Hellenism (also known asHellenismosandHellenic polytheism)refersto the religious practices of those who honour the Gods of ancient Greece.
Hellenicrefersto a particular time in Greek history, beginning with the conquests ofAlexander the Great. In practice, those who practice Hellenism base theirspirituality on the time spanning from the Minoan Era, through the Hellenic Eraand up to the Christianisation of Rome.
There is a great deal ofvariety in how followers approach Hellenism, ranging from a Reconstructionistpath, seeking to recreate ancient religious practices, right through toadaptations of contemporary pagan practice.Hellenismosoften refers specificallyto the Reconstructionist path orHellenicreconstruction.
Hellenic reconstruction
Hellenismos is the religiouspath of the ancient Greek, faithfully reconstructed for Pagans in the modernworld. Followers seek to be true adherents of the public and family ways ofhonouring the Gods, in a manner that is as close as possible to that of theancient Greeks.
Hellenismos is a diversereligious path that allows the follower to be equally diverse. The religion ofthe ancient Greeks had no formal doctrine regarding what was considered canonor the right way to serve a particular God. Instead, there existed a great dealof variety in forms of worship and belief across the Greek world and over thecenturies. Different city states had different times for festivals and many hadfestivals that were unique to their own city. The ways in which peoplecelebrated their religion differed from place to place and people helddifferent views of the Gods and life, often influenced by great philosopherssuch as Plato, Socrates and Aristotle. In fact, the path of Hellenismos isclosely linked to philosophy. Studying the great philosophical writings of thetime helps us to discover how the Greeks lived and how they viewed their world,including their perception of the divine. This diversity is not however alicense for modern Hellenes to mix together whatever they want and call itHellenismos. The focus is upon what is true to ancient Greek culture, asopposed to that of the Celts, the Jews, the Norse, etc.
Hellenism and contemporaryPaganism
While Hellenismos concentrateson reconstructing the ancient ways in the modern world, followers of Hellenismcan ground themselves instead in those practices and ideas that have becomefamiliar aspects of contemporary Paganism.
The ancient Hellenes would nothave cast circles and called quarters, for example, but there is no reason whyone who is dedicated to Hellenism could not do this as their means of achievinga sacred connection to the Greek Gods. Indeed, the four elements of fire,earth, air and water commonly called at the quarters are Greek concepts.
Hellenism, whether centred oncontemporary or ancient Paganism, is characterised by its veneration of theGods of the Hellenic world, honouring them by means of prayers, hymns,offerings and rituals.
Cosmology
In Hellenism, the Gods are notdistant and untouchable; they are real forces in the lives of their followers.The Gods are part of the greater society of the cosmos, which is made up ofmany different beings. Humanity is just one rung on the ladder and the Godsinteract with humanity according to the same societal guidelines that humankindholds in esteem. For the Greeks of old, society was based upon reciprocity:society rewards those who contribute to it. If you live up to yourresponsibilities and help to make the world a more pleasant place, you arerewarded by sharing in those benefits, as everyone else should also bebenefiting society in the same way.
This is the significance ofmaking offerings. The Gods are not given offerings as payment or a bribe inreturn for help. Offerings signify that we are willing to give back to the Godsas well, recognising that they are also part of our community and so deservethe same or a greater level of reciprocity for all that they do.
Deities
The main Gods of Hellenism aretheDodekatheon,the twelve Olympian Gods. There are also numerous other Gods, many of them thesons and daughters of the Olympian Gods.
Zeus:Thechief and king of the Gods, renowned for wielding the mighty power of thethunderbolt. Zeus is the son of the Titans Rhea and Cronos, the latter of whomhe overthrew after causing him to regurgitate all his sons and daughters (whowere the other Gods), thusly earning his place as ruler.
Hera:Thewife of Zeus and queen of Olympus. She is best-known for her jealous outburstsagainst Zeus’ mistresses and their offspring. Hera is concerned primarily withmarriage, women and fidelity.
Poseidon:TheGod of the oceans. He is often viewed as a tempestuous God that is easilyangered, but this is also a reflection of his unwavering authority. Poseidon isprimarily associated with the sea and rivers, horses and earthquakes.
Apollo:Apollois a God of light, far-viewing into the distance, inspiring us to raise oureyes to greater horizons. He is primarily concerned with music, poetry,healing, prophecy and the arts.
Artemis:Sheis the virgin Goddess of the hunt who wanders in the wild places. Manyassociate her with the moon, which is fitting as she is the twin sister ofApollo, who is associated with the sun. Artemis is primarily concerned withanimals, chastity, children and the protection of her sacred forest.
