remained - and supported them behind closed doors.

The truth of the matter is that humanity changes and religion evolves naturally. We've seen it over the course of history; Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, even Christianity - all of these have evolved and will continue to do so until humanity is no more. Change is the nature of life, and by denying change, we deny nature itself.

This doesn't mean we can't or shouldn't follow ancient practices; it is to say that, as a community, we should try to be less afraid of the fact that change has occurred and will continue to occur. It's better to try embracing it in those who practice differently. It's better not to judge those who practice more akin to the modern times. We're a community, and it's important that we have a degree of tolerance and empathy towards others who practice in new and different ways. 🧡

[armandgender]

donald trump will die on july 20th 2025 at 1pm pacific standard time

[momrikamayhem]

Like to charge reblog to cast

[kittenscookie]

You think Odysseus was Homer's favorite blorbo because of the amount of details he put in his descriptors. I think Odysseus was Homer's favorite blorbo because of the absolute hell he put him through. You cannot convince me that The Odyssey wasn't just someone going buck wild with their favorite oc—because that's exactly what it was.

[kittenscookie]

Homer: *Holds up Odysseus* This is Odysseus he is the smartest sexiest little guy, everybody loves him and I am about to put him through fucking hell

[robotsandfrippary]

fresh, clean no-terf version for reblogs!

Your mom and aunts aren’t on tumblr.  Please warn them about this as well. 

[jenniferrpovey]

Thank you! I’ve been looking for the TERF-free version of this.

[gentlyepigrams]

Hey! I’m the age of some of your moms and aunts and the OG version of this post helped me catch my cancer in 2023. I had a hysterectomy at the beginning of 2024 and I’ve been cancer-free since then. If I hadn’t read this information, I wouldn’t have reported bleeding to the next doctor I saw. I might have died, and I probably would have had to undergo chemo and/or radiation, both of which I avoided.

Keep the reblogs going to save a life!

[ryuutchi]

Hey! If you are a transmasculine person on long term HRT (especially if you are without ovaries) and you experience this kind of bleeding after a long period of no menstruation, treat it seriously! My partner, who had his ovaries removed, began to bleed vaginally and it was stage one cancer that required his uterus be fully removed.

[gaylienz]

happy PRIDE i’m here i’m queer and i believe the land should be given back to the proper indigenous stewards.

[gaylienz]

Non-Natives reblogging this are great and wonderful

[lierdumoa]

Please remember that "land back" does not mean "indigenous people are mystical elves with innate epigenetic wisdom of land stewardship and they don't belong in big cities," nor does it mean "non-indigenous people can't be farmers." What it DOES mean is that "non-indigenous farmers should be paying the equivalent of property taxes to the native governments their land was stolen from." It means, "there's a great deal of indigenous scholarship on sustainable agricultural practices that farmers should be taking into account, because indigenous agriculture was more advanced than European agriculture at the time Europe invaded the Americas and western agriculture *still* hasn't caught up in terms of figuring out how to produce equivalently high crop yields without compromising the ecosystem." It means, "non-indigenous farmers should be in an intellectual discourse with indigenous agricultural scientists and indigenous peoples that still do traditional farming, figuring how to repair the damage western farming practices have done to the ecosystem."

[red-dead-revival]

It also means that indigenous peoples should regain the right to sustain themselves on the land according to the practices they want, and they should have free reign to perform their cultural practices and protect their holy sites, as opposed to the current model where if they try to honor their dead on public lands they get violently removed.

[bogleech]

People also get angry at this concept thinking it'd mean non-native people getting mass evicted from their homes but 1) your home is already owned by a bank or big business or government, the difference would mainly be who you're now paying rent to and 2) most of the land in America isn't residential anyway.

This topic isn't about your house that you're already struggling to pay for, it's about thousands of miles of the planet rotting away under the monopoly of big agriculture and oil, but hypothetically speaking I think a local tribe would treat you a shitload better than whatever inhuman real estate brand you're already at the mercy of.

[ombrokharis]

What do you think about people who are in their periods praying, giving offerings and/or approaching the altar? I read that you weren’t allowed to enter the temples in ancient greece if you were menstruating so I have that doubt

Χαίρε, anon! ((:

So, of the hundreds of inscribed temple regulations we have from ancient Greece, not a single one bars menstruating women from participating in ancient Greek religious life.

There are four exceptions to this rule, though calling them "exceptions" is admittedly very generous.

To begin, all four inscriptions come from late antiquity and they all belong to temples of Near Eastern import. Of note is the fact that not one of these four temples belongs to a Greek god. This suggests that certain Near Eastern traditions did exclude menstruating women from participating in religious life, but the same cannot be said about Greek women. Why is that, though?

