Category: philosophy/religion topics
Since we were having a conversation on Hellenic Polytheism, and since some people are searching for a religion, here are several sites about it. This is not meant to proselitise or to convert anyone. The views on these sites do not necessarily
reflect my own or those of the entire religious community. The list grows as I discover new things, so I'm sorry it's so long. I've starred a few sites for those who just want basic info.
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http://www.hellenion.org
This is a site with physical locations. It's our version of a church if you will. It has a theology class. It has a faq and other info, and I think myths, and some modern hymns.
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http://www.geocities.com/athens/parthenon/6670/
This site is full of info. also has pictures and songs which are not in midi.
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http://www.numachi.com/~ccount/hmepa/
gThis is the ancient Athenian calendar. Some of us follow it, and some of us don't. As I've said, we're very eclectic.
http://www.oeaw.ac.at/kal/sh//
This is a site where the creators try to reconstruct Homeric singing in it's original form. There is also a link for ancient Greek
pronunciation, which is totally different from modern.
When I started out, the first book I picked up was "Old Stones New
Temples: Ancient Greek Paganism Reborn" by Drew Campbell, which is now out of print. But other such books have come out. This is one of them. It can be found here.
http://www.winterscapes.com/kharis/
There are also some religious items for purchase, including a calendar with Modern and ancient dates on it.
http://www.createspace.com/3334423
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1434836738/
This is a book compiled by the modern Hellenic Polytheist community. It's dedicated to Dionusos (Dionysus) god of wine. Buying from the first link will help Neos Alexandria (see below) donate to various charoties.
http://www.geocities.com/lucia_modia_lupa/
This is a site created by a Hellenic Polytheist with her modern hymns and artwork. It's very beautiful, even if you can't see the art.
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home.pon.net/rhinoceroslodge/thiasos.htm
Follow the url as is. There are lots of great things here, from Basic
Reading Lists for beginners to Solon's Tennets (kind of like our ten commandments), to ways of making your own ancient clothing! you'll also find some photos, including one of a Hellenic wedding that took
place a few years ago.
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http://www.sponde.com
This is a site for reconstructionists, those who mostly follow the old ways. It deals with worshipping the gods in today's context. It has information on libations (drink offerings) and bloodless offerings, prayer and devotions and much more. Definite must.
http://www.elaion.org/
This is another reconstructionist group. They're revamping their site, so keep a lookout for changes. They also host the Hellenic_Recons group at Yahoo.
http://www.ysee.gr
This is one of several groups in Greece working for our civil rights. They're beliefs are quite different from many found in America and around the world and at times, they can be downright hostile. Most of us, myself included, are not like this at all.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6285397.stm
This is just one of several news stories reporting on our progress in Greece. Type in "Doretta Peppa" just like that in Google and you'll find more info.
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http://www.winterscapes.com/sannion/
This is a site by a priest and extremely devoted worshipper of Dionysus. He also has some general info relating to Hellenic Polytheism and now has created this.
http://www.neosalexandria.org/
a site devoted to Greko-Egyptian worship. Yet another way to show our diversity.
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http://www.neokoroi.org
This is the site of The Temple Keepers. They also encourage Hellenes to form spaces in the real world and come together. This is where you can find not only general links on Hellenic Polytheism, but also specific groups, like the Exegetai (counselors in religion and keepers of laws and customs) and the
Mantikoi (deviners). This site also has a newsletter with updates on
the group and allows submissions of hymns and other original work.
http://www.druansha.com
This is an example of a much more modern approach. The store offers some newage stuff, but the Hellenic site is good. Druansha was the first to welcome me to the Hellenic community. I'm not sure if this site is still Hellenic or what.
http://www.winterscapes.com/thiasoi.htm
Here's a site with a list of different groups, both on and offline.
Finally, here are some groups that I know personally. They're online, *with the exception of Hellenion and Hercules Invictus which are both on and offline*, and most are at yahoo groups.
http://groups.yahoo.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HellenicPagan/
Hellenic pagan: This is a very busy group but don't go here if you don't like debating or if you're completely new to Hellenism, because they'll drive you nuts. They act like children.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HellenismForEveryone/
Hellenism for everyone: (completely quiet these days, kept it for nostalgia)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Hellenic_Philosophy_Symposium/
Hellenic philosophy symposium: This group is mostly about philosophy as opposed to religion and includes Hellenic Polytheists and others.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Hellenic_Recons/
Hellenic_recons: They're very civil, helpful and knowledgable, so long as you stay on topic.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/herculesinvictus/
Hercules Invictus: This is a group and site that offers discussion and the chance to do something in the real world. It's not all about religion, and all sorts of faiths are welcomed, including Christians. I drifted out of their cause of their huge interest in Commic books, but I'm still a member.
http://community.livejournal.com/polygreeks/profile
PolyGreeks: This is a group that I created on Live Journal and Google
for those who love Modern Greece. While there is a slight religious bend to the group, all religions are welcomed. As long as you're an adult, you can join. We need new members and we haven't updated in ages.
