Khernips masterpost

I was requested to write a sort of 'khernips masterpost', so here we are. Because the concept of khernips is so linked to ritual purification--because khernips is the method through which we become ritually clean--we will also discuss the practice of katharmos and the notion of ritual pollution: miasma.

Within Hellenic practice, miasma describes the lingering aura of uncleanliness in regards to a person or space through which contact is made with the Gods. Miasma occurs whenever the space or person comes into contact with death, sickness, birth, sex, excessive negative emotions and bodily fluids. It also comes from a lack of contact with the Hellenic Gods. Not the actual acts of dying, sex and birth cause miasma but the opening up of the way to the Underworld (with births and deaths) as well as contact with sweat, blood, semen, menstrual blood and urine pollutes us. Miasma is an incredibly complicated and involved practice and it's often misunderstood. The most important things to remember about miasma is that it holds no judgment from the Gods, and that everyone attracts miasma. It's a mortal, human, thing.

The practice of purification is called katharmos (Καθαρμός). The process of katharmos is elaborate because the process not only involves the physical but also the emotional, mental and spiritual. In modern practice, it usually starts with a shower, but this is not a historic necessity. Step two is the preparation and use of khernips. Beyond the practical, there is a large mental component to katharmos. It means leaving behind negativity, worry, pain and trouble before getting in contact with the Gods.

The greatest barrier in understanding miasma and katharmos, to me, is our modern frame of mind. On the one hand, we know too much about personal hygiene, about the human body and about science as a whole, on the other hand religion has become something separate from life in general. As a result, we colour ancient Hellas with our 'hygiene brush'. Secondly, not everyone has faith, our society does no longer revolve around it, and as a result, we--as modern religious people--struggle for a mindset of simple, all-encompassing, unquestionable worship. There might be a few remnants of 'Original Sin Thinking' lodged in there as well.

After a lot of research into the workings of miasma, I have come to the conclusion that miasma is linked to distraction. Anything that takes your mind off of the Gods during ritual can be considered miasmic. For example, the ancient Hellenes agreed that murder causes miasma (when not committed as part of a war, soldiers were not tainted with miasma for killing their enemies), but only once other people became aware of the fact that you had committed an act of murder. As such, if you were exiled and you travelled to another town where no one knew what you had done, in essence, you were not miamic to the rites and people around you.

We all incur miasma, every single day of our lives. It has nothing to do with sin, shame or guilt. Miasma is a consequence of living. We breath, make decisions, come in contact with others, and along the way, we become too human--for lack of a better term--to petition the Gods. The divide between the purity and cleanliness of the Theoi and our human mortality and imperfection keeps us away from Them. Miasma is not about being physically dirty, although that is a part of it, and katharmos is not about becoming physically clean, although that is a part of it as well. Katharmos is devotional. It not only helps you get in a ritualistic mood, it prepares the room and your body for it. Even if you do not understand the use, it's a vital part of Hellenistic worship.

Khernips are the traditional way to cleanse yourself from miasma. As far as basic information goes,
khernips is created by dropping smoldering incense or herb leaves into water. When throwing in the lit item, one can utter ‘xerniptosai’ (pronounced 'zer-nip-TOS-aye-ee') which translates as ‘be purified’. Both hands are washed with khernips and you can wash the face as well. The vessel holding the khernips is called a khernibeionas (Χερνῐβεῖον).

Artwork has taught us that khernips was often applied just outside the temenos, with hands being washed in a bowl or water poured out of a jug while the supplicant washed their hands. The water was collected from a moving source of water, which could be a natural spring, a river, or even the sea. Moving water was considered sacred, and often viewed as an extension of the body of a stream/river/sea God(dess). For my video tutorial on how to prepare and apply khernips, go here.

As with anything concerning miasma, most books on ancient Hellas and/or Hellenic religion don't mention khernips at all, or under a synonym. As with miasma, I am going to assume this is because the evidence of its existance is so flimsy besides a resounding 'it was used and important'. My rather vast collection of scholarly material is silent on any details beyond the basic information already provided. As such, I am forced to speculate based upon what I know.

