#cultus deorum

[aureliaeiter]

It's kind of mind boggling to me how every time I see book recommendations for Hellenic or Roman polytheist I never see On the gods and the world by Sallust.

It may not teach practical ways of worship but it answers a lot of philosophical questions about the gods that I think we, as pagans, have at some point asked ourselves. Seriously, some of the points made by Reddit ath3ists are answered in this essay, like they're 2000 years behind.

It's very short (like 50 pages long) so if you can buy it, pirate it or get it from your local library I'd highly recommend it. Here's an audiobook in case you prefer that.

[flowersandfigtrees]

My Drive Resource Libraries

Feel free to download, share, etc. I found most everything through open access journals, JSTOR, Anna's Archive, sci-hub, pdfs shared on other sns, etc.

Greek Polytheism & Hellenism

Roman & Italic Polytheism

Gaulish & Gallo-Roman Polytheism

Celtiberian Polytheism

[the-netjeru-are-in-festival]

Anubis or Hermanubis.

Museo della Città, Rimini, Italy.

[samwisethewitch]

Pagan Wedding Flowers (and other plants) Cheat Sheet

Flowers have been associated with weddings for almost as long as humans have been getting married. In fact, the use of flowers in ritual may actually be older than humans! Neanderthal graves in Iraq suggest that Neanderthals buried their dead with flowers. There are mentions of flowers in our earliest recorded accounts of weddings, such as in Egypt, Greece, and Rome.

Historically, couples would have used whatever flowers were available to them. While some cultures had flowers they preferred for weddings because of their symbolism, couples would have been limited by what grew in their area and by what was in bloom at the time of their ceremony. To be truly as historically accurate as possible, consider using flowers you grew or foraged yourself. Bonus points for native blooms!

For those who aren't into growing or gathering your own wedding flowers, modern florists and greenhouses allow us to choose from a wide range of flowers, many of which aren't native to our homes. This makes it much easier to choose flowers based on their symbolism, history, or cultural meaning.

Historic Wedding Flowers + Plants

Roses have been the flower of choice for Western weddings pretty much forever, and with good reason. The rose is associated with several ancient goddesses of sex, fertility, and/or romance, such as Inanna, Ishtar, Aphrodite, and Venus. (Later, medieval Christians would also associate this flower with the Virgin Mary.) Including the goddess's flowers in a wedding may have been a way of invoking her blessing on the union. Sappho called rose "Queen of the Flowers."

Roses are held in a high regard in pretty much every culture with access to them. They're strongly associated not only with love, but also with beauty, wholeness, blessings, and even spirituality.

Rose was included in wedding celebrations in Ancient Hellos (Greece) and Rome. It is associated with the planet Venus and the water element.

Wheat was also a popular inclusion in weddings in ancient Greece and Rome. Hellenic brides would carry sheaths of wheat or another grain to invoke fertility and good fortune. Wheat was strongly associated with agrarian goddesses like Demeter, Persephone, Ceres, and Proserpina. Carrying wheat may also have been a way of expressing a wish for the marriage to produce many children. Pliny the Elder explicitly says in his Natural History that wheat was included in weddings to honor Ceres.

In modern occult systems, wheat is associated with fertility, the conception of children, and wealth. It is associated with the planet Venus and the element of earth.

Olive branches also featured in Hellenic weddings. Olive was an important crop in the ancient Mediterranean, and olive branches were a symbol of peace and friendship. Olive was also used in the victors' crowns in the Olympic Games. In Athens, the olive tree was a symbol of Athena. It was also carried by worshipers of Apollo when they visited the Oracle at Delphi. Olive was also important to the Romans, who associated it with Mars in his aspect as a protector of peace.

In modern magic traditions, olive is associated with beauty, healing, stamina, wealth, fertility, protection and of course, peace. It is associated with the sun and the fire element.

