Honoring the Theoi from the comfort of your spice rack

Many of us are aware of the Orphic incenses used to honor the Gods, but what if you don't have the money for expensive incenses? What if the only thing you have to offer is what is in your kitchen's spice rack? Most spices that were used in ancient Hellas were imported from the near East, or were traded through the region, and these spices are the ones we tend to have lying around our own homes at far cheaper prices.


Basil: The ancient Hellenes knew it as 'Ocimum', although the word 'basil' comes from the Greek 'βασιλεύς' (basileus), meaning 'king'. In ancient times, basil was placed in the hands of the dead to guide them safely to the afterlife and ensure that the gates of heaven opened for them. Also basil was commonly hung on doors, to bring good luck and wealth. It was never eaten,

Cinnamon: known as 'kasia', or 'kinamomon', cinnamon was well known to the ancient Hellenes who imported it from Egypt and other Near Eastern countries. Theophrastus, Herodotus, Galen, Dioscorides, Plinius, and Strabo all mention it, and it ranked in value with gold, ivory, and frankincense. It was among the most costly offerings in the temple of Apollo in Miletus in 243 BC: According to Plinius, a Roman pound (327 grams) of the precious bark could cost up to ten month's wages for a regular worker, or as much as five kilograms of silver. Sappho included cinnamon as an appropriate herb to burn at wedding ceremonies. From Sappho's poem:

"And myrrh and cassia [cinnamon] and frankincense were mingled..." [28]

Dill: was known as Anithos, and it's used in many modern and ancient dishes including salads and the famous Greek spinach pie known as “spanakopita.” However, it was also used for its medicinal properties such as healing wounds, and burns, and to help promote sleep when placed over the eyes before bed. Most likely sacred to the Gods of sleep and healing.

Mint: I have written about this one before. The mythology surrounding the mint plant is well known: it's tied to the beautiful naiad Minthê, who caught the eye of Hades and suffered either Persephone's wrath over it, or that of Demeter.  kykeon (κυκεών)--the barley beverage preferred by Demeter, and drank by peasants--was made with mint, and used to break a sacred fast within the Eleusinian Mysteries. Kykeon was also used in preparatory rites for some of the most sacred--and secret--rites within Eleusis. As if this connection to Persephone, Demeter and Hades was not enough, mint was also used in funerary rites, along with rosemary and myrtle, to mask the smell of decay, but also--it seems--as an offering to the Lord of the Dead.

Myrthle: In Hellenic mythology and ritual the myrtle was sacred to Aphrodite and Demeter. Pausanias explains that one of the Graces in the sanctuary at Elis holds a myrtle branch because

“[T]he rose and the myrtle are sacred to Aphrodite and connected with the story of Adonis, while the Graces are of all deities the nearest related to Aphrodite.”

Oregano: or Rigani, as the Greeks call it, was one of the most popular herbs in the ancient Hellenic kitchen, but it was also said to bring good luck and good health as well as symbolize joy. The ancient Hellenes would plant oregano around their houses in hopes to ward off evil spirits. They would also wear a wreath of oregano on their head during sleep to encouraged psychic dreams, and we can thus assume it was sacred to Hypnos and Morpheus, along with hops and verbena.

Verbena: verbena, or vervain, has longstanding use in herbalism and folk medicine. In ancient Hellas is was considered sacred to Eos and may have been used to prepare khernips for (public) rituals. It was also used to promote sleep so it may have been considered a fitting offering for Hypnos and Morpheus.