#delphic recon

[thegrapeandthefig]

Hey, I hope I'm not bothering you. I've been following you for a while and I don't know who else to ask. Do you have any good resources for the Delphic calendar? Right now I feel like I'm chasing my own tail XP I hope you have a good day!

As a general reference about calendars I'd say:

Alan M. Samuel, Greek & Roman Chronology: Calendars and Years in Classical Antiquity The only thing with this book is that it was written in the 70s but when it comes to Delphic months the info isn't outdated.

For a deeper dive into the link between Apollonian cult, the Delphic calendar, and astronomy:

Tomislav Bilić, The Land of the Solstices: myth, geography & astronomy in ancient Greece This can get complex really fast and won't bring you much indication of the religious calendar on a practical level, but will give you deep knowledge of the mechanism behind the timing. This one will still give you information about the little we know of Delphic festivals. But honestly, what we know of the festivals is quite scarce so personally, I would extend the research to the Athenian festivals that were linked to Delphi and to Phokis, with which the Delphic calendar shares a lot.

@matriarca-inodora you might have more stuff than I do here?

[hellenismnow]

Delphic Maxim #33

33. Ἴδια φύλαττε - Guard what is yours

Thoughts?

[unsound-unbody]

Reconstructing Ancestor Worship in Hellenic Polytheism

Ancestor worship/veneration has been a super important part of my practice for a while now, but for the most part I’ve had to play it by ear. This is fine, especially as someone coming from a culture mostly devoid of ancestor veneration practices, because the difference between gods and ancestors in a lot of cultures is fairly hazy. This was not the case for Greek religion in any historic period, though, and so it poses a bit of a problem in a helpol recon setting.

Who got to be ancestors in Ancient Greece?

So, Ancient Greece didn’t really have ancestor worship in the way we typically think about it today. “God” and “human” were very specific categories that couldn’t be crossed except in extraordinary cases (put a pin in that). Recent ancestry served a social function, such as inheritances/land ownership/etc., but there isn’t any evidence that it served a religious one. There is a term invoked in Greek inscriptions Tritopatreis which may refer to one’s unnamed ancestors as a group (tritopatreis means triple-fathers, and may refer to any ancestry occurring after three generations of ancestors), but as far as I can tell this is also a little hazy (another suggestion is that the Tritopatreis were a group of Boeotian or Delphic wind gods), and even then I wasn’t able to find much evidence of any specific rituals involving them.

All that being said, there are two instances of ancestor worship in Ancient Greece that I want to talk about. The important thing to remember when talking about it, though, is that Greek culture was much more concerned with the cohesiveness of the polis than it was with the family/clan. This is a lot different from our culture and the cultures whose ancestor veneration practices we might be familiar with. As a result, while familial ancestry may have been important (the Agathos Daimon was specific to families/households for example), the emphasis for many Greeks (and state-sponsored religious practices) was not on familial ties, but on ties to one’s fellow citizens.

Ancestor veneration in the Dark Age

Before we get to the big one, I wanna talk really briefly about one instance of ancestor worship in Ancient Greece. At the end of the Bronze/Mycenaean Age (around 1100 BCE), there was a Collapse, and a Dark Age followed. This led to a sense among the Greeks of being disconnected from their culture (sounds relatable tbh), which like wouldn’t be resolved fully until the Classical Age. It was during this age that the oral tradition which would be codified in Homer and Hesiod in the later Archaic Age was passed down, and is likely when heroic cults, or what would later become them, began. During this period, there was a form of possible ancestor worship wherein Iron Age (or Dark Age) Greeks would visit Bronze Age tombs and perform rites for the recently dead, such as leaving offerings, or in some cases reusing tombs to bury their own dead. This is thought to have been done to restore a connection to Greek cultural identity which people felt had been lost. It is contested whether this is actually a form of ancestor worship or not specifically because the rites performed were identical to rites performed for the recent dead, and anthropologists are divided on whether or not that’s chill.

Hero cults as ancestor worship

So we’re gonna come back to that pin from earlier. Ancestor worship in Ancient Greece most likely came about as an attempt to reestablish a sense of lost cultural identity in the Iron Age, with an emphasis on the polis rather than one’s own immediate family. Additionally, gods and humans were considered to be totally distinct from one another, except in very rare cases where a human performed extraordinary feats and was (sometimes) granted godhood by the gods. All of this points us directly to hero cults!

