Question Collections post 24

I get a lot of questions from readers, and most of the time, the answers are fairly short. When I feel the question or the reply would be valuable to others as well, I make a post with a collection of them and post them in one go. Today is one of those posts.

"Hi! Can you please help me? Do you know someone who Worships Circe/Kirke? Do you know any books that are not the Argonautics and Odyssey I can use? Thank you so much."

I, personally, do not know of someone who is–as is the Pagan term–devoted to Kirkê, but I would hope all Hellenists worship Her! Please make yourself known if you feel especially drawn to Her, everyone!

As for books… I am going to make a list including the ones you mentioned, just so others can enjoy them, too. There are more with short mentions, but these actually have stories about Her–most about the Argonauts or Odysseus, but they all have different details.

• Apollonius Rhodius, The Argonautica
• Homer, The Odyssey
• Hyginus, Fabulae (125, 127)
• Ovid, Metamorphoses
• Valerius Flaccus, The Argonautica

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"Hi, I was just wondering, what's the difference between revivalism and reconstructionism?"

 

In my opinion, reconstructionism is a scale. On the one end of the spectrum are the Traditional Reconstructionists who tend to rely first and foremost on historical or archaeological sources in shaping their religion, then, with that information in hand, approach the Gods in accordance with what they have learned. On the other end of the spectrum is the ‘working with, summon into a circle, all Gods are the same’-Neo-Pagans who tend to go with an ‘if it feels right, go for it, no matter if the ancient Hellenes would have recognised it as worship’-approach.

Then there is everything inbetween.

I would say a revivalist is somewhere in the middle, give or take a bit. They may approach the Gods in a somewhat traditional manner based on historic evidence but incorporate Neo-Pagan ideas to interpret the experience or the other way around. I don’t think there is a hard line, though, and at the end of the day it’s all a matter of semantics; words used to make it easier to explain our views to others.

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"Hey there! Would it be cultural appropriation if I were to start practicing Hellenismos as a religion even though I am not related to it in any way? I am interested in it as a genuine way of life, not just a whimsy, and I'm honestly conflicted."

 

I’m not Greek. I do not speak Greek (sadly). I worshp the Hellenic Gods with every fiber of my being. Personally, I feel that what matters is your devotion to the Theoi, not your heritage.

 

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"Did the ancient greeks have anything they didn't eat? Like Muslims don't eat pork, should I (as a Hellenic recon) be cutting anything out of my meals?? they didn't drink unmixed wine, right? And during specific festivals they had some dietary restrictions, but in general was there anything they didn't eat? Thank you and I love your blog! :)"

 

The main diet of the ancient Greeks consisted of bread, olives, olive oil, figs, cheeses, fish, squid, grapes, apples and other fruits, and honey. Meat was expensive and thus rarely eaten. Domesticated animals were only eaten after being sacrificed to the Gods. To not do so was barbaric and impure. Also considered barbaric was to drink wine which was not watered down and to drink milk. Breakfast and lunch consisted of bread dipped in wine, with olives, figs, cheese or dried fish added to the lunch menu. Dinner usually consisted of vegetables, fruit, fish, and possibly honey cakes.

As you have said, the ancient Hellenes had dietary restrictions around specific festivals. Certain foods were forbidden to eat during the Greater Mysteries, for example, and perhaps also during the lesser mysteries–pomegranates, apples, eggs, fowls, and some varieties of fish.

On that (diluted) wine–wine was rarely drunk during dinner, but only after. Drunkenness was frowned upon and all that was allowed for a grown man was less undiluted wine than a single standard wineglass of modern times, diluted. So why diluted wine? Rituals and sacrifices to the Ouranic deities and/or positive occasions were performed with diluted wine, while sacrifices to Khthonic deities and/or for negative occasions were performed with undiluted wine. To drink undiluted wine for any day-to-day happening was therefore not done and most likely carried some religious taboo or at least superstition.

In short: no, no dietary restrictions unless a specific festival or wine was concerned, but I stay away from milk (all other dairy products are acceptable) because it was frowned upon to drink milk in ancient Hellas.