Read, all that you can. It doesn’t have to be scholarly texts, and you don’t have to memorize anything, but read.
If you find something and it sounds off, or this is the only source telling you X….look for verification.
Don’t be shy about reading the philosophers too. You may decide their work holds no baring on your practice, but decide that after you’ve looked at some of their stuff.
You don’t need to worship each deity individually. They were originally worshiper together, there’s no reason we can’t do so again today.
it doesn’t matter what you’re offering, just that you are giving in offering.
Yes, this means water is a perfectly good offering if that’s what you can give
There is no holy text, so be aware that just because One person does a thing doesn’t mean you have to do the thing as well, and just because one person uses a set of writing as rules doesn’t mean you have to as well.
Watch out for people claiming to speak for the gods. Consult with your own divination or a trusted diviner before taking advice (especially unsolicited) from someone who says they speak for any deity
Watch our for racists, homophobes, transphobes, and sexists. If you look at our myths there are people of all genders, intersex folks, trans people, lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, people of different races, people with physical disabilities, and more all in our myths and worshiping the Theoi.
You do not need to be like the gods in order to worship them. You don’t have to be a woman to worship Artemis, you don’t need to be married to worship Hera, you can worship Dionysos and never touch alcohol.
Don’t rush into making an oath. I know it feels like everyone has made oaths and you should too in order to prove you’re serious, but trust me when I say “wait.” The gods will still be here in a year if you decide this is the right path for you.
Don’t believe everything you read about interactions with the gods. Most of us never get signs or literally hear them speak. There’s nothing unusual if you don’t either.
Prayer can be as formal or as casual as you like, it’s important that you’re comfortable with it though.
Festivals are fun, but unnecessary.
You don’t need individual altars for all the gods you worship. Don’t worry about putting Zeus and Hephaistos on the same space as Artemis.
Statues are nice, but unnecessary.
Ancient Greece spanned thousands of years and thousands of miles, there are more options than just what was done in Classical Athens, so if Athens doesn’t float your boat, look around at other stuff.
Yes, you can blend practices. Greco-pretty-much-everything has sources. Greco-Egyptian? Oh yeah, we got you. Greco-Roman, that’s just Tuesday. Greco-Bhuddist? They’ve got amazing art from this branch of worship. Want Greco-Gaelic? I’ve seen one (1) academic paper on this before but it was all Greek to me!
— THIS LIST IS NOT COMPLETE !!! IT IS JUST A BASIC SUMMARY OF DEITIES. I DON’T HAVE TIME TO WRITE A PARAGRAPH FOR EVERY ENTRY. THANKS! —
THE ORIGINAL TWELVE OLYMPIANS ( THE GODS & GODDESSES WHO RESIDE ON MOUNT OLYMPUS )
Zeus (Jupiter) – King of the gods and ruler of the heavens. God of the winds, rain, thunder, lightning,law, oaths and hospitality. Hera (Juno) – Queen of the gods. Goddess of the sky, women, marriage, childbirth, family, heirs, kings, and empires. Poseidon (Neptune) – God of the sea and rivers, floods and droughts, storms and earthquakes. Demeter (Ceres) – Goddess of the earth,fertility, grains, agriculture, the harvest, sacred law, and the seasons. Hestia (Vesta) – Goddess of the hearth, home, domesticity, family, and the state. Hephaestus (Vulcan) – God of fire, volcanoes, metalworking, stone masonry, sculpture, and crafts. Husband of Aphrodite. Son of Zeus and Hera. Athena (Minerva) – Goddess of reason, wisdom, intelligence, skill, peace, warfare, battle strategy, and handicrafts. Daughter of Zeus and Metis. Hermes (Mercury) – God of boundaries, travel, communication, trade, language, and writing. Apollon (Apollo) – God of the sun, music, poetry, knowledge, healing, plague, prophecy and archery.Twin brother of Artemis. Artemis (Diana) – Goddess of the moon, the hunt, forests, hills, animals, childbirth, and protector of the young. Twin sister of Apollo. Aphrodite (Venus) – Goddess of beauty, love, sex, desire, and pleasure.Wife of Hephaestus and lover of Ares. Ares (Mars) – God of war, violence and bloodshed. Son of Zeus and Hera.
