Basking in their light

This is a list of various types of sources that may or may not be helpful to everyone. I have included resources lists made by others on the tumblr posts section, especially when it comes to books, as I’ve seen many people say the books are good but I have not read them myself, and therefore do not want to personally recommend them.

IF ANYONE HAS ANYTHING THEY WANT TO ADD, please let me know! Feel free to send an ask, DM me, or reply/reblog with it! It can be a post you made or that you found helpful, a different website, a video, or even a type of media that isn’t listed here already (I want a good range!)

I hope to add to this often as I find things.

Websites

The Theoi Project - brilliant for researching specific deities and has primary sources listed. Any deity info can probably be found here, though I’ve found it more helpful for some than others and not entirely useful for hero worship

Mythopedia - I use this in tandem with the Theoi Project as it actually has profiles on the heroes as well as ones on gods and creatures, so it’s useful for hero worshippers like myself and can be used in a similar way to TTP. I particularly like the page on Tiresias. This link goes to the Greek mythology page, but the site also contains information about mythology of other regions.

Hellenic Festival Calender - exactly what it says on the tin. Best resource I’ve found for celebration stuff

Perseus Library - I use this almost constantly for my research project in classics. It has tons of primary sources which you can read in English or in Greek.

Ancient Literature

The Iliad by Homer - I read the E.V Rieu translation revised by Peter Jones. Great for getting to know the ‘personalities’ of the gods and seeing a lot of Ancient Greek customs in practice. Also, if you wanted to get into hero worship, there are a LOT of heroes to choose from in here. There’s also a lot of other myths referenced in here that are very interesting. Also the story is heart-wrenching in itself.

The Odyssey by Homer - Currently reading the Robert Fagles translation. Similar to above. Additionally, this contains some stuff about the underworld/afterlife.

Homeric Hymns - You can find these on Theoi.com and probably Perseus Library. Great for knowing more about specific deities.

The Theogony by Hesiod - You can find parts of this on Theoi.com, but I’d recommend the Oxford World Classics edition that contains both this and Works and Days. It mainly discusses the genealogy and relationships of the gods.

Works and Days by Hesiod - Can probably be found on Perseus Library, but again, I’d recommend the Oxford World Classics edition that contains this and The Theogony. Just a lot about the ancient society, plus some myth.

The Oresteia by Aeschylus - I read the Robert Fagles translation and it is gut-wrenching. Aside from characterisation, and being part of the epic cycle, this contains prayers and ancestor/hero worship type things, and some theology (specifically about the furies)

Tumblr Posts

My posts, such as my beginner’s guide to Helpol, and my guide to hero worship, are not linked here. They can be found in the pinned post on my blog.

List of professional patrons @thegrapeandthefig

Subtle Worship Masterpost @khaire-traveler

Helpol Books @olympianbutch and @khaire-traveler

Masterlist of hero worship guides @hero-shrine

Athena Masterpost @citrineandrosmarin

On Medusa @/me — why the ‘Athena cursed Medusa after being raped by Poseidon’ myth is inaccurate and harmful (spoiler alert: it’s because it’s not Greek)

Apollo and Hyacinthus @/me - my interpretation of the myth based on my knowledge of homosexual relationships in Ancient Greece, because there’s a massive cultural context to this myth that I never see anyone talk about — probably due to the nature of the age gaps which are very uncomfortable by modern standards

Videos

This is a list of recommended videos and just because a video is here does not mean I have watched or recommend the rest of the content on the channel. I don’t have time to go through everything. Even with these videos, I may have some gripes, and if I do I will list them. It tends to be a lot of the same thing.

Stop Saying Myths Aren’t Literal by Hellenism Today - dislike the use of the terms Hellenism and Hellenistic, but aside from that, this is a good source that goes over mythic literalism in quite a simple and easy to grasp way.

You know that Greece is very prone to forest fires and natural disasters?

Also, do you know that Greece, along with Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Montenegro... They are all protesting against corruption, and no one talked about it.

You talk about wanting to have temples to worship in modern day, but you don't care about the land that those temples would be built on?

