Hellenic Recons and the Gods

[Arion]

I have a question for you Helleninc recons out there. I'm curious about how you view the gods, like, do you follow the structure of the Classical pantheon, with Zeus and Hera as king and queen of the Gods, and then each of the Gods having their own functions (Demeter ruling over agriculture, Aphrodite ruling over love and relationships, Poseidon over the sea, etc.), or do you go further back to when the Gods weren't so defined? For instance, I've read that before Aphrodite was absorbed into the Classical pantheon, she was a prominent mother goddess, but was reduced to just a love goddess in Classical and Hellenic times.

Dionysus seems popular among Hellenic polytheists (and me... I'm not a recon, but I honour him too) but I also read he wasn't mentioned in many of the classical myths and was a later addition to the Olympic pantheon, so it seems he's more popular now than he was then. Hekate too, she's not well-known either, but among modern Pagans, she is also a popular goddess.

[Twinkle]

I don't know how all Hellenics do it...but as I've researched the classical greek pantheon...I go back further....I research all the aspects of the gods...not just the ones found in myth. I don't consider myth to be literal anyway...so for me, the research is the most important thing in developing a more complete and fulfilling relationship with them.

For example, Hermes was also considered a god of fertility before he was the messenger....and that's all a part of who he is. To research him as completely as possible imo is the best way to honor him.

[David19]

I'm not a Hellenic recon (yet anyway, i'm still deciding what path is for me), but i think it would be better to research the gods, and get to know them fully, but i don't think it suddenly 'destroys' the Olympian pantheon or cosmology, 'cause, it just shows that the gods do have different interests and there specialities change over time.

Hope that made some sense :).

[Twinkle]

I'm not a Hellenic recon (yet anyway, i'm still deciding what path is for me), but i think it would be better to research the gods, and get to know them fully, but i don't think it suddenly 'destroys' the Olympian pantheon or cosmology, 'cause, it just shows that the gods do have different interests and there specialities change over time.

Hope that made some sense :).


It makes sense to me.:weirdsmil

[Fiamma]

I have a question for you Helleninc recons out there. I'm curious about how you view the gods, like, do you follow the structure of the Classical pantheon, with Zeus and Hera as king and queen of the Gods, and then each of the Gods having their own functions (Demeter ruling over agriculture, Aphrodite ruling over love and relationships, Poseidon over the sea, etc.), or do you go further back to when the Gods weren't so defined? For instance, I've read that before Aphrodite was absorbed into the Classical pantheon, she was a prominent mother goddess, but was reduced to just a love goddess in Classical and Hellenic times.

Dionysus seems popular among Hellenic polytheists (and me... I'm not a recon, but I honour him too) but I also read he wasn't mentioned in many of the classical myths and was a later addition to the Olympic pantheon, so it seems he's more popular now than he was then. Hekate too, she's not well-known either, but among modern Pagans, she is also a popular goddess.


You know, it honestly drives me crazy that people try so much to pigeonhole the gods into tight little spaces... zeus the king, hera the queen, aphrodite is only concerned with love...even in the classical times they weren't quite that simplistic about it. Aphrodite wasn't "just a love goddess", she is and was a goddess that fostered riendship and compassion as well. (I'm not saying you're doing this, it seems like this is what you've learned)

Dionysus may have been added to the "olympian laundry pile" later than the rest, but he is a very old...and extremely complicated god. If you're interested in Dionysus, Karl Kerenyi's book on him (and I can't recall the title now of course) is an amazing resource. There really is a good bit of mythology on Dionysus.

I don't know a whole lot about Hekate...though there was a point where she was portrayed as much less of a dark goddess than she is now. If you look at Hesiod's Theogeny for example, she is a guardian of babies...actually, it seems as though Hesiod may have had some sort of devotion to this goddess as he spends a good bit of time talking about her.

To an extent, the gods do have their "specialties", but they can't really be defined in a couple of neat little keywords...Apollo is not the god of the sun. (That's Helios) He is a god of poetry, light, truth, prophecy, healing...he is the leader of the Muses, archer, a divine child of Leto, brother of Artemis, musician, lover of quite a few woman, nymphs and young men, slayer of the sons of Niobe, father to Aristaios and Aesklepios, he is Delphinos, Phoebos, Pythean, the most beautiful of the gods, the most Greek of the Greek gods, he who shoots from afar...you get the idea. (If you haven't figured out, I am a follower of Apollo...hehe) The gods are very complex.

I would also suggest checking out Karl Kerenyi's book The Gods Of The Greeks...it's pretty easy to find, it's frequently available used from Amazon for $5 or less. It's nowhere near as detailed as his books on individual deities, but it does give you a good idea of just how complex the gods are.

[Agaliha]

:bumpsmili

I have another related question, or rather questions:
1. How to Hellenic Recons see the Roman counterparts of Greek gods?
2. Is Ceres seen as a form of Demeter or is Ceres a complete individual that's unrelated to Demeter? Just using that as an example.
3. How is the big amount of smiliarties between the two pantheons explained or is it not a concern?

Thanks!

[Theres]

it's really not a concern for me, as i tend to differentiate more between time periods than exact cultures.

the Greek gods were certainly an influence on the Romans, but they had plenty of indigenous deities as well (Etruscan, etc). and it has always seemed to me that the Romans were more specific in their assignations than the Greeks. i've always felt that the Romans were much more like us in that regard, while the Greeks seemed to think far less linearly. it didn't bother them much that a single god could have 11 different names in 5 different places, but it sure drives me nuts!

Ceres definitely has a connection to Demeter, but they are certainly not the same goddess. i see Ceres as a goddess of grain, while Demeter held sway over all the foods that grew from the Earth (and husbandry as well).
Proserpine was a much harsher mistress than Persephone (although the latter is all too often seen as a poor abducted little girl rather than the dread 'Queen of the Underworld' that She was).

okay, i'm just rambling now, but i hope you get the gist.

[Agaliha]

Yeah, I got the gist :lol:
Thanks for explaining.