It’s definitely not a particularly satisfying answer, since, unlike the Ancient Greeks’ relationship with the epic heroes, all Greek heroes will likely be as alien (or familiar) to our sense of cultural/ancestral identity as the gods themselves. However, it is possible to create our own culture or ancestry’s heroes, a practice which we see beginning in the Classical Period with heroes like Theseus and grew in popularity through the Hellenistic Period. And, something fun is that with this framework, we’re not limited only to our direct biological ancestors, but we can honor cultural ancestors, such as important figures in our city, region, community, or nation’s history as ancestors in a very literal way, which I think is cool!

Conclusion

While there isn’t a lot of evidence to suggest that the Ancient Greeks in any region or period had specific, codified ancestor worship practices, we do find an analogue for it in the hero cults. This opens up so many possibilities! A family hero might be able to act as a mediator between you and the rest of your ancestors, for example. It offers you a chance to try and review stories about your family’s history and their feats, rather than memorizing a list of names. There’s a lot of opportunity here.

Bibliography and Further Reading

“Achieving Ancestorhood in Ancient Greece” Carla Antonaccio, from The Archaeology of Ancestors (2015).

Restless Dead: Encounters between the Living and Dead in Ancient Greece by Sarah Iles Johnston (1999).

“Tritopatreis in Boeotia” by Y. Kalliontzis and N. Papazarkadas (2013).

“The Early Development of the Theseus Myth” by Henry J. Walker (1995).

[kingoffiends]

Enodia

(image from r/pixelart)

Enodia is a region-specific Thessalian goddess, possibly originally from Larisa. She was the protector of roads and ghosts, as well as entrances and grave yards. In tune with Thessalian fame, as well as many stereotypes (the most famous legend of Thessalian witches was their rituals to bring down Selene to draw her blood), Enodia also was associated with witchcraft and the occult. Throughout her development, she came to be additionally associated with politics, community identity, and earthquakes. Her worship was alongside much more known gods, with her sanctuaries also dedicated to Zeus himself and Enodia shown together with Artemis, with connections to the Delphic Apollo made in some scholarly journals. Unsurprisingly, her association with witchcraft and roads have also made her synced with Hekate. Overall, Enodia arguably embodies everything important to Thessaly, its reputation, and life.

Some devotional acts include:

Offering to house and local spirits

Securing your home

Studying the occult

Engaging in activism

Worshipping other gods in addition (Zeus, Artemis, Hekate)

Doing Thessalian recon

Sources:

https://journals.openedition.org/kernos/1775

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IaRPOHOB4f1OWZGxzi6MlfuODnV9QXyU/view?usp=drivesdk

[carrykerykeion]

Question to research later, unless someone on here knows:

Xenia, of course, is very important in our religion. Hospitality. Kindness and generosity to guests and travelers.

Does this extend to being a guest? Is there moral guidance in Hellenic Polytheism regarding the role of guest?

I'm looking for a recon lens, btw. If you know what ancient philosophers had to say, or specific customs, or even Delphic Maxims relevant to the subject, please let me know.

[saffronveiled-dreams]

Unbinding the Hair: In Defense of Magic in the Hellenic Polytheist Tradition

“Shall I write about things not to be spoken of? 

 divulge what ought not to be divulged? 

shall I utter the unutterable?”

Julian, Oration 5, Hymn to the Mother of the Gods

To be a hellenic polytheist is to advocate for the glory of the Gods; reach your arms out to embrace their warmth and lower your head in respect of their unimaginable power. It is generally believed that if one has trust in the Theoi then one has all they need. Among my fellow polytheists who follow a strictly reconstructional, or even revivalist, religious structure it is common belief that it is up to the Gods to take our wants, needs and desires into favor; and any personal dabbling in fate, especially in the form of magic or witchcraft, is hubris - an insult to the Gods. Many of our official religious organizations (Hellenion, Neokoroi, and YSEE to name a few.) are openly against the use of magic in conjunction with traditional hellenismos. 

