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'education of the infant bacchus,' niccolò amastini, c. 1800-50.

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Leader of the hunt, revered Artemis,

May the wild stag forever still under your touch, May your arrows always hit their target,

Great Protector, the birds sing for you, their soft song a chorus of your name

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🐚 hi, i’m L, 20, any pronouns :) 🐚

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Do not tell me that Thanatos hates humanity,

for how is death to hate us if He is there to greet us at the end

Do not tell me that Thanatos hates humanity,

for how is death to hate us if He stays with our bones as they decay

Do not tell me that Thanatos hates humanity,

for how is death to hate us when He holds us in our grief

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The way in which Aphrodite was worshipped at her numerous cult sites throughout Athens and Attica was often personal and intimate, and thus gives us a sense of how Aphrodite figured in the lives of the average Athenians. What develops is a picture of Aphrodite's worship as highly integrated in Athenian society. The common theme in her worship was unification: between brides and grooms, between prostitutes and customers, and between the Attic demes, or townships. City officials and local merchants sought Aphrodite's aid in creating harmony in the workplace and throughout society. The goddess was associated with a number of personifications that represented various types of good fortune, harmony, and prosperity; all who worshipped her benefited from their blessings as well. As a result, Aphrodite contributed to the overall well-being of Athens.

- Worshipping Aphrodite: Art and Cult in Classical Athens by Rachel Rosenzweig

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wingéd foot and cap, guileless god of robbers, banditry, and writers, those who lie for a living, con-men, card sharks, every trickster

generous and gifted, gracious with a wink and a smile, charming, hail the giver of joy, famous guardian of talent and travel

hail bright-eyed mischief, luck-bringer, cleverness serpent-tongued and flashing pyrite glitz in every phoneme hail the juggler, author, player

hail messenger of the gods, hail snake-staffed guide of mortals, hail psychopomp, quiet slumber peace to which he leads all people

—–

(If you’d like a poem customized to your own practice, I take poetry commissions!)

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Hello there! I am a person who was raised in a Jewish culture/religion and for quite some time I have been feeling a pull towards Hellenic Polytheism, I have been researching about the religion too, I have started worshipping Apollo, etc.

For a very long time I have wondered, do Hellenic people pray in different times of day? Do you pray before eating? In Judaism, we pray every morning, pray before we eat at Shabbat, etc. Do those customs exist in Hellenic Polythiesm? Are prayers a must?

If so, how are prayers/hymns constructed? Can a simple practitioner like me create my own prayer?

I apologize for so many questions, this religion is so interesting, I have never felt so pulled into something like this in my entire life.

Hi there! No worries! I'm happy to answer your questions. 😊

Just to preface, I will reference more traditional ways of worship and pretty much talk about how the ancients did it, as I personally rely on historical accuracy in my practice to a certain degree. You don't need to strictly do everything the traditional way, though! It might be a little difficult when getting started, so don't be too hard on yourself if you don't get some things or can't do some things!

How to pray

Perhaps you already know it, so I'll keep it short:

Ouranic [Heavelny] Gods - stand with hands outstretched in the air and palms facing upward

Chthonic [Underworld] Gods - hands mustn’t be raised, and the prayer should be murmured

Einalic [Sea] Gods, Nymphs and spirits of the earth - arms must be spread wide towards the sea; the hands are also be facing the cult image

If you happen to be in need of holding something, e.g. a text/prayer written down, keep it in your left hand and (if needed) outstretch your right hand. Kneeling wasn't very common, but clutching the knees of statues or touching its base might've happened at times.

There's also this somewhat mysterious thing called Proskynesis. I'm in the process of doing more research about it and I'll be writing a longer post about it. Essentially, it's like "blowing a kiss" to the god/gods". There were some accounts of people doing it for the Sun [Helios], e.g. in the morning or when approaching a statue in a temple, however, I'm not sure how common it actually was. It might've become more popular in the late classical period or Hellenistic period due to Alexander's The Great desire to popularise ruler worship but that's a talk for another time. I personally sometimes do it, e.g. perform proskynesis towards the sky/clouds for Zeus. It's not a requirement, though.

When to pray

When it comes to prayer, one would pray in the morning or even give an offering to the gods, e.g. pouring libation. One would also pray in the afternoon or any time prior to supper which was the most important and the biggest meal and in the evening at any time following the supper and before sleeping. Evening prayer might've been considered quite important (obviously, not everyone did all of that every single day; it was considered quite pious).