Greece may be an Orthodox Christian country. But trust me, the gods are still very much living there. Their spirit is still there. Poseidon is still ruling the waves, Zeus is still watching over in the sky, Demeter is taking care of the crops.

we fear the gods for the same reason we fear a hurricane or volcano. they will always have the power to take your life and others, and will do so of their own will--just the same as all natural disasters and plagues and tragedies. love your gods, but do not pretend to sit on the same level as them.

hello everyone! first of all, thank you for taking the time to read this post. I want to preface it by saying that it is based on my opinion and observations and it's coming from a genuine place of care for the community. I don't mean to attack anyone or deny anyone's experience, I simply want us to reflect on the path that online paganism has been taking in recent years. with that being said, I hope you can continue reading with an open mind and limit your critiques to those actually related to my points, framing or conclusions. thank you!

there is something that I've been noticing in online pagan spaces lately, a shift which has me worried and feeling disconnected from much of the community. it seems to affect the way we think and talk about our deities which then seeps into the rest of our practices and communities.

I think we have already witnessed many large ways in which it manifests. the most recent and widespread example that I can think of was the whole "the gods are mad" thing on the eve of the US presidential election. some people were adamant that the gods were emotionally affected by the affair as if they themselves had a personal stake in it. now, I don't mean to say that the gods don't care about human affairs but the general consensus after this whole debacle seems to be that the gods are generally quite distant from stuff like this as they have no stake in things like human politics beyond potentially how it affects their worshippers. I agree with this general idea and I think what is likely happening is people are projecting their own opinions and feelings onto the gods because it is important to them that the gods seemingly agree and can sympathise (i wrote a bit more about this situation here if you're interested in reading it).

Missed yesterday, so here’s two!

What’s something you’ve learned about Hellenic Polytheism that you wish you knew sooner?

Probably just which terms were correct and incorrect and what different things meant. That’s part of the reason why I made this guide, because it was something I wish I had when I was starting out. I was lucky enough to have @under-their-light to teach me stuff though. Thank you bestie!

What is the clearest sign you’ve received from a deity?

Two important bridges collapsed near the date or the same date they were supposed to be delivered to the public (Dendropotamou, Evosmou) Thank goodness it rained heavily and the structural weaknesses showed, otherwise we'd be mourning even more dead due to state negligence.

The metro of Thessaloniki is loaded with people on the daily while it's missing 5-6 months of testing. Before it was delivered there were still difficulties and accidents. Of course the elevators in most stations are not working because they short-circuited from the rain. This metro line took 38 years to get completed.

Having a forty-hour work week, I don't often get time to sit down and actually put in the work to worship and work with my deities. Luckily, deities are very forgiving. However, I do worship my deities in subtle ways without thinking. Here is my list for my matron, Queen Hera:

wearing my favorite perfumes; my current favorites are The Good Scent's Red Velvet and YSL's Opium Over Red

wearing clothes that make me feel badass and feminine to work; there's nothing like honoring a queen while feeling like a queen

reading a romance novel; Her domain is marriage, after all, and that often involves love (plus, I am a sucker for a good romance novel)

using my peacock feather water bottle (I collect water bottles for the sole purpose of drinking more water, and when I saw a bottle with a peacock topper and peacock feathers all around it, it had to be mine)

taking care of my body and listening to it's needs; this is a new one for me, but learning to take care of my body in a healthy manner is of the utmost importance

listening to podcasts about femininity and growing as a woman; part of my work with Queen Hera is connecting with my femininity and womanhood, and I am so honored that She is my guide!

this may be stupid, but reminding my boyfriend that I love him and that one day, I cannot wait to marry him

reminding Her that I am eternally grateful for Her; this may also be dumb, but our deities deserve to know they are loved for all that they give us!

this may be unpopular, but revering Her husband, King Zeus; to me, much like King Hades and Queen Persephone, they are a package deal--you may work with one, but the other deserves the utmost respect, too

Anyone can participate regardless of how long you’ve been a Hellenic polytheist! My hope is to use these questions to reflect on the year, and repeat next year to see what has changed, and hopefully to continue doing that every year!

Answer in as much or as little detail as you see fit. You are allowed to skip any questions that you are uncomfortable answering. These questions can also apply to heroes, not just deities. You can pick specific deities to answer each one, or answer the questions with all the deities you worship. This might apply to other Pantheons and I’m happy for it to be used as such. Feel free to tweak some of the questions to fit those pantheons if you’d like!

Please link this list on your posts with your answers so that it is easy for others to find if they want to participate too after seeing your answers.

THIS IS TO BE DONE DURING DECEMBER, I’M JUST POSTING THE LIST NOW SO PEOPLE CAN FIND IT!

Have fun!