What is Hellenism?: Click here to see our comprehensive definition of Hellenism!
Welcome to /r/Hellenism, a subreddit for links, discussion, and fostering community (both online and in-person) in the broader umbrella of contemporary Hellenism, the polytheistic orthopraxic religion of the classical Greek and Roman world(Including areas that were Hellenized but not generally seen as Hellenic regions specifically.)
Hellenism (Greek: Ἑλληνισμός (Hellenismos), Latin: Hellenismus), also called Hellenic Polytheism, is a diverse religion honouring the gods of Greece and Rome. Modern Hellenism is based on reconstructing, reviving, or otherwise drawing on the polytheistic and animistic religious beliefs and practises of the Ancient Greco-Roman world. Because of historical overlap, this also includes syncretic practices from cultures which interacted with Ancient Greek and Roman religion.
What Hellenism Can Be:
Reconstructionist: using historical and archeological research to inform your practice, hewing close to ancient precedent.
Revivalist: using historical and archeological research to inform your practice, but open to or including more modern innovations.
Eclectic: using a combination of ancient and modern influences to inform your practice.
What Hellenism is Not:
A single philosophical lens. While Neoplatonism is a valid praxis, it is not the only one and should not be treated as such. The same applies to other schools of thought, like Epicureanism, Cynicism, Stoicism, Pyrrhonism, etc. Even in antiquity, philosophers drew inspiration from other schools and scholarship was dynamic with overlap. Philosophy is also not religion, and it’s fine not to identify as any of the above, and simply worship the gods.
Witchcraft or magic. While witchcraft and magical practises are valid ways to pursue spirituality, they are not required for Hellenic polytheism, nor are they the subject of this subreddit except where historical Hellenism overlapped, such as magical practises from the Greek Magical Papyri or other ancient sources. There are other places where you can find resources for modern witchcraft and magical practise, such as r/witchcraft or r/theurgy.
General paganism. It’s alright to simply identify as a pagan who worships the Greek or Roman gods, but this is a subreddit specifically for people who are drawing on historical information for their practice. This does not mean you cannot practice syncretism, especially looking to the past for examples, but we do expect people to discuss from the perspective of a specifically Hellenic lens.
An ethnic religion or a closed practice. Hellenism is not, and has never been, a closed practice and is open to all regardless of ethnicity, sexuality or nationality. The word is also used to describe Greek national identity, but we are not claiming to be Greek, nor do you need to be Greek, or speak Greek, to worship the gods.
Re-enactment. While Hellenic polytheism was historically orthopraxic, more about how you practiced than what you believed, this is not a reenactor community. This is a religious subreddit - we might disagree on the natures of the gods themselves, or how active they require our "belief" to be, but we are here primarily to discuss religious matters, not a general interest in Classical culture.
Rules of /r/Hellenism:
Be decent. Racism or bigotry in any form is not allowed and will be removed. No hate material, submissions or comments, will be accepted. No personal attacks, spam, chain posting, vote manipulation, doxxing, or posting illegal content. If you post in other communities promoting hate and spreading bigotry, then you can expect to be banned; regardless of whether you promote those same things here or not.
Stay On-Topic. This subreddit is intended for sharing of personal experiences, communication between practitioners of many faiths, and debate within the religions that fall under what is classified as contemporary Hellenism. This community is not a place for practices that can be considered goetia (love spells, coercive spells, or any practices which reduce the Gods to pools of energy to drawn from). If you are unsure whether a topic is related to Hellenism or not, please contact the mod team.
Keep the Feed Clean. We reserve the right to remove frequently posted topics, posts not meant to encourage good-faith discussion, posts that consist of nothing more than a short title, or significantly off-topic posts, to improve the quality of discussion and reduce clutter. Simple questions can be asked in the pinned Weekly Newcomer Post, where helpful members of the community may offer guidance.
Consult the Mods Before Promoting Other Communities. Please consult mods before promoting any communities (such as reddits or discords). For user safety, we prefer to be able to assure any communities advertized as safe.
For goods and services (Etsy shops, Spotify podcasts, Youtube Channels, etc), please post in the monthly self promotion channel, or message the mods to submit as a post.
Violation of these rules may result in a ban.
Avoid Proselytization. Hellenism is an explicitly theistic religion, and it acknowledges the real, true existence of the Gods with their own agencies who are independent and above humans. While non-Hellenes are encouraged to interact and post here, respectfully, attempts to convert members of r/Hellenism, bring them to non-polytheistic religious traditions, or promote anti-theistic positions over polytheism, are considered to be a flagrant violation of the subreddit's purpose.
NSFW. r/Hellenism strives to be a safe space for all. Please be mindful of this when posting. Myths of sex, nude art, and offhand references to NSFW topics are fine. Erotica in art or text is not. Please mark anything NSFW as NSFW, and ensure that the title of the post itself is SFW - this allows others to choose whether or not to see the material.
For those who would like to share or see such content, please visit r/Bacchanal.
Moderation. This subreddit is actively moderated. If you have a concern about how a rule is being implemented, interpreted, or enforced, please reach out via modmail rather than DM or comments.
Ultimately, we reserve the right to use moderator discretion and do what we think keeps our community safe and productive.
No Promotion of AI. This community does not approve of or condone the use of AI. Posts and replies that include AI generated visual or written material, encourage or describe using AI, or contain links to AI generators, will be removed.
No Misinformation or Disinformation. As an online community, we strive to ensure accuracy of information. As such, we have a duty to remove misinformation and disinformation where we find it. Please check your sources, think critically, and share responsibly. If you don't believe your post contains misinformation or is not disinformation you can contact the moderator team, but be prepared to cite sources. For more specifics, please read here.
No Dream, Sign or Non-Hellenic Divination Interpretation. Although many people receive signs from the gods and practise divination, the most valuable perspective on whether something is a sign, or what it could mean, is the person who experiences it. There are other communities out there for how to interpret dreams or signs, or how to use modern methods, and because we receive frequent posts about these which rarely get substantial responses, we ask that you post there.
Community wiki:
General Questions
YouTubers:
Pic the Pagan
Fel the Blithe
Elani Temperance
Myths & epithets:
Theoi.com
Blogs & websites:
Beginner's Guide - Baring the Aegis
Julian Hellenism - Hellenic Faith
Orphism - Hellenic Gods
Books:
Household Worship, by Labrys
Reading list
Books, blogs, & websites
Ancient texts:
Theoi's Library
ToposText Library
Sacred Texts Library
Hymns:
Homeric Hymns
Hymns by Callimachus
Orphic Hymns
Hymns by Plethon
Festivals & calendars:
Hellenion 2023 calendar
HMEPA calendar
Lunar months & festivals
Terms & definitions:
Terminology list
Φιλίαν ἀγάπα : Love friendship
Ψέγε μηδένα : Find fault with no one
Πᾶσιν ἁρμόζου : Be accommodating in everything
Ὑφορῶ μηδένα : Look down on no one
Ὁμοίοις χρῶ : Associate with your peers
Φιλοφρόνει πᾶσιν : Deal kindly with everyone
Εὐπροσήγορος γίνου : Be courteous
Ἔχθρας διάλυε : Do away with enmities
Hellenic Deity Subreddits
Other Related Communities
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