The Gods

[Bjorn]

There are many of us here who have a fair grasp of the Greek and Roman gods and I was hoping that this thread could serve as a sounding board to better define the tales of these specific gods, what they're attributes are, and what ways we could use them in practices that may or may not be Hellenistic.

Some gods I would love to touch on:
Hermes
Ares
Aphrodite
Hades
Poseidon
Hera
Pan
Apollo
Demeter
Hecate (but we already have a thread on her/them)
Dionysus
Hephaestus
Artemis
Athena
Hestia

Since I started the thread, I suppose I'll start us off!

ARES or Mars

God of war, violence, aggression, courage, action, righteous indignation, and forward momentum. Also a god of great passion, which was seen through the many, many children he had with Aphrodite (his sister, might I add), as well as other women -- I could use some help getting to know a bit more about his other consorts.

I would call upon this energy if I were feeling meek, or trodden on, or wanted to become inspired to right a wrong since, though Ares was a reckless god at times, he was also rather swift at dealing punishment that was just, such as killing someone who raped one of his daughters.


Help me brainstorm. Dazzle me with your knowledge!

[LiadanWillows]

Re: The Gods

Demeter's story always makes me sad

source from http://demetersgarden.net/demeter.html

[zachai]

Re: The Gods

are we doing this alphabetically? i dont really know why i bothered asking that since i will just charge on ahead and post anyway

Eros

greek god (associated with roman god cupid) 'Ἔρως' mening intimate love also known as 'amor' just love or occasionally "Eleutherios" the liberator
similar to every other god in the Greco-roman tradition parantage is questionable bein either a primordial gods, spiringing from the chaos at the start
of creation or being the child of numerous pairings such as Aphrodite and Ares, Aphodite and Hephaestus, Aphrodite and.. (are we seeing a pattern
here???) also possibly Porus and Penia.

Cebebrations on the fourth of ever month with his fellow love god and mother/sister/cousin/no relation Aphrodite, usually included feasts, sacrifices (rarely)
and performances of the play "The Golden Ass" recounting a romance between Psyche and Eros. Also included are the obvious celebrations one would atribute ti the god of intimate love

Eros is called on all matters of love (cupids arrows were both lead and gold for disinterest and interest respectivly) also being a god of love fertility and beauty often fall under his command being apart of the Greek view of love at the time.

Sources
Eros unveiled: Plato and the God of love, Catherine Osborne (2007)
Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, William Smith (1842)
The rampant god: Eros throughout the world, Nigel Davies (1984)
And a website which im told is not allowed to be posted

[thalassa]

Re: The Gods

there is actaully a bit about Hestia in this thread...

[zachai]

Re: The Gods

^ cool essay Thalassa, very indepth

[Eglentyne]

Re: The Gods

I don't know of many Pagans who have a thing for Hades.

He is absolutely terrifying. Actually, the Greeks felt this way too. Worship to him was done out of fear, offering made to placate, because death was such a cold and somber thing for those peoples.

He dominates, swallows you. There is no anger or malice in his disposition, he just.... his presence sucks the wind out of you. It's paralyzing.

I'm absolutely hypnotized by it.
Could be the season.

[Primitive Artifice]

Re: The Gods

Oh man, I was a total Greek mythology nut when I was younger. It's so hard just to choose one. Hmmmm...

Artemis (Diana)

The goddess of the hunt, wilderness, wild animals, young women, virginity and childbirth, Artemis was later identified with the titan Selene and thus is considered a moon goddess. She is the twin sister of Apollo, often thought to be the daughter of Leto and Zeus. She is one of the virgin goddesses and is very protective of her virginity as well as that of her followers and young women. She is often depicted wearing a short tunic with a bow and arrow though occasionally she wields a spear and is sometimes depicted with a lyre as patron of maiden dances. When depicted as a moon goddess her robe is long and her head is crowned with a crescent moon. Her favored animals are deer, hunting dogs, boars, bears, guinea fowl, and buzzard hawk (though I was not familiar with the last two until I read the wikipedia article). The cypress and palm are associated with her as well as Amaranth and Asphodel.