If all of these things have got you wanting to read some of our sacred texts from ancient times or if you just like Ancient Greek literature, try these links.
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu
Here, you can either read English translations or if you know ancient Greek, you can go directly to the original. Most of these are in the public domain, so the translations are old and may be sensored.
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Aegean/4979/
These translations claim to capture the original pagan ethos of the works. The man who wrote them is stark raving mad and not one of us, but the work is great.
http://www.farid-hajji.net/books/en/Homer/il1-preface.html
This is my favourite translation of The Iliad. It's a very sacred book in any case for most of us.
http://members.efn.org/~callen/Daphnis%20and%20Chloe,%201657.txt
This one of Daphnis And Chloe is amazing, but the language is very old.
Isn't the odyssey kind of like it then?
Yes, the Odyssey is another very sacred text. And by sacred, I don't mean that we follow everything they did to the letter. I just mean that we read it, along with other works (Hesiod's Theogony, Works and Days etc) for guidence, inspiration and wisdom. Since alot of later writings were based, at least in part, on the words of Homer, he's considered one of the founders of our religion, or at least, of it's preservation.
That's cool.
How many Gods do you guys have? Do you use all of them?
Ah, Hesiod. I almost wish someone would make a hideous, blasphemous hollywood blockbuster of Theogony, just so people didn't blink stupidly at me and then say, "I think you mean Homer. I've heard of Homer. He wrote Troy!"
Ahem. I only meant to say, thankyou for Sponde.com, which looks pretty cool, and for the Athenian calendar, which I've never found in such a usable form before and which makes me weirdly happy.
Oh, and do you mind new members to Polygreeks on lj?
Hi there. I absolutely do not mind new members! It would be wonderful! Noooo Hollywood. Please don't play with Hesiod! lol I'm so glad you liked the links. Now as to how many gods we have, the answer is many and it depends. We have something called the Dodecatheon, twelve gods/esses in the pantheion. It just happens that these balance one another out, six gods and six goddesses. However, these are not all and personally, I usually include 15 if you were to ask me about the main deities. But who a practitioner follows/worships is entirely upt o him/her and the deity. I've often heard something like "I was very devoted to Hermes, but then Dionysos called me" Or "Athena called me" or "I don't know who's trying to reach me, but they want me to pay attention!" Some of us have very personal relations with certain deities while others stay in the background. When I started out, it was Athena that brought me to the religion, and though I still worship her, Hermes and Aphrodite have taken centre stage and Hestia is now a strong part of my life.
Hi, wanted to thank you for the links. I'm not of one specific group of Paganism yet, but for what I have studied it is what I'm most comfortable with. This information has helped give me a good start on looking at the Gods and more info on Paganism in general. Again, thanks.
*smile* Glad I could help. Whatever path you choose, I wish you luck and happiness.
I know athena is wisdom, what's Hestia?
Goddess of hearths and domesticity. Roman equivalent is Vesta.
Oh, neat. Wait, there's two sets?
Yes and no. While the two religions (Hellenic Polytheism and Religio Romana) may seem similar with similar gods, they're not exactly the same. So although you could say this god in Greek is equivalent to this one in Roman, don't rely too heavily on that notion. It's worth noting that older translations of Greek texts substitute the original names with Roman ones because back then, most people were more familiar with the Roman.
Oh, I see... That's really interesting. So, is there same numbers of gods in roman belief of this?
I don't know much about their religion, only that they, like us, are starting to revive the ancient ways and that like Hellenic Polytheism, it's a worldwide phenomonen. They are polytheistic, so I'd imagine that they'd have a similar amount of gods. Unlike most of the ancient Greeks (for their were a few exceptions to my knowledge),, the Romans considered many of their rulers to be gods. I suppose this is partly where the divine right of kings originated but don't hold me to that quote. Also, many of the Roman emperors were mad.
Oh... okay...
Actually, from what I've studied so far the Romans had more. Why? Because they made a God for every little thing. They had/have a God for a young child exiting a room (technically a Goddess), and a God for a young child entering a room (same as before). In my students opinion this is going a bit far... *smile* However, it's fairly safe to say that every culture before Catholicism and Christianity became the "way of life" had their own panthion of gods. If your interested in reading more; and even looking at the Christian saints, with a bit of a humorous twist check out the following site.
GodChecker.com
They seem to have a lot, and all of it is presented with humor in mind. Easy to read and understand.