Question Collections post 26

 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.

"Is Khaos considered a deity?"

The ancient Hellenic philosophers and mythographers were in agreement that the Gods created the universe--or are the universe itself. There are many variations of the divine family tree, and in the ancient writings, there are also creation stories that range beyond this basic framework. When Hesiod wrote his Theogony, he was adament about the sequence the Gods appeared from Khaos. Within the nothingness, Khaos appeared, then Gaia as the earth Herself, the Tartaros and Eros. The Gods and Godesses who rule over the cycle of night and day followed after and then, slowly, the earth itself took shape. The pre-Olypic and Olympic deities came into being. the universe as we know it was born.

Roughly divided, all our Gods and heroes (who were often raised up to become Gods in their own right) fit into five generational categories. These are the:

• Protogenoi
• Uranides
• Titanes
• Olympic Gods
• Heroes/deified mortals

The Protogenoi are the Gods from which the universe is made. They are Gods like Khaos, Gaia, Ouranos, and Nyx. In general, these Theoi are more abstract and less defined than, say, the Olympians. They are cruder, more powerful Gods who, together, form the tapistry of earth and life. We simply could not live without Them as They are the air we breath, the earth we walk on, the water we drink and the death that eventually lays us to rest. And yet, neither we, nor the ancient Hellenes revered them often. They are distant and have very little to do with the individual’s lifecycle. But they are Gods and They deserve due honours.

---

"I am trying to understamd Nyx's family a bit more. Could you help? And was she worshipped in Greece?"

Nyx (Νυξ) is the deep Night, born from Khaos (Χαος) and the sister-wife of Aither (Αιθηρ, 'Light'). In Hellenic mythology, Nyx draws a veil of darkness between the shining atmosphere of the aither and the lower air of earth (aer) at set times in the day, bringing night to man. In the morning, Her daughter Hêmera (Ἡμερα, 'Day') removes this veil, and exposes the Earth once more to Light.

Nyx and Hêmera continually work to both create and dissolve darkness on Earth; Selene (the Goddess of the Moon) moves with Nyx, and Helios (God of the Sun) with Hêmera, as heralded by Eos. In this recap, it is quite obvious we are yet missing a speciffic time of the day: dusk, or the evening. This was in the domain of the Nymphs, in this case the Hesperides (Ἑσπεριδες), who--depending of source--are either the daughters of Nyx or Atlas.

In ancient Hellas, Nyx was only rarely the focus of cult worship. Pausanias mentions She had an oracle on the acropolis at Megara, but that is about it. More often, Nyx was worshipped in other major cults, alongside the main deity: there was a statue called 'Nyx' in the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Spartans had a cult of Sleep and Death, conceived of as twins, with Nyx being worshipped as Their mother, etc.

---

"Hi I'm a Hellenic Polytheism ... my family just know that I don't like to go to the church and (I do it anyway - I'm a teenager and live with them) they are Catholics. I'm the only one in the whooole family that don't share that faith. They say to me things about sin, the hell and stuff ... they scares me, ok, although I believe in the Theoi and I feel my soul is relatively safe (nobody knows what would happen after dead). But ... idk, the fear that maybe I'm doing something "wrong" is there."

You know, I am a hard polytheist; I believe all Gods exist. That includes the Christian God. It's the bible I don't really put much stock into, but I have a healthy dose of respect for the Christian God.

I believe religion is a choice. If all Gods are real, and mythology tells you what They are like, theology is basically marketing for Gods. Eventually, something evokes an emotional response and whatever resonates most with you, you end up sticking with. Without going all philosophical on you, I thus believe that what it says in the brocure is what you get in the end of the day. For us, that means we go to Haides and wander the Meadow. If we did really well, we get a version of paradise on the Isle. If you choose the christian brosure, you get either heaven or hell, depending on the tally against you.

If you believe you are doing something 'wrong', I think you haven't made your final choice yet. You might feel drawn to Hellenismos, but you are still tied to Christianity. Some of us, we can let go of whatever religion we were raised in or wandered into on our own easily. Others take a bit of time. But I truly believe that once you get more comfortable in Hellenismos as a religion and lifestyle, the feeling of 'wrongness' will go away.