Personally, I tend to mix tap water with sea water into a large vessel from which I take a measure every evening to use throughout the day. I drop the smoldering firebrand (a match when traveling, a bit of burning wood or herbs when home) into the measure poured our, not the vessel itself. So, in short, I prepare the base in advance but the actual mixture on the spot. I only use one measure one day, after that, I dip it out onto the earth and replace it with a fresh batch before my evening rituals.

Khernips is important, and it's important they are properly prepared, but in the large scheme of things, I feel it's more important you actually perform the ritualistic motions without a specific part of it than skipping it altogether. So, no, you can't make khernips without dropping something smouldering in, but that doesn't mean you can't wash before ritual and improvise a little. Drop herbs into the water and wash with that, drop essential oils in it, if you don't have herbs. Find something to make the water special, and then use it to cleanse yourself. Just go through the motions and focus on the rites ahead. That is its function and it should be used as such.

• Monday, May 16, 2016
  ancient Hellenic culture Hellenic Reconstruction Hellenismos 101 katharmos khernibeionas khernips requested post

PBP: Urns, amphorae, and vases

It's time for another Pagan Blog Project post, and we're starting the 'U's. Great, except for the fact that there is no letter 'U' in the Greek alphabet. So, I have done some creative scrabbling and this is the result, a non-exhaustive listing of the various pottery shapes as used in ancient Greece. None of them is actually called an urn, but who cares, right?

Because of its durability, pottery fragments are one of the few things that have survived from all ages of ancient Hellas. They are a staple of archeological finds and provide us with some of the most wholesome information on ancient Hellenic life. Yet, today, the focus will not be on the images on these vases, but on the shapes and types of vases, because all had a specific purpose, and many of them tied into religious ceremonies, important life events and Hellenic ethics.

Amphoreus (ἀμφορεύς): basic amphorae were the bread and butter of the pottery world. They were used throughout the whole of the Hellenic reign for transporting and storing grapes, olive oil, wine, oil, olives, grain, fish, and other commodities during transport, at stores and at home. The basic amphoreus shape is called a 'belly amphoreus', because of the oval body with a continuous profile from the lip to the foot and two handles.

The neck amphoreus is a variation of the belly amphoreus which has an oval body, a offset neck with a thick mouth, two vertical handles and a heavy stand. The main difference between the 'belly' amphoreus and the 'neck' amphoreus, is that on the neck amphoreus, the handles are attached to the neck, which is separated from the belly by an angular carination.

There are many types of amphorae, including a two pointed versions, which need a stand to remain upright; a 'belly' amphoreus type and the 'neck' transport amphoreus, which doesn't have a foot, but a little ball on the underside. It was easy to stack them for long sea or cart voyages. Alternatively, they could be buried in the ground.

Another special shape is the Panathenaic amphoreus. This amphoreus is a 'neck' amphoreus, used solely as a price for winning the Panathenaic games. It contained olive oil from Athena's sacred grove at Akademia. The inscription read: 'τον αθενεθεν αθλον' (one of the prizes from Athens). The Panathenaia ta Megala, which was held every four years, added games to the yearly Panathenaia ta Mika, so the panathenaic amphorae were only given out once every four years.

Pelike (πελίκη): the pelike is a special type of belly amphoreus, with the belly placed lower, so that the widest point of the vessel is near its bottom.

Volute krater ( krater = κρατήρ): As I have mentioned before, in the post about taboos, drinking pure wine was considered a barbaric act by the ancient Hellens. As a result, they usually drank wine mixed with water. All 'kraters' are mixing bowls. The name comes from the word 'kerannmi': 'to mix'. The krater is named after the shape of the handles, which--for the volute--are in the form of a spiral with flanged sides rising from loops on the shoulder to above to the rim.

Drinking was usually done by men at a symposion (συμπόσιον). At the beginning of each symposion, someone was put in charge of mixing the wine and keeping an eye on the servants who served it to the participants. Keeping track of the level of inebriation, and adjusting the wine mixture accordingly was a fine art, and a good symposiarch (συμποσίαρχος) was invaluable and highly respected.

Calyx krater: A calyx krater differs from the basic krater shape, but not in its purpose. It has a deep body, with the lower part convex, and the upper part slightly concave. It rests on a heavy stand and has handles which are set at the top of the lower part, which curve upward. It's the only basic krater shape where the handles don't reach, or top, the rim.

