Poseideon updates

On the day of the Hene kai Nea (or sometimes the day after, like today), I post a monthly update about things that happened on the blog and in projects and organizations related to it. I will also announce Elaion's coming PAT rituals.

Statistics:

• A little over 1.298.000 views right now!
• 17.000 of those hits happened in the last month
• The top five most popular posts were: The three types of souls of Aristotle (428), Celebrating Christmas, Hellenic style! (207), The Beginner's guide to Hellenismos: Introduction (141), My hero Atalanta (113), and Oregano: herb of the Gods (104).

PAT rituals for Gamelion:

• Gamelion 7 - January 14 - Sacrifice to the Kourotrophos and Apollon Delphios
• Gamelion 7 - January 14 - Sacrifice to Apollon Lykeios
• Gamelion 8 - January 15 - Sacrifice to Apollon Apotropaius, Apollon Nymphegetes, & the Nymphs at Erkhia
• Gamelion 9 - January 16 - Sacrifice to Athena at Erkhia
• Gamelion 12-15 - January 18 - 22 - Lenaia - festival in honor of Dionysus in the Attic deme of Limnai
• Gamelion 27 - February 3 - Theogamia/Gamelia - celebrating the sacred marriage of Zeus Teleios and Hera Telei
• Gamelion 27 - February 3 - Sacrifice to Kourotrophos, Hera, Zeus Teleius, and Poseidon at Erkhia

Anything else?

Are you looking for an online shop to buy incenses and other Hellenistic basics from? Try The Hellenic Handmaid on Etsy.

Would you like to support me? Buy me a coffee.

• Monday, January 7, 2019
  current affairs Elaion monthly update PAT

Greek 1.800-year-old homework “tablet” to be presented at the British Library

A wax tablet displaying a child’s Greek homework from 1,800 years ago is to be put on show at the British Library. The ancient tablet, which contains remarkable examples of handwriting, spelling exercises and times tables, has been in storage for the past 40 years. It will now go on display at the British Library as part of the Writing: Making Your Mark exhibition between April 26 and August 27.

The homework, discovered in Egypt, shows two lines of Greek carved into the wax with a stylus by a child believed to be eight or nine, the Telegraph reported. Roly Keating, chief executive of the British Library, said:

"This is one which I think we’d slightly forgotten about. It certainly hasn’t been seen in the public since the Seventies. This is a child’s homework, a primary school kid in the second century AD in Egypt, and their writing is still on this little tablet, which is about the size of an iPad mini. That takes your breath away because you can see a child’s attempt at Greek from 1,800 years ago."

It is believed the tablet would have been used with a stylus that had a pointed end for writing and a flat end which could be heated up and used to melt mistakes from the wax. The surviving lines of lettering are from a quote the young child had been copying out. It reads: "'You should accept advice only from a wise man."

• Sunday, January 6, 2019
  ancient Hellenic culture archeology current affairs

Live cam of soem of Greece's highlights.

I'm a little swamped, so I am going to leave you with something to entertain yourself with: live webcams all around Greece. Yep, some ancient sites too. Mostly lots of squares, but the Acropolis has its own cam, for example.

The webcams are maintained by VisioRay, a division of Cybertronick Technologies. They manage camera networks worldwide andiInternet users in all countries and regions have the possibility to enjoy a real virtual tour through scenic webcams shooting interesting places and panoramic views from around the world. The Skyline project was born specifically to show the natural beauties to the world community.

You can find the webcams here.

• Saturday, January 5, 2019
  current affairs modern Greece

Oregano: herb of the Gods

The Greek Reporter recently published a write-up about oregano in the ancient world. Quite interesting!

Back in ancient Hellas oregano was thought to bring good luck and good health, but it also symbolized joy. This herb is known as the “brilliant joy of the mountain.” The word itself even comes from two Greek words: “oros” (mountain) and “ganos” (brilliance of joy). The story goes that oregano is the creation of none other than Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. Apparently, the Greek goddess created and grew the ancient herb high in her mountain-top garden on Mount Olympus, and made it a symbol of happiness and joy for everyone throughout the ancient lands.

In ancient times, Hellenes would plant oregano around their homes in hopes of warding off evil spirits. It is even believed that ancient Hellenes would wear a wreath of oregano on their head during sleep to encourage psychic dreams and they wore one during wedding ceremonies in acknowledgment of Aphrodite.