The four inscriptions (which were written in ancient Greek) give us some clues. For starters, the word "menstruation" is not explicitly used in temple inscriptions found on the Greek mainland; it is instead referred to as a "female matter." This skirting around any direct mention of menstruation is representative of the near-complete segregation of the sexes in ancient Greece.

To put it simply, Greek men did not discuss "female matters," or the female body, for that matter. Doing so was considered extremely taboo. So taboo that physicians—by and large—did not treat female patients, meaning most women died of illness. Addressing menstruation in direct terms would mean that it was no longer out of sight and out of mind, and the Greeks likely wanted to keep it that way.

The issue is made doubly complex when you realize that we don't actually know how ancient Greek women managed their periods. Experts like Dr. Helen King—a classicist who specializes in menstruation in ancient Greece—theorize that women of means maybe wore linen cloth to catch their menses. Poor women (who couldn't afford such expenditures) likely remained in their homes to bleed freely.

What does any of this information tell modern-day worshippers? Well, it suggests that we simply don't know enough to be able to say one way or the other whether or not menstruating Greek women were excluded from religious life.

It most certainly tells us that menses management is way different now than it was back then. And unlike our religious predecessors, we now have personal hygiene products we can use to ensure we don't bleed out at the altar lol 😆

In general, I don't think it makes sense to pretend like modern worshippers can't menstruate and worship at the same time. There certainly isn't enough ancient evidence to suggest that was the standard, so why make it the standard now? This is definitely one of those things where I'm like "do what feels most appropriate to you."

I don't menstruate anymore, but if I did, I'd probably still worship. Alternatively, if I was on my period and feeling mentally unclean/generally gross, I wouldn't (unless I was approaching the gods for some relief).

I know people who take breaks from their religious duties while menstruating, and I know others who don't make any changes to their routines at all. It all depends on your personal comfort level. Just like how everyone's period is different, everyone's worship is different! And that's OK ((:

[ombrokharis]

I NEED THIS POST TO DO BETTER, PLEASE 😭😭

I feel like all of this information is super important to both menstruating and non-menstruating worshippers!

[ombrokharis]

Do you think Hellenic Polytheists need to worship exactly the way the ancient Greeks did? I've noticed this sentiment somewhat heavily, and while I think it's important to understand the historical basis for our practice and adhere to the values (xenia, kharis, etc.) it's kinda made me feel insecure about my practice if i feel a want to deviate at all. Would love to know your thoughts!

Khaire, anon; this question has been very thought-provoking, so I’d like to thank you for asking it—genuinely! :)

My opinion on this is subject to change depending on the circumstances; e.g., which historical practices are we talking about, is the practitioner new to Hellenic polytheism, etc.? Additionally, even as a speculative reconstructionist, there are relatively few ancient Greek practices I believe modern worshippers must adhere to.

I’ll provide a few case examples to better demonstrate my beliefs.

For instance, if we’re talking about ritual cleanliness, I think every Hellenic polytheist who knows that the ancient Greeks washed their hands before approaching the gods should adhere to that religious protocol.

“And do not ever pour a libation of gleaming wine at dawn to Zeus or the other immortals with unwashed hands; for they do not listen, but spurn the prayers” (Hesiod, Works and Days, 724 – 6).

If someone doesn’t know about it, then I wouldn’t expect them to practice ritual handwashing; but as soon as they learn about it, the expectation would be that they incorporate it into their worship.

My feelings are virtually the same when it comes to upholding kharis (reciprocity) and xenia (hospitality). Together, they make up the foundation of ancient Greek religion, so as modern Hellenic polytheists, it’s up to us to uphold and maintain the integrity of those principles. Worshippers who don’t yet know about kharis or xenia should be educated on these virtues by their peers so they can easily adopt them.

When it comes to giving modern offerings vs. traditional ones, I firmly believe that one is no better or more legitimate than the other. Ultimately, we are all giving gifts to the gods, so it doesn’t matter if it’s holy frankincense or a My Little Pony figurine; what matters is that the offeror is pious. Unless someone’s giving the gods their human bodily omissions, all offerings should be presumed faultless.

Similarly, I am staunch in my belief that a worshipper’s prayers are of no concern to an outside observer. If they’re not a guest praying for the downfall of a gracious host, then we should mind ourselves and our prayers.

Lastly, I would never try and regulate a person’s personal pantheon. If someone worships the Panhellenic instantiations of the gods over their various epithets, that’s perfectly OK. Ideally, I think Hellenic polytheists should know about epithets, but I doubly think their use is optional.

If you (or anyone else) have any clarifying questions, feel free to send me another ask or a message! I really hope I was able to provide you a satisfying answer. :)

[ombrokharis]

I don’t wanna look stupid, but I am genuinely wanting some input here.

