Digital Offering To Lord Árész

Common Terms in Helpol!

Hello there! So... Hellenic polytheism has a lot of words, and they can get confusing. It's hard to keep track of so many things! So I thought I would make a list of a whole bunch of common, or maybe not-so-common terms in Hellenic polytheism! Honestly, I really just wanted to make a really long informative post, so here you all go!

If there is any term you would like me to add to this list, let me know and I will gladly add it! Also, at the bottom of this post, I will link other posts where people have done an absolutely amazing job going into detail about one or more of these terms, or maybe others I chose not to include in this list!

Hellenic/Hellenismos/Hellenistic/Helpol

If you’re on helpol tumblr, or really any helpol-focused social media, you’ve heard all of these terms, and you may be wondering… which is the right term for the religion?

Hellenic: of or relating to Greece, its people, or its language specifically: of or relating to ancient Greek history, culture, or art before the Hellenistic period (Merriam-Webster). Basically, Hellenic means Greek.

Hellenism: devotion to or imitation of ancient Greek thought, customs, or styles; Greek civilization especially as modified in the Hellenistic period by influences from southwestern Asia; a body of humanistic and classical ideals associated with ancient Greece and including reason, the pursuit of knowledge and the arts, moderation, civic responsibility, and bodily development (Merriam-Webster). Basically, Hellenism means relating to Greek culture.

Hellenismos: Hellenism, but closer to what the word is in Greek, to my understanding.

Hellenistic: of or relating to Greek history, culture, or art after Alexander the Great (Merriam-Webster) The Hellenistic Period refers to 323-31 BCE, from the death of Alexander the Great to the rise of Augustus in Rome.

Hellenic Polytheism (Helpol): Hellenic polytheism, which would literally mean "The worship of more than one Greek god" is generally thought to be the best term for the worship of Hellenic (Greek) gods. And in my opinion, it makes the most sense!

Theoi

Theoi is the ancient Greek word for the Gods. There are many "Types" (sort of) of Theoi, including Theoi Einalioi, Theoi Georgikoi, Theoi Gamelioi, Theoi Kthonioi, Theoi Ouranioi, Theoi Olympioi, Theoi Nomioi, and the Theoi Titanes (Theoi.com) Most commonly mentioned of these "types" of the theoi are Ouranic and Kthonic. Many (if not most or all) gods fit in to more than one of these categories, for example, Lady Aphrodite is part of the Theoi Einalioi (Sea), Theoi Gamelioi (Marriage), Theoi Ouranioi (Sky), and Theoi Olympioi (Olympian).

Ouranic: The Theoi Ouranioi, or Ouranic deities are the gods of the sky. Offerings to Ouranic deities can be eaten, and when praying, palms are traditionally facing up.

Kthonic: The Theoi Kthonioi, or Kthonic deities are the gods of the earth and underworld. Offerings shouldn’t be eaten and when praying, hands are typically down towards the ground.

Khaire/Xaire

Khaire, chaire, or xaire (Greek: χαίρε) Is a Greek greeting, meaning “hello”, “hail”, “rejoice”, “goodbye”, or “farewell”. However, to my understanding it is not used in modern Greek, though it’s plural, χαίρετε, is occasionally used in formal settings.

I have personally seen many helpols use the spelling “khaire” as a greeting, while the spelling “xaire” to mean hail or rejoice. As far as I can tell, this is just their personal preference.

Purification

Miasma: “Stain”, “Defilement”, “Pollution”. Miasma refers to being extremely ritually impure, and one who is miasmic should not approach the Gods. However, you likely do not have miasma. Miasma comes from murder, incest, assault, and other extremely serious crimes. Miasma affects its surroundings, and can make the area around it also impure, but being a victim to these crimes does not make one miasmic. Without the proper purification, miasmic individuals should not approach the Gods.

Lyma: “dirt”. Lyma is impurity one naturally picks up from the world around them. Humans are not naturally impure, but they can pick up lyma on a normal day to day basis. Examples of lyma include being around/giving birth, blood, being around death/the dead, literal dirt, etc. Having lyma is not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s best to wash it away (most people in modern day and in ancient Greece to my knowledge simply wash their hands in running water) before approaching the Gods, similar to washing your hands before dinner. It’s just more respectful.