Column krater: the column krater has a round body, a offset neck with a thick lip and a heavy stand. Each handle consists of a pair of cylindrical stems ending in a horizontal block joined to the rim. In short, the handles look like the tops of the columns holding up ancient Hellenic temples.

Bell krater: bell kraters, obviously, have a bell shaped body. They have loop handles placed high on the body, which curve slightly upward. The krater rests on a heavy stand. 

Loutrophoros (λουτροφόρος): a type of belly amphoreus which is characterized by an elongated neck with two handles. It was used to hold water during marriage and funeral rituals, and was placed in the tombs of the unmarried.

Stamnos: a stamnos is a bit of a mix between an amphoreus and a krater. It is much squatter than an amphoreus and has two stubby handles relatively high on its sides. It was used to store liquids, which were usually already mixed. From what I can tell, the stamnos wasn't a shape that was used much.

Psykter (ψυκτήρ): a psykter has a bulbous body set on a high, narrow foot. It was filled with (mixed) wine and placed inside a krater, in which is was created to fit. The krater was filled with cold water. In essence, a psykter served as a cooler, and was aptly named after the word 'psyko': 'cool'.

Hydria: hydriai were water carriers; their name is taken from the word 'hydor': 'water'. A regular hydria has an oval body, offset neck with round mouth, a vertical handle at the back, used for carrying, and two horizontal handles at the sides, used for lifting. Interestingly enough, they often depicted scenes out of Greek mythology that reflected moral and social obligations. 

A variation of the hydria is called the kalpis. It has a round body, three handles, like the hydria, and a continuous curve from the lip to the foot. The name 'kalpis' was used interchangeably with 'hydria' and modern scholars applied them with either shapes. The difference lies in the 'neck' and 'belly' issue, like with the amphoreus. The Hydria has the 'neck' and the kalpis the 'belly'.

Lebes gamikos: in form, it has a large bowl-like body and a stand that can be long or short. It has an M-shaped handle on either side, and a lid with a knob. It was used in marriage processions and rituals, most likely to sprinkle water on the bride before the wedding. I suspect this was also the type of vessel used as a khernibeionas.

Lebes: A lebes is a large bowl, without a foot, and without handles. It needed a tripod to stand on. The name can be translated as 'cauldron'. It was used mostly as a mixing bowl in food preparation. Herodotos describes a lebes made of bronze which was given out as a prize for athletic accomplishments during competitions.

Lekythos (λήκυθος): lekythoi were used for storing oil. It has a narrow body and one handle attached to the neck of the vessel. They were used for anointing dead bodies of unmarried men and many lekythoi are found in tombs.

Squat lekythos: squat lekythoi served the same purpose as the regular lekythos, but were of a different size. It has round, squat, body and offset neck with a heavy mouth and a handle. In later times, these squat lekythoi were preferred over the larger, regular, lekythoi, because they were easier to handle.

A variation of the squat lekythos is the acorn lekythos. It has a tall, slightly squat, body with a relief dot ornament on the lower part, which makes the jug look like an acorn. It has a tall neck with heavy mouth, a vertical handle and a heavy stand.

Oinochoe (οἰνοχόη): a oinochoe is a jug, used to pour pretty much anything, but was mostly used for wine. There are ten basic types, four which vary in handles (one with a curly pouring handle, attached to the rim, one with a short handle, attached to the rim, one with a low handle, which was called a 'chous'--which was given to the children who joined in 'Anthesteria' festival, which celebrated the harvest of wine--and one with a high handle), two slender ones (one with  a short handle and one with a high handle), two with a protruding sprout (one with an elongated sprout and one with an upwards sprout), one with a squat body, and one a circle ornament on the either side of the mouth. An older form of the oinochoe is the olpe (ὀλπή) and has an S-shaped profile from head to foot.

There are also oinochoe which look more like mugs, either with a handle and sprout, or without either. There is also a version with a slightly higher body than the other two mugs, but without a handle and sprout.

