doglike-devotee

[doglike-devotee]

In this post I will help beginners understand the basics of Hellenism, which is the oikos! Hope this help and I’ll explain all well! Enjoy your reading💛 (Sorry for my English if I’ve mistaken something, its not my frist language)

The sacred Household in Hellenism🏡

“The gods are not far away — they live among us, beginning at the hearth.”

When people first come to Hellenism, many expect temples, elaborate rituals, and festivals with incense drifting into the sky. And yes, those things exist, and they’re beautiful.

But in traditional Hellenic religion, the true center of worship has always been the household — the oikos. This is where devotion begins.

The oikos is more than just your physical living space. In ancient Greece, it referred to the entire household unit: the family, the home, the land, the goods, and the sacred forces that protected and sustained them.

For Hellenists, our home is a temple in miniature. It’s where you interact with the gods every day, where you make offerings, pray, purify, and maintain order. You don’t need an expensive altar, what you need is intention, reverence, and consistency.

Hestia: The heart of the Home🔥

At the center of the sacred household is Hestia, goddess of the hearth flame.

She is the first-born of the Olympians, and the first (and last) to receive offerings in every ritual.

Hestia represents warmth, safety, peace, continuity. In ancient homes, the hearth fire was never allowed to go out, and when a new household was formed, the flame was lit from the family hearth.

(I will do more about the Gods in specific in other posts)

In a modern practice, you can honor Hestia simply:

Light a candle or lamp in her name.

Offer a drop of oil, water, or wine.

Speak a short prayer:

“Hestia, keeper of the hearth, may your flame burn bright in my home.”

It doesn’t need to be elaborate!

But ancient Greeks honored her a bit differently!

As I said earlier, the hearth (estia) was a literal fire in the center of the home. It was always kept burning as a sacred flame: extinguishing it was considered bad luck or impious unless ritually necessary.

Every meal and domestic ritual began with a libation or offering to Hestia! In fact, no matter which god was being honored, Hestia received the first and last libation in any sacrificial ritual.

She didn’t have many temples, her domain was every home and public places! At city level, a sacred fire to Hestia burned in the prytaneion (town hall or public hearth), symbolizing civic unity.

And then as another ritual, when a couple got married or a new household was formed, a flame from the bride’s family hearth was carried to the new home to light the new hearth, symbolizing continuity and divine blessing!

The Household Gods are more than one!🏛️

The sacred household includes more than Hestia. Such as: Zeus Ktesios, Hermes Propylaios / Hermes Agoraios, ancestors and Household Spirits (like Agathos Daimon).

Of course, there are more Gods that protects Household but these are the most commonly honored ones!

Zeus Ktesios: Protector of the household, provider of goods and food. Many Hellenists keep a ktesios jar, a simple container filled with water, oil, and other symbolic items like bay leaves or coins. It’s kept in a clean corner of the pantry or home.

Hermes Propylaios / Hermes Agoraios: Hermes protects the boundaries of the home and the spaces beyond. He is honored at the threshold, by the door, as guardian of comings and goings. A small stone or figure by your door can be his marker. He’s the god who makes movement and communication possible.

Ancestors and Household Spirits: The dead are never far from the living in Hellenism. Ancestors (both literal and spiritual) are remembered with respect and offerings.

But what can we do as a devotion in our homes?

There are many ways! But I’ll offer a little simple routine:

Washing your hands (khernips) to purify

Lighting a candle for Hestia

Pouring a libation (water, milk, wine)

Speaking a short prayer

Leaving a small offering: bread, olive oil, fruit, or incense.

Remember that none of this is a RULE and necessary, but it builds Kharis and in more simple words it tells the Gods “this is your home too and may you protect it”, we make space for the Gods and its a simple yet efficent devotional act!

It reminds us that the divine is not far away! In Hellenism, this is where devotion starts!

I hope you enjoyed. I tried to explain this well enough and at the same time as short as I could!