It was also customary to pray before meals and offer the first (and sometimes the last) bite of the food to Hestia, whether by burning it or placing it at the domestic altar. However, nowadays I've seen that some people simply dedicate the first and the last bite to Hestia by stating it's for her if they can't physically offer it.

Although prayer might seem quite important in Hellenic Polytheism, IMO it's not a MUST. No one will force you to pray and if you can't pray for some reason (e.g. a disability) there are other ways you can honour the gods, e.g. devotional acts or offerings.

Construction

You can absolutely create your own prayers and/or hymns and make them personal to you! They can be as simple or as complicated as you want them to be.

I write some of my prayers but I also find this website to be very helpful and I highly recommend checking it out! The author has written various types of prayers for plenty of the Hellenic Gods. It's quite easy to search for them, too.

Shameless self-promo but you can also check out my Hellenic cheat sheets. They include basic prayers and hymns.

Hymns

Hymns are usually used for praise and often accompanied by burning incense and giving offerings to the deity.

You begin by addressing the deity/deities. If you'd like to incorporate some Greek into your practice you could say something like:

(When addressing multiple deities)

Greek: Ἔλθετε, Θεοὶ μάκαρες, ἀθάνατοι! Εἰσακούσατε προσευχήν ἐμοῦ! [Élthete, Theoí mákares, athánatoi! Eisakoúsate prosefchín emoú!]

English: Come, blessed, deathless Gods! Hearken to my prayer!

(When addressing a single deity)

Greek: κλῦτε μευ εὐχομένου λαῶν ὕπερ εὔφρονι θυμῷ! [Klýte mef efchoménou laón ýper éffroni thymó!]

English: Hear me with gracious soul as I pray on behalf of mankind!

The Homeric Hymns and Orphic Hymns are probably the most famous and often are a go-to among Hellenic polytheists but they're by no means the only hymns out there! You can find those hymns and some other less popular ones on websites such as Theoi.com and Hellenicgods.org. I also recommend checking out@hymnstothetheoi on Tumblr for more wonderfully written hymns.

This great post, for example, explains how one could go about writing a hymn based on The Orphic Hymn to Pan, so it might be helpful if you'd like to write hymns yourself!

Prayer

But let's talk about what a potential prayer formula could look like.

Let's try to write a super simple prayer together:

1. Who & why?

First, you need to decide whom you'd like to pray to and why.

Since you mentioned Apollo, let's go with that! We'll pray to him for, let's say some artistic inspiration.

2. Appropriate attitude & posture

It depends on the "type" of the deity you'd like to pray to. I already mentioned it above.

Apollo is an Ouranic deity, so when praying to him, one should stand up with outstretched hands, palms facing up.

3. Identification and addressing the deity

This stage involves naming the god and listing some of his epithets relating to some functions of the deity or even family relations. You can find awesome info about that on Theoi.com.

So let's start!

Hear me, O Phoibos [Bright] Apollo,

Radiant son of Thundering Zeus and Blessed Leto,

Brother to swift-footed Artemis.

4. Mythology

Mythology is often mentioned in prayer. This can be followed by a recounting of some relevant myths, which act as symbola or attributes and the functions of the god.

Let's continue:

Leader of lovely Muses,

Apollo Khrysolýris [Of Golden Lyre] whose lyre plays the sweetest of songs,

He whose gentle voice soothes mortal ears,

Your skill is unequalled.

5. Justification

Here we could mention something to justify our intention of this prayer by establishing what you have already done to honour that god. It might feel weird at first but assure you, it's not guilt-tripping the god to help you and it was commonly included in ancient prayer!

Apollo Kharopiós [Bringer of Joy],

If I've ever sung You praises,

Hear my plea and grace me with your aid!

6. Petition or Praise

Now we ask for what we'd like to receive and state the purpose of the prayer (or just give praise).

In dance and song the artist and the poet pray to You for inspiration and for revelation;

And so now I, too pray You kindly bestow Your divine gift of inspiration on me!

7. Vow/Promise

Usually, prayers (especially those asking for a favour) involve some form of offering for the deity. Outright demanding something from Theoi is not exactly respectful. Reciprocity, or Kharis, is the foundation of our relationship with the gods. You give - they give sort of thing or Do ut des (yes, it's Latin and yes, it's a Roman phrase but it functioned like that in The Ancient Greek Religion, too).

Apollo Mousêgetês [Leader of Muses; as the preceding],

I pray for your favour.

As a token of gratitude, I will present you with an offering of frankincense!

And done! The whole prayer looks like this:

[3] Leader of lovely Muses,

Apollo Khrysolýris whose lyre plays the sweetest of songs,

He whose gentle voice soothes mortal ears,

Your skill is unequalled.