Kantharos (κάνθαρος): a kantharos is a drinking cup with two, high, ears. Like their similarly shaped brothers kylixes (see below), they are heavily decorated, most notably on the inside of the cup. As these drinking cups were usually used at symposion, the scenes portrayed on these cups were usually decorated with scenes of a humorous, light-hearted, or sexual nature that would only become visible when the cup was drained.

Kylix (κύλιξ): a kylix is a drinking cup for wine, and there are a lot of different shapes. The kind I put up yesterday is one of two best known types, a 'type b', meaning that the cup and the foot are continuous, instead of the 'type a' cup, where there is a small divide between the cup and the stem.

There are several other types of kylixes with a foot. The komast cup, for example, is deeper than the standard kylix, and has a shorter stand. The siana cup has a higher lip than the komast cup, but is equally deep. The little master cup has a concave lip, and the gordion cup has a regular lip but is a little deeper than a little master cup, leaving it somewhere between a saina cup and a little master cup. The droop cup is a shallower version of the little master cup but with a thicker lip, the chalkidizing cup doesn't have a stem, and the merrythought cup has handles that are shaped like wishbones.

Stemless kylix: besides all these many forms, there is also a completely stemless kylix, which sits on a short stand. 

Skyphos (σκύφος): a skyphos is another drinking cup. There are two standards, the 'type a', with two horizontal handles, and a 'type b', with one horizontal handle and a vertical handle. Both types are stemless. There is only one 'type b' shape, but many 'type a' shapes. The korinthian skyphos comes from Korinth and has a handle on either side below the lip that doesn't curve upwards. The hermogenian skyphos is deeper and has two horizontal handles that curve upwards slightly. The heron skyphos is equally deep as the hermogenian skyphos, with equally curved handles, but the lip also extends a little outwards. The last type is the cup skyphos, which is a squatter, and shorter variant which is a hybrid between the skyphos and the kylix.

Aryballos (αρύβαλλο): after bathing, it was customary to rub the body with oil, which was then scraped off. In leu of a bath, the oil was still applied and scraped off, taking the sweat with it. For men, the oil that was used for this practice was saved in an aryballos, a small jug with a round body, a disk-shaped mouth and one or two handles.

Alabastron (ἀλάβαστρον): what the aryballos was to men, the alabastron was to women. It was a small jug, with a tall body, a round bottom and a small mouth. Most often, they have no handle, though it may have loops or ears made of string.

Pyxis (πυξίς): a pyxis is a box-shaped piece of pottery with a lid that is used for ointments and cosmetics. Its name was used by Greeks in Roman time for a box-shaped container, though there is no evidence to prove it was used in Classical period. There are various forms, some with tripods or a stand, other with a flat surface to stand on. What unifies them is the lid, which very few Hellenic pottery shapes have, and their purpose.

There are many other types of pottery from ancient Hellas, but this should give you a good idea of the various uses of certain types of items which could be found inside any Hellenic home. This post will mostly be used as a reference guide, and will be updated as new information come up about the use of these various shapes in religious or mundane rituals.

Image taken from: here.

• Friday, October 12, 2012
  ancient Hellenic culture khernibeionas Pagan Blog Project Panathenaia pottery symposion

An overview of my daily practice

Baring the Aegis is a little over a month old. This is post 42 and I'm caught up on the Pagan Blog Project so far. I'm running a bit behind with the Maxims but I don't want to spam you all too much with those. I will try to discuss one a week from now on, the next one coming on saturday. All in all, I'm very proud of what I've written so far. It's honest and I have managed to stay on-topic for most of it. It also feels really, really good to do.

As Baring the Aegis is one month old, that also means I've been Hellenistic for about a month. Much has changed in my practice. When I started out, I lamented that I would like to have a steadier daily practice and a higher percentage of practical application of my faith. Over the course of a month, this has definitely happened; I now spend at least half an hour a day in ritual. Of course, this is a 'perfect world' scenario but I manage to get at least the basics in every day.

For those of you interested in my actual practice, I shall list my daily workings.

