#lyma

here is an AMAZING post diving into the difference between historical and modern understandings of miasma and purity. i, myself, can be quick to scroll past ‘tap here to read more’, but this is quick read, extremely non-judgmental, and easily digestible! i included a fascinating quote above, and another quote below:

Lyma (λῦμα) often refers to daily physical and spiritual dirt. Many modern practitioners view this as a milder form of Miasma that happens with daily life. The concept of Miasma is vague to begin with, so oftenly the two are interchanged. Lyma is more commonly seen discussed in online spheres of Hellenic worship.

lyma can be gained by:

childbirth

sex

interaction with the dead

funerals

In Helpol, we have three concepts known as lyma, miasma, and agos.

To some, humans are seen as naturally pure beings, but because we are living mortal creatures, spiritual dirt can cling to us and make us impure.

Here, I will discuss these three types of pollution

(Disclaimer: Some of this information comes from my own personal interpretations, and therefore may not apply to the beliefs of everyone)

Lyma

Lyma means "something to be washed away". Itis generally just physical dirt. It isn't much of a big deal when it comes to spiritual matters. However, it is still best to be free of it when approaching the gods.

Miasma

This is where things get complicated.

Miasma is essentially general spiritual pollution. Miasma is something that is completely unavoidable and should not be shamed (well, depending on the cause). Miasma is mainly caused by things related to life and death. This includes sex, childbirth, visiting a cemetery, blood, sexual fluids, etc.

However, miasma has different degrees of severity. More severe miasma comes from acts such as rape, hubris, murder, etc.

Miasma also spreads from people to people. If you walk past someone on the street who just came back from a funeral, their miasma will cling to you as well. This also highlights how unavoidable miasma is. But usually, this kind of indirect miasma is not as bad.

We are not allowed to approach the gods in a state of miasma. Luckily, miasma is not difficult to get rid off (excluding the more severe cases listed above).

All you need to do is wash your hands.

If you get a cut on your leg, the blood is miasmic and therefore you can't approach the gods. But all you need to do is wait for the bleeding to stop, wash away the blood, wash your hands, and then you're good to go.

There is a debate I once had on whether miasma prevents us from praying, giving offerings, and participating in festivals. To me, the answer is yes, but not with prayers. Let me explain why.

In a very simplified description of a certain myth, Orestes killed his mother. This caused him to enter a state of severe miasma and a state of agos (which I will explain later). Long story short, he prayed and asked Apollon to help purify him, in return for a grand offering later on. Apollon heard the prayer and came to help purify Orestes.

In this example, we see that Orestes was still able to pray to Apollon in the worst state of miasma, but promised to give offerings later on.

This implies that prayer is not an issue with miasma.

Here is another example: You don't need to wash your hands when talking to someone, but you should wash your hands if you want to give that person food.

In a similar way, in my opinion, you don't need to wash your hands for a casual prayer, but you should wash them before giving an offering. Although, I also prefer not to pray when I know I am in a miasmic state.

However, this is my own interpretation and others may have different views.

There are other ways to cleanse miasma such as khernips, incense, and scapegoats.

Ocean water is also said to cleanse miasma extremely well.

Agos

Agos is a cursed state and is the most extreme form of spiritual pollution. However, agos is not easy to get.

If you commit a horrible act such as murder, you will be in a state of extreme miasma. However, when the gods notice your crime and get enraged (keep in mind that it is usually not that easy to anger the gods), the miasma evolves into agos.

Miasma is a naturally occurring thing, but agos only comes from the wrath of the gods.

Agos is difficult to remove and is a pretty big deal.

Luckily, you don't need to worry about agos unless you're a horrible person who commits heinous acts.

Aaaand that is my interpretation of spiritual pollution in Helpol. I hope this post can be helpful to you!

Zesty sounds like "Warmth" (ζέστη) in Greek xD

Anyways!! Both words are still used in Greek, in both every day and religious contexts, so they're also very easy to understand as a modern Greek. Of course, I will focus on our ancient practices.

Μίασμα / Miasma

In ancient Greek religion (and in Greek Christianity), "miasma" (μίασμα) refers to a form of spiritual or moral pollution or defilement that is contagious and dangerous. The words means “pollution” or “stain.”

It arises from certain actions considered offensive to the gods - such as murder - or physically contagious/dangerous events such as childbirth, or contact with dead bodies. Basically they took the "man, you need a bath" to the spiritual level.

But it also had a practical side to it. At that time, people did not know about germs and dangerous micro-organisms but they were seeing the effects of touching dead bodies or bodily fluids, so they made cleanness mandatory in many levels for safety reasons.

Miasma was believed to taint not only the individual responsible but also anyone who came into contact with them or the polluted environment. (Basically, like a virus. Because those people were trying to protect themselves from viruses so they made such rules, just to be safe) This pollution disrupts the natural and divine order, and must be purified through specific rituals called to restore purity and harmony. A priest's murder could bring a plague upon a city, necessitating ritual cleansing with water, burning fragrant substances, or sacrifices.

Λύμα / Lyma

"Lyma" is "dirty waste/sewage water" in Greek. Lyma is the everyday kind of physical dirt or impurity that all people accumulate through normal life. More specifically, it's the dirty water/fluid that contains all that dirt. This could be your sweat, or the water after you take a bath.

To get rid of lyma, the ancient Greeks used basic cleansing rituals such as washing the body with water, bathing, and sometimes using soap or fragrant oils. This kind of purification was a routine part of life, helping to maintain physical cleanliness and by extension spiritual well-being. Unlike the complex rituals needed for miasma, cleansing lyma was a regular, simpler process done through washing and everyday hygiene practices.

I've found two posts that explain miasma and lyma in more detail. This post & this post.

I saw some other helpols that were a bit confused on the subject too, so I compiled this post from my personal notes and recent research to try and help .

lmk if anything is inaccurate or incorrect, and take this with a small grain of salt, as I'm fairly new too ^^ ( also because some post author's do include notes that some of their information is personal interpretation, so do keep that in mind )

additional note: the information here is sorted in order from naturally occurring / least severe "pollution" ( lyma ) to intentional, most severe ( agos ).

date posted: 11 / 11 / 2025

last updated: 11 / 11 / 2025

now I'm in a class with a cadaver lab, and there's dead bodies at school.