What I usually suggest to those breaking away from an existing religous bond in favour of a new one is to conciously say goodbye. Go to church and thank the Lord of Christianity for all He has done for you in the years you were under His protection. And then ask him to kindly let you go so you may present yourself to the Theoi. Then do that, present yourself to the Theoi and ask to be placed under Their protection instead. This way, proper respect is show for all involved and it should be easier for you to fully emerce yourself in Hellenismos.

• Tuesday, June 29, 2021
  Hellenic Reconstruction Nyx personal Protogenoi Question Collections Post requested post

Question Collections post 26

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.

"Is Khaos considered a deity?"

The ancient Hellenic philosophers and mythographers were in agreement that the Gods created the universe--or are the universe itself. There are many variations of the divine family tree, and in the ancient writings, there are also creation stories that range beyond this basic framework. When Hesiod wrote his Theogony, he was adament about the sequence the Gods appeared from Khaos. Within the nothingness, Khaos appeared, then Gaia as the earth Herself, the Tartaros and Eros. The Gods and Godesses who rule over the cycle of night and day followed after and then, slowly, the earth itself took shape. The pre-Olypic and Olympic deities came into being. the universe as we know it was born.

Roughly divided, all our Gods and heroes (who were often raised up to become Gods in their own right) fit into five generational categories. These are the:

• Protogenoi
• Uranides
• Titanes
• Olympic Gods
• Heroes/deified mortals

The Protogenoi are the Gods from which the universe is made. They are Gods like Khaos, Gaia, Ouranos, and Nyx. In general, these Theoi are more abstract and less defined than, say, the Olympians. They are cruder, more powerful Gods who, together, form the tapistry of earth and life. We simply could not live without Them as They are the air we breath, the earth we walk on, the water we drink and the death that eventually lays us to rest. And yet, neither we, nor the ancient Hellenes revered them often. They are distant and have very little to do with the individual’s lifecycle. But they are Gods and They deserve due honours.

---

"I am trying to understamd Nyx's family a bit more. Could you help? And was she worshipped in Greece?"

Nyx (Νυξ) is the deep Night, born from Khaos (Χαος) and the sister-wife of Aither (Αιθηρ, 'Light'). In Hellenic mythology, Nyx draws a veil of darkness between the shining atmosphere of the aither and the lower air of earth (aer) at set times in the day, bringing night to man. In the morning, Her daughter Hêmera (Ἡμερα, 'Day') removes this veil, and exposes the Earth once more to Light.

Nyx and Hêmera continually work to both create and dissolve darkness on Earth; Selene (the Goddess of the Moon) moves with Nyx, and Helios (God of the Sun) with Hêmera, as heralded by Eos. In this recap, it is quite obvious we are yet missing a speciffic time of the day: dusk, or the evening. This was in the domain of the Nymphs, in this case the Hesperides (Ἑσπεριδες), who--depending of source--are either the daughters of Nyx or Atlas.

In ancient Hellas, Nyx was only rarely the focus of cult worship. Pausanias mentions She had an oracle on the acropolis at Megara, but that is about it. More often, Nyx was worshipped in other major cults, alongside the main deity: there was a statue called 'Nyx' in the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Spartans had a cult of Sleep and Death, conceived of as twins, with Nyx being worshipped as Their mother, etc.

---

"Hi I'm a Hellenic Polytheism ... my family just know that I don't like to go to the church and (I do it anyway - I'm a teenager and live with them) they are Catholics. I'm the only one in the whooole family that don't share that faith. They say to me things about sin, the hell and stuff ... they scares me, ok, although I believe in the Theoi and I feel my soul is relatively safe (nobody knows what would happen after dead). But ... idk, the fear that maybe I'm doing something "wrong" is there."

You know, I am a hard polytheist; I believe all Gods exist. That includes the Christian God. It's the bible I don't really put much stock into, but I have a healthy dose of respect for the Christian God.

I believe religion is a choice. If all Gods are real, and mythology tells you what They are like, theology is basically marketing for Gods. Eventually, something evokes an emotional response and whatever resonates most with you, you end up sticking with. Without going all philosophical on you, I thus believe that what it says in the brocure is what you get in the end of the day. For us, that means we go to Haides and wander the Meadow. If we did really well, we get a version of paradise on the Isle. If you choose the christian brosure, you get either heaven or hell, depending on the tally against you.

If you believe you are doing something 'wrong', I think you haven't made your final choice yet. You might feel drawn to Hellenismos, but you are still tied to Christianity. Some of us, we can let go of whatever religion we were raised in or wandered into on our own easily. Others take a bit of time. But I truly believe that once you get more comfortable in Hellenismos as a religion and lifestyle, the feeling of 'wrongness' will go away.