[doglike-devotee]

the helpol community genuinely needs to chill the fuck out.

you don’t need money to worship

you don’t always need to be perfect

you can talk to the gods whenever you want

you can believe what you want to believe

you can worship however you want to worship

stop policing the practice of others. it’s not fun, it doesn’t make you smart, it just makes you mean.

[doglike-devotee]

I need some advice.

If I took a break from worshipping just one of the Gods, would that be fair or is that rude and something I shouldn't do?

Context below

I've been thinking of taking a break overall because things are really hard at the moment and I need time before I can devote myself again but I've mainly been having stresses around Athena. It's partially related to trauma from my mom, and partially to the weird and frankly unhealthy relationship I have with grades and studying. I keep crying or really stressing about how I study and how I perform because I worry it's not up to her standards and I'm disgracing her. It's also been really overwhelming to try and learn about two Gods at once, so maybe it would be easier to go one by one? And only start worshipping another God once I feel secure in my worship of the first?

[doglike-devotee]

Tour of my travel altar!!

Was gonna call it a pocket altar, but you could not fit this into your pocket lol. It fits great into a backpack or purse though!!

This big bag has a lot of stuff in it, including two tins. One is premade with a bunch of witchy spell ingredients, the other I made for Dionysos.

I have a small container of salt, and a bottle with (ethically sourced!) mica powder and beads for scrying. I got it the perfect moss color! Plus a little fidget toy and a tiny incense tray, plus some extra incense to pick from when giving offerings

I have a lot of trouble scrying in stationary things like mirrors, but things like ink, mud, entrails, clouds, things with shapes, are MUCH easier for me to read. I have a bigger jar of it too, this is just a cute tiny one I made for out and about!

The little purple bag is filled with charms, that way if I want to pray a bit more formally out and about, I can set up the little icon with the incense offering while I pray. Some I have for specific gods, and others are ambiguous for any lesser known gods I may just want a symbol for. I also have lots to choose from because gods have different epithets!

The larger green bag contains a small obsidian for scrying, some prayer beads I made out of crystal bracelets, and a metal pendulum with animal bones inside it

The first tin is the premade one. This was a gift. It's got bay leaves, black salt, rosemary, lavender, a dragon's blood candle, a VERY Wiccan prayer that I can't peel off (covered in bay leaves bc it's cringe). It's important for me to clarify that yes, there is Palo Santo in this kit. I am very aware that it is being over harvested, and that it is harming the planet as well as indigenous communities. I do not purchase Palo Santo. I plan to use this small piece of it so that it doesn't go to waste. I would not purchase Palo Santo or white sage (unless the white sage was from my tribal reserve, but sadly it's like 4 hours away from me).

This one is my pride and joy. This is my mini Dionysos altar. It's got a little skull, a quartz, an amethyst, a Chevron amethyst pendulum, a coffin nail, a bay leaf, a lighter, some incense matches, little metal pots from a doll house that work really well for incense, a candle full of herbs and oil for him, and a (mostly burned) cinnamon stick.

There's also one of the translations of his hymns on the inside cover. I plan to change it to a translation I like better soon, this one was made to be more flowy and rhyme, which is fine but not what I'm looking for anymore. Still shocked I wrote that on that tiny paper, if you could see the back you'd see the first draft I fucked up haha

[doglike-devotee]

Based on a post I saw recently, is Europa worship a thing?? Like, as hero worship?

[doglike-devotee]

Delphi: site.

Warning: many images.

Same deal as my previous post, but this time of the actual Delphi site. I don't have any pictures of the explanation plates for this one, so join me as I try my best to actually name what everything is. Help.

Overall, I wish I could somehow see this site in its full glory. The pictures don't show it fully, but the path zig zags between the imposing buildings, and it creates this almost nostalgic, child like feeling of when you climb on indoor playgrounds. The buildings, I image even more when they were whole, make you feel hidden and like you're in a safe labyrinth. In its prime, the site would have been filled with all kinds of impressive statues that were in the museum and different riches. The sight from the mountain also leaves you in awe, if the architecture doesn't. I can't stress how impressive it all felt. I could have walked for hours, looking around. It felt almost cozy. I can easily see how this site felt holy and inspired an almost need to worship when it was still whole. Felt magical almost, the pictures really don't communicate it as well as the actual visit.