Orange blossoms were included in Hellenic weddings as a sign of happiness. These strongly scented white flowers also sometimes appeared in Roman weddings. Thousands of years later, Queen Victoria wore a crown of orange blossoms at her wedding, but for her they were a symbol of chastity.

In modern systems, orange is associated with joy, partnership, sweetness, and good luck. It is associated with the sun and the fire element.

Hawthorn appeared in weddings in ancient Rome. Pliny the Elder said that Roman bridal processions included a hawthorn torch dedicated to the goddess Ceres. In Rome, hawthorn was more generally associated with love and good luck.

In Celtic cultures, especially Ireland, hawthorn was believed to be a fairy tree. For this reason, cutting a hawthorn tree or bringing hawthorn branches inside was considered bad luck.

The blooming of hawthorn trees was used to determine the date of Bealtaine, and hawthorn boughs were often decorated with flowers, ribbons, and egg shells to make a May bush, which was placed by the front door for good luck. In Britain, hawthorn wood was used to carve maypoles. Hawthorn flowers may be especially appropriate for a May wedding or handfasting.

In modern occultism, hawthorn is associated with protection, healing (especially healing the heart), romantic love, fertility, granting wishes, and happiness. It is still strongly associated with weddings and marriage. It is associated with the planet Mars and the fire element.

Lotus may have featured in ancient Kemetic (Egyptian) weddings. The lotus was an important symbol in Kemetic religion, and was associated with the sun, rebirth, and the creation of the world. Lotus flowers featured in festivals to honor Hapi, the androgynous god of the Nile. The lotus is used in art to represent Upper Egypt. An Egyptian poem from 1100 BCE connects the lotus to marriage.

Lotus flowers were also popular in ancient Chinese weddings, and they're still used by some Chinese couples today. In Chinese culture, lotus represents purity, honor, and long life.

In modern traditions, lotus is associated with protection, spirituality, and blessings. It is associated with the moon and the water element.

Yellow flowers were used in pre-Christian Ireland for blessings and protection. The exact flower used for these rituals is not specified, so it seems like the color was what mattered. Modern pagans looking to carry on this tradition have lots of yellow flowers to choose from. Some popular choices include yellow roses (see above), yellow amaryllis (associated with creativity, playfulness, and joy), chrysanthemum (associated with long life, optimism, and protection), marigold (associated with happiness, rebirth, and vitality), and/or daffodils (associated with love, fertility, and luck).

Modern Wedding Flowers

We've gone over some of the flowers that were popular in historic pagan weddings, but it's also easy to pagan-ify the flowers that are most popular in modern weddings. Here's a quick rundown of some popular wedding blooms and their neopagan and occult symbolism:

Peony is associated with purification, healing, prosperity, and success. In ancient Rome, peony was believed to be sacred to Mars. It is associated with the sun and the fire element.

Dahlia is associated with mystery, occult wisdom, and transformation. It is associated with the moon and the water element.

Lilac is associated with balance, peace, romance, protection from evil, and attracting friendly spirits. It is associated with Venus and the water element.

Sweet Pea is associated with comfort, charm, and sweetness. It is associated with Venus and the water element.

Hydrangea is associated with healthy boundaries, breaking negative patterns, hex breaking, and protection. It is associated with water and with both the moon and Neptune.

Tulip is associated with beauty, desire, gratitude, love, prosperity, and simplicity. It is associated with Venus and the earth element.

Orchid is associated with beauty, elegance, sexuality, fertility, and romance. It is associated with Venus and the water element.

Lily is associated with spirituality, beauty, harmony, and protection from the evil eye. It is associated with Venus and the water element.

Carnation is associated with beauty, love, rebirth, strength, and healing. Carnations are associated with same-gender love and especially love between men because of Oscar Wilde's fondness for them. They are associated with the sun and the fire element.

Gardenia is associated with love, peace, healing, and spirituality. It is associated with the moon and the water element.

