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by Oenochoe
When most of us imagine ancient Greek religion, we think of the grandiose: the towering temples, the processions of garlanded priests and worshippers, the smoke rising fifty feet from the altar. Those large festivals were impressive, worthwhile, and a wonderful part of an ancient Greek's life. But they weren't the heart of everyday religion. Less grandiose, but much more essential, were the daily expressions of spiritual devotion. Likewise, we who are now reconstructing and reviving that ancient religion, who are dedicated to forming a practice that is relevant to our times and still favored by the gods, lead largely humble spiritual lives. A benefit to this is that a person can begin practicing Hellenic (Greek) paganism from day one. And a meaningful and intimate relationship with the divine can be established without many external accoutrements.
I came to Hellenismos - the common name for this religion - by way of my patron god, a situation that is not unusual from what I've seen. Drawn to Dionysos many years before I had even heard of paganism, when I did start a serious spiritual practice, I immediately remembered Dionysos and from there began to learn about his whole pantheon. As I began to understand that there were actually people reconstructing the ancient religion - as opposed to incorporating Greek deities into various neo-pagan practices - my natural inclination led me to them. Over the years, I have transitioned through staunch reconstructionism into an attempt to form a vibrant religion composed of both historical knowledge and personal experience.
When I first starting researching this religion, I found the most information about Athens, and the big city festivals, the famous cults, the philosophers, and so on. While those things interested me, I found myself not practicing very often because I couldn't get together enough pizzazz to put on a festival like those of old. Then I began searching for information on the daily practices, the pious devotions of the average Greek citizen, whether in the city or out in more rural areas. I have seen others doing the same. And the result is that we are finding authentic ways to maintain an everyday, integral religious practice that does not rely on props.
Imagine this kind of ancient Greek religion instead: A man herding sheep in the mountains leaves a piece of his bread for the nymphs there. A family about to eat supper pours a bit of liquid on the ground first for the spirit of the house. A woman falls ill and sleeps in the sanctuary of a god with hopes that a cure will appear in her dreams, then leaves a gift for the god upon being healed. A person passes a statue of a goddess in the street, and nods their head in greeting. These are examples of the simple, daily religious life of the average ancient person. Now, how does this work in our modern lives?
It may still be necessary to pick up a few books, but they shouldn't become crutches. Becoming familiar with the myths is important, of course, but equally so is reading some of the hymns written to the gods, and learning the basics of devotional practice. That is enough framework to begin with. A small Hellenic pagan ritual might look like this: I approach the shrine to the god(s), I wash my hands in pure water, light a candle and some incense, recite a short hymn, scatter some barley and pour a libation of wine, and perhaps leave a larger offering or make a request or any number of other things. An even smaller ritual: while passing a particularly stunning tree on a hike, I say a greeting to the nymph of that tree, and pour out a small amount of my drinking water at the roots. Or, feeling ill with the flu, I say an extemporaneous prayer to Apollon for healing, and promise to return the gift with some kind of sacrifice. Or, when about to drink a glass of wine, I ask for Dionysos' blessing.
These small gestures aren't all one-sided. I believe that when you start to acknowledge the gods like this, you will start getting noticed in return. Prayers can be answered, but more importantly you begin to foster a truly reciprocal and meaningful relationship with one or more gods. As you continue on the path, a more personal practice develops, where you become more vividly aware of the gods and "daimones" (spirits) all around you. This can lead to the taking on of a patron deity, or of a particular religious role, or just to a deeply fulfilling everyday life.
There are other misconceptions about Greek religion that might get in the way of understanding and practicing it fully. Most of us were taught the Greek myths at some point in our childhood. That is good, in that we are usually familiar with the gods and stories of Hellenic religion. However, sometimes our knowledge is flavored with the biases of those popular authors who recount the myths. For instance, while the twelve Olympian gods are indeed important, they are not the only gods in the pantheon, nor the only beings to whom one might make offerings or pray. There are hundreds of other gods, and thousands of demi-gods and spirits like nymphs, centaurs, heroes, "daimones", etc. And while it is true that Zeus is in some sense the "head of the family" of this generation of gods, it is by no means as patriarchal a system as some people think. There are just as many goddesses as gods, who were just as dearly loved by their worshippers. And in fact, religion was the one area of life in ancient Greece where women could hold positions of respect and authority, such as priestesses or prophetesses. The few areas where some sexism was built in (the head of the household, almost always a man by default, led the family's private rituals and devotions) have been altered by modern practitioners of Hellenismos, so that the modern religion is open to everyone.