So like the first deity’s I started to worship are Persephone and haides. I love them to bits, they are awesome and I’ve seen them in 1 or 2 dreams and a couple times in meditation: (I’ve been worshiping them for what I would want to say is 7 or 8 months.)

I can never really feel their presence when I meditate with them or when I light a candle for them.

Apollon on the other hand who I just started worshiping I can feel his energy, I vibe with him. I love it 🥰

But this makes me sad because I wish I had that with Persephone and haides. 🥲

Am I doing something wrong or am I looking too much into this? Any advice would be appreciated!

Khaire, friend! I greatly appreciate your coming to me for guidance, though I don’t know how useful it’ll be.

Personally, I don’t light candles and meditate with the gods. Many worshippers do, but I don’t. :0

Instead, when I’m going through the ritual motions, I watch for signs that indicate the god’s presence and if They’ve accepted (or rejected) the offerings given.

For example, the smoke that comes from burning incense can clue me into the feelings of the divine. If the smoke travels skyward, the gods are present, and They’ve accepted the offering. If the smoke travels horizontally or downward*, I’ll know They’ve rejected it. (*Unless the incense is a gift to the Underworld gods. In that case, downflowing smoke spells approval.)

If I’m not burning incense but instead pouring libations or singing prayers, I look for more abstract clues. For instance, I pour libations to the deathless gods every morning and evening. Whenever I perform these daily rites, I’m left feeling generally happy, peaceful, fulfilled, etc. These positive feelings indicate the god’s presence and acceptance! If I don’t feel any particular way afterward, I’ll use divination to see whether or not They accepted it.

When it comes to Haides specifically, I never expect to feel the full force of His presence. I’m a living mortal, and He is the invisible god of the dead. Additionally, the instantiation of Haides I worship doesn’t participate in the cycle of reciprocity. As such, His attention is never expected or demanded.

Persephone (unlike Haides) does participate in the cycle of reciprocity, so the attention She allots is more consistent. I know Her to be an incredibly attentive goddess, so if you petition Her, I imagine She’ll answer.

[furry-cherry-blossom]

Can we like, stop making Hades out to be a bad guy in Greek myth and zues to be a good guy. Honestly Hades is like not even evil in most Greek iterations. Zues is the one who fucked everyone and caused issues. Zues is the fuckup, Hades mostly just wanted a wife. And in most iterations she willingly went no trickery and willingly wanted to stay. And after thousands of years Demeter is still upset about it. Persephone willingly stayed Hades isn't evil, and neither is the location known by the same name.

[ombrokharis]

Actually insane of you to tag this as Hellenic polytheism. Please refrain from using our tags if you're going to trash our gods. Let alone the king of them.

There's also the fact that you are dead wrong. There is not a single Greek or Roman source that depicts Persephone as a willing bride to Haides.

[furry-cherry-blossom]

This is a lot of talk about tags from someone with the fucking Hercules movie in their bio. The most inaccurate version of any Greek gods ever. "Our tags" include me, Hellenistic polytheism is what I follow. The king of the gods is in fact an asshole objectively. 7 years of the Odyssey was his fault. He fucked so many people some with consent some without. He is objectively a bad person. Also, my friend who also follows it and worships Zues agrees he's an asshole.

I have a question for you, in Greek myth who has to complete 12 labors?

[ombrokharis]

1.) Wtf does my blog's header image have to do with anything, lmao?

2.) If you legitimately think you're a Hellenic polytheist, then you should know that what you are doing is textbook impiety. Like the kind that got Hippolytus ski-bopped by Aphrodite.

3.) "Seven years of the Odyssey was his fault." Aside from that barely being a sentence, all of the Epic Cycle was his fault... He planned the events of the Trojan War from an early point in the cosmology as a promise to Gē that he would unburden her of the weight of mankind. So, what now?

4.) Zeus's sexuality is indicative of his role as the king of gods and humans. His children (and the children of the other gods) go on to found the many ethnic groups of Greece, from which the ancient Greeks traced back their origins. As for the concept of consent, consent as we know it didn't exist among the ancient Greeks, so why would it translate into depictions of their gods? Are you angry at Poseidon for the number of affairs he has? Or Herakles?

5.) He is not an "objectively bad person." The ancient Greeks didn't see him that way, so it isn't objective. There's also the fact that he isn't a person. He's a god and his behavior is not at all different from other gods in the pantheon.

6.) The word of your equally uninformed friend holds no salt.

You will find no community here if you think you can shit talk any of the gods. Let alone Zeus.

[winedarkgod]

the Gods are alive and breathing. you can reach out and feel their pulse, if you're willing to take the risk.