What I usually suggest to those breaking away from an existing religous bond in favour of a new one is to conciously say goodbye. Go to church and thank the Lord of Christianity for all He has done for you in the years you were under His protection. And then ask him to kindly let you go so you may present yourself to the Theoi. Then do that, present yourself to the Theoi and ask to be placed under Their protection instead. This way, proper respect is show for all involved and it should be easier for you to fully emerce yourself in Hellenismos.

• Sunday, September 27, 2015
  Hellenic Reconstruction Nyx personal Protogenoi Question Collections Post requested post

The Beginner's guide to Hellenismos: Generations of Gods

Today's topic for the 'Beginner's guide to Hellenismos' is geneology, and specifically the generations of Gods and how we relate to them in our modern worship. The ancient Hellenic philosophers and mythographers were in agreement that the Gods created the universe--or are the universe itself. There are many variations of the divine family tree, and in the ancient writings, there are also creation stories that range beyond this basic framework. When Hesiod wrote his Theogony, he was adament about the sequence the Gods appeared from Khaos. Within the nothingness, Khaos appeared, then Gaia as the earth Herself, the Tartaros and Eros. The Gods and Godesses who rule over the cycle of night and day followed after and then, slowly, the earth itself took shape. The pre-Olypic and Olympic deities came into being. the universe as we know it was born.

Roughly divided, all our Gods and heroes (who were often raised up to become Gods in their own right) fit into five generational categories. These are the:

• Protogenoi
• Uranides
• Titanes
• Olympic Gods
• Heroes/deified mortals

The Protogenoi are the Gods from which the universe is made. They are Gods like Khaos, Gaia, Ouranos, and Nyx. In general, these Theoi are more abstract and less defined than, say, the Olympians. They are cruder, more powerful Gods who, together, form the tapistry of earth and life. We simply could not live without Them as They are the air we breath, the earth we walk on, the water we drink and the death that eventually lays us to rest. and yet, neither we, nor the ancient Hellenes revered them often. They are distant and hav very little to do with the individual's lifecycle.

The Uranides formed the world created by the Protogenoi into the world we know now. They are the children of the Protogenoi and They are in charge of  more specific domains. They give us the constellations, intellect, light, memory, navigation, and many other things without which we simply would not be able to live the life we live. Like the Protogenoi, these Gods make up the tapestry of the universe and did not recieve much direct worship in state festivals.

The Titanes are Gods with whom we are more familiar. They are Helios, Hekate, Lêtô, Selênê and many others. This is the first generation of Gods we are more familiar with by name than function--and also the first generation whose names don't always directly relate to the domains they are familiar with, although we know them through mythology. Lêtô, for example, is identified as the Goddess of motherhood and protectress of the young while we mostly know her as mother of Apollon and Artemis. These Gods often times--but not always--recieved individual worship and were sometimes included in state festivals. They feature in mythology and possess well-rounded personalities that we know (unlike, say, the Protogenoi).

We all know the Olympic Gods. They are the Gods we worship most. They are also the sole 'generation' of Gods who span two generations: they are the children of the Uranides (like the Titanes), and the children of the Olympians. Zeus and His brothers and sisters for example, were born from Rhea and Kronos (both Uranides), but Their children (Hēphaistos, Artemis, Apollon, etc.) are also counted amongst the Olympians. In general, if a Gods is said to reside on Mount Olympos, They are known as an Olympic God. Alternatively--or perhaps erroneously--the Olpmpic Gods are interpreted to be solely the Dodekatheon, the Twelve Olympians who ruled over humanity and the Gods from the top of the mountain. The most canonical version of the Dodekatheon is: Aphrodite, Apollon, Ares, Artemis, Athena, Demeter, Hēphaistos, Hera, Hermes, Hestia, Poseidon, and Zeus. Theoi who were held in high regard in a certain city-state would have held the thrones, according to the people who lived in that city-state, and many different Gods have been counted amongst the Dodekatheon over the centuries. Needless to say, most (state) worship in ancient times focussed on the Olympians.