Resources:

"New Neanderthal remains associated with the ‘flower burial’ at Shanidar Cave," Cambridge University Press

"History of Wedding Flowers" by Benna Crawford

The Roman Wedding by Karen K. Hersch

"The Olive in the Ancient Mediterranean" by Mark Cartwright

"The History, Mythology, and Offerings of Hawthorn" by Meghan Pivarnik

Where the Hawthorn Grows by Morgan Daimler

Temple of the Cosmos by Jeremy Naydler

The Magic of Flowers by Tess Whitehurst

The Magic of Trees by Tess Whitehurst (see my disclaimer about Whitehurst's books, but these are some of her better ones)

Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham

[religio-iapygiorum]

THANA

.: iapygian deity associated with deer :.

[IMG TRANSCRIPTION (mirrored): Ψana. IMG SOURCE: F.G. D’Andria, Archeologia dei Messapi (Bari: Edipuglia, 1990), 232.]

.: :.

Inscriptions dedicated to Thana are found in several locations across Messapia. One inscription is on a pottery sherd found at the sanctuary of Scala di Furno, where deer bones were also found, and surrounding sherds can be reconstructed to form part of the image of a fawn.

A few scholars suggest that since she is clearly associated with deer, Thana was thus syncretized with Artemis. However, plenty of inscriptions devoted to Artemis (spelled Artamis in Messapic) are also found across Iapygia, so they seem to have been two separate deities in this time and place.

Thana is also the name of a goddess found in Illyria (nearby in the modern-day Western Balkans), where she is a goddess of forestry and hunting. Thana is often portrayed with different iconography from Roman Diana or Greek Artemis; in Illyria, she’s nearly always paired with the deity Vidasus, another woodlands god.

.: :.

Sources:

J.-L. Lamboley, Recherches sur les messapiens (Roma: École Française de Rome, 1996), 431-432.

Maria Teresa Laporta, “Divinità femminili e titoli sacerdotali nel Pantheon messapico,” in Studia di antichità linguistiche in memoria di Ciro Santoro (Bari: Cacucci, 2006), 217-242.

Ciro Santoro, “Il lessico del ‘divino’ e della religione messapica,” in Atti del IX Convegno dei Comuni Messapici, Peuceti e Dauni, Oria 24-25 novembre 1984 (Bari: Societa di Storia per la Puglia, 1989), 139-80.

[little-sebastophant]

The Lemuralia

Today, May 13th, the Classical Church of Byzantium Novum reverently observes the Lemuralia, also known as Lemuria. The Lemuralia was one of the unluckiest days of the ancient Roman calendar — Ovid tells us it was originally instituted by Romulus to placate or ward off the vengeful spirit of the murdered Remus, and this aspect remained as the Lemuralia came to be associated with banishing all lemures; restless and malignant shades of the dead who became kinless and neglected in the afterlife. This banishment was accomplished at midnight as the paterfamilias went throughout the house casting beans behind him, to be gathered by the ghosts unseen, and accompanied by the banging of pots and pans. Following ancient tradition this occasion is one of only a handful of dies ater on the Church Kalendar; naturally to be condemned as a black and inauspicious day. Members of the Church are therefore exhorted to mindfully abstain from acts of violence, quarrelling, physical labour insofar as reasonable, beginning any new project, unnecessary travel, unnecessary risks, mentioning Father Jupiter or Father Janus, or the performance of religious rites public or private.

[ditipatri]

LEMURIA is a three-day long Roman festival of parting with one’s dead that was celebrated in Rome during the 9th, the 11th, and the 13th days of the month of May. Through generous offering and ritualistic celebration, the dead are meant to be calmed down and returned back into the Underworld so that the living could continue on with their lives. 

Note: This post speaks on the undead familial souls. Please, do not take this as a guide as I am not an authority in telling you how to appease spirits you know best. 

It is relatively hard to say where Lemuria initially comes from, as its origins are long since lost to time. Like other Roman festivals that we still can learn about from Ancient writing, it is likely a very specific local tradition rooted in the culture of Italic peoples of the peninsula. 