If I am going to dismantle and combat this belief, it’s important for me to shed some light on the foundation for many HP Recons disdain for magic and explain its place in antiquity. In the major city-states of Greece, particularly Athens, witchcraft (specifically baneful magic was titled as such; curses, love spells, etc.) was outlawed and practitioners were persecuted. Not only was it feared, it was described as impiety and profane. If we are going to base our religion around the common state cultus of Athens then we should also note other religious requirements, perhaps about how we shouldn’t mention, or even utter the name of mighty Haides, also note that there are sources citing that Attic peoples did not worship Ares. Yet, interestingly, many of these formal Hellenismos organizations list their own ordained Priests and Priestesses, some of which are devoted to both Haides and Ares. Blasphemous! Unheard of in the old Greek way of life and faith!

...Or is it?

To have a religious practice that is only using sources from the common state cultus of major Greek cities is to turn a blind eye to the undeniable fact that one’s practice would be... rather sparse and open-ended without any of the seasoning that other minor city-state and mystery cult adds; particularly that relating to the natural world, various Theoi, the afterlife, and rites pertaining to such. Despite the fear of Haides’ name, there were temples erected in his honor. There were temples and festivals dedicated to Ares. Many examples of sacred symbols, rites and ways of devotion actually stem from preserved citations of religious behavior branching out from the common cult. I think it is also worthy to note that while much of Greece outlawed the practice of necromancy, it’s hard to ignore the relevance of the Necromanteion of Acheron; a temple for necromancy. Should we exclude these because they weren’t always honored by the major city’s common Priest? 

Many of us understand that our religious praxis will not mirror that of our polytheist peers and it’s important to understand this rings true for the ancient people as well. Ancient household worship was not temple worship and temple worship was not private cult worship yet someone could indulge in all of these to fatten and enrich their praxis.

I mention this because the sources we have detailing ancient Greek magic and witchcraft (particularly that of the PGM) are written and passed down from initiates of various private cults - especially that of the mysteries. If we take a look at the initiation rituals explained in the papyri, we won’t see your typical temple worship however the nature of the spells has one believing it’s still a Greek commoner (a spell for a failing business, an unwanted relationship, unrequited love, the victim of thievery, a slave with abusive masters, etc.) It’s generally believed that magic was taught to these mystai from various Gods. A good example of this is in the rather simple spell PGM IV 1265-74 where a secret name of Aphrodite "that becomes known to no one quickly” is used. To me, this implies a rather strong and long-term relationship must be met with the Goddess before one can learn this spell. It’s also not uncommon to find myths detailing various “priests” of a God as a practitioner of magic (see Medea or Kirke, priestesses of Hekate.) It would be very hard for me to believe that the Theoi would teach their devotees impious behavior. 

When we pick apart the complaint that magic is hubris, we find the idea that magic is actually someone trying to command, or even force, the hand of the Theoi. Ancient Greek magic was not only initiatory, it weaved animism throughout its formula. You can find this in the term “dynamis.” The Greek’s term for the magical consciousness within nature and the practitioner. If there is "dynamis," or magical power in everything around us then it is divine in some way. I believe that the dynamis of plants, rocks and water are specific daimons that connect back to the Gods through planetary correspondence. One cannot perform a spell if they don't work with the right daimons, or dynamis in question. You can also ruin the dynamis of the material you're working with or even simply not be granted its assistance. For instance, ritual harvesting of plants is very important and the Greeks would only use bronze blades to cut or dig (iron is said to kill or remove power from spirits or lesser daimons) and would do certain ritual acts (singing, using a specific hand, etc.) before pouring an offering to the ground where the plant was harvested. This was a thank you, a small act of worship. The forces within Greek magic, may they be plant daimons or Gods, are respected. They're feared. They're adored. 

To me, this is far from hubris.

I also can’t look away and ignore some of the... magical inclination of certain Hellenic practices. Firstly, there are ancient home remedies such as having your daughter wear a small moon amulet to ward sickness, or placing basil on top of a door to bring in wealth to the home, maybe even sending your son to his exams with a necklace of rosemary. Some may consider this an old beginning to folk magic. However, a more commonly known practice for both antiquity and today would be the Kathiskos. The Kathiskos is a small jar containing olive oil, water and various food from ones home, made every Noumenia (first day of the lunar month) then dumped every Deipnon (last day of the lunar month) and dedicated to Zeus Ktesios. This jar, being stored away in the pantry, has apotropaic tendencies where it will protect one’s food supply. It’s almost hauntingly similar to a very popular spell jar practice that will evolve much later in 17th century Europe; the witch jar. Here, someone will create and bury a jar filled with various items to counteract witchcraft (specifically curses and love spells) and dismantle negative influence from entering their home. 