The heroes of Hellenismos recieve(d) quite a bit of worship. Many heroes were local ones, but we have all heard of Hēraklēs, of Perseus and Theseus, of Atalanta and Odysseus. These heroes represent the most powerful, most virtuoes of all humans and teach us the qualities the Theoi enjoy seeing in us. Many of these heroes were fathered (and sometimes mothered) by the divine and they are thus part of the divine line. In fact, the heroes can be counted amongst the Olympians.

While the main body of our worship focusses on the Olympians, the Olympians did not come to power in a vacuum. The Old Gods presided over the building blocks of the previous generation, like the Olypmians preside over the building blocks of all three. Looking over the list, it's easy to trace the domains of the Olympians back to their predecessors--or even the God or Goddess They hold sway over directly. While the Olympian generation of Gods rule our daily lives, They operate in the framework of the Titans, the Uranides and the Protogenoi. These intricate lines built a web that is of vital importance to see in order to understand not only Hellenic mythology but also the Gods themselves.

Take, for example, light. Light allows us to see, the sun that provides it gives us heat and makes it possible to grow crops. Without light, there would be no life, so let's trace the concept of light through these generations:

• Protogenoi: In Ancient Hellenic literature, Ouranos is the son and husband of Gaia. In some versions of geneology, Aether, God of Light is his father. He Himself is God of the sky.
• Uranides: Hyperion is the God of light, father of Helios, son of Ouranos. Theia, Helios' mother, incidentally, is the Goddess of sight. It is interesting to note that the ancient Hellenes believed that light came from the eyes, so that the eyes allowed us to see what's in front of us. Sight.
• Titanes: Helios is generally considered the God of the sun--either as the sun itself or as the driver of the chariot that guides the sun across the sky dome every day. Hyperion is His father.
• Olympians: by Hellenistic times Apollon had become closely connected with the sun in cult. and in his epithet 'Phoibos' He became the shining one, the God to thank for the light.
• Heroes: there are many heroes who were involved with the sun in some way to remind us of this fact. Take Phaëton, son of Helios, who attempted to drive his father's chariot but lost control and set the earth on fire.

Save for Apollon (but He is included because He was/is so often conflated with Helios), all of these Gods are related. Their domains are related. Their tasks become more focussed, specialized, specific, but all their domains are on the same tree--the same subject: light and all it does. It's also interesting to note that in some versions of genealogy, the Horae (seasons) are said to be the children of Helios.

We see this tracing of domains through the generations a lot in Hellenic mythology, if not in family line then in a system where abstract concepts are passed down to younger Gods in a more specialized version. For example, Uranides Iapetos (God of the mortal life-span) and His son Menoitios (God of violent anger and rash action), Titanes Pallas (God of warcraft and the Hellenic campaign season of late spring and early summer), and Olympians Ares and Athena were all involved with warfare, although the act became more and more defined through the generations.

When we pray for something in a specific domain, we often focus on the Olympians who rule over it. Logical, as They seem to have taken over these tasks from the older generations. Yet, there is value in looking beyond the Olympians on ocassion, if only to understand better how these domains influence our lives. This is why it is worth the effort investing time in genealogy.

• Wednesday, June 24, 2015
  beginners guide genealogy Mythology 101 Olympic Gods Protogenoi Titanes

'How should I spell the olympian gods' names in ancient Greek?'

There are a huge number of Gods, Titans, and other figures to name, so let me suffice by putting together a list of the 'major' Gods, Titans, and Heroes, and referring you to Wikipedia and/or theoi.com for the rest.

Protogenoi

• Aether (Αἰθήρ, Aithḗr,'Light')
• Ananke (Ἀνάγκη, Anánkē, 'Fate' or 'Compulsion')
• Erebos (Ἔρεβος, Érebos, 'Darkness')
• Eros (Ἔρως, Eros, 'Desire' or 'Love')
• Gaea (Γαῖα, Gaîa, 'Earth')
• Hemera (Ἡμέρα, Hēméra, 'Day')
• Hydros (Ὑδρος, Hydros, 'Primordial Waters')
• Hypnos (Ὕπνος, Hypnos, 'Sleep')
• Khaos (χάος, Cháos, 'Chaos' or 'Air')
• Khronos (Χρόνος, Chrónos, 'Time')
• Nêsoi (Νησοι, Nē̂soi, 'Islands')
• Nyx (Νύξ, Nýx, 'Night')
• Ôkeanos (Ωκεανος, 'Water')
• Ouranos (Οὐρανός, Ouranós, 'Sky')
• Ourea (Oὔρεα, Oúrea, 'Mountains')
• Phanes (Φάνης, Phánēs, 'Procreation')
• Pontos (Πόντος, Póntus, 'Sea')
• Phusis (φύσις, 'Nature')
• Tartaros (Τάρταρος, Tártaros)
• Thalassa (Θάλασσα, Thálassa, 'Sea')
• Thanatos (Θάνατος, Thánatos, 'Death')
• Thesis (Θεσις, Thesis, 'Creation')

