Question collections post 10

 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.

"Do you know of any Greek names? I would like my future children to have names connected to ancient Greece...! Maybe some with a religious connotation?"

I actually did a post on this before. Short version: children were often named after the Theoi, but names were often switched around a bit. To gift a child with the exact name of a Theos or Theia was considered hubris. The eldest son was usually named after his paternal grandfather and subsequent children after other relatives. Sons were rarely named after their father, although it was acceptable to give a child an altered version of the father's name. Female names came to be largely through the same customs, but were 'feminized' by editing the endings of the word. From '-es' or '-ias' to '-eis', '-e' or '-a' for example, as can be seen with the male name 'Agapias' and female name 'Agapia'.

As for specific names, Dion (after Dionysos), Dia (loosely after Aphrodite), Alex or Alexander, Cassandra, Cleo, Irene, Leo, and Tamara come to mind. Here is a link to a whole bunch of them: link. Good luck!

"Do you have an advice for someone trying to actively worship three deities at the same time? It seems like I do not have enough time for them all :/"

I recently wrote about how the major difference between reconstructive religions and modern ones—especially Pagan ones—is the way worship is conducted. Individual worship of Gods as well as patronage is perfectly acceptable in modern religions, but in Recon religions and the ancient Traditions they were based upon, worship tends to be of the pantheon, not so much the one God or Goddess. Worship was generalized in such a way that multiple Gods and Goddesses were worshipped in one rite—and usually in the same way.

I worship a pantheon, and I don't have 'patrons' as it wasn't the Hellenic way. So... sadly I don't have advice for you. If you feel called to exclusively worship three Gods, then you will need to make time to do so. In general, it is easier to worship a pantheon than singular Gods; in that way, you try to emulate an ancient Hellenic worshipper and not an ancient Hellenic priest of three deities. I wish you the best of luck; it sounds like a time-consuming but hopefully rewarding calling.

"Why do you blog?"

I started blogging simply as a way to organise my dive into Hellenismos. Along the way, Baring the Aegis became more of a general resource for the Hellenic community. There is a personal note in there, but I am a private person by nature, so not too much. Any and all UPG comes with a big fat warning label. As for why I do it: I like doing it. Sure, because I have a daily blog there are times when time or energy are sparse and it becomes a bit of a chore to do, but in general, I find it a good experience. It's also a way for me to keep researching, to keep reading--I want to be able to present new bits of information or understand the ancient Hellenic society better. I enjoy maintaining a general Hellenistic blog, with a bit of everything--mythology, ancient society, current events, personal practice, general contemplation on the religion, etc.That is what keeps me interested as well.

"Can you tell us about Persephone? She's quite an overlooked goddess but i think she's very important. Could you also speak about her role in spells?"

This anonymous question has been sitting in my inbox Tumblr inbox for a fairly long time, which is why I'm posting my reply here because the original asker may not check there anymore for a reply. Every time I thought about answering this message, I found myself without words. You see, I think Persephone is one of the most honoured Goddesses both today and in ancient Hellas. She was one of the most honoured Goddesses in the Eleusinian Mysteries and especially in modern Paganism, Persephone is everyone's sweetheart. As for her place in spells... my dear, I can't help you there. I'm a Traditional Hellenist and magic wasn't part of the ancient Hellenic religion. I'm sorry, please try a more Neo-Pagan oriented person on Tumblr; I'm not the right person to answer this.


"I visit your blog site from time to time and I was wondering if your practice involves Chthonic deities? and if you don't, if there's any that you at the very least find interesting. It seems to me that not many Hellenic Polytheists really involve themselves with Chthonic deities so I thought it would be an interesting question to ask."

 

I give sacrifice to the Khthonic deities when the situation warrants it. I honour Hermes Khthonios when someone I love has passed away, for example, and I give sacrifice to Hekate at the Deipnon. I honour Persephone (and Demeter) on dates which were important for the Eleusinian Mysteries and appease the Erinyes when so required.

 

I have other experiences than you, though, when it comes to the wider Pagan community and even Hellenists. Especially non-Traditional Hellenists often worship or are dedicated to Haides in his Underworld epithets, and Persephone has a huge modern cult following. I hope this answers your question :)