#dodekatheism

O Aphrodite Areia, mighty in love and war, Goddess who blurs the lines of battle and amour, I call upon your power, fierce and fair, To grant me courage in the face of despair.

In the arena of heart, where doubts assail, Bestow upon me strength that shall never fail. May the rose of valor bloom within my chest, And in the crucible of trials, may I find rest.

With your guidance, let my heart be bold, Not swayed by fear, nor seeking to withhold. Transform my trepidation into fearless might, As I navigate through shadows to reach the light.

In love's complex wars, where emotions sway, Lend me your fortitude to face the fray. Aphrodite Areia, in your sacred name, I seek the courage to love without shame.

Grace me with resilience, come what may, An unyielding force in both work and play. Through tempests of sorrow, through torrents of tears, May your presence soothe and calm my fears.

I chose to be a devotee to Aphrodite a few years back, and Ares will join her eventually (they’re a package deal since the start so). but patron deity? it’s like the deity took an interest in us to teach us something in their domain, yes?

Okay, going to try this again now that I have the adverts converted to images! Please email me at the email listed in the advert - I have them in both English and Greek (the questionnaire is available in both languages). I'll put the transcription of both under the cut. Looking forward to hearing from those who are keen to participate!

I have a question about the term "dodekatheism", is it true that it's questionable to use to describe the traditional Greek religion?

Dodekatheism is a term used widely, if not most commonly, inside Greece to address the followers of the Ancient Greek religion. The Hellenic Polytheists of Greece themselves prefer the term «Έλληνες Εθνικοί» which can loosely be translated to Ethnic Hellenes, Hellenic Ethnics. In English the meaning shifts to an inaccurate degree as it makes it a matter of ethnicity questioning even more. In Greek it is less so but only because of context. That is, the reason they go by Ethnic Hellenes is because this is how Greeks are addressed in the Bible most often. They are called “ethnics”, which is a short characterisation of the Greek people who at the time were omnipresent in the Roman Empire but believed in their own idolatrous ethnic religion. That’s from the view of the Jewish evangelists. They do not call the Greeks “Romans” and they do not equate the two. They call them “the Ethnics”. The polytheists must like that and it must have resonated with them, as they feel they follow the true Greek religion.

However, in our times, and ever since Christianity prevailed anyway, Christian Greeks do not like calling the contemporary “Ethnics” as such because that would raise implications about their own ethnicity out of nowhere. (This is even more so the reason all Greeks take an issue with foreign believers calling themselves Hellenes or believers of Hellenism, because it is exactly like saying Greeks or believers of Greekness, EXACTLY). Besides, it is the firm conviction of most Greeks that Orthodox Christianity is in fact irreversibly bonded with the Greek ethnos, and to be fair, this is entirely true. Orthodoxy has been catalysing and shaping to an extreme degree in Greek culture and history, certainly no less than the Ancient Religion. (Of course Orthodoxy has spread way beyond Greece but here I am only talking about the impact on Greeks in specific.)

So, such petty quarrels are pitiful. Both religions are bound to be parts of the Greek identity, there is simply no “A True Greeker One Religion”.

But many Hellenic Polytheists dislike the term Dodekatheism Christians use a) because the Ancient Greek religion had numerous gods, not just the 12 Olympians and b) because they understand Christians use it out of annoyance at the ethnic term.

The Hellenic Polytheism is a term that is more or less accepted by everybody. I don’t think Dodekatheism is seriously problematic or harmful, it’s just the connotations that can be drawn that make some polytheists uncomfortable perhaps. But I believe I must have seen a few, like in old articles or so, going by the name Dodekatheists on their own.

As for believers of the Hellenic Polytheism abroad, the term Dodekatheism resolutely does not have problematic meanings, except that it is somewhat inaccurate if a believer honours many more deities than just the twelve Olympians, which is almost always, because if you believe in an Olympian, then why wouldn’t you acknowledge the existence of lesser deities connected to them or their progenitors, right?

If you ask me, Hellenic Polytheism / Polytheists is the most inclusive and accurate term for Greeks and foreigners alike.

This is something we don't see very often, but it makes a great deal of sense if we also consider that Zeus is the God of the Sky and Weather. In fact, I actually consider those to be Their original* domains.

Respecting the real significance of Hera, the ancients themselves offer several interpretations: some regarded her as the personification of the atmosphere (Serv. ad Aen. i. 51), others as the queen of heaven or the goddess of the stars (Eurip. Helen. 1097), or as the goddess of the moon (Plut. Quaest. Rom. 74), and she is even confounded with Ceres, Diana, and Proserpina.

Quote from Theoi.com

Apollo, please show me

How to become yours again

I miss how it feels to bask in your light

How your smiles sound on lyre

Can you show me?

Can you you teach me the steps to take?

I want to feel your love again

Your presence in my home

I want to feel your touch again

Ephemeral like foam

Shall I sing your praise again, my lord?

Will you strike words into my heart?

Do you want me to write a hymn again?

The long and storied art?

Perhaps if I write the right song

The perfect rhythm, a catchy tune

If I find the perfect melody,

Will I hear you singing soon?

If you want me to wait, I’m sure I can

Though the distance aches each day

Did you miss me like I miss you?

When I had gone astray?

Due to circumstances outside our control we left our practice abruptly a few years ago. Coming back now, I feel as if reconnecting is difficult. Writing poetry is much harder. This poem, however, flowed rather easy.