She is associated with childbirth because when she was born she immediately played midwife to her mother and helped to deliver Apollo. She is a zealous protector of the virginity of young women, her followers, and her own virginity going so far as to kill offenders. She even kills a man (Acteaon) who happens upon her when she is bathing by turning him into a stag so his own hunting dogs tear him apart. She also kills several people who boast to better than her and Artemis and Apollo both punish those who speak poorly of their mother. It is said that she once loved a man named Orion who was her hunting companion. In different versions he is killed by different people for different reasons but in many versions he is placed in the heavens as the constellation Orion. And for some weird reason people have a bad habit of trying to rape Artemis. The people are obviously not terribly bright and every one of them meets with a very unpleasant end (mind you she had a man torn apart just for seeing her naked.)

I would call upon Artemis if needing help in hunting or in asking any favor as a woman, especially protection or the healing of an ailment (she has been known to strike young women with disease and to cure them). She can also be called on for aid in childbirth. I personally call on her whenever I feel I need to be strong in anyway, especially as a woman. I look to her when I need to harness my own personal strength as a strong and independent woman. I view her as a feminist goddess.

[Ophidia]

Re: The Gods

[quote author=Eglentyne link=topic=1211.msg23524#msg23524 date=1292788611]
I don't know of many Pagans who have a thing for Hades.

He is absolutely terrifying. Actually, the Greeks felt this way too. Worship to him was done out of fear, offering made to placate, because death was such a cold and somber thing for those peoples.

He dominates, swallows you. There is no anger or malice in his disposition, he just.... his presence sucks the wind out of you. It's paralyzing.

I'm absolutely hypnotized by it.
Could be the season.
[/quote]

I've found my own relationship with Hades to be somewhat different. Hades has been much like a stern and emotionally distant father, but one Who has always steered me in the correct directions. There has never been any fear for me (as long as I do what I'm toldasked), only resignation in that my divine parents are not party-goers like everyone else's divine parents seem to be.

[Witcher]

[AlabasterBuffalo]

Re: The Gods

I must say I find no connections with Ares, just because he is a greek god does not mean he is a nice guy even Zeus has been quoted as saying that Ares is his least favorite. Where as Athena was the Goddess of Tactful war and was often seen with Nike in hand, Ares rode in a chariot pulled by terror and fear. Ares was also the only greek god tried for murder, you think Hades was a bad guy (well truthfully hades got the bad end of the stick and was actually a kind feller) Ares was pretty much a monster, I dont even think the Titans would have enjoyed chilling with him.

[Bjorn]

Re: The Gods

Woah, I've abandoned this on accident.

All right, let me just clarify that I'm not looking for google, wikipedia, or other site copy and paste sessions for this. I was hoping to grab a few people with understanding and share what we all know - huge paragraphs turn me off from reading, especially if I could just google the information anyway.

Not saying anyone did that... but there's a LOTTA info up there!



That being said, I'm FASCINATED by what Perez said up there. And your name makes perfect sense now, as well.

Hades DOES get a bad rap. They drew stars after a battle that lasted like, a decade, and got stuck with the underworld? Tough luck, man. I understood that he won a battle with his brothers (Zeus and Poseidon) against... the Titans... (I could be wrong about that) and actually used his Invisible Helmet to ruin the enemies wares. To me, he was always a neutral deity that was there to establish a balance and then strive to maintain it.

I think it's VERY cool how you relate to Hades, Perez. Would you mind sharing more? Perhaps because I already HAVE an emotionally distant father, the idea of Hades is just a bit... meh. I am very interested in picking your brain though, so please share!

[PainAndLight]

Re: The Gods

I must say I find no connections with Ares, just because he is a greek god does not mean he is a nice guy even Zeus has been quoted as saying that Ares is his least favorite. Where as Athena was the Goddess of Tactful war and was often seen with Nike in hand, Ares rode in a chariot pulled by terror and fear. Ares was also the only greek god tried for murder, you think Hades was a bad guy (well truthfully hades got the bad end of the stick and was actually a kind feller) Ares was pretty much a monster, I dont even think the Titans would have enjoyed chilling with him.