[4] Leader of lovely Muses,

Apollo Khrysolýris whose lyre plays the sweetest of songs,

He whose gentle voice soothes mortal ears,

Your skill is unequalled.

[5] Apollo Kharopiós,

If I've ever sung You praises,

Hear my plea and grace me with your aid!

[6] In dance and song the artist and the poet pray to You for inspiration and for revelation;

And so now I, too pray You kindly bestow Your divine gift of inspiration on me!

[7] Apollo Mousêgetês,

I pray for your favour.

As a token of gratitude, I will present you with an offering of frankincense!

Here's another link to a great explanation on how to pray, although this one is also about asking for something. I know it's a TikTok but Dr Ellie Mackin Roberts is an ancient historian and I think she explained it very well using an example of Chyses praying to Apollo in The Iliad making it a bit easier to understand.

I hope this clears some things up!

I think you might also find this post helpful. I talk there about some basic things, such as "the pillars of Hellenism", literature, clothing etc.

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Prayers to the gods are traditionally spoken aloud. In fact, the word for prayer euchesthai also meant to boast and to let out a victorious cry of triumph. The gods will always hear even the softest of entreaties, but a loud prayer is a way to draw attention to oneself.

There were three ways to pray to different gods:

Ouranic (Olympian) Gods: standing with arms outstretched and palms upward

Oceanic Gods: standing with arms outstretched toward the sea, palms turned toward a cult image (statue, item, figure etc)

Khthonic (Earthly/Underworld) Gods: on the ground, pounding the earth with fists

Kneeling down to pray is unusual. The gesture of entreaty is outstretched arms. To invoke the heavenly gods, both hands are raised to the sky with upturned palms; to call on the gods of the sea, the arms are extended out to the sea; the hands are also stretched toward the cult image. […] Special measures are required, however, if the dead or the gods of the underworld are to be reached. Poets describe how the suppliant hurls himself on the ground and hammers the earth with fists.

- Greek Religion, Walter Burkert

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Are you a student and you don’t wanna buy a copy of Homer? Are you new to Hellenic Polytheism and don’t know where to start? Here’s some of my trade secrets that I now give to tumblr. 

Good old Theoi.com there’s NOTHING online even close to Theoi.com for sheer number of sources, references, and places to get started with research. Almost every primary source (Including Homer and Orpheus) is here to read in your browser. If you’re here just for Homer, Theoi.com uses T. Murray’s translation for The Iliad and the Odyssey. 

The Chicago Homer – has The Iliad, The Odyssey, Hesiod’s Theogony and Works and Days, The Shield of Herakles, and of course The Homeric Hymns, in Greek and English. This is helpful if you need specific lines. If you’re here just for Homer this is Lattimore’s translation of the Iliad and James Huddleston’s Odyssey.

The Hymns of Orpheus in the original Greek and Thomas Taylor’s (clearly superior) translations as a handy dandy PDF for your searchable pleasure.

Greek Religion Dictionary by J. Greg Deane has a glossary of most of the terms you might need. 

This Date Converter type in the day/month/year and click “Attic Calendar” and this gives you the modern Western date and the date on the Attic calendar (as in the calendar of the region of Attica Greece/what a good chunk of ancient Greece used). If there’s any festivals on this day, it’s usually pretty good at explaining what they are, though it’s missed some in the past. Because the Greek calendar is LUNAR, the dates move every single year. (when I’m bored I like to check my anniversary in a random year to see if it was a festival or not)

Go forth my good people and read. Happy 2023, may it be a year of discovery and exploration into the glory of the Theoi. <3

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“Remember why you became a polytheist. Perhaps you prayed and Someone unexpected answered. Perhaps a Goddess tapped you on the shoulder and said “you’re mine.” Perhaps you realized that the world is better explained by many Gods of limited power and scope than by one all-powerful God and you decided that following Them was the best way to order your life. It’s hard to be spiritual when your roof is leaking. If your current situation has dampened your enthusiasm for the Gods, Their virtues, and Their work, it’s understandable. And usually, They understand too – They tend to have a longer and wider perspective than we do. But whatever your reason for becoming a polytheist, it was valid then and it’s still valid now.”