Athena:Sheis the Goddess of wisdom and the patron protector of the city of Athens, whichstill bears her name. She is regarded as a great warrior and extremely wise.Athena’s primary concerns are education, the arts and war.
Ares:Aresis the God of War and the son of Zeus and Hera. As God of War, this is hisprimary centre of concern, but he also takes interest in issues of strength,martial prowess and in some cases, assertive lust and virility.
Hermes:Hermesis the messenger of the Gods and in this capacity is the God of Guidance, whowatches over travellers of all varieties – both physically and spiritually. Heis concerned with travel, trade and animal husbandry.
Aphrodite:TheGoddess of Love. She is connected to love in all its forms, as well as beautyand sexuality. When Aphrodite was born she was the most beautiful of the Gods,so Zeus gave her in marriage to Hephaestus in order to stop the other Godswarring over here. However, she had many affairs. Her main concerns are love,the sea, beauty and sex.
Hephaestus:Hephaestusis the smith of the Gods, the God of Fire and the forge. He is the God that isclosest to workmanship, especially the construction of weaponry. His chiefconcerns are the forge, construction, the mastery of fire, and crafts.
Dionysus:Centrally,Dionysus is the God of Wine and revelry, though in his Mystery Cults they mayhave explored many other associations to him. As it is, his primary concernsare wine, parties, drunkenness and sexuality.
Demeter:Demeteris the Goddess of Agriculture, who taught humanity how to work the land. Shecontrols the fertility of the earth and the raising of crops.
In addition to these areHades and Hestia.Hadesis the Godof the underworld, who took this area for his realm when the world was dividedbetween him and his brothers, with Zeus ruling from the sky and Poseidon rulingthe ocean. But Hades is still a very important God and holds a prominent placewithin the Greek pantheon.Hestiaisthe Goddess of the Hearth, who voluntarily gave up her place on Olympus so thatshe could dwell among humanity. Because of her care for humankind, she isafforded special favours in the homes of Hellenes, being given the libationsbefore each meal and receiving prayers each day. This is certainly not thelimit of Greek deities that may be honoured. There are a great many more, suchas Pan, Priapus and the Fates, to name but a few.
Hellenes may also honour a varietyof other spiritual beings, such asheroesand daemons.Heroes are legendary figures whose deeds havemade them particularly noteworthy and who have achieved a divine or semi-divinestatus, or have otherwise earned the right to such honours. Examples of thesewould be the great hero Achilles, wise Odysseus and Jason. Daemons can takemany forms, existing as the spirits of places and concepts, as well asfree-roaming wild spirits. They may be beneficial or detrimental to humankind,generous, malicious or apathetic. They are as diverse in mood and temperamentas humans, perhaps even more so. But like the Gods, we may enter intorelationships with them, helping to create a harmonious spiritual communitybetween humanity, daemons and the Gods.
Soul
One of the principal beliefsin Hellenismos is in the existence of an eternal soul, which is the vitalessence of the individual. The philosopher Sallustius, for example, consideredthe body to be the vessel of the soul, through which it operates; yet the soul isnot connected to the body. It is like a driver in a car, who begins life withno knowledge of how to drive. The soul must learn how to work the car and thenhow to navigate the road. In the same way, the soul must learn to find its waythrough life, by using a body that sometimes gets in the way or steers it inthe wrong direction. This is not the only view of the soul. Differentphilosophers had different musings on the subject. But the existence of thesoul is seen not only as a staple point of the religion, but also as a matterof logical sense to those involved.
Afterlife
Greek religion deals primarilywith the afterlife from three angles. The most common is that the dead descendinto Hades to spend their afterlife as a Shade of their former self. There isalso the view that the more deserving may spend their afterlives in TheAsphodel Meadows, a place of natural beauty where the dead may dine uponasphodel flowers. To some though, the afterlife of Hades is simply a restingplace for the soul before it drinks from the waters of forgetfulness and isreincarnated into a new life. Many within Hellenismos believe in reincarnationand it was a subject broached by many philosophers of the ancient world.
A chosen few may be able toavoid Hades altogether and ascend to places of prominence amongst the Gods. Thebest example is the Hero Achilles, whose greatness was recognised by the Godswho allowed him to avoid a regular human death and marry in the afterlife. Tosome, Achilles even elevated to the position of a God in his own right.
Overview
Hellenismos aims not just toworship the Gods of Greece, but also to recapture the mentality and civilitythat the ancient Greeks aspired to. It is more than a way to worship; it isalso a way to look at the world and find your place within it, both philosophicallyand physically. It teaches that we are accountable not only for ourselves, butalso for the wellbeing of society and our fellow human beings. In Hellenismos,the Gods smile on those that accept their responsibilities and honour those whohonour them.
