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Welcome to my blog, I am a Hellenist Polytheist. This blog is where I gather all my findings, it is my hope it can help you as much as it helps me!
Anyone can participate regardless of how long you’ve been a Hellenic polytheist! My hope is to use these questions to reflect on the year, and repeat next year to see what has changed, and hopefully to continue doing that every year!
Answer in as much or as little detail as you see fit. You are allowed to skip any questions that you are uncomfortable answering. These questions can also apply to heroes, not just deities. You can pick specific deities to answer each one, or answer the questions with all the deities you worship. This might apply to other Pantheons and I’m happy for it to be used as such. Feel free to tweak some of the questions to fit those pantheons if you’d like!
Please link this list on your posts with your answers so that it is easy for others to find if they want to participate too after seeing your answers.
THIS IS TO BE DONE DURING DECEMBER, I’M JUST POSTING THE LIST NOW SO PEOPLE CAN FIND IT!
Have fun!
DAY ONE: Who was the first deity you began worshipping? Do you still worship them now? If this has been answered before: how has your worship changed since last year?
DAY TWO: Which deity did you most recently start worshipping? Were you called to them or did you reach out first? Do you think there were specific reasons behind why you were drawn to them?
DAY THREE: How long ago did you start Hellenic Polytheism?
DAY FOUR: Are there any deities you don’t currently worship but want to learn about?
DAY FIVE: How much have you bonded with your deities?
DAY SIX: What’s one way you incorporate Hellenic Polytheism into your routine (daily, weekly, monthly, etc?)
DAY SEVEN: Are you openly a Hellenic Polytheist offline? How does being open/not being open effect your worship?
DAY EIGHT: Do you have altar(s)? If you do, how do you use it? If you don’t have one, do you want one? Why/why not?
DAY NINE: Is there a practice that’s common among other Hellenic Polytheists that you’re skeptical about?
DAY TEN: What’s something you’ve learned about Hellenic Polytheism that you wish you knew sooner?
DAY ELEVEN: What is the clearest sign you’ve received from a deity?
DAY TWELVE: Do you do food offerings or libations? What do you do with the food/drink after you’ve offered it?
DAY THIRTEEN: Do you write your own prayers?
DAY FOURTEEN: Do you have any hobbies that fit any of your deities’ domains?
DAY FIFTEEN: How has your worship changed you?
DAY SIXTEEN: If you could give one piece of advice to someone who’s just starting in Helpol, what would it be?
DAY SEVENTEEN: Send out some love! Are there any Helpol blogs here on tumblr that you follow and really like?
DAY EIGHTEEN: How can you best describe your relationship with each of your deities?
DAY NINETEEN: If you had to assign one song to each of the deities you worship, what songs would you choose?
DAY TWENTY: Do you have a favourite aspect of Hellenic Polytheism?
DAY TWENTY-ONE: Are there any retellings/adaptations of greek mythology that you LIKE? Why/why not?
DAY TWENTY-TWO: Is there an aspect of Hellenic polytheism you haven’t yet gotten to try but hope to in the future? Do you have any other Helpol-related goals for next year?
DAY TWENTY-THREE: What’s a bit of UPG you have with your deities?
DAY TWENTY-FOUR: What’s an offering you’ve made that you’re really proud of?
DAY TWENTY-FIVE: What was the most surprising thing you’ve learnt about Hellenic Polytheism or your deities?
DAY TWENTY-SIX: Do you celebrate any festivals? Which ones or why not?
DAY TWENTY-SEVEN: Share a fun fact about one or more of your deities which you think is underrated or not well-known
DAY TWENTY-EIGHT: What is your favourite myth?
DAY TWENTY-NINE: What is an aspect of your deities you really appreciate?
DAY THIRTY: Do you have a visual interpretation of your deities? Is this different from usual depictions you see of them?
DAY THIRTY-ONE: Share a positive experience you’ve had this month/year with one or more of your deities
Khaire! I was wondering if you would be able to make a pamphlet about Hypnos, whenever you have time? Absolutely no rush! Remember to take care of yourself first!! Thank you for taking the time to make these beautiful pamphlets, and may the Gods bless you!
Khaire! I would be happy to as soon as I can, thank you so much for the request.
@star-sheeps has requested also an info sheep on Hypnos, I have tagged you so you can also receive a notification of this response :)
Khaire!
Here is another info sheet, this time on Hera!
Tomorrow I will be going on my internship, I will try my best to leave some posts scheduled for all of you.
Hope you are all are having a nice day! May the gods bless you.
This is a quick reminder that I feel like it can't be said enough.
