#heraia

Lapith woman fighting a centaur. It's Some really interesting stuff. apparently dressed as an athlete (specifically one that would race in the Heraia which were races held in honor of Hera) and here we have one fighting IN the centauromachy.

470 BC - ca. 457 BC Olympia, Peloponnese 

Khaire Anon,

Thank you for your question! To the best of our knowledge, there are no specific dietary restrictions within Hellenic Polytheism.

There are some more classical & classically based texts (such as “Hellenic Polytheism: Household Worship” by LABRYS) that may say something along the lines of “you should eat clean foods before approaching the Gods” but thus far we haven’t been able to nail down a universally agreed upon definition of “clean foods” in this context.

If anyone is aware of a different answer to this question please let us know! We endeavor to provide the most accurate information we can - but the depth of Hellenic Polytheism is vast, and we will readily admit we as a temple do not know everything.

On a Temple Specific note, one example of deity restrictions within certain HelPol circles can be found in our observance of the festival of Heraia. We encourage festival participants to abstain from consuming beef on the festival day - as to honor how cows are sacred to Lady Lêta. This is, however, a modern tradition adopted by the temple and not one based on history/tradition.

We hope this answered your question! Please don’t hesitate to reach out for any additional or follow up questions.

Eirene - peace and farewell,

I don't have a chaste tree, but I have this small olive tree that does the trick. My small Hera statuette has the perfect expression for the occasion too lol

Focussing on her Argive (Argos/Argolis/Argolid) cult and significance there.

little early evidence for worship of Zeus - only as husband of Hera (Zeus Heraios)

very much a temple deity - statues a focus of worship (unlike eg Zeus) (her temples were some of the largest ever built btw)

temple dedications of miniature houses (maybe models of her earlier temples) and ships

votives of metal and terracotta shields re; ancient role in nurturing warriors (and protector of Argolid warriors abroad)

depended upon for prosperity, progeny and military victory = crucial to the welfare of the community, most fundamental needs of her people

unyielding character in Homer's epic = awareness and reflection of nurturing and bloodthirsty great goddess of their region

etymologically associated with the concept of the hero from early times

votives and offerings were similar at tombs as at the Heraion

festival (Heraia): procession led by shield-bearing youths, girls in white dresses, women's dances, ritual presentation of a robe (peplos), footrace by young men in arms. Shield = prize

adopted leukolemos "white-armed" epithet from Iliad

After Argos destroyed Mycenae, Tiryns and Midea, there were hekatoid games dedicated to Hera. At the end of the 3rd century BC, these honourific games were relocated to Argos and called the Heraia.

In the Heraia, an oxen-pulled chariot transported the priestess of Hera through the fields, where the oxen work, to the sanctuary. This could be a sort of sacred ploughing; all the participants moving slowly behind the priestess, through the communal fields. Hera is the goddess of fertility, this journey through the fields is symbolic of a successful farming. The procession included armed men; perhaps it was due to the Classical era, when bronze shields were awarded to the winners of games dedicated to Hera.

The origin of this tradition for oxen pulling the chariot comes from the story of Kleobis and Biton as shown below. Another reason is that there is a myth telling how the river Asterion’s three daughters raised Hera. The Asterion was the river which ran along her sanctuary. The mountain behind the sanctuary is named after Euboia, one of the three daughters of Asterion.

'The hill opposite the Heraeum they name after Acraea, the environs of the sanctuary they name after Euboea, and the land beneath the Heraeum after Prosymna. This Asterion flows above the Heraeum, and falling into a cleft disappears. On its banks grows a plant, which also is called asterion. They offer the plant itself to Hera, and from its leaves weave her garlands.' Pausanias (2.17.2)

The use of oxen may be due to Greek mythology; the priestess of Argive Hera, Io, was turned into a white cow by Hera to prevent her from being seduced by Zeus. This and the story of Kleobis and Biton, show early on in history, Argos was trying to exert their influence in the Archaic period by tieing the site to mythology regarding their polis.

Mounted warriors also occur at the Argive and Tirynthian Heraia. Further evidence for Hera’s military concerns at Tiryns is provided by terracotta shields. These do not occur at the Argive Heraion where a statuette of a riding woman was found, which might have had a similar function as the one from Perachora. However, the fact that Pausanias refers to a shield that hung in the pronaos of the classical temple shows that weapons were dedicated to Hera so that their absence from the archaeological record does not prove their nonexistence at the Heraion. Here, Hera’s military concerns probably derive from her function as protectress of both offspring and the territory of Argos. Since the Tirynthian Heraion is located on the upper citadel, Hera at Tiryns, on the other hand, was worshipped as protectress of the city and its inhabitants.

The Hera sanctuaries at Poseidonia - Paestum are similar to each other as both of them received statuettes of seated women with horses, images of armed women, and weapons. As a peculiarity, there are horse trappings and a skeleton of a horse at Foce del Sele. Although both sanctuaries received similar votive offerings, they probably relate to different aspects of Hera’s military concerns. The location of the Heraion at the southern bank of the river Sele, which marks the northern border of the colony’s territory, suggests that they relate to her function as protectress of Poseidonia’s sovereignty. In this regard, it is comparable to the Heraia at Perachora, Argos, and the one on Samos. The placement of the urban Heraion in the immediate vicinity of the city’s political centre, on the other hand, suggests that its votives relate to Hera’s function as city-protectress. Since both Hera sanctuaries provide evidence for pregnancy and childbirth, the reason for the dedication of such votives probably also derives from Hera’s function as protectress of offspring, considering that it provides the basis of the military force.

At the Samian Heraion, the variety and number of dedications which refer to Hera’s military concerns show that it must have been an important cult aspect. Horse figurines, horse trappings, and weapons occur frequently. Furthermore, there are ship models and dedications for naval victories which, except for Perachora, have not been found in any of the other Hera sanctuaries. They indicate that Hera was worshipped as protectress of the Samian fleet, which is a local peculiarity that demonstrates that the Heraia are embedded in the social and political situation of the city-states they belong to. Like at the other Heraia, Hera’s military concerns probably also derive from her function as protectress of pregnancy and childbirth since there is a statuette of a riding woman with a child in her arms."