Temple Of Apollo.

This was so impressive to see. Throughout the entire walk, I kept thinking the same thing, how impressive this would have been to see when it was in its full glory.

Athenian Treasury.

This building was so much more impressive in real life. It was insane to see, I felt so amazed.

Amphitheater.

Sports Stadium.

The cool thing here the photos don't really get across is the the side of the stadium pictured with the seats is the only long side with seats so the seats are facing off the mountain to the beautiful scenery.

Random structures and some scenery.

[doglike-devotee]

Delphi: museum.

Warning: long post, many images.

A while ago, I went to Greece with my dad and while there, we stopped at Delphi. It was an amazing experience. I've been wanting to share the images and I'm now getting to it! This will be split into two parts, the first (this post) about the museum and the second about the site.

This post will include the images of the statues and the explanation boards next to them in text form, as with the images of them it is more than 30 images. Message or comment if you'd like a picture of the explanation boards! It won't include everything in the museum, just what I thought was interesting. I'll try to seperate things into "chapters" to make them more easily digestible. I will add image ID in the ALT to almost every pic. If there is no ALT attached, it means I'm not entirely sure which part is being depicted, but the text below explaining the scene should contain it, I just can't attach it.

East Side: beginnings of Trojan War.

An assembly of the gods is represented on the east side of the frieze. Gods protecting the Trojans are seated to the left: Ares, Aphrodite, Artemis, Apollo and Zeus in a luxurious throne. The (now lost) figure of Thetis, mother of Achilles, would be touching Zeus's knees, pleading for her son's safety. Goddesses-protecting the Achaeans (Athena, Hera and Demeter) are seated to the right. A little further starts the vivid narration of the Trojan War. Round the body of a dead warrior Trojan heroes (to the left) fight against Achaeans (to the right). Closing the scene, the elderly figure of Nestor urges the Achaeans to win the battle.

North Side: Gigantomachy.

Subject-matter of the north side is the Gigantomachy, the battle of the Olympian gods against the Giants, children of Gaia. The myth of the conflict, which was victorious for the gods, is a favourite theme in ancient Greek art, symbolizing the triumph of order and civilization over savagery and anarchy. The gods fight hard to subdue the giants, who attack from the right with spears, swords and stones. Some of them from the left, Hephaistos - dressed in a short chiton, typical of craftsmen - stands in front of his bellows preparing fire-balls. Nearby are Demeter and Kore, then Dionysus in a panther's skin and Cybele on a chariot drawn by lions. The pair of gods whose helmet-crest is shaped like a kantharos (vase) and he is named after this. The inscription on the shield of the fourth giant refers to the sculptor of the relief but, unfortunately, his name is not preserved. Following would be Zeus on his chariot, then Hera, Athena, Ares armed with helmet and shield, and Hermes wearing the conical pilos, characteristic of Arcadian shepherds. The last figure is fragmentary - probably Poseidon accompanied by his wife, Amphitrite.

West Side: Judgment of Paris (probably).

The few figures preserved from the west side of the frieze lead to the assumption that here the subject was the judgment of Paris at the beauty contest among Athena, Aphrodite and Hera. He voted for Aphrodite and, in return, earned the most beautiful woman in the world, Helene, the wife of king Menelaos. It was her abduction that triggered the Trojan War. First of the contestants is goddess Athena, who appears as if she is mounting her winged chariot. Hermes frames the scene to the left. Aphrodite is graciously stepping of her own chariot, touching her necklace with a coquettish gesture. The missing part of the frieze would feature Hera, ready for departure after her unsuccessful participation. Last would be the judge Paris.

Sphinx.

