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Hey guys! I’ve decided to move accounts and delete this one after moving the posts on here to my new account. My new account is @hands-of-space and it will mostly focus on the Hyperionides!

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Epithets: Helios Terpsimbrotos

Terpsimbrotos (τερψίμβροτος) is an epithet of Helios. It’s attested three times: twice in the Odyssey and once in the Homeric hymn to Apollon. All three instances of the epithet refer to it as an epithet of Helios and Helios only. The epithet means “delighting the hearts of men” or “gladdening mortals”.

After all of my searching, I could not find a cult attested to Helios Terpsimbrotos. It appears to be a poetic epithet. However poetic epithets could receive cult and poetic epithets could also be cultic epithets.[1] The line between cult and poetic epithets does not truly exist, especially if the epithet is homeric as Terpsimbrotos is. Homeric poetry is pan-hellenic by nature.

Overall, it is simply sweet and kind of Helios to directly want to make us happy. He gladdens us and brings us joy so much that he has an entire epithet devoted to it. Sun brings us joy and light everyday and I love him for it.

In my personal experience, Helios most certainly brings joy. Sometimes when I yell at him as he’s guiding his chariot across the sky, I become filled with happiness and serotonin. Helios directly sends light to mortals, even upon request.

Applying this in praxis is easy — give an offering to Helios Terpsimbrotos to thank him for the joy he brings to all. If you’re feeling sad and depressed, Helios is there for you. Call upon him when you need to be cheered up or to simply thank him for all of his lovely gifts and shining self.

Tldr; Terpsimbrotos is an epithet of Helios that means “delighting the hearts of men” or “gladdening mortals”. This is a non-cultic epithet, however the line between cultic and non-cultic epithets doesn’t really exist. Call upon this aspect of Helios if you need his help, or give offerings to him for all the gifts he gives to us everyday.

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Notes

[1] See Larson, 2006 for more information on the intersection of cultic and poetic epithets. She brings up the dedications to Apollon of the silver bow, which is a homeric non-cultic epithet that still received dedications.

Bibliography

τερψίμβροτος 

Larson, J. (2016). Understanding Greek Religion. Taylor & Francis.

H., & Wilson, E. (2018). The Odyssey (1st ed.). W. W. Norton & Company.

Rayor, D. J. (2014). The Homeric Hymns: A Translation, with Introduction and Notes (Joan Palevsky Imprint in Classical Literature) (First Edition, Updated ed.). University of California Press.

Jeffrey M. Hurwit. (2017). Helios Rising: The Sun, the Moon, and the Sea in the Sculptures of the Parthenon. American Journal of Archaeology, 121(4), 527-558. doi:10.3764/aja.121.4.0527

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Alektrona, Princess of Rhodes

[Detail from Gone But Not Forgotten by John William Waterhouse.]

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My friend Adrian recently wrote a very thought-provoking piece about relatively unknown gods receiving worship for the first time in centuries, or even millennia. It really got me thinking about the way I engage with parts of my faith, specifically adding new deities into my current worship practice. I realized I’d always been hesitant to expand my horizons and learn about new deities and other prominent religious figures because it felt like I was taking time away from the gods I do actually worship. However, I’ve since realized that this researching was a form of worship, as it brought back onto the scene a god or hero or spirit who may have been almost entirely forgotten over time. Plus, the gods I worship preside over wisdom, history, and things of that nature. The mere act of researching a topic I’m passionate about can surely count as an act of worship towards them too, am I right?

This line of thinking eventually carried me to Alektrona. For the past few months I’ve had a vague interest in the local religion of the island of Rhodes, spurred on by some information I found on joint cults of Apollo, Dionysos, and the Muses there. Since then it’s led to the big man himself, Helios, potentially knocking on my door but definitely gesturing wildly towards his children in hopes that I’d take notice. And I did!

Leave it to me to pick one of the most obscure ones right off the bat, right?

The Basics

Elektryone, or Alektrona in the Doric-Aeolic dialect, is the daughter of Helios, god of the sun, and Rhodos/Rhode, a daughter of Poseidon and (usually) the Telkhine Halia [1].  The Telkhines were the original inhabitants of the island of Rhodes, children of some combination of primordial gods (there’s a whole bunch of pairings they supposedly came from). Alektrona is the sister of the seven Heliadai, the sons of Helios and Rhodos (not to be mistaken with the Heliades, who were female nymphs with another mother). Alektrona’s brother Kerkaphos, one of the Heladai, fathered Ialysos, Kamiros, and Lindos, who would eventually found the three primary cities of ancient Rhodes [2].

Little remains of the story of Alektrona’s life, other than that she died while still a maiden and was given the honors of a heroine after her death [3]. It has been postulated that she was a goddess of the sunrise, who stirred men to wake in the morning, as the Attic form of her name, Elektryone, bears resemblance to the attic word for the color amber, elektra, used by Homer to describe the sunrise. However, one of the few things that we do know about her is that she died a parthenos, so it seems more likely that she, like her brothers, was mortal. She was also potentially depicted on Rhodian coins with a solar crown similar to that of Helios’s, though some argue that the coins depict Helios himself [4].

