The Oikos: Household Worship in Hellenic Polytheism Pt. 1
So as you might have seen, I recently purchased the book “Hellenic Polytheism: Household Worship”, and I’ve been speedily reading through it and trying to absorb all the information. Now, I’m going to share some of that information with you! I’ll try not to go too in depth–you should purchase the book if you can, after all- but I’ll definitely try to simplify some of the content and offer some ideas and alternatives.
The main thing to note is that this is definitely a reconstructionist take on Hellenic Polytheism. The book is a translation from Greek, and it’s written by a group of Hellenic Polytheists that reside there. They know and acknowledge that their religion exists outside of its homeland, and published the book in English in order to form connections with other solitary practitioners and communities! I thought it was very kind of them to add that tidbit. They aim to recreate the religion as closely as they can in our modern-day world. Because of that, it can seem a little daunting at a glance. However, it’s easier than it seems! So let me talk a little about what I’ve learned.
(I’d also like the note that the book is definitely heteronormative and cissexist. It doesn’t seem to be maliciously so, but obviously a lot of us, including myself, are not straight, or not cis, so that’s something to keep in mind.)
The authors hammer in the fact that the Oikos, or household, is the center of worship, as opposed to public festivals and temples as you might think at first. Temples are what we have remnants of after all, and there’s plenty of writing on many festivals. Things that take place in the home, however? They were so mundane, no one thought to write much about them. Still, the home is where daily worship took place. The center of the Oikos was the Hearth, and the goddess of the Hearth is Hestia. So much so, that they are almost one in the same. The Hearth was a constant thing, kept burning pretty much 24 hours a day. If it ever went out, it was rekindled from the sacred flame in a city’s central temple.
The Oikos consists of the “family”. The book mentions that technically a single person doesn’t constitute an Oikos in the ancient Greek way of thinking–you would be beholden to the custom of your parents’ house. Obviously that doesn’t apply to many of us solitary practitioners, so take that with a grain of salt. Your Oikos is wherever your home is, whether that’s a house, an apartment, a dorm or just your bedroom. The Oikos is the physical home itself, the people in it, your ancestors and the boundaries of the home. It’s a sacred place and should be treated as such.
Your Oikos should have at least one altar, but the authors of Household Worship note that most homes had multiple altars. One kept outside the home (dedicated to Zeus Erkeios specifically (talked about below)), one in the central area of the house (most likely centered on the hearth), another kept outside the door (to the gods of travel and the crossroads) and another private altar that outsiders do not have access to, where family (or personal) worship takes place. Obviously that can seem a bit daunting to maintain, let alone to collect enough objects to form these altars.
My goal in life is to simplify such things! So let’s do a little overview now of how you can feasibly approach these multiple altars.
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