Uranides

• Atlas (Ατλας, God of astronomy and navigation)
• Epimetheus (Επιμηθευς, God of afterthought)
• Hyperion (Ὑπεριων, God of Light)
• Iapetos (Ιαπετος, God of the mortal life-span)
• Koios (Κοιος, God of the inquisitive mind)
• Krios (Κριως, God of the constellations)
• Kronus (Κρονος, who rules of time and the ages)
• Okeanos (Ωκεανος, God of the great earth-encircling river Okeanos, the font of all the earth's fresh-water)
• Phoebe (Φοιβη, Goddess of intellect)
• Prometheus (Προμηθευς, God of forethought and crafty counsel)
• Rhea (Ρεα, Goddess of female fertility and the wild mountains)
• Tethys (Τηθυς, Goddess of nursing and of the underground sources of fresh-water)
• Theia (Θεια, Goddess of sight and precious gemstones)
• Themis (Θεμις, Goddess of natural order, divine law and tradition)
• Menoitios (Μενοιτιος, God of violent anger and rash action)
• Mnemosyne (Μνημοσυνη, Goddess of memory, words and language)

Titanes

• Ankhialê (Αγχιαλη, Goddess of the warming heat of fire)
• Asteria (Αστερια,Ggoddess of the oracles and prophecies of night)
• Astraios (Αστραιος, God of the stars and planets, and the art of astrology)
• Aura (Αυρα, Goddess of the breeze and the fresh, cool air of early morning)
• Klymenê (Κλυμηνη, goddess of renown, fame and infamy)
• Diônê (Διωνη, Goddess of the oracle of Dodona)
• Êôs (Ηως, Goddess of dawn)
• Eurybia (Ευρυβια, Goddess of the mastery of the seas)
• Eurynomê (Ευρυνομη, Goddess of water-meadows and pasturelands)
• Helios (Ἡλιος, God of the sun, oaths and sight)
• Hekatê (Ἑκατη, goddess of (the protection against) magic, witchcraft, the night, moon, ghosts and necromancy)
• Lêlantos (Ληλαντος, God of air and stalking prey)
• Lêtô (Λητω, Goddess of motherhood and protectress of the young)
• Melisseus (Μελισσευς, God of honey)
• Mêtis (Μητις, Goddess of good counsel, advise, planning, cunning, craftiness and wisdom)
• The (Elder) Mousai (Μουσαι, Goddesses of music)
• Pallas (Παλλας, God of warcraft and the Greek campaign season of late spring and early summer)
• Persaios (Περσαιος, God of destruction)
• Phorkys (Φορκυς, God who presides over the hidden dangers of the deep sea)
• Selênê (Σεληνη, Goddess of the moon)
• Styx (Στυξ, Goddess of the Underworld River Styx and of hatred)

Olympic Gods

• Aphrodite (Ἀφροδίτη, Aphroditē)
• Apollo (Ἀπόλλων, Apóllōn)
• Ares (Ἄρης, Árēs)
• Artemis (Ἄρτεμις, Ártemis)
• Athena (Ἀθηνᾶ, Athēnâ)
• Demeter (Δημήτηρ, Dēmētēr)
• Dionysus (Διόνυσος, Diónysos)
• Hades (ᾍδης, Hádēs) / Pluton (Πλούτων, Ploutōn)
• Hephaestus (Ἥφαιστος, Hḗphaistos)
• Hera (Ἥρα, Hḗra)
• Hermes (Ἑρμῆς, Hērmēs)
• Hestia (Ἑστία, Hestía)
• Poseidon (Ποσειδῶν, Poseidōn) 
• Zeus (Ζεύς, Zeus) 

