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my name is Magpie, and this is my blog for all things Irish, Welsh, and Scottish folk magic and polytheism.
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@wyrdcunning
watch your step, child
my name is Magpie, and this is my blog for all things Irish, Welsh, and Scottish folk magic and polytheism.
WORK IN PROGRESS
dividers by @sweetestpeacreates
altars for minor underworld deities
hi everyone! sorry it's been so long since i posted here, things have been crazy busy in real life and i've been a lot more focused on my other accounts. this post is a loose continuation of altars for minor greek deities, but i'll be copying over a couple entries from there just so it's more comprehensive :)
also not all of these deities actually reside in the underworld, some are just associated with it!
before we start, some plants generally associated with the underworld are: asphodel, cypress, yew, poppy, mullein, and skullcap
and some crystals are: obsidian, lava rock, black tourmaline, dragon's blood jasper, bloodstone, smokey quartz, hematite and stibnite
who was zagreus?
hey y'all, on the post "who are the chthonic deities?" i got a comment asking about Dionysus not being included in the list. ever since then i've been thinking a lot about doing more research on the god Zagreus, who Dionysus is a reincarnation of.
Zagreus, the main character of the video game series Hades, is very different to the mythic Zagreus. mostly in the way that there really wasn't a lot of lore about Zagreus, at least not the same level as Dionysus. most of his stories come from Orphism, or the cult following of Orpheus.
DOMAIN: god of pitfalls, game hunting, and chthonic sacrifices
BIRTH AND DEATH: before she is given to the Underworld, Demeter hides her daughter Persephone away in a cave to ward off her many suitors. however, Zeus, as is typical of his mythic self, changes form into a drakon (a dragon-serpent), and makes love to her, conceiving the horned child Zagreus. the infant is then brought to Mount Ida, where he is to be raised in much the same way as Zeus himself. even as a child, Zeus takes a liking to Zagreus and whisks him away to Olympus, intending him to be his heir. there he is allowed to climb the heavenly throne and wield Zeus' lightning bolts.
however, Hera then becomes jealous, and incites the Titans to kill him while she distracts the boy with toys. the Titans then chop him to pieces, and in some stories, they then cook and eat the corpse.
hekate: a history
hihi!! recently my friend expressed interest in learning more about hekate and I thought that I could do some research and put it into a post. I have an altar to her but I don't necessarily commune with her often, and I didnt know as much of her lore as I probably should've. let me know if there's another deity yall would like me to do another deep dive on. i will link the sources that i used at the very end!
Domain: magic, witchcraft, the night, the moon, ghosts, crossroads, boundaries, herbalism and necromancy. she ruled over sky, earth, and sea, and was often venerated as a part of the household deities. she is widely respected and revered, even by the other gods
some ancient greek holidays
these holidays follow the lunar/athenian calendar, so I will either be providing the moon phase or Athenian date and the corresponding Gregorian months. also this is pretty obvious but these are just very general descriptions of these holidays, to give you an idea of which you think you'd like to practice. no one is forcing you to do every single one of these, nor is it expected. do whatever works for you.
if there's anything you think I should add, let me know
HEKATE'S DEIPNON
when: during the new moon phase purpose: honor Hekate and the souls of the restless dead, cleanse self and home activities: a meal set out at Hekate's altar (often including garlic, raw eggs, cake, leeks/onions, or fish), a sacrifice (usually of an animal, but it can be your choice), and burning of incense and/or cleaning house as purification deities honored: Hekate, the dead
a message for autumn
Hi everyone! I've decided to try something new by calling upon multiple deities to do a reading for the upcoming Fall season. Deities that I called upon by name include Hades, Persephone, Hermes Chthonius, Nyx, Erebus, and Thanatos. I then used my pendulums to make further decisions about what interpretations are correct!
Disclaimer: this reading may not hit home for you, and that's okay! You can save it and come back to it later, or move on and ignore it (although it'd be cool if you still interacted) and maybe it'll find you again! Have a great day :).
THE PSEPHOI:
-Phi
"Having done something carelessly you will thereafter blame the Gods."
Your fate is in your hands, and yours alone. The power of the gods is limited, as is their interest in doling out miracles. You have a period of difficulty ahead of you, and you are responsible for the hard work it'll take to get through it. Don't worry, your gods have not abandoned you, but it is not your place to blame them for your shortcomings or laziness. They will not or cannot fix everything for you.
worshipping the chthonic gods
first, a note on cthonic vs ouranic: the line between these gods is one that is not really as stark as it can be portrayed. many gods have both ouranic and chthonic aspects, and neither make them any more "good" or "bad" than the other. chthonic gods are not evil gods, at least no more than any ouranic god. all deities have the capability of doing good and evil, but are largely ambivalent in nature. the advice listed below is not set in stone, simply provided as gentle guidance. if you have suggestions, feel free to add them in the comments/reblogs! :)
LIBATIONS/OFFERINGS
In Ancient Greece it was very common for offerings to the chthonic gods to be given in the form of libation--a drink (or any liquid) poured into the ground. Solid offerings, like food, were often burned in their entirety to ash or left to rot, instead of being partially shared by the offeror. Incense was not as commonly used since the smoke travels upwards, towards the heavens.
I suggest disposing of/keeping ashes and rotted food outside or burying them, seeing as chthonic sometimes refers to "-of the earth." This would be similar to how curse tablets were treated in Ancient Greece, as Hermes, messenger of the gods, would deliver them unto their underworld-ly receiver from there.
If you can't do that, consider pouring your libations down the sink or flushing them down the toilet (ONLY do this with water-based liquids, oil and honey will clog up your sink in no time flat). It's not ideal, but it gets the job done.
Common libations include: coffee, blood (animal or your own, we'll get to that at the end), honey (instead of wine), milk
Common offerings include: meat, barley/grain, oil, cheese
who are the chthonic deities?
HADES: the god of the dead, riches, and King of the Underworld
PERSEPHONE: the goddess of springtime and flowers, Queen of the Underworld
HERMES: messenger of the gods, god of commerce, luck, thieves, and travel. under his Chthonius epithet his role in guiding the dead to the Underworld is emphasized
DEMETER: some sources consider the goddess of agriculture and fertility a chthonic deity because of her relation to the earth and as Persephone's mother
HEKATE: goddess of magic, crossroads, necromancy, and ghosts, she is a close companion of Persephone
TARTARUS: the primordial god of the abyss and personification of the deepest level of the Underworld
NYX: the primordial goddess of night
EREBUS: the primordial god of darkness, husband of Nyx
HYPNOS: son of Nyx and Erebus, the god of sleep
NEMESIS: daughter of Nyx and Erebus, goddess/daemon of revenge
CHARON: son of Nyx and Erebus, the ferryman that carries the dead across the river Acheron to the Underworld
THANATOS: son of Nyx and Erebus, the god of death
dividers by @vibeswithrenai