Khernips: Khernips refers to a flame doused in water and is basically a fancy way of purification. Most of the time, you don’t need to use khernips to rid yourself of lyma, you can just use regular running water, but some prefer to use khernips all the time.

Kharis

Kharis at its most basic definition is a reciprocal relationship with the gods. This means not asking for things without giving anything in return, such as praying for big things without an offering to go with it. Kharis goes both ways, so if you give an offering, a god will often respond to your request.

Xenia

Xenia, meaning “guest-friendship” and “hospitality”, is often thought to be an important ideal in Hellenic Polytheism. Many take it to mean inclusivity and kindness to everyone, including strangers. In ancient Greece, xenia was thought to be important because there was always a chance that a guest could be a god in disguise.

Hubris

“exaggerated pride or self-confidence […] In classical Greek tragedy, hubris was often a fatal shortcoming that brought about the fall of the tragic hero. Typically, overconfidence led the hero to attempt to overstep the boundaries of human limitations and assume a godlike status, and the gods inevitably humbled the offender with a sharp reminder of their mortality.” - Merriam-Webster. Basically, hubris is putting oneself at the same or higher level than the Theoi.

Offerings

Offerings: Gifts to the gods. Common offerings include foods, art, music, trinkets that remind you of the god the offering is for, etc.

Libations: Liquid offerings to the gods. Libations can be poured on the ground or into a container. Common libations include wine and water (though I personally like to offer Diet Coke, but that’s just me)

Devotional Acts: Things done in honor of the gods. Often, these are used as a more subtle way of offering. An example of a devotional act would be for Lady Aphrodite, doing one’s skincare/makeup, or spending time with a loved one.

Patron

In modern helpol spaces, I often see the word patron used to mean a god one closely worships. However, in ancient Greece, a patron god was one who held dominion over certain aspects of your life, such as your job, hobbies, identity, or where you lived. For example, Lady Athena is the patron of Athens, and Lord Hermes is the patron of travelers and thieves.

Epithets

An epithet is “a descriptive term (word or phrase) accompanying or occurring in place of a name”, sometimes described as a nickname. Epithets often refer to qualities of the one they are given too, whether by appearance (ex. Bright-Eyed Athena), personality (ex. Zeus the Merciful), history (ex. Sea foam born Aphrodite), or actions (Swift-Footed Achilles). Gods and some heroes have epithets.

Reconstructionism/Revivalism

Reconstructionism and Revivalism are two different ways of practicing helpol (not specific to helpol, but I’m just talking about that here). When done respectfully, neither is wrong, nor better/worse than the other.

Reconstructionism: “Reconstructionism attempts to re-establish genuine polytheistic religions in the modern world through a rediscovery of the rituals, practices and contextual worldviews of pre-Christian pagan religions.” In other words, reconstructionists attempt to recreate the religious practices of ancient times as closely as possible (while usually modifying some things such as animal sacrifice that aren’t as acceptable nowadays).

Revivalism: Revivalism refers to those who practice in a more modern way, while still keeping in mind the ancient traditions. An example of something that a revivalist might do is a digital offering, something that would not have been possible in ancient Greece.

UPG, SPG, and VPG

Unverified Personal Gnosis: UPG refers to an experience, belief, or association with a deity that isn't backed up historically. UPGs are personal, and others may or may not agree with or share them.

Shared Personal Gnosis: SPG, also known as PVPG (Peer Verified Personal Gnosis), refers to experiences, beliefs, or associations shared by many worshippers of certain deities. Though they don't hold as much weight as beliefs backed up historically, they tend to hold more weight than UPGs.

Verified Personal Gnosis: VPG means that an experience, belief, or association someone has is backed up by historical sources.

Great Helpol Resources

These are mostly just some amazing other tumblr posts that have helped me a lot and also explain some of these terms in more detail/better than I have.