Ovid, who is one of our few sources of structured information about the festival, says that Lemuria was initially installed by Romulus to appease the unrest spirit of Remus. While it is not clear whether or not it is true, we do know from multiple inscriptions that Romans did avoid marriage during the month of May, just like the month of February, and celebrated the dead called Lemures. 

Some parts of the Fasti also refer to the rituals of Lemuria as the Argei, which was the rite of banishing of evil spirits and malicious undead souls in honor of the God Saturn. Overall, Ovid gives a relatively detailed explanation as to what rituals were done and what Deities and entities were revered. 

Some researchers refer to Lemuria in Ovid’s text as an idiomatic way of speaking on the necessary sacrifice done to ensure the proliferation of the Roman state - in comparison to Feralia, which was way more focused upon honoring the past heroes.  It is important to mention that, like most Roman festivals, Lemuria was accessible to the poor and the rich alike. 

There is still some questions that remain regarding the nature of the spirits involved in Lemuria. Some compare it to Parentalia when Lares, the protective spirits of the dead ancestors, were venerated across the Roman Empire. Also referred to as Manes, these entities are beneficial and helpful that protect the home and family while peacefully sharing a space with them; being just as peacefully escorted back into the Underworld when the time of the dead is to pass.

Lemures, however, were different, as the Romans referred to them as Larvae and associated them with wicked and fearsome specters of the dead. It is unclear what exactly makes Lemures appear, though there is some information preserved that states they would come as disfigured, grotesque, and terrifying in form. These entities, believed to be haunting the living, need to be given gifts during Lemuria when the pater familiaris is to rise at midnight and proceed with a ritual of calming the undead souls. 

It is not clear whether Lemures are simply angered spirits of the dead that appear among the living for individual reasons, or if every person without a proper burial turns into a dangerous Larva. Ovid refers to the Lemures as “paternas manes”, which might imply that the spirits venerated during the festival are the dead relatives that passed into the Underworld by an untimely, violent, or otherwise unnatural death.

From what we know of the festival, it is loosely associated with a number of Divinities, among whom Saturn and Janus come first. As the Gods of time, death, entrances, and doorways, these Deities are directly referred to in prayers to keep the doors between the living and the dead shut. Janus’ Divine wife, Goddess Cardea or Cerdon, is also asked of the same favor; She is venerated with lit hawtorn torches. 

The Goddess Hekate, Divinity of the night, crossroads, and the dead in Roman tradition, is involved into the celebration as well: Her priestesses in Rome performed the rites in the terrifying night of Lemuria, offering the Patronness of the lost souls gifts of myrtle, sweets, statuettes, candles, and perfumes to reach out to the spirits of the dead and ask them questions. 

Ceres and Proserpina, as the Deities associated with the Underworld, are celebrated as well. Their temples in Rome were adorned with myrtle and colored ribbons as public rites were held there while all the other temples stayed closed.

There is still some discussion as to whether Di Inferi are the ones to receive all the offerings given to the manes or if the spirits are the ones to directly get them. This is due to the fact that Romans do refer to the spirits of the manes as “Gods” in multiple texts, which creates slight confusion. 

Ovid mentions different rituals allegedly associated with celebrating the days of Lemuria. One of them, connected with the banishing ritual of Argei, speaks of throwing wooden puppets into the river down from the temple of Vesta. On June 15, when the waters are considered clean after the ritual again, marital celebrations are allowed in the state after a long period of cancelation. 

The first feast of Lemuria is usually a solemn feast celebrated during the night time. While the Goddesses of the dead receive Their praise, a procession of citizens carrying lit-up candles crosses the city, much similar to a slowly moving snake made of flames. Lemurs receive a rich banquet, and here the information splits into two streams as some sources believe they were not granted place at the table while some state the spirits were eating among the living.  Treats for the deceased and torches are left outside the houses - perhaps to help the dead find their way in the night. 