I don’t find the kathiskos to be rather impious, however.

My last, but most important point, is that the Gods encourage us to practice arete; personal excellence. The Gods will assist us and offer their hand to enrich and bless our lives with good luck and prosperity, of course. But this hand is not extended to those who do not try for themselves. I’d like to mention an antique joke here that was used to teach against being lazy and expecting divine influence to fix every problem we may have; 

 There was a man traveling down the road with a wagon, yet it drifted off the path and became stuck into a sinking in the earth. The man reached his hands to the sky and shook them with dismay, crying out to Hermes. “O’ Gracious God, will you please help my wagon back onto the road?” There was no answer, the wagon did not budge. The man’s desperate prayers continued from that morning until sunset, where his cries stopped once he began to believe Hermes had abandoned him. It wasn’t until late that night in his sleep that the God appeared to him. Angry, the man asked “O’ Lord, why did you not remove my wagon from the hole?” to which Hermes replied, “I would have, if you pushed it!”

This also ties into the delphic maxim “the Gods help those who help themselves.” From the sources I’ve found claiming the mystics being taught magic through divine initiation as well as considering my own personal accounts, I’ve come to believe that magic is a tool for mortals to learn, practice and perfect in order to better their lives. To help themselves.

The Gods have weaved magic into our backyards, it is not hubris to go find it. 

[thychesters]

Hmm how about a combo of 62 ("You're not at quiet as you think you are") and 66 ("I won't let you get hurt")?

Drabble challenge

“Didn’t get started without me, did ya?”

Damian greets his brother with little more than a scowl, because their patrol was meant to begin half an hour ago, not whenever Richard felt it appropriate to finally show up. He hits the rooftop with practiced ease, a sense of grace Damian has found himself marveling at on occasion—for all his tricks and showmanship, each of his movements is careful, measured. Despite his asinine remarks, his moves are as graceful as they are concise.

“You’re late,” he says, to which Richard hesitates before approaching him. Damian surveys him carefully, his own shoulders squarely to contrast with the looseness in which Richard carries himself, the slant to his mouth to coincide with his arms folded. His musculature lacks the familiar tension it carried upon their first few patrols together, and especially so after he’d first donned the cowl.

Richard is too relaxed, too jovial, which is how he knows it’s all fake.

“Something is troubling you,” he says and Richard doesn’t respond, so Damian scrutinizes him further. “Has Gordon dumped you again?”

“Again—? What, no. You—again? No. Thanks for the vote of confidence, though.” Richard turns away, muttering, and Damian shifts over a few paces in order to study his profile. He folds his arms and moves forward, close enough to catch Richard muttering to himself: “Again? Jesus Christ, I’m being bullied by a twelve-year-old.”

“Are squabbles not par for the course for siblings?” Damian returns, raising an eyebrow. Richard scoffs and turns to ruffle his hair. He leans into the touch, and what he doesn’t say is that the way in which he views Richard isn’t limited solely to the eldest brother mantle he carries; he’s seen the man as a mentor for years now, hesitates to admit he’s been more of a father than his own was in that same span of time.

He cannot say that to Richard, not now, at the very least.

“Yeah, yeah, I guess I walked right into that one,” he says, hands at his hips. His mouth is still in that slant it was when he first arrived, the lens in his eye mask make reading them difficult. “You got me; sorry I’m kinda late, L’il D.”

He hasn’t heard that one in a while.

“I guess it would be understandable if you and Gordon were—“

Richard cuts him off at the pass. “No, no, please, don’t.” He holds his hands up in a manner he typically reserves for placating. His fingers twitch, and Damian can imagine him hunting for the words he wants. As impatient and ready to get out in the city as he is, he grants Richard a few moments to find them. “No, I was just… working on a case.”

His arms drop back down to his sides and he regards Richard with forced indifference.

“I see.”

Richard blanches and it takes everything in Damian not to recoil at the hand grasping at his shoulder, as much as he desperately wants to. Richard had been hesitant to venture out on patrol tonight to begin with, anyhow, and at first he’d likened it to wanting to spend the evening in with Gordon, as he’d heard him discussing it with Cain, prior. Doing some recon. or collecting information prior to a night out makes sense (especially with their Delphic liaison) though he’ll admit, only to himself, it does sting to think he wasn’t included.