A very one-sided view taken from glancing at just a couple of myths. This completely disregards the fact that Ares is a loving father who would go to the ends of the earth for his children, is one of, if not the only major Greek male deity who was never portrayed in myth as having raped a woman (whether you are using the term to refer to sexual assault, or the older definition of rape being abduction, it still applies wither way) and he never attacked unprovoked. If you look at his page on theoi.com, you find far more myths attesting to instances of his bestowing favor than you find on his wrath.

I've never heard of terror and fear pulling his chariot- Deimos and Phobos are two of his sons, and there are a number of quotes where they get his horses and chariot ready, but they don't pull it.

Nevermind the fact that Ares is also the father of Harmonia, Anteros (a god of either requited or unrequited love, depending on who you're asking) and in some accounts, Eros.

Here we have the Homeric Hymn to Ares. Does this look like it's all about a god that everyone hates?

Ares, exceeding in strength, chariot-rider, golden- helmed, doughty in heart, shield-bearer, Saviour of cities, harnessed in bronze, strong of arm, unwearying, mighty with the spear, O defence of Olympus, father of warlike Victory, ally of Themis, stern governor of the rebellious, leader of righteous men, sceptred King of manliness, who whirl your fiery sphere among the planets in their sevenfold courses through the aether wherein your blazing steeds ever bear you above the third firmament of heaven; hear me, helper of men, giver of dauntless youth! Shed down a kindly ray from above upon my life, and strength of war, that I may be able to drive away bitter cowardice from my head and crush down the deceitful impulses of my soul. Restrain also the keen fury of my heart which provokes me to tread the ways of blood-curdling strife. Rather, O blessed one, give you me boldness to abide within the harmless laws of peace, avoiding strife and hatred and the violent fiends of death.

Comparing Ares and Athena as deities of war, I've heard it said that Athena is like the General, planning everything, strategizing, organizing the campaign. She's back there in a war rooms, telling everyone else what to do. She stays fairly clean. Ares is more like the low-ranking officer or the enlisted soldier, he's out there on the field, fighting the battles. War is horrifying, war is dirty. It's not glorious or glamorous, he's the guy in the trenches, getting blood on his hands.

The myths are imoportant, but there is much more than the myths to look at. If I were going to arrange the Greek gods along a "nice guy" scale (No, I don't think gods are at all "nice guys" but I think you know what I mean) I would put Ares well ahead of most of the other gods, including the one to whom I am devoted. Oh, and you want to talk about scary? Apollo's got most- maybe even all- of them beat any day and twice on Sunday, if you ask me.

I need to do some errands, but I might come back and write one about Apollo a bit later this evneing.

[Ophidia]

Re: The Gods

That being said, I'm FASCINATED by what Perze said up there. And your name makes perfect sense now, as well.

Hades DOES get a bad rap. They drew stars after a battle that lasted like, a decade, and got stuck with the underworld? Tough luck, man. I understood that he won a battle with his brothers (Zeus and Poseidon) against... the Titans... (I could be wrong about that) and actually used his Invisible Helmet to ruin the enemies wares. To me, he was always a neutral deity that was there to establish a balance and then strive to maintain it.

I think it's VERY cool how you relate to Hades, Perze. Would you mind sharing more? Perhaps because I already HAVE an emotionally distant father, the idea of Hades is just a bit... meh. I am very interested in picking your brain though, so please share!

I've actually had to back away from Hades and Persephone. My depression was just getting worse and worse, along with a general attitude of fatalism and defeatism. They're still my patron God and Goddess, but I can't actively seek Them out as much. They are compassionate in Their own fashion, but so somber, and Their energy & presence is extremely grounding and earth-bound.

There are aspects to Hades that people overlook, much like Ares' 'good side'. Hades holds the key to underground riches - mines, gems, and mineral wealth. Mines are always dangerous places because you can't take without giving something in return. Vulcan/Hephaestos may be the Master Crafter, but without Hades' cooperation, there would be nothing for him to forge. In His convoluted synthesis with the Roman Pluto/Pluton/Plutus/Dis/Dis Pater, the connection to mineral wealth is stronger, along with the harvest.