There is as well a custom of driving away the evil Larvae by walking around at night, barefoot, and throwing black beans behind one’s shoulder. Beforehand, the person is to purify their hands by washing them in pure waters of a fountain. This rite, much like other ones, could be performed at home. Ovid mentions the following invocatio used by the Romans during the rites: 

"I send these, with these beans I redeem myself and what is mine" nine times.

or

“Manes exite paterni” that is, “exits of spirits of the ancestors”.

or

"Ghosts of my fathers and ancestors, be gone!" nine times as the family hit bronze vases. 

The custom of Lemuria was most likely Christianized into the feast of All Saints based in Rome before May 13th. The holiday was later moved to correspond with the Celtic Samhain, thus beginning to coincide with All Hallows’ Eve. 

Lastly, it is important to state that every individual is free to appease their dead in ways that feel comfortable to them. You are more than free to gift anything that isn’t listed in this post as long as it feels right to you. Feel free to alternate the suggested ritual as much as you need to in order to achieve personal comfort. 

Sources in pinned.

[clevercrowslair]

a little summary for the non-Italian-speaking folks who'll run into this post:

a capitolium - a tripartite temple, that is - has been discovered in the city of Sarsina, province of Forlì-Cesena, Italy. it most likely dates back to the 1st century BCE. more studies will be done on the building, which will probably lead to a deeper understanding of ancient Roman religion.

[hawkmothdraws]

Im an Apollo Devotee

I’m an Apollo Devotee, of course I play several instruments

I’m an Apollo Devotee, of course I love birds

I’m an Apollo devotee, of course I write poetry

I’m an Apollo devotee, of course I also worship Artemis

I’m an Apollo devotee, of course I love literature

I’m an Apollo devotee, of course I’ve dedicated musical performances to Him

I’m an Apollo devotee, of course I don’t like Lore of Olympus or RR’s Trial of Apollo

Im an Apollo devotee, of course I have half the hymns memorized

[dairedara]

To the struggling pagan, a quote from Ovid’s Tristia, book II (“His Loyalty”):

"but as a god’s won by red blood of a hundred bulls,

so he’s won by the smallest offering of incense."

Whatever you offer, no matter how much or how little, it is accepted all the same <3

[aureliaeiter]

Venus Verticordia and the Veneralia

Today marks the beginning of April, a month the Romans dedicated to Venus as it was believed by some like Ovid that this month's name comes from “aphrilis” (Latin for “foam”, which is where Venus came from).

The month starts with the celebration of the Veneralia on April 1. This festivity is dedicated to Venus Verticordia, the “changer of hearts” who made women go from lust to chastity.

Though this festival started for mainly misogynist reasons (like most things in a patriarchal society) I think it's still a beneficial festivity for those of us who seek a meaningful relationship in the current context of hook-up culture we live in, or for those already in a relationship who are looking forward to taking the next step.

How to celebrate?

Cleanse your altar space. During the festival, women would undress Venus' cult image and cleanse both the statue and other accessories she wore such as necklaces. If you have an altar space dedicated to Venus or Aphrodite now's the perfect time to clean it! And if you gave some accessories to your icon as an offering, you could clean them like women did in ancient times.

Self care. Women would take this day to clean both their body and hair. In Ancient times they would do it in front of men at a public bath if they were poor or at the Fortuna Virilis temple if they were rich. This made sense back then since this festival was partly built around women centering men in their lifes. Thankfully we don't live like this anymore, so you can just take your time to take a relaxing bath for yourself and do some self care you don't usually do (like a face mask; nobody has the time to do that daily!). But if you do it to attract a partner, that's okay too! Just be mindful in your purpose with this self care moment.