Xenia and UPG vs SPG vs VPG ~ @beautyofaphrodite (me)

Miasma, Lyma, and Khernips ~ @sisterofiris

Beginner’s Guide to Hellenic Polytheism ~ @wisdom-devotee

Ouranic, Kthonic, and Einalic ~ @pietyandpearls

Blogs such as @khaire-traveler and @atheneum-of-you are also amazing! khaire-traveler has some great subtle worship posts, and atheneum-of-you has some amazing and very well researched informative posts.

As always, if something I mentioned is wrong, weirdly worded, confusing, I missed something, etc, please please please let me know and I’ll do my best to fix it! Much love 🫶

ANGEL’S AWARD WINNING LEMON POPPY SEED BREAD

Sooo, I know I haven’t posted in awhile but it’s because I’be been very busy recently. Never the less, here is a recipe for you guys that I love! This bread is famous among my friends, town, and family for *ahem* being pretty good…

Anyways from my kitchen to yours, here is the recipe!

Did You Know?: Poppy Seeds are sacred to the god of sleep, Hypnos, and the god of dreams, Morpheus. Demeter, created the poppy so she could sleep.

Ingredients:

½ cup oil

½ cup melted butter

3 tbsp poppy seeds

Juice and zest of 2 lemons

1/3 cup whole milk yogurt (plain)

1 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp baking soda

A pinch of salt

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

3 eggs, divided.

1/3 cup buttermilk

2 tsp Madagascar vanilla extract (Any will do)

1 ½ cup granulated sugar

For The Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp leftover lemon juice

Preparation

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Butter a large loaf pan and line it with parchment paper. In a kitchen aid cream your butter, sugar, and lemon zest. Beat in egg yolks, vanilla, yogurt, buttermilk, and lemon juice (leave a little left for your glaze.)

In another medium-sized bowl add in all of your dry ingredients and gently combined them slowly with a spatula into the wet mixture until just completely mixed. 

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form, in thirds, fold the whipped egg whites into the batter. Add in poppy seeds. 

Pour batter evenly between two loaf pans and let bake for 50 minutes or until completely done. Poke the cake with a stick and if it comes out clean, it is fully cooked.

Combine all your glaze ingredients and drizzle over the cooked loaf.

Aphrodite loves sex workers and victims of sexual assault and intersex people and people who are insecure about their body/self harm and nonwhite people and queer people and fat people btw. pass it on

What to put in your hellenic journal and why it helps

Building a kharis with gods using a religious journal is really helpful. It helped me keep my information and my thoughts related to the Gods organized. It can also help beginners if they are uncomfortable reciting hymns out loud.

What could be put inside it:

Every day write one delphic maxim and write how you interpret it or what you think about it

Make a shopping list for your altar and offerings

Compose prayers

Hymns/ prayers to your patrons and Hestia, Nyx, Helios, Hypnos

Write something as if you are conversating with the Gods.

Important information on deities

Favorite offerings, incenses, and libations of the Gods

Important Callendar events, festivals, and key info on celebration

Quotes from the most famous books of Gods that you relate to or want to remember

Instructions on composing prayers

What afterlife means in Hellenismos

What defines hubris, agos and miasma

7 pillars of Hellenismos and their meaning

Do some drawings for the Gods as a devotional act

Include your personal experiences with the divine and how it affected you

Write down the signs you saw during the week

You can also decorate it with the images of Gods

Delphic Maxims:

https://www.tumblr.com/bluemorfedbutterfly/746793310790828032/delphic-maxims-pt1-the-delphic-maxims-are-a?source=share

Hello! I just found your blog in a search for the perfect dinner recipe for my birthday next week! Do you have any suggestions?

What about a classic steak dinner?

WITCHES STEAK DINNER 

Twice Baked Potatoes And Rosemary Garlic Butter Steak are a perfect match of flavor for a classic steak dinner. Make on a Friday night while dancing to light 50s music while the smell of warm food fills the air.

Ingredients:

For the Steak

2 New York Strip Steaks

Salt and Pepper (Enough to coat the two pieces evenly)

Fresh Parsley - protection, strength, vitality, passion, dispel negativity

Fresh Thyme - prevent nightmares, dispel negative vibrations, courage, purification, cleansing, good health.