Oregano was also considered a source of great healing to the ancient Hellenes. Hippocrates even said “Let food be your medicine, and medicine be your food.” He applied oregano oil to treat skin infections from psoriasis and cuts, and he used it to cure stomachaches. Oregano was often steeped in hot water to create tea. With the addition of some honey, this was ancient Hellenes' cure for coughs, colds, and asthma. Made into a juice-like substance which was much more potent than tea, it was even used to cure tonsillitis.

• Friday, January 4, 2019
  ancient Hellenic culture Aphrodite Hippokrátēs

A fragment of Bion of Smyrna

Bion of Smyrna (Βίων ὁ Σμυρναῖος) was an Hellenic bucolic poet. He was a native of the city of Smyrna and flourished about 100 BC. Most of his work is lost. There remain 17 fragments (preserved in ancient anthologies) and the Epitaph of Adonis, a mythological poem on the death of Adonis and the lament of Aphrodite (preserved in several late medieval manuscripts of bucolic poetry). Some of the fragments show the pastoral themes that were typical of ancient Greek bucolic poetry, while others attest the broader thematic interpretation of the bucolic form that prevailed in the later Hellenistic period.

Bion's influence can be seen in numerous ancient Greek and Latin poets and prose authors, including Virgil and Ovid. His treatment of the myth of Adonis in particular has influenced European and American literature since the Renaissance.

Almost nothing is known of Bion's life. One ancient text gives his place of origin as "a little place called Phlossa", which is otherwise unknown; it was presumably a district under the administration of Smyrna, perhaps one of the villages out of which Smyrna was reconstituted during the Hellenistic period. The appellation "Bion of Phlossa", under which he is sometimes known (for example, by the Library of Congress), is unlikely to have been used in antiquity: outside of Smyrna itself he would have been known as Bion of Smyrna. I'd like to share one of his fragments today.

"If my songs are good, then these few
Fate has granted as a safeguard for what I have done.
If they are not pleasing, why should I toil any longer?
If Kronos’ son or devious Fate had granted to us
Two lifetimes, so that we could dedicate
The first to happiness and pleasure and the second to work,
Then it would be right to work first and sample happiness later.
But since the gods have decreed that one time come
For human life and that this is brief and minor too,
How long, wretches, should we toil tirelessly at work.
How long will we throw our soul and hearts into
Profit and skill, longing always for more and greater wealth?
Truly, have we all forgotten that we are mortal?
Have we all forgotten our lifetime is brief?"

[fr. 8 / Stobaeus 4.16.15]
Translation here

• Thursday, January 3, 2019
  ancient Hellenic culture Bion of Smyrna poetry blogging

"Ancient Greece in 18 minutes"

Sorry, no time today! I did enjoy this crash course I found recently: "Homer, The Minotaur, 300 spartans, Greek theatre, Parthenon, democracy — everything that you once knew, but forgot, in a crash course video by Arzamas."

• Wednesday, January 2, 2019
  ancient Hellenic culture archeology videos

Happy new secular year!

It can't have escaped your notice that yesterday, the secular new year came to an end. Interestingly enough, I recognize many themes of the Deipnon within these festivities. Purification of the house and person, tying up loose ends of the old year, setting goals for a set period ahead. It makes me more comfortable to indulge in good food and friendship to recognize these very familiar efforts.

I've never really observed new year's as something special, mostly because I have celebrated it around Samhain since I was thirteen and in my Hellenistic tradition, new year's is still half a year away. The Athenians and the other Ionian peoples began their year with the first new moon after the summer solstice, the Dorians with the first new moon after the autumnal equinox, the Boeotians and other Aeolians with the new moon after the winter solstice. Still, it's a fun evening and night to spend with family, friends and other loved ones. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

As a bit of a tradition, let me share the top ten search results that brought you here, my dear readers, just to show how awesome you guys are and how completely on topic!

- baring the aegis

- Hellenismos

- atlantis

- Elani Temperance

- aegis

- baring the aegis Persephone and Hades

- modern hellenism festival head covering

- ancient greek warriors

- ancient greek art about afterlife

- ancient greek honey cakes recipe

 I wish you all the absolute best in the secular new year! 

• Tuesday, January 1, 2019
  blogging current events personal