“No, D, I’m sorry. It’s not like that,” he says, giving Damian’s shoulder a squeeze. The touch isn’t as reassuring as he wishes it were. His gaze falters, Richard’s own shoulders falling as he lets out a breath. “It was a case for work.”

He does not elaborate beyond that. It does, however, alleviate some of the sting, though it doesn’t fully answer his question. And he likely won’t, not unless he does some digging of his own into Officer Grayson’s latest case files, later.

Richard is still … off, though, and Damian decides it won’t do if this carries on for the next few hours.

“You’re not as quiet as you think you are,” he says after a minute and does not give Richard time to respond before he continues: “Your thoughts. Cain once said that you think too loudly, and I’m inclined to agree with her.”

They’d discussed it once before, the way Richard carried himself. Dick Grayson can be a commanding presence—not foreboding or overbearing, but loose and jovial, a few key attributes played up for his more public persona. Nightwing, while fond of the same terrible puns, had the better sense to play into shadows and silence. He’s seen the anger of both identities play out.

At first, Richard says nothing to him, and then slowly a smile begins to pull at his mouth, less a slant of a smirk and more one of those real smiles Damian likes to think of are reserved for his little brother, if not his son.

“You’re too smart for your own good, you know that?”

Now it’s Damian’s turn to scoff.

“Interesting how you only say that when I call you on your crap.”

“Hey, language, punk,” Richard says, and instead of ruffling his hair he opts to loop his arms around the boy’s shoulders and pull into his side. Damian doesn’t resist, but he still makes a face just for show. Damian remains there for a moment, if only for Richard’s sake, because clearly he needs it. He can feel his brother exhale again. “You know I won’t let you get hurt, right?”

Damian frowns, though he nods against his ribcage.

He could call Richard on the fact that he can make no promises in this life, or that he should hope so, or that isn’t that his job, as an older brother? But he doesn’t, and allows Richard this moment before he pulls away and drops his arms. His fingers itch for the jump line. Richard cracks his knuckles. This is as far as their personal conversation is going to go, apparently. Perhaps Damian will attempt to broach the subject later, once they’ve returned to the Cave and Richard’s exhausted and less likely to put up a fuss.

“So, we got some bad guys to track down, don’t we?”

Damian does nothing to hold back his grin.

“Grayson, I thought you would never ask.”

[breathing-in-gilded-dust]

Hey, everyone! I'm making a post to offer a fresh description of the Demos of Olympos, an online community of Hellenic Polytheists (hosted on Discord). Since it's conception in February, it's truly gained an energy of it's own. We recently decided to change a few things, which included purging some secular channels to focus more on the Theoi as well as well as making the difficult decision to not allow minors into the server. We are hoping that this will help with anyone uncomfortable talking to younger people and it lifts the legal intricacies between religious discussion and the parents of minors. All in all, these changes have been very effective in creating the atmosphere we want! Of course, the mods are not infallible, so we are incorporating a few secular channels back into the server to create a balance of religion and a community that steps outside of the serious and spiritual conversations.

With this new feeling of freshness and refocusing, I want to invite all Hellenic Polytheists and those interested to join our Demos!

A little about what we do:

We create our festival calendars based on the observances of antiquity as well as some that we come up with on our own. One such festival is Ploutonia, a goal-setting and financially centered day to call upon Haides in his wealth and counsellor aspects. It's held on New Year's Day, and incorporates the modern energy of the holiday as well as activities from festivals such as the Deipnon, which we also celebrate. The calendar creation process is completely open to all members!

We have weekly discussions/prompts to promote critical thinking of why and how we practice. These can be very historical (including things such as the Delphic Maxims), very modern (such as the topic of UPG), and often consists of a blend of both. The Demos as a group is neither Recon nor Revivalist: we worship the Theoi and discuss historical as well as modern practices! All paths are welcome to join in as long as everyone can be civil.

We share resources, prayers, poems, and ideas. We have a channel for divination and often swap readings! Other than religious discussion, we share laughs, memes, recipes, and fluffy friends (or scaley, or anything else).

So, if you want to join, read these guidelines and jump right in! We'd be happy to see you there!