In about 560 BC, preceding the construction of the luxurious Siphnian treasury, another rich island of the Cyclades, Naxos, sends a grandiose offering to Apollo of Delphi: the statue of the mythical Sphinx, whose the colossal size, imposing outlook and location in the sanctuary (near the rock of Sibylla and in the foreground of the polygonal retaining wall of the temple) commemorates the political and artistic supremacy of Naxos in the archaic era. The daemonic creature with the female face and the enigmatic smile, the body of a lion and wings of a bird, was supposed to be warding off the evil. It was seated on the capital of the very tall Ionic column, regarded as the oldest element in the Ionic order at Delphi. In total, the Naxian dedication reached 12.50m in height. Carved in a huge block of Naxian marble, the Sphinx combines the solid and firm structure with a tendency for decoration in rendering the hair, breast and wings, which reduces the impression of massive volume. As we learn from an inscription of the 4th c. BC incised on the column base, the priests of Apollo honoured the people of Naxos with the privilege of promanteia, that is, priority in receiving an oracle.

Intermission: random pic and text from a banner.

The dispute between Heracles and Apollo for the Delphic tripod was a very popular illustrated theme in ancient times, a fact that underlines the gravity of the Delphic oracle and its prophecies. In fact, Apollo is recognized as the most important oracular god, who responded to the inner need of humans to know their future and make the right decisions. At Delphi, consultations took place once a month in the temple's adyton, where the god's will was expressed through the inarticulate cries of Pythia, which the priests then interpreted and most probably put into verse. Six hundred and fifteen prophecies have been saved in literary sources and on a very limited number of inscriptions. They were in answer to various questions of a military, religious, state-related or personal nature, such as forming a family, winning at the games etc. The interpretation of these prophecies (oracles) was always ambiguous, which meant that they could be interpreted by the person asking the question; this is why Apollo was also known as Loxias, which meant oblique or ambiguous.

West Pediment of the Temple of Apollo: archaic and classical.

The west pediment of the archaic temple of Apollo, depicting the Gigantomachy (battle between the Olympian gods and giants). From the left part of the composition the figures have been preserved of a giant on his knees (Enceladus?), Athena wearing a breastplate and charging, the lower part of a male figure (perhaps Dionysus) and fragments of two horses from Zeus' chariot which occupied the centre of the pediment. Traces of rich colour decoration are preserved on the stuccoed poros figures (510-500 BC). This is the pediment admired by the women of the chorus in Euripides' lon:

But also here in this temple of divine Loxias [Apollo], son of Leto ... observe the battle of the Giants painted on the stone walls. ... See there, where the goddess Athena strikes Enceladus and brandishes her openwork gorgon shield. (Eur. Ion 190 et seq.)

The west pediment of the classical Temple of Apollo, depicting Dionysus among the Thyiads (women in the god's entourage who, according to poetic tradition, held dances on Mt. Parnassus). In the centre stands Dionysus, in the rare iconographic type of the cithara (type of lyre) player. He is wearing a tunic (chiton) girt below the chest, a mantle (himation) draped over his shoulders and the characteristic mitra (headband) of the initiated. The cithara he holds in his left hand places him on equal terms with the god of music, Apollo, and reconciles the different realms of the two deities who are both depicted on the same temple. Work of the Athenian sculptors Praxias and Androsthenes, circa 330 BC.

East Pediment of the Temple of Apollo: archaic and classical.

The east pediment of the archaic temple of Apollo, a work of Parian marble. The centre of the pediment was occupied by Apollo's four-horse chariot framed by kouroi (young men) and korai (young women). In both corners are animal groups depicting a lion mauling a gentle beast. The interpretation of the subject is based on verses from Aeschylus' Eumenides, in which the Pythia stands before the temple of Apollo and narrates the god's arrival at Delphi from Athens. Apollo is seen off by the Athenians and greeted with great honours by the people of Delphi and their king, Delphos (510-500 BC).