Always research your own information or double check it. I make the info sheets because as a hellenic polytheist not only do I love the gods, but seeing content like this can be uplifting for some people, as it was for me and continues to be to this day. It's also a way for me personally show devotion to the gods themselves. But they aren't mistake proof, I am human and I constantly have to choose between what information I leave out or leave in. My info sheets are made to be compact, short, just for those "I need a quick reminder" moments, it's not meant to be extensive or to go in detail. As such there is a lot of information out there that I choose not to include, the decision to keep or not something is often connected to personal bias and sometimes even UPG. Even if I try my absolute best to give a general idea of a deity to you guys, it is hard to let go of preconceived ideas, some I might not even notice for example.
This is to say, although posts, guides and anything else can be immensely helpful it is also important to do reach your own conclusions. In a more simpler note, it is also ok to not resonate with something and change things around. If something reminds you of a certain god, who am I to say it is an unworthy offering? We all build our own paths, some of us stir away from UPG, others embrace it, others might find a more even approach to their own religious practices, do what feels best for you and your relationship with the gods.
Khaire! After a long time I am here again to deliver yet another info sheet, this time on Hermes as I had previously promised.
I am currently done with my first year of uni, but I will still be partaking in an internship starting the end of this month, so I might not be as active as I'd like. I understand I am taking a long time to post and I'd like to apologize for that. I'd like to tell you I can offer content more frequently but I regularly need breaks in other not to feel overwhelmed and I know that might be frustrating for some, still thank you for your patience.
This is the first info sheet I have created on my computer opposed to my tablet so please do tell me if something is amiss.
Thank you all again.
Ancient Greek Religion & Hellenic Polytheism: A Reading Guide
I’ve been wanting to make something like this for a long while, and talking to my friend @olympianbutch today gave me the push I needed to do so. When I was starting out as a Hellenic Polytheist years ago, this is the kind of resource I needed. So I hope you all enjoy and find this helpful!
Introductory Reading:
Ancient Greek Religion by Jon D. Mikalson
Athenian Popular Religion by Jon D. Mikalson
Greek Religion by Jan N. Bremmer
On Greek Religion by Robert Parker
Hellenic Polytheism: Household Worship by LABRYS
Comprehensive Guides:
Greek Religion by Walter Burkert
Companion to Greek Religion edited by Daniel Ogden
Understanding Greek Religion by Jennifer Larson
Rethinking Greek Religion by Julia Klindt
The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Greek Religion edited by Esther Eidinow and Julia Klindt
Polytheism and Society by Robert Parker
The Gods and Theology:
Ancient Greek Cults by Jennifer Larson
Theologies of Ancient Greek Religion edited by Esther Eidinow, Julia Klindt, and Robin Osborne
Underworld Gods in Ancient Greek Religion by Ellie Mackin Roberts
Gods and Heroes of the Ancient World (Routledge Series)
Offerings and Sacrifice:
Personal Experience and Materiality in Greek Religion by K.A. Rask
Singing for the Gods by Barbara Kowalzig
Smoke Signals for the Gods by F.S. Maiden
Sharing with the Gods by Theodora Suk Fong Jim
Primary Sources:
Theogony & Works and Days by Hesiod
The Homeric Hymns
The Orphic Hymns
Sources for the Study of Greek Religion by David Rice and John Stambaugh
Greek Religion: A Sourcebook by Valerie M. Warrior
Ancient Greek Religion: A Sourcebook by Emily Kearns
So, I am an archeology student and I am currently attending "History of Classical Antiquity", aka ancient Greece and Rome. When my professor mentioned that wheat bread was reserved for the higher class because wheat didn't grow everywhere, it kind of hit me why bread was offered to the Gods.
For us now a days bread is such a mundane thing, but wheat bread in specific, was like offering the best of the best you could have and that to me is kind of beautiful.
Not necessarily new for everyone, but I still felt like sharing.
Khaire. It's been a while, university and life did a number on me. I had to take a break from everything, I am sorry for the long time it took me to finish this request but it finally is here.
I present Dionysus' info sheet, as requested by @crowleykinnielesbiandisaster. I do apologize for the time this took again, but I hope it is still of use!
I tried going for a simpler style, since I thought some of my other info sheets were getting way too busy and maybe confusing/hard to read for some.
gentle reminder: it’s okay to be simple and casual with your worship, not everyone’s practice needs to be the same and what you’re doing is more than enough ♡
Yes! I have been looking forward to making a sheet on him for so long since he is one of the gods I mainly worship, but I had to finish the requests first.
After doing the request for Dionysus' info sheet I will definitely do this one.