Heroes/deified mortals

• Achilles (Ἀχιλλεύς, hero of the Trojan War)
• Andromeda (Ἀνδρομέδα, Androméda, wife of Perseus)
• Ariadne (Αριάδνη, a Cretan princess, wife of Dionysus)
• Asklepios (Ἀσκληπιός, Thessalian physician made God of Healing)
• Atalanta (Ἀταλάντη, Atalantē, slayer of the Kalydonian Boar)
• Bellerophon (Βελλεροφῶν, hero who rode Pegasos)
• Daedalos (Δαίδαλος, skillful craftsman and artist, father of Íkaros (Ἴκαρος))
• The Dioscuri (Διόσκουροι, divine twins: Kastor (Κάστωρ) and Polydeukes (Πολυδεύκης))
• Ganymede (Γανυμήδης, cup-bearer of the Gods)
• Herakles (Ἡρακλῆς, ascended hero)
• Jason (Ἰάσων, Iásōn, leader of the Argonautai (Ἀργοναῦται))
• Odysseus (Ὀδυσσεύς, hero of the Odysseia)
• Orpheus (Ὀρφεύς, legendary musician, poet, and prophet)
• Perseus (Περσεύς, first of the heroes of Hellenic mythology)
• Psyche (Ψυχή, Goddess of the Soul)
• Theseus (Θησεύς, founder-king of Athens)

• Saturday, July 5, 2014
  Hellenismos 101 Heroes Mythology 101 Protogenoi requested post Titanes

On the Old Gods of Hellenismos

When Hesiod wrote his Theogony, he was adament about the sequence the Gods appeared from Khaos. He knew the generations of Gods that came before the Olympians, and respected Them for being in that line.

"Verily at the first Chaos came to be, but next wide-bosomed Earth, the ever-sure foundations of all the deathless ones who hold the peaks of snowy Olympus, and dim Tartarus in the depth of the wide-pathed Earth, and Eros (Love), fairest among the deathless gods, who unnerves the limbs and overcomes the mind and wise counsels of all gods and all men within them. From Chaos came forth Erebus and black Night; but of Night were born Aether and Day, whom she conceived and bare from union in love with Erebus. And Earth first bare starry Heaven, equal to herself, to cover her on every side, and to be an ever-sure abiding-place for the blessed gods. And she brought forth long Hills, graceful haunts of the goddess-Nymphs who dwell amongst the glens of the hills. She bare also the fruitless deep with his raging swell, Pontus, without sweet union of love. But afterwards she lay with Heaven and bare deep-swirling Oceanus, Coeus and Crius and Hyperion and Iapetus, Theia and Rhea, Themis and Mnemosyne and gold-crowned Phoebe and lovely Tethys. After them was born Cronos the wily, youngest and most terrible of her children, and he hated his lusty sire.

[...] But Rhea was subject in love to Cronos and bare splendid children, Hestia, Demeter, and gold-shod Hera and strong Hades, pitiless in heart, who dwells under the earth, and the loud-crashing Earth-Shaker, and wise Zeus, father of gods and men, by whose thunder the wide earth is shaken. These great Cronos swallowed as each came forth from the womb to his mother's knees with this intent, that no other of the proud sons of Heaven should hold the kingly office amongst the deathless gods. For he learned from Earth and starry Heaven that he was destined to be overcome by his own son, strong though he was, through the contriving of great Zeus."

There are about fourty names inbetween those two parts, but for this post, I wanted to focus on these: the ancient Gods that make up our universe--the pre-Olympians. Yesterday, Facebook brought me a wonderful discussion about Them, and I discovered that not everyone realizes the importance the pre-Olympian Gods have on our world. Contrary to the Olympians, the pre-Olympians are actually of the world; They, together, form the tapistry of earth and life. They literally make up our universe.

The Protogenoi (Πρωτογενοι) are the First Born Deities of the Hellenic Kosmos. They are the building blocks of the universe, primordial Deities. The Protogenoi we know of are: Aether (Αἰθήρ, 'Light'), Ananke (Ἀνάγκη, 'Fate' or 'Compulsion'), Khronos (Χρόνος, 'Time'), Erebos (Ἔρεβος, 'Darkness'), Eros (Ἔρως, 'Desire' or 'Love'), Gaea (Γαῖα, 'Earth'), Hemera (Ἡμέρα, 'Day'), Hydros (Ὑδρος, 'Primordial Waters'), Khaos (χάος, 'Chaos' or 'Air'), Nêsoi (Νησοι, 'Islands'), Nyx (Νύξ, 'Night'), Ôkeanos (Ωκεανος, 'Water'), Ourea (Oὔρεα, 'Mountains'), Phanes (Φάνης 'Procreation'), Pontos (Πόντος, 'Sea'), Phusis (φύσις, 'Nature'), Tartaros (Τάρταρος), Thalassa (Θάλασσα, 'Sea'), Thesis (Θεσις, 'Creation'), Uranos (Οὐρανός, 'Sky').