And thence he (Apollo) came unto this land of Parnassus and at his side, with awe revering him, were the children of Hephaestus, preparing the way and taming the land that once was wilderness. And he was received with honour by all the people and Delphos, their chieftain-king. (Aesch. Eumenides 12-16)

The east pediment of the classical Temple of Apollo, depicting Apollo, Leto and Artemis among the Muses. The god is seated on a tripod in the centre, wearing a mantle (himation) that leaves his chest bare. He is holding a branch of laurel and a wide shallow cup (phiale), symbols of his oracle. The Muses, some standing and others seated in a rocky place, provide the link between the deity and the world of arts and letters. Wark of the Athenian sculptors Praxias and Androsthenes, circa 330 BC.

Intermission: more banners.

In ancient Greek mythology, Apollo is presented as the patron of musical creation, poetry and the arts, a representative of moderation and harmony. According to Hesiod, singers and guitarists originated from Apollo himself, just like kings did from Zeus. Apollo accompanied the song and dance of the Muses with his lyre, which is why he was called Mousagetes (Leader of the Muses). It is also why Apollo is often depicted as a Kitharoidos holding his lyre with seven strings, both in the art of ancient Greece and western Europe. Delphi was inextricably tied to music. According to the tradition, when Apollo returned from the north in spring, he was serenaded by the song of the cicadas, nightingales and swallows, and nature was appeased. Very important musical contests also took place at the sanctuary; evidence of those games consist the inscribed verses of two hymns to Apollo from the Athenian Treasury, considered to be the oldest surviving "musical compositions" of classical antiquity, dating back to the 2nd century BC.

Nike.

In antiquity, the winged goddess Nike was considered to be the one who expressed the will of the gods: she announced, rewarded and glorified the victors. We often encounter the figure of Nike in the plastic arts, pottery, coroplasty and goldsmithing. The Nikes found at the sanctuary of Delphi come from public buildings, where they were used as symbols of victory in literal or metaphorical battlefields. The topic of the founding myth behind the Delphi oracle was the slaying of the dragon, namely the victory of Apollo against Python, son of the first goddess of the sanctuary, Gaea. In memory of this victory, panhellenic festivals were held in Apollo's honour, the infamous Pythian Games. Every four years, crowds arrived in Delphi from every corner of the ancient world, since the games constituted an excellent opportunity to interact socially, to practice diplomacy and to exhibit political power. Their focal point were the music and athletic games, which conferred unprecedented fame and glory upon the winners and their cities.

The Tholos.

The most impressive monument in the sanctuary of Athena Pronaia, the tholos, stands out for its unusual circular shape and partial reconstruction, in tvis celebrated treatise De architectura ('On architecture"), Vitruvius attributes the design of the building to Theodoros of Phocaea or Phocis. All orders of classical dungn are successfully represented in the structure. The 20 columns of the outer doric peristyle are crowned by a frieze with metopes in relief. The circular sekos, the central part of the edifice with built walls, is also crowned by a doric frieze with triglyphs and metopes in relief, but smaller in size. A bench which ran along the inner circumference of the sekos supported 10 engaged half-columns in the corinthian order. The material used for the building was white marble from the quarries of Mt. Penteli and the island of Paros (particularly for the metopes in relief), an well as dark limestone from Eleusis for highlighting certain structural details. Marble was also used for the roof, the form of which has long been a subject of debate, especially after two series of simas (eaves troughs) were attributed to it, and it is theoretically restored as conical or octagonal, its ends were decorated with acrofena-statues of female figures in vivid, almost dancing movement. The tholos, one of the most beautiful buildings of antiquity, was erected circa 380 BC. Its actual function remains unknown and many hypotheses have been put forward. It has been associated with chthonic cult and variously interpreted as a heroon, temple, armoury, etc. It is worth noting that Pausanias does not refer to the tholos as a temple and in fact makes no mention whatsoever to the building in his Description of Greece. The subjects of the large exterior metopes of the tholos were the Amazonomachy and Centauromachy, rendered with impressive realism and plasticity. With the contortion of the bodies, the sculptor manages to impart a sense of momentary motion, while the style and clothing of the warriors bring to mind the relief sculptures that adormed the temple of Apollo at Bassai near the ancient city of Phigalia and the temple of Asklepios at Epidauros. The smaller interior metopes of the thelos possibly depicted a congregation of the gods, to which the static or motionless figures have been attributed, and a battle scene, to which the more active figures belong. The sculptors of the metopes displayed incomparable skill in working the marble and rendering details. The high relief, freedom of movement and intensity of action bring the scenes to life, while at the same time introducing a pioneering artistic movement to the iconographic tradition of the 4th century BC, which competes with sculpture in the round.