[sisterofiris]

Is following the delphic maxims necessary? I have the pillars of hellenismos, but the delphic maxims don't resonate with me! I'm a revivalist, so I'm not as traditional as others, but idk

I’m a reconstructionist (or at least recon-leaning), so I can’t speak on what revivalists should or shouldn’t do. As far as I’m aware, that’s more or less up to you. But from a reconstructionist point of view, here’s my opinion: following the Delphic Maxims is useful, but strictly adhering to them and using them as the be-all-end-all of your beliefs is unnecessary. This is simply because the Delphic Maxims were never a universal code of behaviour, like the Ten Commandments or the Pillars of Islam. They’re simply sayings attributed to Apollon. Hardly any ancient authors even refer to them, and they don’t seem to have been regularly used as a source on how to behave morally.

But bearing this in mind, I would still argue that the Delphic Maxims should be used as general guidance. They express many important values of Hellenic polytheism, and Ancient Greek culture in general: #3 worship the Gods, #8 know yourself, #42 have respect for suppliants, etc. While you may not want to follow all of them (*cough* #95 rule your wife *cough*), most still reflect the basic code of behaviour that we, as Hellenic polytheists, should emulate. In essence, they’re also not that different from Timothy Jay Alexander’s Pillars of Hellenismos:

Ethike Arete (the practise of habitual excellence) is expressed in #8 know yourself, #14 control yourself, #21 cling to discipline, #27 practise what is just…

Eusebeia (reverence, loyalty, and sense of duty towards the Gods) is expressed in #3 worship the Gods, #13 honour the hearth/Hestia, #123 admire oracles…

Xenia (adherence to hospitality and the guest-host relationship) is expressed in #12 if you are a stranger act like one, #42 have respect for suppliants, #93 deal kindly with everyone…

and so on

I would even argue that Alexander used the Delphic Maxims as one of his sources for the Pillars of Hellenismos (it’s worth mentioning that the Pillars are a modern invention, meant to identify the main values expressed in ancient texts).

So all that said, as a revivalist, what to follow is up to you; but if you want a clear, ancient source on Hellenic values, the Delphic Maxims are a useful place to look to, or at least to draw inspiration from.

[constantly-disheveled]

Hellenic Polytheism 101; Pt 1

Hello there! So, this will be a long series of posts, probably five or six different segments, maybe more. But it was highly asked for and I give the people what they want :p With that being said, here is our first post, starting with answers to the most basic questions!

What the Heck is Hellenic Polytheism?!

Well my friend you have come to the right place! Hellenic polytheism, also known as hellenismos, is the modern worship and sometimes recreation of the ancient greek deities! There’s lots of different ways to do this, like taking a more modern approach, or a more traditional, but there’s no wrong way! Typically, this religion focuses on specific deities close to the worshiper, and involves a lot of olive oil. (just kidding...maybe) We will get to that more later!

Terminology That Will Make Your Life A Billion Times Easier! 

This will be a nice little list of common greek words or phrases you may come across, and what they mean. This will help keep you up to speed! 

Theoi- pronounced (Thee-oye), this is what the Greek deities are called, plural. Is also technically the masculine tense. 

Khernips- Also called lustral water, this is kind of like holy water! You make it and use it for cleansing before rituals or going before the gods in general.

Miasma- This is the filth and dirtiness that we get just from being humans. It’s not sin, its literally just a byproduct of humanity. You get it from living and breathing, and also from things like negative emotions, not cleaning yourself, death, weddings, childbirth, and much more. It’s a super complicated topic! 

Oikos- Like the yogurt! Oikos means house, or home, and it’s the center of a reconstructionists worship.

Okay these are good basic words to know! We will cover more as we get deeper.

Who do we worship? 

The easy answer is, basically anyone you want to! The less easy answer involves the 13 Olympians, nature divinities like nymphs, dryads, naiads and more, as well as...well... Lets just get started. 

So, first and foremost are the Olympians. Technically, there are 12, but a lot of HP’s might jokingly say there are 13 Olympians. Either one is cool. There is also a more modern myth stating that Dionysos was given his Throne from Hestia, but I was recently pointed out this is incorrect. After some more research, I found this article written by @baringtheaegis, who is an awesome resource and blogger! Anywho, as far as the rest of the Theoi, You probably already know the rest of their names! First there’s the “Big Three,” these are the brothers!