Then came the Titanes Gods (Τιτανες Θεοι): the twelve Uranides; Kronus (Κρονος, who rules of time and the ages), Okeanos (Ωκεανος, God of the great earth-encircling river Okeanos, the font of all the earth's fresh-water), Iapetos (Ιαπετος, God of the mortal life-span), Hyperion (Ὑπεριων, God of Light), Krios (Κριως, God of the constellations), Koios (Κοιος, God of the inquisitive mind), Rhea (Ρεα, Goddess of female fertility and the wild mountains), Tethys (Τηθυς, Goddess of nursing and of the underground sources of fresh-water), Theia (Θεια, Goddess of sight and precious gemstones), Phoebe (Φοιβη, Goddess of intellect), Themis (Θεμις, Goddess of natural order, divine law and tradition) and Mnemosyne (Μνημοσυνη, Goddess of memory, words and language), and the four Iapetionides; Atlas (Ατλας, God of astronomy and navigation), Prometheus (Προμηθευς, God of forethought and crafty counsel), Epimetheus (Επιμηθευς, God of afterthought) and Menoitios (Μενοιτιος, God of violent anger and rash action).

Another generation down are other Titanes: Ankhialê (Αγχιαλη, Goddess of the warming heat of fire), Asteria (Αστερια,Ggoddess of the oracles and prophecies of night), Astraios (Αστραιος, God of the stars and planets, and the art of astrology), Aura (Αυρα, Goddess of the breeze and the fresh, cool air of early morning), Klymenê (Κλυμηνη, goddess of renown, fame and infamy), Diônê (Διωνη, Goddess of the oracle of Dodona), Êôs (Ηως, Goddess of dawn), Eurybia (Ευρυβια, Goddess of the mastery of the seas), Eurynomê (Ευρυνομη, Goddess of water-meadows and pasturelands), Helios (Ἡλιος, God of the sun, oaths and sight), Hekatê (Ἑκατη, goddess of (the protection against) magic, witchcraft, the night, moon, ghosts and necromancy), Lêlantos (Ληλαντος, God of air and stalking prey), Lêtô (Λητω, Goddess of motherhood and protectress of the young), Melisseus (Μελισσευς, God of honey), Mêtis (Μητις, Goddess of good counsel, advise, planning, cunning, craftiness and wisdom), the (Elder) Mousai (Μουσαι, Goddesses of music), Pallas (Παλλας, God of warcraft and the Greek campaign season of late spring and early summer), Persaios (Περσαιος, God of destruction), Phorkys (Φορκυς, God who presides over the hidden dangers of the deep sea), Selênê (Σεληνη, Goddess of the moon), and Styx (Στυξ, Goddess of the Underworld River Styx and of hatred).

Many of these presided over the building blocks of the previous generation, like the Olypmians preside over the building blocks of all three. Looking over the list, it's easy to trace the domains of the Olympians back to their predecessors--or even the God or Goddess They hold sway over directly.

The Olympians did not come to power in a vacuum, and I think to banish all who came before from your worldview and religious life is a disservice not to just the Protogenoi and Titanes, but the Olympians as well. The Old Gods are just as Deathless, just as present, as the Olympians. They are more passive, surely, than the Olympians, but no less worthy of honor for making this world such a beautiful place to live in. They don't have festivals, and They recieve less honor than the Olympians, but when I look at Helios, I thank Him for His warmth and for the growth of the crops, when I look at the starry dome of the night's sky, I remember that without Ouranos, we would have no atmosphere (modern scientific interpretation alert) to breath. While the Olympian generation of Gods rules my daily life, They operate in the framework of the Titans and the Protogenoi. Do I honor all of them regularly? No, defintely not, but some of them? Yes. Most certainly.

• Wednesday, October 16, 2013
  ancient Hellenic culture daily practice genealogy Hekate Hēlios Hellenismos 101 Mythology 101 Protogenoi Selene Titanes

PBP: Protogenoi (Πρωτογενοι)

The Protogenoi (Πρωτογενοι) are the First Born Deities of the Hellenic Kosmos. They are the building blocks of the universe, primordial Deities. I have written before about Them, in a post about genealogy of the Gods.