Antinoos.

Cult statue of Antinoos, a youth of extraordinary beauty from Bithynia, beloved companion of the Emperor Hadrian. Antinoos had barely reached adulthood when he drowned in the Nile. He was thereafter heroised and worshipped as a demigod in many parts of the Eastern Empire by order of the emperor. One of the most beautiful statues of the youth was erected in the sanctuary at Delphi. It was found very well preserved during excavations, still shining thanks to the special oil used in antiquity to polish the 'skin' of marble cult statues. Holes are still visible in the profuse hair, which were used to attach a bronze wreath of laurel leaves on the head. The work is representative of classicism at the time of the philhellene Emperor Hadrian (117-138 AD). With its heroic-divine nudity, the statue follows the stylistic traditions of the great 5th and 4th century BC artists, but lacks the inner vitality of the archetypes.

[doglike-devotee]

“Your practice is valid if you struggle with even getting up in the morning and therefore cannot do certain things” and “our religion requires some form of effort” are two ideas that can and will coexist. Accommodation does not equal being wrong, it’s not all black and white.

[doglike-devotee]

As someone who spends my whole workday answering repeat questions from kids, I HAVE to laugh when I see people aggressively complaining about beginner helpols asking the same questions. You wouldn't last an hour in the asylum that pays for my health insurance.

[doglike-devotee]

Hypnos of the chronically fatigued, unable to walk for long

Hypnos of the chronic pain sufferers, stuck in bed for days

Hypnos of the recovering, having to rest for long periods

Hypnos of the comatose, protecting them in their fragile state

Hypnos of those with endometriosis, unable to get out of bed from the cramping pain

Hypnos of the narcoleptic, unable to control their sleep-wake cycle

Hypnos of the hypersomniacs, unable to stay awake very long

Hypnos of the insomniacs, unable to fall asleep at all

Hypnos of the sleep walkers, keeping them from running into something in their sleep

Hypnos of the sleep paralysis, fighting the visions off when you can’t move

Hypnos of those who faint and black out, making sure they don’t hit the ground too hard

Hypnos of the dizzy and lightheaded, who have to lie down more often

Hypnos of the sick, disabled and chronically tired.

[doglike-devotee]

Me vs epithets. Showdown, every prayer session. Location, in front of my altars.

I always forget to use epithets and it's like this haunting thing that follows me because it feels so unnatural when I'm speaking that I just.. Forget. I should really stick like, a sticky note saying "EPITHETS!!!!!!" above my altars or smth.

[doglike-devotee]

Why make UPG so complicated?

I think it's easy for us polytheists to fall into a black-and-white trap regarding UPGs/experiences of the divine. Either every bird and candle flicker is a sign from the Gods, or we dismiss all experiences as total coincidence and fail to see the gods in our daily lives.

Have we considered...writing it down?

I keep a notes app log of all my subjective encounters with the Gods. If I experience something surprising, out of place, or oddly convenient, I write it down. I don't analyze -- just record the facts and how I felt in the moment.

Logging my experiences allowed me to notice patterns. I now know that when I see/hear a god's name several times, within a short time frame (typically 2 days - 1 week), in unexpected, unrelated places -- maybe I should listen up. I also experience "camera zoom" in many of these cases, where I'm staring into space and a sign slides neatly into view, or I'm "panning" and my eyes choose to focus on a minute detail, which upon further examination ends up being deity-related.

At the same time, hindsight allows me to understand that the crows outside and the local business named after Apollo....are just local birds and companies that work in my area. While journalling can highlight potential divine interactions, it can also highlight cases where we fell for confirmation bias and keep us humble.