Alektrona’s Cult

Aside from the tiny bone that Diodorus throws us in The Library of History, pretty much all that’s known about Alektrona’s worship comes from an inscription found at Ialysos. From this we learn that she had her own sacred precinct outside the city proper, with a temple and a dining hall. Horses, donkeys, mules, or “any other animal with a long-haired tail” were not permitted to enter the precinct, and no one could wear anything made of pig [5]. Those who broke any of these rules received the hefty punishment of having to cleanse both the sanctuary and the entire precinct, as well as make a sacrifice to the heroine, or be considered guilty of impiety. The penalty for bringing flock animals onto the land, such as sheep or goats, and allowing them to graze where they don’t belong, was a considerably smaller fine of one obol per animal [6].

Her cult may have achieved prominence after the synoecism of Rhodes, when her father Helios was established as the island’s chief god [7].

Modern Alektrona Worship

Since there’s just so little information on her besides her family and one decree about her cult, pretty much everything from this point forwards is UPG. Tread with caution and whatnot.

It makes sense for Alektrona to be accompanied by solar imagery, given that she’s a daughter of the sun god, and the possibility of Rhodian coins portraying her with a sun crown. Gardner presumes that in a time before Diodorus’s description of Rhodes, Alektrona was a powerful sun goddess [8], though there’s not a whole lot to back that up.

Any myths that might have existed of her life or death seem to be lost, and she has no surviving hymns or epithets. Hell, she doesn’t even have her own theoi.com page. If you’re keen on worshiping her, pretty much everything is going to have to be remade from scratch. We do know, however, that she is a daughter of the sun god, has familial connections to the mythical settlers of Rhodes (the Telkhines) through her mother, and is the aunt of the mythical founders of Rhodes’s three major cities. That’s really better than nothing, isn’t it?

Praise fair Alektrona, only daughter of Rhodos the sea maid and blazing Helios!

Notes

Diodorus Siculus, The Library of History, 5.55.4

Strabo, Geography, 14.2.8

Diod. 5.56.5

Gardner, “NUMISMATIC REATTRIBUTIONS.—PHANES, LAMIA, ELECTRYONA.” pp. 272

Collection of Greek Ritual Norms #90, lines 19-27

CGRN 90, lines 28-33

CGRN 90, “Commentary”

Gardner pp. 272

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Albert Aublet - Selene, 1880

[heliosdevotions]

Helios is me when people talk about Apollon and sunflowers 🤣

Apollon: I love sunflowers.

Helios: Did you know they're called Helianthus annuus? Did you hear that? The Heliathus part? Yeah that's for me motherfucker. It means Helios flower.

Apollon, smiling: It's mine now.

[heliosdevotions]

Helios: I'm the God of the Sun! Why is no one listening to me???

Selene: Oh, yeah been there. I'm the Goddess of the Moon.

Artemis & Apollon: It's not our fault that people don't read!

[heliosdevotions]

In one of your posts, you mentioned that Artemis isn't the goddess of the moon. What is she the goddess of? Who is the Greek moon god/goddess? I'm not very familiar with the Greek pantheon.

yep ! Artemis is the Goddess of the Hunt, wilderness, wild animals, childbirth, young girls, and is the protector of women until they're married. She's also a bringer of death and disease to girls and women.

Selene is the Goddess of the moon. Her, Artemis, and Hekate have been ,,, conflated sort of in many ways. it's a mess. not even Theoi lists Artemis as a moon goddess in Her domains.

[heliosdevotions]

Helpol is anti-racist

Helpol is pro-Jewish

Helpol is anti-ableist

Helpol is pro-LGBTQ+

Helpol should and will always prioritize the comfort of minority worshippers.

[heliosdevotions]

“Mornings are the best… when you wake up to a gleaming sun.”

—

[heliosdevotions]

“With all my power and might I can make darkness out of light And if you try to see me I can make you blind”

— - The sun says to mankind

[heliosdevotions]

🌄 minor deity devotional tips: eos 🌄

rise with the sun each morning and say your hellos!

eat and offer citrus fruits

wear rose quartz jewellery and yellow clothes

love passionately

in that same vein, write love letters or compile a playlist of love songs with sunny motifs

dedicate your first steps out of bed to her

eat healthy and well rounded breakfasts (or, if that’s something you struggle with, eat anything for breakfast at all!)

be kind to bugs you may cross paths with

if you have siblings, do something nice for them in her name

put stained glass art in eastward facing windows so that the colours may dance across the floor during sunrise

sit in the sun at any time of day and meditate

terfs/nazis/bigots will be blocked on sight, dni

[heliosdevotions]

have you thought abt worshiping asteria? she’s the titan goddess of falling stars

Yup! I’ve honestly thought about worshiping her but I don’t want to overwhelm myself rn 🤣 I already plan on worshiping the Astra Planeta + Nyx and Hemera soon. I’ll have to see how I feel after I settle in my relationships with them. I really do love her though, she seems so amazing.

[heliosdevotions]

i am helian, god of the sun ☀️ LOL I’m sorry sun dad. You rub off on me too much I guess.

I am Arran, god of the most important thing

EDIT: if y'all don’t wanna use your name use your username

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hey stinkie you should listen to West Coast by the Neighborhood it gives me big big Helios vibes, maybe even solar eclipse vibes I haven't decided LOL

my favorite "Helios" line goes "if the Sun was God I'd be covered in faith" :) 💖💖 ily ily

Omgs I just listened to it and it’s now part of my Helios playlist 🥺🧡 thank youuu for the rec. ilyt stinkie 🧡🧡🧡

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Lowkey should just make this blog about all of the hyperionides

[heliosdevotions]

For years I was so sure of what I wanted but know I feel so lost and confused...