Drink infused herbs. Ancient Roman women drank a mixture of opium poppy mixed with milk and honey. The reason why is because this was believed to be what Venus drank the day she married Vulcanus, before her wedding. There's a high chance either you don't feel comfortable drinking opiacids or that opium poppy is banned in your country. So instead, you can replace it with other herbs that correspond with beauty and fertility, like roses, lavender, hibiscus or chamomile.

Spend time with Venus or Aphrodite. If you are a devotee of any of these two goddesses (or you sincretise their worship) today is a perfect day to spend some time with them. Pray to them, give them offerings and tell them about the ideal partner you want to attract into your life or the life you've planned with your current partner.

Have a Merry Veneralia ❤️

[flowersandfigtrees]

The Celtic goddess Sequana in her duck-boat.

Bronze, Gallo-Roman era, Archaeological Museum of Dijon

[myshiningpath]

My altar to the Mother of the Gods, Holy Cybele.

Salt for purification, wine and incense as offerings, olive branches on the flowerpots and a little box I made myself with a Renaissance print of Cybele with her feet on the celestial globe with the Zodiac✨

Japanese Shinto ritual implements are surprisingly flexible and good for Greco-Roman paganism.

[samwisethewitch]

Pagan Wedding Colors Cheat Sheet

In the last couple of years, there's been a move away from correspondences in the Tumblr pagan community. I mostly think that's a good thing. Correspondence lists tend to be oversimplifications and to only highlight a single trait of a given plant, crystal, color, or whatever -- and yes, you tend to lose a lot of nuance when you do that. I think, in general, encouraging people to engage with their spiritual tools and allies as complex, multi-faceted entities is a good thing.

HOWEVER, correspondence lists can be very useful as starting points for further research. A quick, simple summary of an item's use in a certain context can give readers an idea of whether that item is worth looking into further. It can also help limit research options to something more manageable for those of us that are easily prone to choice paralysis. (Hello, fellow neurodivergent pagans!)

With all of this in mind, here is my quick and dirty "cheat sheet" for pagan wedding color symbolism, correspondences, and spiritual associations. I hope this will help other pagan brides, grooms, and spouses-to-be as they design their wedding celebrations, and as always I encourage you to use this post as a jumping off point for further research and reflection.

A Quick Note About Meaning

Not everything you include in your wedding needs to have a spiritual meaning attached to it. You can include things purely because you like them or think they're cool. If you want to get married in a black dress because you think black wedding dresses look badass, that's all the reason you need -- you don't have to know the associations of the color black in different pagan traditions. Your wedding choices can be exactly as deep and symbolic as you want them to be.

Color Symbolism

White is the traditional color for weddings in Western culture. And if that tradition is meaningful to you, by all means, include white in your wedding clothes and decorations! Most pagan faiths include some form of ancestor worship, and for many of us, the last several generations of our ancestors have had white weddings. Getting married in the same color dress (or tux, or other outfit) as your parents and grandparents can be very meaningful on its own. If you choose to get married in white to honor your ancestors and your culture, that's a perfectly wonderful option.

White as "the wedding color" goes back at least to the Roman Republic. Historian Karen K. Hersch says that Roman grooms wore all white and that while brides wore a white tunic. We don't know exactly what symbolism the color white had to Romans, but it may have represented purity or new beginnings.

Outside of Rome, white was actually uncommon as a color for wedding clothes until very recently. In medieval Europe, brides dressed in a variety of colors chosen based on personal preference. White didn't become popular until 1840, when Queen Victoria married Prince Albert in a white dress trimmed with lots of white lace. This wasn't actually meant as a fashion statement -- supposedly, the queen chose the dress she did to help out the English lace industry, which was struggling at the time. Fashionable brides rushed to copy the royal couple, and the rest is history. Associations with virginity didn't come until after white wedding dresses became popular.

If you want to choose your wedding colors based on modern color associations, white is associated with purity, cleansing, new beginnings, healing, and spiritual growth. In some traditions, it is also associated with the full moon. In Wicca, white is associated with the Goddess.