When I get up, I shower and dress in my ritual wear. I put my hair up and pour yesterday's khernips into a temporary bowl. Then I lay out what I will need;

• my khernibeionas with my basic water mixture
• my little bottle with ethanol I use to burn offerings
• a hand towel to dry my hands and face after washing with the khernips
• the emptied bowl for my khernips
• offerings
• anything else I (might) need, including copies of the Orphic and Homeric hymns for quick reference

Next, I prepare the khernips, wash my hands and face and dry both. Then I sprinkle the room and shrine with the khernips and dry my hands again before setting both the towel and khernips away. Next, I offer barley on the shrine and in the bowl I use to burn offerings and recite Homeric Hymn 24 (to Hestia) before lighting Her candle and symbolically transferring Her flame from the electric candle I leave burning through the night to an actual candle. 

Flamekeeping in honor of Hestia isn't a prerequisite for Hellenismos; it's enough to light a fire for Her during ritual. Yet, I have always been drawn to flamekeeping and I did it (although not through the night) for Brighid. Flamekeeping, in this context, is the process of keeping a flame (or fire) burning in honor of a Deity with the idea that, as long as the candle burns, the God or Goddess in question is welcomed at the altar or shrine. It's a beautiful practice which requires devotion and creativity as it's unwise to let an actual flame burn when away from home or asleep. 

When Hestia's candle is lit, I add ethanol to the barley offering and use Hestia's flame to light the offering, adding Sandalwood incense to it while reciting Orphic Hymn 83 (to Hestia). I then offer some of my breakfast food to her and ask for Her aid and protection during the day. If it's a festival day, I will continue on with hymns and offerings to the Gods and Goddesses in charge of this month and then on to the actual festival, which usually means more hymns and offerings. 

Next, I light some incense for one of my three other household shrines in rotation; the one to Apollon, Hekate and Hermes, the one to the ancestors and Agathós Daímōn, or the one to Zeus Ktesios. I place this incense on those shrines, not on the main shrine, but I light them with Hestia's candle. I always add prayer for the Deities and spirits of these shrines and sometimes I include hymns. This service done, I clean up everything around the shrine, dispose of yesterday's khernips in my garden, wash my hands and face to get the salt off and dress in my daily clothes to get on with the day. I leave the burt offerings in the bowl as fuel for the next ones.

Before lunch and dinner, I offer bits of my meal to Hestia. If I eat something really special or which I really enjoy outside of these meals, I will offer some to Her as well (or, sometimes, if it relates more to another God or Goddess, I will offer those snacks to Them). If I'm not home for these meals, I will save a bit of it and offer it to Her as soon as I can. 

For these offerings, I wash my hands and take out my hand towel, some barley and the ethanol. I use the khernips I made in the morning to wash my hands and face and to cleanse the room and shrine. I add the barley to the offering bowl, add the food offering and ethanol and light it with fire taken from Hestia's flame while reciting Homeric Hymn 24 (to Hestia), which I very much know by heart now. Again, I clear everything away while leaving the left-over offerings in the bowl.

At night, after I brush my teeth and dress for bed, I return to my main shrine with the hand towel. I apply the khernips again to both hands and face, as well as the room and shrine. I clean out the offering bowl in the jar I use to gather all left-over offerings, used matches, burned charcoal blocks, etc. Any barley, salt or other ritual products that fall on the ground are added to this jar as well. Come Hekate's Deipnon, I will offer the contents of this jar to Her.

With the offering bowl clean, I recite Homeric Hymn 24 (to Hestia) again before symbolically transferring Hestia's flame from the candle to the electric light I use through the night. I use this time for prayer for a safe night and anything else I want to share with Hestia as well as any other God or or Goddess, unless it's a request for aid. I save those for the morning ritual. I place the electric flame in the offering bowl. Again, I clear everything away, wash my hands and face and then head to bed.

I do this every day and it gives me so much fulfillment and joy. It never feels like a burden and in all honestly, it only takes me an hour combined (and that includes a shower, teeth brushing, washing, etc.). If I have the time to stay at my shrine(s) longer, I will, but I am satisfied with the time I do get to spend.

I wonder if, when I read this back in a month or a year or ten years, I will grin at how much I didn't know back then and if I will still be doing anything like this. If that's the case, it means I have learned from my practice, that I haven't stopped studying and that I have created a daily practice which matches my life as will be, then. As I wrote the day before yesterday, religion is a process. With everything you learn, comes new inspiration and new practice. Right now, this is my practice and I enjoy it very, very much.