The Protogenoi we know of are: Aether (Αἰθήρ, 'Light'), Ananke (Ἀνάγκη, 'Fate' or 'Compulsion'), Khronos (Χρόνος, 'Time'), Erebos (Ἔρεβος, 'Darkness'), Eros (Ἔρως, 'Desire' or 'Love'), Gaea (Γαῖα, 'Earth'), Hemera (Ἡμέρα, 'Day'), Hydros (Ὑδρος, 'Primordial Waters'), Khaos (χάος, 'Chaos' or 'Air'), Nêsoi (Νησοι, 'Islands'), Nyx (Νύξ, 'Night'), Ôkeanos (Ωκεανος, 'Water'), Ourea (Oὔρεα, 'Mountains'), Phanes (Φάνης 'Procreation'), Pontos (Πόντος, 'Sea'), Phusis (φύσις, 'Nature'), Tartaros (Τάρταρος), Thalassa (Θάλασσα, 'Sea'), Thesis (Θεσις, 'Creation'), Uranos (Οὐρανός, 'Sky').

As might have become apparently from the, previously mentioned, earlier published post; any mythology from this era is incredibly mucky. There are a few sources we can track the beginning of the universe to; because that is where the Protogenoi were born in--or from; the beginning of the universe. They are the embodiments of the aspects of life They are named after. Zeus may be Lord of the Sky, but the sky itself is a primordial Deity, distant from humanity but ever-present.

Hesiod, in his 'Theogony', writes:

"Verily at the first Chaos came to be, but next wide-bosomed Earth, the ever-sure foundations of all the deathless ones who hold the peaks of snowy Olympus, and dim Tartarus in the depth of the wide-pathed Earth, and Eros, fairest among the deathless gods, who unnerves the limbs and overcomes the mind and wise counsels of all gods and all men within them. From Chaos came forth Erebus and black Night; but of Night were born Aether and Day, whom she conceived and bare from union in love with Erebus. And Earth first bare starry Heaven, equal to herself, to cover her on every side, and to be an ever-sure abiding-place for the blessed gods. And she brought forth long Hills, graceful haunts of the goddess-Nymphs who dwell amongst the glens of the hills. She bare also the fruitless deep with his raging swell, Pontus, without sweet union of love."

And then there is another version out there, articulated best by playwright Aristophanes in 'The Birds':

"At the start, there was Chaos, and Night, and pitch-black Erebus, and spacious Tartarus. There was no earth, no heaven, no atmosphere. Then in the wide womb of Erebus, that boundless space, black-winged Night, first creature born, made pregnant by the wind, once laid an egg. 

It hatched, when seasons came around, and out of it sprang Love—the source of all desire, on his back the glitter of his golden wings, just like the swirling whirlwind. In broad Tartarus, Love had sex with murky Chaos. From them our race was born—our first glimpse of the light.

         Before that there was no immortal race at all, not before Love mixed all things up. But once they’d bred and blended in with one another, Heaven was born, Ocean and Earth—and all that clan of deathless Gods."

Within Hellenismos, the Protogenoi are not often mentioned or worshipped. Eros and Gaea may receive honorable mention on occasion but the Olympians have much more sway. The Protogenoi are specialists, beings of one base component of life. They hold sway over these and, when roused, They wield terrible power, without regard of those who are in the way, be they Gods, Demi-Gods or mortals. The Olympians are (besides Hermes) moral Deities; They wield Their power thoughtfully. The Protogenoi are too ancient, too huge, to hold back Their power and take into account our little race of mortals. I suspect that therefor the Protogenoi are appeased more often than worshipped, if thought of at all in a ritual setting. 

I'm fascinated with the Protogenoi. If I ever founded (or revived? Were there cults for the Protogenoi?) a Mystery Cult, it would be for the Protogenoi. I won't do this without considerable research, however, and on most days I doubt I would have the courage to do so anyway.

The true nature of the Protogenoi is shrouded by time. Much of their mysteries were lost. Yet, they, too, are part of the Hellenic pantheon. They, too, hold sway over the universe. Deities like this should not be forgotten, and they should most certainly never be ignored.

• Friday, August 10, 2012
  genealogy Hesiod Mythology 101 Pagan Blog Project Protogenoi Theogony