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Hades (Pluto) – God of the dead, the underworld, subterranean regions, darkness, riches, and metals.~ Although Hades was a major ancient Greek god, and was the brother of the first generation of Olympians, He resided in the underworld, far from Olympus, and thus was not usually considered to be one of the Olympians.~ Dionysus (Liber) – God of wine, viticulture, fruitfulness,vegetation, parties, festivals, madness, drunkenness, ecstasy, and theater. ~Besides the twelve Olympians, there were many other cultic groupings of the twelve gods.
Most listings include either Hestia or Dionysus as the twelfth Olympian.~
THE PRIMORDIAL GODS ( THE FIRST GENERATION OF GODS )
Achlys– The goddess of poisons, and the personification of misery and sadness. Said to have existed before Chaos itself. Aether– The god of light and the upper atmosphere. Aion– The god of eternity, personifying cyclical and unbounded time. Sometimes equated with Chronos. Ananke – The goddess of inevitability, compulsion, and necessity. Chaos – The personification of nothingness from which all of existence sprang. Depicted as a void. Initially genderless, later on described as female. Chronos – The god of empirical time, sometimes equated with Aion. Not to be confused with the Titan Cronus (Kronos), the father of Zeus. Erebus – The god of darkness and shadow. Eros (Cupid) – The god of love and attraction. Gaia (Terra) – The first earth mother. Mother of the Titans and wife of Ouranos. Hemera – The goddess of the day. Hypnos (Somnus) – The god of sleep. Nemesis – The goddess of retribution. The Nesoi – The goddesses of the islands and sea. Nyx (Nox) – The goddess of the night. The Ourea – The gods of mountains. Phanes – The god of procreation in the Orphic tradition. Pontus – The first sea god , father of the fish and other sea creatures. Husband of Thalassa. Tartarus – The god of the deepest, darkest part of the underworld, the Tartarean pit (which is also referred to as Tartarus itself). Thalassa – Personification of the sea and consort of Pontus. Thanatos (Mors) – God of Death. Brother to Hypnos (Sleep) and in some cases Moros (Doom) Ouranus (Caelus) – The first sky father. Father of the Titans and husband of Gaia.
THE TITANS (THE SECOND GENERATION OF GODS )
Anchiale – Goddess who perhaps represented the warmth of fire. Anytus – One of the younger Titans or Curetes. Anytus was an attendant of the goddess Demeter who fostered her Arcadian daughter Despoine. Asteria -Goddess who presided over the night, stars and nocturnal prophecy. She was the mother of the goddess Hecate. After the fall of the Titans, Asteria was pursued by Zeus and but leapt into the sea to escape him where she was transformed into the island of Delos. Astraeus – God of the stars, the winds, and the art of astrology. He was the father of the four directional winds and the five wandering stars (the Planets). Atlas – God of astronomy and the revolution of the heavenly constellations. He was arrested by Zeus and condemned to bear the heavens upon his shoulders. Homer suggests he was later released from this torment and appointed guardian of the pillars of heaven. Aura – Goddess of the breezes. Clymene – Goddess of fame and renown. She was the wife of Iapetos and mother of Prometheus. Coeus – God who presided over the axis of heaven in the north around which the constellations revolve. At the end of the Titan-War, he was confined by Zeus in the Tartarean pit. Coeus was sometimes described as leader of the Gigantes, who rebelled against Zeus. Crius – God of the heavenly constellations and the measure of the year. Associated with the constellation Aries. He was later cast into the Tartarean pit by Zeus. Crius was sometimes named as a leader of the Gigantes who rebelled against the rule of Zeus. Cronus (Saturn) – The King of the Titans, originally an agricultural god and a god of time. He led his brothers in the ambush and castration of their father Uranus, but was himself deposed and cast to Tartarus from his own son Zeus .Alternative stories tell of Saturn escaping to Italy where he ruled during a golden age of primordial peace, harmony, stability, and prosperity.