Black is believed by many modern Westerners to be bad luck at weddings, mainly because it's the main color we associate with death and funerals. It's considered rude to wear black to someone else's wedding. Even so, black wedding dresses have become a trend in the last few years as a bold, slightly edgy fashion statement.

Black wedding clothes date back to the Zhou Dynasty in China, where couples wore black to avoid violating clothing taboos related to gender and social class. In 17th century Spain, Catholic women got married in black silk dresses as a sign that they were committed to their husbands until death. Goth couples have been getting married in black for decades as a way of rejecting traditional values.

Black's modern associations are protection, truth, night, outer space, banishing, and transition. Wiccan author Scott Cuningham says that black symbolizes "the ultimate source of divine energy," and in some Feri traditions it is associated with Star Goddess.

Red is the color I chose to get married in, and it's one of the most popular wedding colors across the globe. Red is the color of choice for wedding clothing in India and China. In China, red is the luckiest color and wearing it brings good fortune, especially when beginning something new.

Red may also have been one of the colors of choice for Roman weddings. Scholars are not sure what color the flammeum (bridal veil) was, but in at least one source it is described as sanguineum (blood red). Statius describes Juno, the goddess of women and marriage, giving a couple "sacred bonds" that were colored white and red. To Romans, red may have symbolized future generations, the mixing of "bloodlines," and/or the hearth of the couple's new home.

Red also played a role in some Ancient Hellenic (Greek) weddings. Athenian brides wore veils of yellow (see below) or red, which represented fire. Some sources describe the flame-colored veils scaring away evil spirits that might interfere with the couple's marriage.

While Norse culture didn't have a dedicated "wedding color," we know that red was a popular dye color for Norse women's clothes. Many Norse brides probably got married in red, and red would be a historically accurate choice for a modern Heathen wedding.

Red's modern associations are protection, the fire element, sex, romance, power, vitality, fertility, passion, courage, and good health. Scott Cunningham associates both red and orange with the God in his solar aspect.

Yellow may not be as popular with modern brides, but it has a long historic association with weddings. As previously mentioned, ancient Athenian brides wore a yellow or red veil on their wedding day, which represented fire and scared away evil spirits.

Yellow veils also played an important part in weddings in the Roman Republic. The flammeum, the bridal veil, was the single most important article of clothing in a Roman wedding -- in fact, the Roman word for weddings, nuptiae, is connected to the act of veiling. While some sources describe the flammeum as blood red (see above), there is actually even more evidence for orange-yellow veils. Pliny the Elder compared the color of a bride's veil to egg yolk. In cases where brides wore yellow veils, it was probably meant to protect them from evil spirits.

Yellow may also have been a popular color in pre-Christian Irish weddings. Although there doesn't seem to have been a standard "wedding color" in Ireland, yellow was associated with blessings, good fortune, and protection, which would have made it an obvious choice for weddings. We know that yellow was one of the most popular colors for clothing in medieval Ireland, with sources describing clothes as "saffron." Yellow clothing was so closely tied to Irish identity that it was actually banned under British occupation!

Yellow's modern associations are success, inspiration, communication, mental clarity, divination, the element of air, charm, confidence, joy, and harmony. Gold has similar associations to yellow.

Blue is a beautiful color for weddings, and used to be much more common. In medieval Europe, blue was one of the most popular colors for wedding dresses because of its association with the Virgin Mary. By wearing Mary's color at their weddings, brides emphasized their purity, virginity, and piety.

Blue's modern associations are healing, stillness, peace, the water element, psychic abilities, truth, patience, understanding, devotion, wisdom, and the ocean. Scott Cunningham associates blue with the Goddess in her watery aspect.

Purple may have been one of the colors of choice for Hellenic weddings. Achilles Tatius describes a bride wearing a purple dress in his romance Leucippe and Clitophon. In the Roman Republic, purple was associated with manhood, and white togas with a purple hem were a sign of a boy coming of age.