Another misconception is that the myths defined ancient Greek religion. On careful examination, it is revealed that while the myths were widely known and repeated, they did not always directly inform religious practice. Sometimes, it was quite the opposite. A good example is the cult of the nymphs (nature spirits, tied to trees, rivers and other features of the landscape). In myth, the only time a nymph appears is when being chased, sometimes even raped, by one of the gods or male spirits, such as Pan or Apollon. Therefore, you would think that the nymphs would have a very antagonistic relationship with male deities in reality. However, in practice the nymphs were worshipped right along with these gods, in the same spots, in many areas all over Greece. Numerous caves are said to be homes to "Pan and the nymphs", showing that the average person didn't think it odd that these divinities would exist harmoniously together, despite the stories from mythology.
Practicing Hellenismos today likewise means getting to know the gods personally, rather than relying on stories about them. This will also dispel the popular notion that each god has a narrowly defined role; for example that Poseidon is the god of the ocean, Artemis is the goddess of the hunt. First of all, every god has more than one thing he or she is associated with. Poseidon, for instance, is also god of horses, and earthquakes. But furthermore, evidence shows that an ancient Greek might pray to any god for any thing, especially if there was already a relationship established between a particular god and worshipper. So that, while I might appeal to Asklepios for healing as was the most common, I might also pray to Dionysos for the same thing, since he is my patron. And in fact, the gods are very complex, and delving into Dionysos further I find there are actually aspects of him that could be quite logically petitioned for healing, even by those who did not call him patron.
An excellent way to learn more about the gods, and how they were viewed outside of mythology, is to learn their many epithets. An epithet is a title that follows the name of the god (or sometimes replaces it entirely) and gives some information about that god's traits, roles, history, and so on. These can be very revealing about the varied natures of the gods. For instance, Aphrodite has names one would expect like Khruse (golden) and Philomeides (laughter-loving), but also names that speak of her origin like Epipontia (on the sea) and names that reveal a darker side to her like Androphonos (killer of men) and Enoplios (bearing weapons). Since, in my opinion, relationships with the gods are the heart of this religion, truly getting to know them deeply instead of relying on stories is crucial.
An important concept, therefore, to know about Greek religion is "kharis," which is the relationship of reciprocity between the gods and mortals. A gift is exchanged for a gift, either right away or at least eventually. Meaning that a request is always accompanied by an offering, or the promise of an offering in the near future. And when good fortune occurs, a person repays the gods through sacrifice. This system is voluntary on both sides, and is not a way of "buying" the gods, but rather a process of giving and taking, asking and receiving. Understanding and implementing kharis is the beginning of a wonderful relationship with the gods. As I said earlier, it doesn't have to be fancy, but it does have to be tangible. The gifts given in ancient times weren't just good intentions, they were substantial offerings of various types. From a piece of food or drink libation, to a small votive statue made of clay, to large and costly permanent offerings. Different gifts are appropriate for different situations, but a gesture should be made, not just thought about. These acts do not even have to be planned. For instance, when embarking on a short journey and praying to Hermes for safe travel, I might pull out my loose change and scatter the coins on the street. When I returned safely from a trip to Greece, however, I wanted to thank Hermes more formally, and I bought a large steak and placed it on the fire for him.
In my opinion, one of the great things about Hellenismos is the lack of official structure. We currently have no priests, and even in ancient times a priest meant a person who was charged with overseeing one particular temple and the rites of that god, far different from the type of priest we're familiar with from Christianity. We need no intermediaries between us and the gods. While I would love to see the building of new temples in the future, we do not rely on them to come into contact with the gods. That can be done anywhere. The kitchen stove can be an altar, or a tree stump, or a crossroads. We can speak to the gods without special words, and give them the gifts that we have. We can worship alone or in groups. We can worship a few gods or many. We can have a patron, or not, or have three patrons. We can hold elaborate rituals and festivals, but the gods also love the scattering of barley on the altar, the sweet-smelling smoke drifting up to them, a beautiful hymn read aloud. Most importantly, we can develop a simple practice that lets us feel the gods as they surround us and accompany us through our lives. That is the living religion of Hellenismos.
A few recommended resources:
Sponde.com - hands-on advice for practicing the religion today.
The Homeric Hymns and The Orphic Hymns - powerful words to give to the gods.
The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony by Robert Calasso - an unusual re-telling of the myths.
Greek Religion by Walter Burkert - the basic primer on almost every aspect of the ancient religion.
Kharis - www.winterscapes.com/kharis/ - my own website, includes information on the ancient Athenian calendar and festivals.
Hellenic Pagan mailing list - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HellenicPagan/ - to network with all types of Hellenic pagans, over 300 members.
Copyright © 2006 by the article's author