Curetes – A group of shield clashing Titan gods who came to the aid of Rhea to act as guardians of her son Zeus. Dione – Prophetic goddess who presided over the Oracle at Dodona alongside Zeus. Eos (Aurora) – The Goddess of the dawn. She was the mother of the wandering stars (that is, the planets) and the four directional winds by the Titan Astraeus. Epimetheus – The Titan god of afterthought. He was appointed with the task of creating the beasts of the earth. Eurybia– Goddess of the power of the sea. Eurynome – Goddess of earth’s flowery meadows. She was the mother of the three lovely Graces by Zeus. Hecate / Hekate – Goddess of the new moon, crossroads, protector of the home, childbirth, magic, spirits and potions. She supported the Olympians in the Titan war and retained all of her privileges. She was given dominion over all three realms: The Heavens, The Earth and Seas. Helios (Sol) – The old titan god of the sun. He rode across the sky in a chariot drawn by four fiery, winged steeds. He was an ally of Zeus in the Titan-War and the brother of the moon goddess Selene. He was eventually replaced by Apollo. Hyperion – The old god of light, and of the cycles of time measured by the lights of heaven – the sun, the moon and the dawn. Hyperion was one of the four brother Titans who held Uranus fast while Cronus castrated him with the sickle. At the end of the Titan War he was cast into the pit of Tartarus by Zeus. Iapetos – God of mortality and the allotment of the mortal life-span. He was cast into the Tartarean pit by Zeus at the end of the Titan War. Lelantos – The Titan god of the breezes of the air. Leto (Latona) – Goddess of motherhood, light, womanly demure, modesty and the night. She was the mother of the twin gods Apollo and Artemis by Zeus. Melisseus – God of honey. He was one of the protectors of the infant Zeus. His daughters were the god’s nurses. Menoitios – The God of violent anger and rash action as his name would suggest. Zeus blasted him into Erebus with a thunderbolt, where he became a bondsman of King Hades. Metis – Goddess of memory and good counsel.The Mother of Athena. Mnemosyne– Goddess of memory, words and language. She was the mother of the nine Muses by Zeus. Okeanos – God of the oceans.Husband of Tethys and father of the rivers and lakes. Pallas – The old god of war craft and the military campaign season. Some say Athena defeated him in battle and crafted her aegis-cape from his goatish skin. Perses – God of destruction. Phoebe – The first moon goddess.Goddess of intellect and the original prophet of the great Oracle of Delphi. She was the grandmother of the gods Apollo and Artemis and gave Apollo
his prophetic gifts
and Artemis the light of the moon. Prometheus – God of forethought and the creator and benefactor of man. Rhea (Ops) – The Queen of the Titans and mother of the gods. Goddess of maternity, female fertility and the mountain wilds. She saved her son Zeus from being eaten by his father Cronus by substituting the child for a stone wrapped in swaddling cloth. Selene (Luna) -The old titan goddess of the moon. She rode across the sky in a silver chariot drawn by two white horses.The twin sister of the sun god Helios. She was eventually replaced by Artemis.
Styx – Goddess of oaths of allegiance and of the deadly, netherworld River Styx. Tethys – Goddess of the sources of fresh-water. She was known as the great nurse of life and spawned the Rivers, Clouds and Springs. Theia – Goddess of sight and the shining light of heaven (“aither”). She was the mother of Helios, Selene and Eos. Themis – Goddess of the natural order, divine law and tradition. By Zeus she was the mother of the Fates and of the Seasons, and had a seat by his side on Olympus as adviser.