Zeus, king of the Gods, ruler of the sky, lightning, justice, and much more. 

Poseidon, God of the Sea, Horses, most natural disasters, and more

Hades, Lord of the Underworld, the richest man alive, also..more

Then you’ve got the rest of the Theoi (refer to the list for definition!). In no way are these brief descriptions he only things these deities are known for or rule over.

Hera, Zeus’ Wife, Queen of the Heavens, marriages

Artemis, Twin to Apollon, Goddess of the Hunt and wild things

Apollon, God of Archery, light, music, poetry, 

Dionysos, the Debaucher, god of wine, dancing, ecstasy

Hermes, messenger of the gods, a total Businessman, the alphabet

Demeter, goddess of agriculture, Mother of Persephone

Persephone, (also Kore) Iron queen, wife of Hades, ruler of the Underworld

Hestia- Goddess of the Hearth and Home, First and last born

Aphrodite, Goddess of love, sex, beauty, the sea, and more

Athene, Goddess of war, wisdom, strategy

Ares, God of war, battle, women, 

Hephaestos, Blacksmith of the gods, technology, husband of Aphrodite

Those are all the main gods you’ll come across! 

That’s gonna end this post! Stay tuned in the next few days, when I’ll post the next segment! That one will cover more minor deities that can be worshiped, as well as the Pillars and Delphic Maxims, and maybe a little bit on mythology and the difference between recon and revivalist! Also feel free to send in any questions or topics you’d like to see covered!

[matriarca-inodora]

The stars at Delphi - Constellations and Oracular activity

The myth of Apollo leaving Delphi in his yearly travelling to Hyperborea for the three winter months  is well known. During this time, the god was said to be absent from Delphi and no consultations took place. Nonetheless, there might be more concrete elements to this story than first meets the eye: it might be linked to the night sky.

The constellations that are visible from Delphi in different times of the year might give us a clearer understanding of how important dates were determined. Three constellations seem to be of special importance here: Cygnus (the swan), Lyra (the lyre) and Delphinus (the dolphin). As one can see, those constellations are all very closely together.

Before we get into details as to how those constellations might have played a role in determining oracular dates, it´s worth mentioning that all of them are strongly related to Apollo. The lyre is one of  Apollo's most important symbols, this goes without saying. Also his transformation into a dolphin plays an important role in the founding of his Delphic oracle, according to the Homeric Hymn to Apollo:

[...] but they were encountered by Phoibos Apollo;

down on the sea he suddenly leapt, in his shape like a dolphin,

on the swift galley, and lay there, a monster enormous and fearful;

Swans are also strongly associated with him and with Hyperborea. Take, for example, Callimachus' Hymn to Delos:

...and with music the swans the gods’ own minstrels, left Maeonian Pactolus and circled seven times round Delos, and sang over the bed of child-birth, the Muses’ birds, most musical of all birds that fly.

Additionally, lyric poet Alcaeus tells us:

When Apollo was born, Zeus equipped him with golden headband and lyre and gave him also a chariot of swans to drive, and sent him to Delphi and the spring of Castalia, thence to declare justice and right for the Greeks; but when Apollo mounted the chariot he directed the swans to fly to the land of the Hyperboreans. Now when the Delphians learned this, they composed a paean and a tune and arranged dancing choirs of youths around the tripod and called on the god to come from the Hyperboreans.

It´s not hard to find imagery of Apollo associated with lyres, swans, sometimes dolphins, or even all of them at once:

The imagery is very intertwined, which makes a lot of sense if the idea of an astronomical background is true. 

Oracular Dates

During its early days, oracular activity took place only once a year, in the seventh day of the Delphic month of Bysos, likely equivalent to the Attic month Anthesterion, which in modern calendars might fall roughly in February/March. With time, this practice gave place to consultations once a month, always on the seventh day, according to the standard lunar calendar calculations. This was not all year round, however: as previously stated, there was no activity in the winter months, when the sanctuary.

How exactly might that be linked to the constellations above?

The landscape of Delphi is covered by mountains, which in many ways restricts the view of the sky. Interestingly, taking the Temple of Apollo as the point of reference for observation, the three constellations seem to vanish and return (in fact not being visible behind the rocky Faidriades) in a way that seems to align really well with the Hyperborean narrative: During January, February and March, it was not possible to observe them at their zenith, from Delphi. Around the 7th of Bysos, they reappear from the first time, and would only be absent again with the subsequent winter.