Treating subjective experience with a more objective lens allows us to build trust in ourselves and our practice by keeping us grounded in reality, while also recording unique experiences. If you haven't already, I highly recommend writing things down!

[doglike-devotee]

Hello!! I am currently working on a whole document dedicated to Hellenic Polytheism. I made it for myself originally as my notes but I decided to share it here once I'm done because it might help other people too : D. It's basically a collection of information a new HelPol like me will typically need. I made sure that the info I got is from reliable sources. I also credited those sources just in case.

I'm open to all opinions and suggestions regarding it. I'll be posting here for updates!

[doglike-devotee]

Just want any of you who’re stressed about this to know:

Not getting signs from your gods when everyone else seems to does not mean that you are unnoticed, uncared for, or unloved.

I want you to remember that, sometimes, people do lie on the internet for various reasons—and things like this are very easy to lie about. While not everyone is necessarily lying, it’s good to keep this in mind with especially extravagant cases.

I don’t get signs, even when I have asked in earnest. The few I may have gotten are very easily explained away by mundanity (weather, algorithm, imagination). I can’t explain why it is that we don’t get them when others apparently do, but I don’t think it necessarily means anything negative. We’ll be okay :-).

[doglike-devotee]

my queer rendition of Joseph Kuhn-Régnier's painting "Bacchanal and Panthers"

I really love the original painting, but I wanted to add my own style and make it more modern and Dionysian

//print

[doglike-devotee]

Offerings in Ancient Greece: Why You Should (Probably) Eat That Food

Something that is discussed quite a bit but not often with references in offerings. What they are, how they were approached, what one does with them. I will attempt to do a through overview of sacrifices, particularly food offerings, in ancient Greece and how it might relate to modern day practices. Bloodless sacrifices (often votive or firstfruit offerings) are important but will only be mentioned in passing. This particular masterpost is concerned with food offerings and how they were handled. I am especially looking to answer the question, “Do I eat this sacrifice?”

Keep reading

[doglike-devotee]

since it’s pride month, let’s talk about some queer Hellenic history and myths 🏳️‍🌈 ☀️ 🕊️

Apollo has been recorded to have several male lovers throughout greek mythos, including the Spartan prince Hyacinthus and the shepherd Branchus

“Shall I sing about you as a wooer, in loving liaisons,/how you would go forth courting the daughter of Azan along with/ godlike Ischys, the well horsed son of Elátios…”

— Homeric Hymn to Apollo line 205-210 tr. Rodney Merrill

Dionysus was said to have many male lovers, including his favorite Ampelos and the shepherd Polymnus (also known as Prosymnus)

“Beardless Ampelos, they say, a Nympha's and a Satyrus' (Satyr's) son, was loved by [Dionysos] on Ismarian hills… He trusted him with a vine hanging from the leaves of an elm; it is now named for the boy. The reckless youth fell picking gaudy grapes on a branch. [Dionysos] lifted the lost boy to the stars."

— Ovid’s Fasti 3.407 tr. Anthony Boyle

Iphis was born female, but raised as a male for their own safety. this leaves some question as to their “gender identity”, in modern terms, but they are undoubtedly queer. Iphis fell in love with the beautiful woman Ianthe, and prayed to be made a man so they could marry. their wish was granted by Isis, Hera, or Aphrodite (epithets and regional mythologies differ)

“The ram inflames the ewe, and every doe follows a chosen stag; so also birds are mated, and in all the animal world no female ever feels love passion for another female—why is it in me?"

— Ovid’s Metamorphoses, section 9

Hermaphroditus was said to be the son of Hermes and Aphrodite. Hermaphroditus is, by modern terms, intersex. they have male genitalia with female breasts, and their name is the origin of the word “hermaphrodite”. “Aphroditus” is also used as an epithet of Aphrodite, representative of androgyny and gender fluidity

please keep in mind that our perception of gender and sexuality differs greatly from that of the ancient greco-romans. and as always, myths and sources differ! these were just a few interesting stories i found and wanted to share for pride month! 🩷

happy pride, everyone 💌🦢