Fresh Rosemary - clarity, wisdom, truth, cleansing, purifying.

Fresh Oregano -  happiness, tranquility, good luck, health, warding, inducing prophetic dreams

5 Tablespoons Butter for the Steak

3 cloves garlic for the steak

Olive Oil

For the Twice Baked Potatoes

9 tablespoons melted butter

7 tablespoons half and half

Half bag of shredded cheddar cheese

Bacon bits

3 potatoes

2 pieces of chopped garlic

Directions:

1. Wash and cut potatoes in half, place on parchment paper flesh side down. Pierce with a fork. Put in oven on 400 degrees for 45 minutes or so.

2.  Strip the herbs of their stems and chop all together until very fine. Crush fresh garlic. Transfer about a handful of herbs and all of the crushed garlic into softened butter. Mix well until combined.

3. Take half of the butter mixture and rub it into the steaks very thoroughly

4.  Cool potatoes for 15 minutes. Scoop the flesh out of the potatoes and into a bowl but leave a border. Cover with a thin layer of melted butter. Add chopped garlic, cheddar cheese, bacon, half and half, and salt and pepper. Put the mixture back into the skins and make a mound. Sprinkle a little more cheddar and bacon on top to form a nice crust. Put into oven for another 15 minutes or so.

5.  Bring out your skillet, add olive oil and turn on high. Wait until the skillet gets hot. Now add in your steak. Allow the steak to cook for 3 minutes without touching it. Cook for 4 extra minutes on the other side if you like medium.

6. Every once and a while, baste steak to keep flavorful. Right before taking the steak off the heat, put the remaining butter on the steak and let it melt.

PSA: Aphrodite isn't just romantic love, the ancient Greeks had 7 words for love!

eros: your typical love, romance, sex, all that. typically what Aphrodite is known for.

philautia: self-love (which is SO SO important!)

storge: parental love, the bond that parents and children have with each other.

ludus: playful love - banter, teasing, flirting as a joke with your friends.

pragma: longstanding love, that is built upon trust and respect for one another. can be any type of relationship.

xenia: hospitality, a love and care for strangers and the people around you.

agape: true, unconditional love. the love everyone should aim to feel for others and to let others feel for them.

Lady Aphrodite is all of this! She tends to like hearing about relationships (in my experience), and She's always willing to lend some advice!

♥ 𝔸 ℝ𝕖𝕔𝕚𝕡𝕖 𝕗𝕣𝕠𝕞 𝕞𝕪 𝕂𝕚𝕥𝕔𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕎𝕚𝕥𝕔𝕙 𝕁𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕟𝕒𝕝 #𝟛 ♥

Sweet Cream Buns

This recipe was given to me by a friend awhile ago, and I feel it needs a little more appreciation. They’re super easy to make and are tasty too!

I feel one thing a kitchen witch has to master is their ability to make all sorts of bread. It’s such a staple, and is so versatile. Not to mention how much of a crowd pleaser it is.

This recipe is a tasty bun, that when bitten into, oozes vanilla custard. Whenever I make these, they are gone in the first ten minutes. I tweaked this recipe from one of my good friends who enlightened me on this yummy recipe. I highly recommend you to try these for yourself!

Now in this recipe I will be showing you three fillings that I’m sure you will love!

- Vanilla Custard

- Chocolate coffee cream

- Brown sugar maple custard

Ingredients

For the Dough

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup bread flour

1 cup cake flour

A sprinkle of sea salt

1/3 cup sugar

1 packet of dry yeast

½ cup warm almond milk (Or any type of milk)

2 tbsp heavy cream

1 egg

3 tbsp butter

For the Vanilla Custard

5 tbsp sugar

2 ½ tbsp flour

3 egg yolks

1 cup whole milk

1 Tablespoon butter

Vanilla Bean

Vanilla Extract 

For the Chocolate Coffee Cream

6 tbsp sugar

3 tbsp flour

3 egg yolks

½ cup whole milk

1 Tablespoon butter

¼ cup expresso/ brewed coffee

Milk chocolate/ dark chocolate/ Semi-sweet chocolate (Its up to you)

For the Maple Syrup Custard

5 tbsp brown sugar

3 tbsp maple syrup

2 ½ tbsp flour

3 egg yolks

1 cup whole milk

1 Tablespoon butter

Directions

To prepare: Set your butter and eggs out 10 minutes before you start so they enough time to come to room temperature. 