In medieval Europe, purple was a color reserved for royalty, and it was actually illegal for people who weren't royals to wear purple clothing.

Purple's modern associations are mystery, magic, divine power, spiritual awareness, sentimentality, wisdom, strength, and progress. Scott Cunningham associates purple with a deepening connection to the God and Goddess.

Silver is another color that may have been part of Hellenic weddings. In Hesiod's Theogony, Pandora is described wearing a silver dress at her wedding.

Silver's modern associations are refinement, wealth, the moon, nobility, and sophistication. In Wiccan and other neopagan communities, silver is associated with the Goddess in her lunar aspect.

Green is a popular wedding color for modern pagans, especially those who follow a nature-based path. It represents the lush fertility of the earth and is connected to fertility spirits like the Green Man.

It's important to note that green used to be considered an unlucky color for weddings, especially in Celtic cultures. This is because of the color's close connection to Fairy. Green was considered the Other Crowd's color, and wearing it could attract their attention in a negative way.

Green's modern associations are nature, plants, the earth element, money, wealth, prosperity, good luck, growth, rejuvenation, nurturing, and good health.

Pink may not have been very popular with ancient cultures (although some sources describe the Roman flammeum as a reddish-pink), but it is one of the colors most strongly associated with romantic love in modern popular culture. Pink is a soft, romantic, dreamy color, and is perfect for sweet, intimate weddings.

Pink is associated with romantic love, friendship, self love, compassion, playfulness, sweetness, emotional well-being, unity, honor, and spiritual healing.

Resources:

The Roman Wedding by Karen K. Hersch

"Bridal Attire in Ancient Greece and Rome" on Women In Antiquity

"Typical ancient Greek wedding day" on History Weddings

"The Ancient Egyptian Bride" by Ilene Springer

Where the Hawthorn Grows by Morgan Daimler

Sex and Marriage in Ancient Ireland by Patrick C. Powe

"The Léine" by Matthew Newsome

"What did Vikings wear, really? Attempting a historically accurate womens Viking costume" by SnapyDragon

Modern Handfasting by Liz Williams

Witchcraft for Everyone by Sam Wise

Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham

"What Does a Black Wedding Dress Mean?" by Andrea Papillon

[religio-iapygiorum]

right, so: what is this project & why am i doing it?

a quick intro first—i’m e (any pronouns) & i’m a history student of a completely different time period. that’s your first indication not to take my word as fact! i’ll be drawing on & quoting from established scholarship, which i’ll always cite. they’re the real experts, not me, so please do go back and read them if you’re curious & have the language. (you can always message/ask if you’re having trouble accessing papers.)

in general & on a personal note, i’m super interested in life on the peripheries. we’ve got a billion million sources for the polytheisms of rome and athens and a few other greek poleis—awesome, but what about everywhere else?

(why this particular periphery? my ancestors, both very recent & presumably more distant, are from this location. that’s where my interest stems from, but it doesn’t have to be yours—i will not tolerate folkist attitudes in this space.)

ok, so, what is this blog?: a place for me to aggregate research, in english, on the religious practices of pre-Roman Iapygia. this is not my own research—what i’m doing here is not-strictly-academic synthesis of existing research, primarily for a polytheist reconstructionist audience.

the evidence my sources discuss are almost entirely drawn from archaeological research, and most of this research is written in italian. i am not an archaeologist and italian is not my first language (though i can get by), so there’s another handful of reasons to take anything written here with a grain of salt—though of course i’ll always strive to be as accurate of a transmitter & translator as i possibly can.

why am i doing this?: because i wanted something like this to exist, and it didn’t. at the very least, this blog will be a place for me to sort out my own thoughts, organize my notes, and speculate on possible historical practices. at the very most, it’ll be interesting to other people as well.

if you’re interested in learning a bit about pre-roman religion in one region of the italic peninsula, then i’d love to have you along for the trip!

[paganpillar]

Digital Altar: Apollo ☀️