The geographical characteristics of Delphi also meant that it was likely that other locations in Greece could observe the changes in the stars and calculate the dates in which oracles would take place with enough anticipation so as to organize the travel all the way to Delphi. Heliacal rising of the constellation Delphinus would be visible two weeks earlier in a flat horizon, when compared to Delphi.

This was especially important in older times when the oracle was a once a year event, but, given the Panhellenic nature of the site and the localised calendars that were so common in Ancient Greece, the use of astronomical cues seems like a feasible and reliable solution.

This post was mostly informational but I do believe it holds interesting ideas that might inspire reconstructionists, Delphic or otherwise (upcoming 7th of Bysos I´m looking at you!)

Further reading:

Efrosyni Boutsikas. Landscape and the Cosmos in the Apolline Rites of Delphi, Delos and Eros. In: L Käppel and V Pothou. Human Development in Sacred Landscapes. 2015

Ioannis Liritzis and Belén Castro. Delphi and Cosmovision: Apollo´s absence at the land of the Hyperboreans and the time for consulting the Oracle. Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, 2013.

[hellenismnow]

Delphic Maxim #32

32. Κοινὸς γίνου - Be impartial

Thoughts?

[matriarca-inodora]

Celebrating 7th of Bysos

I´m planning on celebrating Apollo´s birthday at the 7th of Bysos* this year, which is the date it was celebrated in Delphi. From what I could gather thus far, this should be equivalent to the 7th of Attic month Anthesterion, roughly 19th of February, but keep in mind that there might be other astronomical factors beyond moon phase in play here. 

My main point, though, is not to go crazy over this sort of detail (as frankly at some point it boils down to supposition) but rather to celebrate my first Delphic festival, so yay! Not sure how I will structure yet (I accept suggestions) but since this is the first major date I could actually gather from Delphic sources I don´t plan on missing on it. If anyone wants to join me on celebrating, you´re more than welcome! 

* I plan on writing about the Delphic calendar soon, but I want to gather more information first

[hellenismnow]

Delphic Maxim #31

31. Κακίας ἀπέχου - Shun evil

Thoughts?

[matriarca-inodora]

Matriarca-inodora Masterpost

Delphic recon

Celebrating the 7th of Bysos

The stars at Delphi - Constellations and oracular activity

Apollo

Apollo, patterns and abstractions

Apollo and Music

Ramblings

Art as a devotional activity and why I think everyone should try it

Poetry and Devotional Writing

Poetry Commissions (information about poetry requests! If you can't afford that, do check out @theoiprayers where we offer free requests, and consider supporting my work through KoFi. Any help is much appreciated!)

For Hermes, lord of all paths

A dream (for Apollo Delphinios)

A short poem

Canções de Noumenia

Hymn to Apollo Noumenios

The path

A short lesson on distance

A prayer to Apollon Smintheus for Mental Health

Music and other Devotional Art

Homeric Hymn to Apollo (recording)

Updated: 06/14/2021

[constantly-disheveled]

Intro to Hellenic Polytheism!

I plan on doing a series of intro posts to get down to business when it comes to worshiping the Greek gods! I’m going to split the posts, because I plan on there being several, and I’d rather not put all that info into one long ass post. 

Topics covered so far will be: 

What is it?

Terminology/Words to get familiar with

The 12 (13?) Olympians

Minor but commonly worshiped deities

Non Theoi deities like nymphs, centaurs, the Moirai, the Kharites etc

The classics and Mythology and why they are so important

The Delphic Maxims and the Pillars! 

Recon/Traditional Worship vs. Modern/Revivalist Worship

Good resources(webpages, books, articles)

Basics of offerings and ritual

Hymns and devotional acts

Household Worship

Bare Bones worship vs. “I have beautiful shrines” worship

a short segment on the difference of shrines and altars and why that matters

Common misconceptions about the Theoi

Worshiper vs Devotee

Becoming a devotee

Deity communication

Sound good? 

I’m still looking for other topics to write about more here! Send me any ideas or even just questions you need answers to right now and I’d be glad to help! Here’s a link to my askbox! -->

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