Hades is the advocate of everyone's right to a proper funeral. Abuse and mutilation of corpses and vandalism of graveyards are highly offensive to Him. It's through Hades' influence that I started studying death, funerary rites & customs. I'm an armchair thanatologist, and have done some volunteering in the field of 'death rights' - the right to education on thanatological laws, transparency of the funeral industry, green burial, all of that. That's how I regularly make offerings of service to Hades and Persephone, since sheep are a little hard to come by in Vegas, and the neighbors don't appreciate the sounds of slaughter :P

[Marek]

Re: The Gods

I don't know of many Pagans who have a thing for Hades.

He is absolutely terrifying. Actually, the Greeks felt this way too. Worship to him was done out of fear, offering made to placate, because death was such a cold and somber thing for those peoples.

He dominates, swallows you. There is no anger or malice in his disposition, he just.... his presence sucks the wind out of you. It's paralyzing.

I'm absolutely hypnotized by it.
Could be the season.

Oh sweetheart, don't fear Hades! He's not "cute and cuddly" by any means, but there are some various things to keep in mind when working with him.

From a healer's perspective, Death is the final step in the healing process. It is when all inefficient energies have left the building and we are reduced to our bare bone qualities. This is a very humbling experience, and too often our ego gets in the way of properly working with Hades. In my time of working with Crystal Skulls I have learned that overcoming the fear of death is the first step to being reborn. The trees shed their leaves without any promise that they will grow back, but if they held on to them then the tree would not be able to survive the winter (save the evergreens, but even that provides much insight into Dionysian worship).

Also, Hades is not a god of bargaining and his word is final. He is the ruler of the Underworld and has no practical interest in what goes on up here or in the heavens. He has his own things to tend to. We do not anger Zeus lest the sky falls upon us, nor do we mock Poseidon lest the sea rises against us. It is equally unwise to cross Hades, because sooner or later we all turn to him at sunset. "All mortals fall to Hades".

That said, Hades loves an oath and it does well to refer to him as "King Hades" or "Lord Hades". I'd only visit him in ritual with other chthonic deities that are known for traveling to the Underworld. And even then, there is protocol to follow. When I visited him the first time he required some pretty hefty sacrifices as far as sentiment goes. I've never been reduced to tears like that in meditation, but indeed if we are to "die" then we have to be ready to sacrifice everything for the truth that comes from being freed from attachments.

If you wish to visit Hades in meditation, I recommend keeping these elements in the process:
Cave meditation with Hecate to guide you to the Underworld
Making offerings of coins to Charon to gain passage across the River
Avoid thinking too long on the Ancestors while you're there, it is too easy to get lost in the Underworld
If Snakes pop up in your mind, do not get startled. Hades may test your bravery as you go.
Light a black candle when you feel as if you've "walked" enough. Ask Hades to join you. Having a chair with an animal skin on it as a "throne" does well for him.
I suggest asking him questions and drawing Tarot cards. He seemed very fond of "The Aquarian Tarot" by David Palladini

And a word of caution, because he more deceptive than we are. If you are used to asking for a blessing to be placed into food or drink after a meditation session with a god or goddess, do not consume anything in his presence. Wait until you've returned to the mundane world before eating or drinking anything he has blessed.

Overall I've learned much from Hades, but I am thankful that Apollo and Dionysus are equally able to meet my healing challenges and teach me 99% of the time.

[MaskedOne]

Re: The Gods

Hades/Pluto (I'm not sure how distinct they are from.each other) is far as I can remember the only Olympian that I've called on. My family had a financial issue years ago and I called on him in his capacity as Lord of Riches within the Earth. A solution popped up later that week. All told, I'm not likely to seek out a deep relationship with him. I generally avoid the Olympians (considering some comments I've made about Zeus, avoidance is probably wise) but Pluto has done alright by me in the past and that's not something I intend to forget.