• Thursday, July 5, 2012
  Agathós Daímōn Apollon daily practice Hekate Hekate's Deipnon Hermes Hestia Homeric Hymns khernibeionas khernips miasma Orphic Hymns sacrifice Zeus Zeus Kthesios

PBP: Miasma, katharmos and preparing for the Gods

Way back when, when the medical world hadn't discovered how diseases like the plague, cholera and chlamydia spread, the spread of these diseases was contributed to miasma. Miasma (Μίασμα) literally means 'pollution' and although the theory concerning miasma and diseases was discredited, it still plays a vital role in Hellenismos.

Within Hellenic practice, miasma describes the lingering aura of uncleanliness in regards to a person or space through which contact is made with the Gods. Next to piety, being ritually clean is one of the most important things to adhere to within Hellenismos. Miasma occurs whenever the space or person comes into contact with death, sickness, birth, sex, excessive negative emotions and bodily fluids. It also comes from a lack of contact with the Hellenic Gods. As a note, I should say that not the actual acts of dying, sex and birth cause miasma but the opening up of the way to the Underworld (with births and deaths) as well as contact with sweat, blood, semen, menstrual blood and urine.

Miasma is an incredibly complicated and involved practice and it's often misunderstood--like karma. The most important things to remember about miasma is that it holds no judgement from the Gods, and that everyone attracts miasma. It's a mortal, human, thing.

In 'Works and Days', written by Hesiod, Hesiod addresses miasma and the reason for its removal as follows:

"Never omit to wash your hands before you pour to Zeus and to the other Gods the morning offering of sparkling wine; they will not hear your prayers but spit them back"

Our Gods are immortal and are sometimes called the Deathless Ones. It's our duty to uphold this sacred name by making sure no Gods but psychopomps come in contact with death even if it's through us. If we can not respect Their purity, They might be inclined to withhold Their gifts from us.

Before approaching the Gods, it's important within Hellenismos that miasma is removed. Historically, the practice of purification is called katharmos (Καθαρμός). The process of katharmos is elaborate because the process not only involves the physical but also the emotional, mental and spiritual.

The practice of katharmos historically starts with a bath (or shower, in modern times). Step two is the preparation and use of khernips (Χἐρνιψ). Khernips is created by dropping smoldering incense or herb leaves into (fresh and/or salt) water (preferably sacred spring water or sea water). When throwing in the lit item, one can utter ‘Xerniptosai’ (pronounced 'zer-nip-TOS-aye-ee') which translates as ‘Be purified’. Both hands and face are washed with khernips. The vessel holding the khernips is called a khernibeionas (Χερνῐβεῖον). For most modern day Hellenics, washing themselves with khernips is step three, seeing as they brush their teeth first, as the names of the Gods are spoken through the mouth.

Beyond the practical, there is a large mental component to katharmos. It means leaving behind negativity, worry, pain and trouble before getting in contact with the Gods. Miasma causes separation from the Gods but it's not (Original) Sin. It's not something that has to be forgiven by the Gods, except for perhaps miasma caused by murder. Miasma wears off by itself or through katharmos and it's something the practitioner has to deal with by him/herself. One may only petition the Gods with a clear mind, a clear conscience and a clean body.

The reason katharmos is as important to Hellenismos as it is, is because nearly everything in daily practice is directed at it. Study, meditation, divination, even magick. Most of it is performed to gain control over the mind and stave off self-inflicted miasma.

There are a lot of specific practices involved with katharmos; the pinning up of hair for women, sprinkling the temple area with a sprig of herbs or leaves suitable to the deity or ritual being performed, crying out ‘Hekas, hekas, este O bebeloi!’; the traditional cry of the Eleusinian Mysteries to banish any negative influence from the temple space, etc. These are important but not the main issue concerning miasma and katharmos; piety, applying khernips and regular study and meditation are far more important.

• Sunday, July 1, 2012
  ancient Hellenic culture daily practice Hellenismos 101 Hesiod katharmos khernibeionas khernips miasma Pagan Blog Project Works and Days