#zagreus devotee

Immortal resources, personification of time and age. Chronos whom bred with his boundless coils Aither, he of boundless death and time I call to you and speak within time. Come forth as I thank you for the time I have and experienced.

Great hunter of the underworld, honored underneath Nyx (night), horn wearer, and strong I call to the second Dionysus [Zagreus] for his continuation in guidance and praise. Zagreus, prince of the underworld and god of the Orphic Mysteries, I call to you from a place of wanting wisdom and knowledge underneath your domains, thank you for your tradition and the religious guidance you give

Hail Zagreus, Great Hunter. The son of Persephone.

Dionysos Khthonios, the chthonic Dionysus.

Eubouleos, the well-counselled one.

Palingenesia, the reborn.

Here's what I put in Zagreus's deity oil, if anyone's curious:

- Olive oil

- A metric ton of red pepper flakes

- Cumin

- Fennel seed

Since he doesn't have any correspondences that I'm aware of, I went off of what each plant is known for and what I think he wanted. Mint and black peppercorn would also be excellent additions if you have them! Frankincense is also always a good addition for any Greek god, but my frankincense resin isn't food quality and I wanted it edible, so I left it out.

Time for more Zagreus content!

Great devotional activities include:

listening to music (more on that below)

spending time with your friends and inviting him to join

self... pleasure, or self-care in general

playing guitar and/or singing

and reading books that he likes!

He likes rock/punk music. He's a BIG MCR guy (his favorite album is Danger Days, but his favorite SONG is probably This Is How I Disappear). My playlist for him will be in another post! He also enjoys the occasional lo-fi (like Lost and Found by Purrple Cat).

He seems to enjoy video games, he wanted me to play more of Supergiant's Hades (even if he doesn't look or sound like that Zagreus), and he wanted to join my roommate and I when we were playing Mario Party last night. He's a fun guy. Invite him into your fun.

Finally, he seems to really enjoy books. I'd been pulled to finally read a series my friends have been talking about for months, and he said yes, it was him! This is going to sound silly, but the man really likes A Court of Thorns and Roses, apparently. He says he sees himself in Rhysand (and that he looks like a paler, green-eyed, bat wingless version of him). Some people say that ACOTAR is a Hades and Persephone allegory, so I can see where the connections are already for sure!

His FAVORITE book, according to my brief interrogation, is The Secret History by Donna Tartt. So I got a nice copy of that to read and then put on his altar.

Okay, so I wanted to write about Zagreus because while I haven't been working with him for very long, he's already given me quite a bit of detail and I want to share it, since there's not many people who work with him and I'm all about freedom of information! I know I come here a lot when I'm just looking for the basic dossier on a new deity, so if someone has Zagreus pull up to their practice, here's what I can tell you.

He's not exactly the god OF something, like the other gods. I call him Heir to Olympus because of stories from the Orphic Hymns and Mysteries. (You can find details on all of that with all the sources cited here. This page is your best friend.)

He's the son of Zeus and Persephone, and after he was brutally murdered by the Titans he took up residence in the Underworld (so his soul's presence doesn't conflict with Dionysus).

He popped up for me as both Infernal and Greek when I was doing my confirmation reading, so if you're getting some noncommittal vibes from trying to figure it out, or you get Dionysus and you think that's not the whole story, he might be reaching out to you!

He's a warm presence, which isn't necessarily what I was expecting. He can feel like a weighted blanket when he's in your space.

Favorite Crystals: Bloodstone, Dragon's Blood Jasper, Smoky Quartz

Colors: Black, red, green

Favorite offerings (so far): Pomegranate seeds, milk or dark chocolate, golden rum, whiskey, red wine. I'm told he also likes poetry, but I am notoriously not very good at poetry myself.

Scents: mahogany teakwood (I have a scented candle from Bath and Body Works), sandalwood, parchment, cinnamon.

Overall, he's a very chill god, but he wants you to have standards for yourself and your practice. He's great at helping define boundaries in your practice, your energy, and your life.

An altar doesn't have to be complicated. If you like it complex, than by all means, but as a person who has limited space and limited budget, here's what I put on Zagreus's altar.

- Mahogany Teakwood candle from Bath and Body Works

- Hands and Heart Tarot by Liz Blackbird (a black and white tarot deck he specifically picked out)

- A bloodstone pendulum

- A red glass plate I got at the thrift store for offerings

- A square glass cup I got at the thrift store for liquid offerings

- The Secret History by Donna Tartt (apparently his favorite book, so I ordered a nice copy I intend to read once I'm done with the current series I'm working through)

- Bloodstone, smoky quartz, and dragon's blood jasper

- Deity oil I made for him in an old grapeseed oil bottle (the irony of the Dionysus parallel is not lost on me, I promise). All of the ingredients for it, I got at the grocery store (recipe is to come in a separate post)

𓈒　　　💗　　Prince　,　Zagreus　𖦹

♰ ◞ Overview

　𓏏　He was a son of Zeus (&/or Haides) and Persephone who had been seduced by the god in the guise of a serpent. Zeus placed Zagreus upon the throne of heaven and armed him with his lightning bolts. And his father was also said to be Haides in the hymn Aeschylus, Fragment 124 Sisyphus (from Etymologicum Gudianum 227. 40) (trans. Weir Smyth) (Greek tragedy C5th B.C.) : (Zagrues’ sire)

︵｡ Hellenic ♡ God of

　 ༚ 𓏵 Hunting, Orphic Mysteries, rebirth ..

𓈒　　🏛️　　portrayed　,　art　𖦹

♰ ◞ Unknown

　𓏏　Worship / Devotional acts

︵｡ He was worshipped by the followers of Orpheus, and according to their beliefs ♡ Mystery Cults were religions not supported by the state religion, and were therefore considered on the fringes of society. The actual religious practices and initiations of these cults were a well-kept secret and were considered a transformative period for the initiate, worship him, Dinoysus, and Zeus closely together.

　 ༚ 𓏵 Sources + Notes ..

theoi, study, classical antiquity, Zagreus and the Hunt for Remembrance, The spell of Orpheus {Orpheus and the orphic religious movement, study

They (5-6th BCE mentions of Zagreus) refer to him as a powerful chthonic deity that predates the establishment of the Olympian pantheon.