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MINOR GODS AND GODDESSES Achelous – Oldest of the river gods.Son of Oceanus and Tethys. Acheron – A river god. Son of Oceanus and Tethys. Adrestia – Goddess of the revolt and equilibrium between good and evil. Aeolus – God and ruler of the winds. Afer – the south-west wind. Agathodaemon – A spirit of vineyards and fields, providing luck, happiness and health. Aidos (Pudicitia) – Goddess of modesty, shame, reverence and respect. A companion of Nemesis. Alethia (Veritas) – Goddess of truth. Alpheius – River god of Elis. He pursued the numpty Arethusa until she was changed into a spring by Artemis. Amphitrite (Salacia) – Goddess and queen of the seas. The wife of Poseidon. Angelos – Daughter of Zeus and Hera. Possibly an early form of Hecate. Connected with the underworld. Anteros – God of passion, mutual love and tenderness. Son of Aphrodite and Ares. Arte (Virtus) – Goddess of virtue. Aristaeus – Protector of beekeepers. Asclepius – God of healing and medicine. Son of Apollo. He was struck down and killed by Zeus for bringing the dead back to life. He became the constellation Ophiuchus. Asopus – A river god. Asterion – A river god. Judged the contest between Hera and Poseidon for the patronage of Argos. Astraea – Goddess of justice. Ate (Fraus)– Goddess of evil, mischief and moral blindness. Boreas (Aquila) – God of the north wind. Caerus – God of opportunities and favorable moments. Calliope – Muse of epic poetry, telling of heroes and their deeds; was often portrayed with Homer. Cephisus– A river god.Father of Narcissus. Cer – Goddess of violent death. Charis – Goddess of delight. Chloris (Flora) – Goddess of flowers and the personification of spring. Wife of Zephyrus. Clio – Muse of History. Corus – God of the north-western wind. Crimisus – A river god. Son of Oceanus and Tethys. Cybele (Magna Mater) – Anatonian mother goddess who was closely associated with Rhea and Gaia. Deimos– God of terror. Son of Ares and Aphrodite. Dike (Justicia) – Goddess of justice and the spirit of moral order and fair judgement Doris – A sea goddess. Daughter of Oceanus and Tethys. Dysnomia – The spirit of lawlessness. Eirene (Pax)– Goddess of peace. Eleithyia (Lucina) – Goddess of childbirth. Daughter of Hera and Zeus. Elpis (Spes) – Personification of hope. Enyo (Bellona) – Goddess of war, destruction, conquest, and blood lust who accompanies Ares on the battlefield. Daughter of Zeus and Hera. Eosphorus (Lucifer) – God of the morning star. Erato – Muse of love lyrics and bridal songs. Eris (Discordia) – Goddess of discord and strife. Daughter of Zeus and Hera. Started the Trojan war by creating the apple of discord. Eunomia – Goddess of lawfulness and good order. Euphrosyne – Goddess of joy and festivities. Eurus – God of the the east wind / south-east wind. Euterpe – Muse of lyric poetry. Granicus– A river god. Granicus was a river of Ida near Troy. Harmonia (Concordia) – Goddess of harmony and concord. Daughter of Ares and Aphrodite. Hebe (Juventus) – Goddess of youth. Cup-bearer to the gods and daughter of Zeus and Hera. Wife of Herakles. Hermaphroditus – Deity of hermaphrodites, unions, androgyny, marriage, sexuality and fertility. Child of Aphrodite and Hermes. Hesperia – Goddess of dusk. Hesperus (Vesper) – God of the evening star. Himerus– God of desire. An attendant of Eros. Horcus – The personification of the curse that would befall upon any person that broke an oath they had taken. Hygieia (Salus) – Goddess of good health. Hymen – A god of marriage and the wedding feast. Iaso– Goddess of healing. Limos (Fames)– Goddess of starvation and famine. Iris (Arcus) – Goddess of rainbows and the messenger of Hera. Kakia – Goddess of vice. Ktesios– Spirit who guarded storerooms. Melicertes (Portunus) – God of ports and harbors. Melpomene– Muse of tragedy. Moros– Personification of doom. Morpheus (Somnia) – God of dreams. Son of Hypnos. Nemesis– Goddess of revenge and retribution. Nereus – The old man of the sea. Son of Pontus. Nike (Victoria) – Goddess of victory. A constant companion of Athena. Nile – was the River-God of Aigyptos (Egypt) in North Africa. Notus (Auster) – God of the south wind. Pan (Faunus) – God of nature, the wild, shepherds, flocks, beekeepers, goats, of mountain wilds, and is often associated with sexuality. Peitho (Suada) – Goddess of persuasion Persephone (Proserpine) – Queen of the underworld. Wife of Hades and daughter of Demeter. She was seen as the personification of spring. Phantasos– God of surreal dreams.Son of Hypnos. Pheme (Fama) – Goddess of rumour and report. Phobetor – God of nightmares. Phobos – God of fear and terror.Son of Ares and Aphrodite. Phyllis – God of escape. Plutus – God of riches and wealth. Son of Demeter. Blinded by Zeus so he might favour both righteous and irreverent people indiscriminately. Ponos – God of hard labor and toil. Praxidice– Goddess of enterprises, evil deeds and their punishment. Priapus – God of fertility, vegetables, nature, livestock, fruit, beekeeping, sex, genitals, masculinity and gardens. Psyche – Goddess of the soul. Satyrs (Fauns) – Half-human woodland spirits, with the legs and feet of goats. Followers of Pan (Faunus) and Dionysus (Liber). They had hairy bodies with short horns on their foreheads. Older Satyrs were called Sileni. Telesphorus– God of convalescence. Terpsichore – Muse of the dance. Thalia – Muse of comedy. Thaumas – God of the awe-striking wonder of the sea. Embodiment of the sea’s dangerous aspects Triptolemus – One of the original priests of Demeter, one of the first men to learn the secret rites and mysteries of Eleusinian Mysteries. When he died he was deified as the god who presided over the sowing of grain-seed and the milling of wheat. Triton – The messenger of the sea. Son of Poseidon and Amphitrite. Tyche (Fortuna) – Goddess of fortune and luck. Urania – Muse of astronomy. Zephyrus (Favonius)– God of the west wind. Husband of Chloris.
