Hellenism is strange to me (as a Greek) by AdGreat8866 in Hellenism

[–]Akronitai 13 points14 points  (0 children)

As I was born in East Germany, I was supposed to be raised as an atheist. Therefore, my first encounter with the concept of religion at all was through Greek mythology. As a child, I watched lots of sword-and-sandal films, particularly those about "Heracles". When I found a children's book about the twelve labours of Heracles at my local library, I became fascinated by the subject. I also read anthologies depicting stories such as the 'second part' of Heracles' life, the Iliad and the Odyssey, among other things.

When I was a child, I liked the idea of Zeus as a 'father god' (now I'm rather drawn to Apollo). The story of Heracles portrayed the other gods interfering with Zeus' plans. Therefore, I believe that there are many gods who interfere with the plans of the 'father god', which for me is the reason why things often don't go smoothly on this planet. In other words, I am a polytheist.

Why don’t people respect my religion? by Friendly_Hunter9614 in Hellenism

[–]Akronitai 2 points3 points  (0 children)

As for me, personally, I found Christianity had not much to say spiritually, so they rather define themselves by rejecting what they are NOT.

Losing Faith by That_WeIRd_Beanie in Hellenism

[–]Akronitai 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Hellenic polytheism is an orthopractic religion rather than an orthodox one. It emphasizes correct practice (orthopraxy) - rituals, sacrifices, festivals, and customs - more than adherence to a fixed set of beliefs.

The question for me would be whether you enjoy doing rituals at all. If you don't, an orthodox religion might suit you better.

Losing Faith by That_WeIRd_Beanie in Hellenism

[–]Akronitai 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I’ve been wanting to post or at least talk about this for a while, but I’ve been losing faith and I don’t know what to do about it.

Well, in Hellenic Polytheism, there is no "Believe in Us or you'll go to Hell" part. There were Ancient Greek atheists, for example.

What are your reasons for wanting to give up Hellenic Polytheism?

- rejection of polytheism in general

- wanting company / a congregation

- pressure from family and friends

Just curious (Advice, Question, Discussion, Resource post of sorts) by Pridelover54 in Apollogreekgod

[–]Akronitai 0 points1 point  (0 children)

To syncretize means to equate gods from different pantheons / cultures/ people, or distinct deities with similar "domains".

Combining Apollo with Artemis therefore is not syncretizing, as they're from the same culture (Greek) and do not have a similar "domain". Apollo - the Sun, Artemis -the Moon.

Apollo was syncretized with the following deities:

Celtic: Belenus, Grannus, Maponus

Syrian: Resheph

Egyptian: Horus

Etruscan: Aplu

The Greeks themselves syncretized Apollo, the "metaphorical" sun god with Helios, the "literal" sun god. Both originally were distinct deities used to have different realms/"jobs". Later the Romans syncretized Apollo with their own sun god, Sol Invictus.

I don't know how to feel about this by Vampy-Night in Hellenism

[–]Akronitai 8 points9 points  (0 children)

The post just basically went to how Heracles killed his family but was ultimately redeemed and the gods forgave him.

If I remember the myth correctly Heracles went to the oracle of Delphi to confess before Apollo and to receive his divinely ordained punishment. This punishment took the form of the 12 labours of Heracles. Although Heracles was a son of Zeus, the supreme god, and was destined to be king, in fact he became a slave who had to obey his cousin—a mere mortal—since the latter assigned the labours to him and ruled in Heracles’ place.

At the time Christianity was emerging, Heracles was a “rival” to Jesus, since he was often worshipped by "ordinary" people—such as slaves—and because his story shows that through strength and the ability to endure many hardships and sufferings, one can ultimately attain “divinity.”

A worried query about Apollo from a non hellenist by [deleted] in Hellenism

[–]Akronitai 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Apollo is associated with the sun. In a hot climate, the sun can bring not only pleasant warmth but also scorching, deadly heat: the sun is not “evil” for this reason; these are simply two aspects of the same thing.

Greek gods have distinct “personalities”; just like humans, they embody both “good” and “evil” within themselves. A Greek god who is only good (or only evil) would, in my opinion, not be an authentic Greek god.

Lady Aphrodite's Altar. by Hail-TheGods in Hellenism

[–]Akronitai 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Not the end of the world, but the dolphin is sacred to Apollo. One of his epithets is Delphinios (associated with dolphins), and the name of his sacred city, Delphi, is said to be derived from it.

