#hephaestusdeity

Hail to Helios and Apollo. The former who personifies the sun itself, drives his chariot everyday to ensure the continuation of its cycle, and captures the nourishing aspect of the sun. The latter who shines the light on what must be done in our lives so that we may move forward with courage and wisdom and inspires us to own our truth.

Hail to Hestia for the keeping the fire of the hearths intact that we may take care of hearths (metaphorical and literal) in our physical homes and the hearths that we carry in our hearts

Hail to Hephaestus, Prometheus and Apollo for the creative fire that inspires us to create and innovate our lives so that we see how much we can achieve with our own hands and the fire in our hearts

Hail to Hekate as Torchbearer who inspires us to be the guiding light in the lives of those who need it the most and for some ignites the spark of one’s witch fire.

Hello, love!

I also think about his great relationships with both his step moms Hera AND Leto (Leto was originally one of Zeus’ official, recognized brides, you can’t take this away from me). The two love him and spend a fair amount of time with him, having a mutual affection between them. 

Sometimes I think about a podcast episode that @thepastelpriestess put out (I think it was you who does "Tea With The Gods" right?)

Anyway, she talks about how Hephaistos' domain isn't quite so prevalent in modern society as it once was, and this contributes to his comparatively smaller following. I believe she then starts the conversation on how to... I don't want to say "modernize" Hephaistos because it implies changing him, which she is Not implying. But I guess rethinking our understanding of him and how he fits into our current world.

We already do this for other gods quite naturally. How many of us have prayed to Hermes for car troubles or public transportation woes? But the progression from horses and chariots to cars and buses is a logical step within our cultural narrative.

What is the "progression" of a blacksmith? That beautiful art certainly still exists, so instead of a progression, let's talk about expansion.

I don't recall what Jessie suggests specifically, but allow me to contribute some ideas to the conversation:

Computer programming / software engineering

Any kind of building or physical engineering from bridges to prosthetics

Architecture

Small scale building projects as well, such as home renovation, building birdhouses with your children, etc

Car repair and maintenance. (The driving of the car is Hermes, but the mechanics is surely Hephaistos)

Fixing/repairing any physical object that doesn't clearly go under another deity's domain (darning a sock might be Athena, but perhaps fixing the sock drawer or cleaning your computer keyboard would be Hephaistos)

Also, holding firm to your sense of self-worth, and refusing to allow others to take your dignity from you.

This one is pretty nebulous, so let me explain. Remember Hephaistos' origin story? Chucked off Olympos and rejected by his family? And then he came back and forced others to acknowledge his skill and worth (through the chair trick)? He was still ridiculed throughout many stories, but he never let that get to him.

In modern day, this would look like:

Holding fast to your principles and refusing to bend them under pressure. (I don't want to give examples as this is highly subjective, but you'll want to consider your core values and live a life according to them. Refusing to compromise your core values affirms to yourself that you are a valuable person.)

Setting and maintaining healthy boundaries (and respecting those of others)

Keeping your promises to yourself and to others

Building a core conception of yourself that does not rely on the opinions of others.

These are only one person's ideas that hopefully will become part of a much larger and more diverse dialogue.

I usually stick to writing about cult practices and avoid mythology, but this topic is a bit different. To be fair, the two gods we are going to talk about are also different from the rest of the Pantheon in their respective ways, so it makes sense.

The myth is Hephaestus' return to Olympos, so let's summarize it quickly (I will be using the version brought to us by the late greek author Libanios): Hera, ashamed of her Hephaestus for his lameness, banished him from Olympos. As an answer, he crafts her a throne and sends it to her. Hera, upon sitting on the throne, quickly realizes that the object has invisible bonds that ties her in place. No one among the gods is able to free her, and so they realize they need to bring Hephaestus back because he's the only one to know how this throne works. Ares tries first, through force, but Hephaestus sends him away with fire. The only god who succeeds to convince Hephaestus to come back is Dionysus, who manages to do so by making him drunk.

As a reward for his success, Dionysus is made an Olympian proper. As we can see, the myth serves the double purpose of justifying Dionysus' and Hephaestus' place amongst the other Olympians. I could go on and on about the themes of the myth but this is not the purpose of this post. 

Instead, what I want to go through is the representations we have of the myth and the importance of Dionysiac imagery surrounding Hephaestus. Let’s look at some depictions found on pottery. 

1)  The Francois crater, 570 - 560 B.C

2) Kylix, archaic, undated.

3)  Harvard Krater, ca 500 B.C.

4) Toledo Skyphox, ca. 430 - 420 B.C

5) Munich Pelike,  ca. 430 B.C.

It's interesting to note how the depictions fit their stylistic periods. As such, the ithyphallism of the satyrs, silens and the donkey is very present until the entrance into the 5th century. In the last example I've chosen, the drunk Hephaestus is not shown on a donkey, but instead being supported by a satyr.

I'd argue however, that Hephaestus' association with the donkey further links him to the dionysian realm, as it is an animal we find most often associated with Silenus, and later with Priapus. Both of which are heavily linked to Dionysus.The representations of the return of Hephaestus take the form of a dionysiac procession where Dionysus is triumphant. 

Despite the popularity of this myth in artistic and lyrical depictions, there doesn't seem to have been any particular connection between Hephaestus and Dionysus in festivals. The myth itself rathers tells about the creation of a stable pantheon. It is notable, however, that those two gods, whose epiphanies are linked also happen to be the two most different gods of the pantheon. They both are outcasts who owe to eachother their respective recognizition as gods of Olympus. 

Further reading: 

my space is limited and i’m a revivalist but i will take recon tips if that’s what you have to offer