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THE FOUR SEASONS: They are the daughters of the titans Helios and Selene,and are described as the four handmaidens of Hera: Eiar (Spring) Theros (Summer) Phthinoporon (Autumn) Cheimon (Winter)
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THE TWELVE HOURS: Auge, first light (initially not part of the set), Anatolê or Anatolia, sunrise, Mousikê or Musica, the morning hour of music and study, Gymnastikê, Gymnastica or Gymnasia, the morning hour of education, training, gymnastics/exercise, Nymphê or Nympha, the morning hour of ablutions (bathing, washing), Mesembria, noon, Sponde, libations poured after lunch, Elete, prayer, the first of the afternoon work hours, Aktê, Acte or Cypris, eating and pleasure, the second of the afternoon work hours, Hesperis, end of the afternoon work hours, start of evening, Dysis, sunset, Arktos or Arctus, night sky, constellation (initially not part of the set).
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THE NYMPHS: Female spirits who represented different elements of nature:
Oceanids (nymphs of the ocean), Nereids (sea- nymphs), Dryads and Hamad Dryads ( nymphs of ash trees) Oreads (Mountain Nymphs), Epipotamides (river nymphs), Naiads (nymphs of brooks, lakes and springs), Crenids (nymphs of springs), Limnades (nymphs of lakes, marshes and swamps), Nyseides ( bacchant nymphs), Potameides ( nymphs of fountains, lakes rivers, and springs), Limoniades ( nymphs of meadows of flowers) , Napaeae ( nymphs of glens).
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THE CHARITIES (The Graces): Goddesses of charm, beauty and nature. Aglaea– Splendor Euphrosyne– Mirth Thalia – Good Cheer
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THE MORAI / THREE FATES (Parcae)- -The three goddess who controlled the thread of life of every mortal from birth to death. Clotho (Nona) spun the “thread” of human fate. Lachesis(Decuma) dispensed it. Atropos (Morta) cut the thread (thus determining the individual’s moment of death).
“Who’s Who of Greek and Roman Mythology” by David Kravitz / theoi.com / “Encyclopedia of Spirits” by Judika Illes / “Classic Mythology” by William Hansen / “Mythology” by Edith Hamilton
Re-blogging my own post because I can 🙂
This is a lot, but how good am I going to feel when I know all of them :).
So, I realize that not everyone knows what khernips are or how to make them, so I’m here to talk about it.
What are khernips?
Khernips is, essentially, lustral water. We use khernips to clean ourselves and an area before proceeding with the ritual. Khernips is also a part of the process of katharmos and is very important in Hellenic polytheism.
Why use khernips?
We use khernips and cleansing procedures to be rid of miasma, or ‘impurity’. Miasma is something we acquire naturally, and is typically something that distracts us from focusing on the Theoi.
What do you do with khernips?
We wash our hands (and sometimes faces) with khernips. One can also cleanse an area with them.
How do you make khernips?
You can create khernips by putting smoldering incense, herbs, or even a match in water. As you are throwing those in, you can exclaim the words “Be purified!” You would then wash your hands and face, and can cleanse the area that you’ll be worshiping in.
*rolls in* Dodekatheism seems interesting but I’m afraid of joining what do I do
fair--y backup 