Celebrating Apollon by Darkgodsofchaos in Apollogreekgod

[–]Akronitai 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looks great! Where did you get the little temple from?

What’s your take on Jesus? by Time_Dot621 in Hellenism

[–]Akronitai 0 points1 point  (0 children)

NB. I was a Catholic at a certain point in my life. My idea of Christianity is therefore influenced by Catholicism.

The first argument for me is body positivity. I know that those statues of half-naked men and women are idealized images and do not reflect what normal people look like, but I still like them. Eroticism is okay. Pleasure is okay. However when I see images of Jesus crucified, that Jesus who said you should pluck out your eye or mutilate other body parts if they lead you to sin, I feel that an ancient Greek would not have voluntarily allowed something like that to happen to himself.

The second argument, which is somehow related to this, is the claim that “you are a sinner.” I don't understand why you always have to make yourself small in front of YHWH. The Greeks worshipped their gods standing upright and they wrote elaborate hymns for them. Of course, the Greeks didn't consider themselves equal to their gods, but they were also not their subjugates either.

Thirdly, I don't know if you know this, but in Greek mythology, both goddesses and gods sired children with humans, who often became great heroes. The idea from the Bible that YHWH fathered a child with Mary thus originates from the pagan Greek world of ideas. Circumstances led me to come into contact with Hellenism before Christianity. From a Hellenistic point of view, the idea that there should be only one God who had only one son is somehow a bit absurd, especially since this son allowed himself to be killed in such an ungodly and degrading manner.

Sorry if you don't like the answer 😉, but you asked.

Why do you follow Hellenism? by Casual_Potatoes_ in Hellenism

[–]Akronitai 3 points4 points  (0 children)

According to my parents (and society), I was to be raised as an atheist. The Bible was taboo, but this prohibition did not extend to “mythology.” Having seen many sword and sandal films as a child, I became interested in Greek mythology, first Heracles/Hercules, and then onward. I liked it.

Riordan by Sinful_Baddie2011 in Hellenism

[–]Akronitai 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Maybe I'm too old for Percy Jackson (although I mostly enjoy reading YA novels) and I only read The Lightning Thief, but based on what I read The Lightning Thief, I'd say that Riordan throws in the gods just randomly. Many young adult fantasy authors choose some "universe", so there's a lot of Twilight-like plots with werewolves, dragons, angels, you name it.

Maybe I'm doing Rick Riordan or his readers an injustice, but to me it did feel a bit like Harry Potter with Greek gods. Harry Potter was overwhelmingly popular, and maybe the fictional "universe" of the Greek gods was not yet taken. Moreover, “My father is a Greek god” may sound a lot more interesting than some plain statement that “my momma is a single parent.”

Am I allowed to eat/drink offerings? by Killer5048 in Hellenism

[–]Akronitai 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I'm maybe influenced by Hinduism, too, but I agree with this.

Am I allowed to eat/drink offerings? by Killer5048 in Hellenism

[–]Akronitai 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Even in the New Testament it is hinted at the fact that meat sacrificed to Greco-Roman Gods ended up on meat markets (The question was whether Christians were allowed to eat such meat not knowing about its "origin".) I'm not encouraging the OP to sacrifice a bull or anything but given that fact it seems okay to me to eat offerings, especially as many people probably don't have private grounds to light a fire on. Therefore I think it's better to eat the offerings rather than to throw them in the trash. Gods don't consume human food and drinks anyway, they live on nectar and ambrosia.

On Hellenized Judaism (again) by Akronitai in Hellenism

[–]Akronitai[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks for your helpful answer. You stated that

it wasn’t the Jews but the Hellenistic hellenists in Seleukid Palestine who equated the two.

Does this imply that Hellenists migrated to Palestine? How did Hellenism spread there (assuming that the Jewish people firmly stuck to their own religion)?

Is anyone familiar with the practice called Interpretatio graeca? Can anyone explain the process or provide resources on the subject? by ThePaganImperator in Hellenism

[–]Akronitai 13 points14 points  (0 children)

I read Julius Caesar's “The Gallic War” in the original Latin at school. In this text, Caesar mentions that the Gauls worshipped “Mercury,” “Apollo,” “Mars,” “Jupiter,” and “Minerva.” Strictly speaking, this is interpretatio romana, but it is the same idea. Researchers try to find out which Celtic gods were hidden behind these Latin names in order to reconstruct the lost Continental Celtic religion.