Start by filling a measuring cup with your milk and heat in your microwave for about 20 seconds, or until when you stick a (clean) finger in, it is just warm. If it is too hot, it will kill your yeast mixture. Add your dry yeast in and stir. Let it sit for 10 minutes to bloom.

Next, in a kitchen aid (If you have one) attach the dough hook and mix your flour, salt and sugar together. Now crack an egg into the yeast mixture and add it to the kitchen aid bowl on low speed. Add in warmed cream. Let the dough hook do its magic on medium low speed until the dough is very smooth and elastic.

Add in your butter 1 tablespoon at a time and let it mix until completely smooth. About 4-5 minutes.

Oil a bowl with some neutral oil, or with some butter and place the kneaded dough ball into the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in oven with the light on, or in a warm area.

Leave it to rise for 2 hours, or until doubled in size. 

Ok, so now poke your dough and let the gas leak out from the dough. Cut it into equal sized pieces and place cling wrap on it and let it rise for another 15 minutes or more.

In the 15 minutes, now is the time to make your custard cream. On high heat, add your milk and butter and let it come to a boil. Then turn down your heat and whisk in sugar, egg, and flour. Add in your additives (Vanilla, maple syrup. etc.) and mix on low heat until it has reached a thick pudding like consistency. About 6-12 minutes. If you are doing chocolate, here is the time to melt your chocolate in, when it is off the heat. Let it cool completely.

With a rolling pin roll out the pieces of dough and place a dollop of custard in the center. Fold them over and press/pinch the sides together. Repeat the process until all of them are like this.

Place them on a tray and wrap cling wrap over them. Let them proof for about an hour, or until they’ve doubled in size again.

Now with a nonstick pan on medium low heat, place the bun in the pan and cover with lid. Cook each side for about 5 minutes, or until it is a nice golden brown. You can also cook this in an oven. 400 F for 8-15 minutes.

Now your done! Enjoy this hot and cold, they are tasty either way. It will be a little crispy when hot and soft when cold. 

I hope you enjoy this recipe!

I love you all! My DMs, mail, and comments are always open! 

xoxo, Angel

hi! i love your blog so much. i am an aspiring kitchen witch:) i was wondering, do you have any recipes that would serves as a good offering to hermes, or recipes that he would like to be a part of in general? thank you for the amazing posts as always~❤️

Wellll he usually seems to like things like beer, honey, eggs, and clean water. So what about some honey beer-battered fish?

HERMES HONEY BEER BATTER FISH

Ingredients

5 cod fish fillets

12 oz bottle beer of choice (the alcohol with boil-off while cooking, please don’t have a heart attack yet)

1 beaten egg

4 cups vegetable oil (for frying)

2 tbsp raw honey

2 tbsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp old bay seasoning

Salt and pepper (to taste)

1 cup flour

Directions

In a pan or bowl, combine flour, old bay seasoning, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Whisk in your beer, honey, and egg. Season your cod with salt and pepper.

Coat your codfish in batter one at a time, pour oil into a deep pan or pot. The oil should be about 3 inches deep. When your oil becomes very hot. Add your cod into the oil and let cook until golden brown, about 6 minutes, or until fully cooked. 

Plate with some fries and enjoy!

Ill be entirely honest, I'm confused by those that know that the new temple of Zeus and Pan was opened by a violent antisemite ultra-nationalist and are somehow saying things like "they're terrible but at least we have a temple and hopefully more will open!"

We do not have a temple.

WE do not have a temple.

Those of us that aren't Greek do not have a temple.

This is not a "win."

And to hold these values while building a temple for Zeus, the god of foreigners, you're ridiculous, and you're lame.

Zeus is not in that temple, he worships in an empty box.