— John Beckett “Polytheism in Difficult Times“ (via intaier)

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Historically Accurate Offerings to the Theoi

Zeus

Oak

Carnations

Olive branches

Styrax incense

Eagle, bull, swan images

Hera

Lilies

Peacock feathers or images

Pomegranate

Incenses

Cuckoo images

Athena

Olive branch/oil/fruit

Weavings

Myrrh incense

Perfume

Owl images

Apollon

Laurel

Red roses, sunflowers

Frankincense (manna) incense

Palm tree

Raven, swan, wolf, mouse, dolphin images

Artemis

Cedar, palm and cypress trees

Tokens of deer

Jasmine

Myrtle, white flowers

Frankincense (manna) incense

Amaranthus

Peanut

Wormwood

Deer, dog, bear, partidge, quail images

Hestia

Incenses

Chaste-tree

Pig images

Poseidon

Sea anemone

Myrrh incense

Pine

Bull, dolphin, horse images

Dionysos

Ivy

Grape vine

Pine

Styrax incense

Leopard, panther, donkey, bull images

Hermes

Tongue-shaped tokens

Rosemary, saffron

Almond tree and pine tree

Frankincense and styrax incense

Mint (for Kthonios epithet)

Cow, ram, hawk, turtle, hare images

Wild strawberry (purslane)

Ares

Bronze weapons

Frankincense (manna) incense

Swan, vulture, dragon/poisonous snake, owl images

Aphrodite

Roses, myrtle, anemone (poppy)

Quince

Apple, pomegranate

Perfumes and fragrances as incense

Dove, goose, sparrow, turtle images

Hephaistos

Daisies

Frankincense (manna) incense

Donkey, dog, crane images

Asklepios

Frankincense (manna) incense

Bread

Serpent, dog, goose, rooster images

Pan

Pine, beech trees

Fern

Wild flowers

Herbs burnt as incense and the smell of perfumes

Reeds

Goat, turtle images

Demeter

Poppy

Tokens of pigs

Styrax incense

Mint (for Kthonia epithet)

Wheat

Dove, bee, pig images

Persephone

Asphodel

Wheat

Hades

Pitchfork

Pomegranate

Daffodil

Styrax incense

Dried laurel leaves

Poplar, cypress trees

Mint

Hekate

Saffron

Rosemary

Garlic

Red Mullet

Amphiphon (candy)

Styrax incense

Dry laurel leaves

Oak

Ferret, dog, bull, lioness images

Source: LABRYS’ Hellenic Polytheism: Household Worship and Theoi.com

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I haven’t seen any post about this yet but I just want to remind everyone that Zeus is the god you want to pray to for rain. 

We know about the current fires in Australia, how devastating they are and clearly forest fires have become a concerning trend in the past years. 

Here are some appropriate epithets: Zeus Ombrios and Hyetios both mean “of the rain”. Zeus Aphesios means “releasing [rain]”. I also suggest Zeus Soter “Savior” and Zeus Phyxios “of refuge” for obvious reasons. 

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✨🙏  Deity Masterpost 🙏✨

DISCLAIMER  I do not practice deity work, I am just compiling information, I am by no mean stating all information here is credible.  For Beginners [How To Choose A Patron Deity]  [Sensing The Gods]  [Ways The Gods Can Contact You]  Worship | Connecting To Deities  [Offerings For Deities]  [Easy Ways To Connect More Strongly With Your Deities] [Things To Put In A Devotional Journal] [Deity Bonding] [Bedridden Witch: Worship Edition]  [Incense For The Theoi]  [Worship For Chthonic Deities] [Simple, Chill Ways To Worship]  [Developing A Weekly Devotional Practice] [Offerings For The Greek Gods For Broke Witches]  Specific Cultures |  Pantheons [List Of Pantheons]  [Even Longer List Of Pantheons (With Links To More Info]  [African Deities] [Egyptian Gods & Goddesses]  [Info On Greek Deities]  [Celtic Deities]  Specific Deities:  [Offering Ideas For Artemis]  [How I Honor Apollo] [Aphrodite]  [Gender Neutral Ways To Worship Aphrodite]  [Hades] [Hades Devotion]  [On Worshipping Hades]  [Hecate]  [Also Hecate]  [How To Worship Fenrir]  [Devotional Ideas For Loki]  [Offering Suggestions: Nyx]  [Devotional Acts To Hestia]  [Devotional Acts To Persephone]  Youtube Videos [Which Deity Should I Work With?]  [Working With Deities - Everything You Need To Know]  [Connecting With Deities]  [How To Connect Respectfully To A Deity]  [Tips To Connect With A Deity]  Tips: [Devotee Tip #1]  [Struggling Polytheist Tips]  [Spoonie Devotional Tips]  [Beginner Polytheist Tips] 

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Worked on a few prayer bead videos tonight. My favorite set I did was this set for Demeter. Made with Citrine and Moss Agate.