The Wild Hunt is Pandora's Kharis' Pyanepsion 2014 cause

After raising $171,- for the Pagan temple and convent 'Maetreum of Cybele', Pandora's Kharis has elected another Pagan initiative to raise money for. The Pyanepsion 2014 cause for Pandora's Kharis is Pagan news outlet The Wild Hunt.

The Wild Hunt is primary destination for those interested in following news relating and of interest to modern Pagan religions and other minority faiths. Founded by Jason Pitzl-Waters in 2004, The Wild Hunt has grown to become one of the most-visited and popular destinations exploring these topics. Recruited to Patheos.com in the Summer of 2011, The Wild Hunt decided to exist as an independent entity once more in the Summer of 2012. In addition, The Wild Hunt has now expanded into a media outlet with paid contributors and three paid staff members.

Every year, The Wild Hunt organises a Fall Funding Drive, and this year, they are asking for a base budget of $12,500 dollars to run for another year, and are hoping that supporters will help them not only meet this goal, but surpass it and allow them to do even more. $12,500 dollars will allow The Wild hunt to pay their hosting bills for another year, pay their staff, and cover other expenses related to running the website.

The Wild Hunt has a proven track record that stretches over nearly ten years, and over those years they've become an essential news source and inspired many to create their own media. They've interviewed big-name Pagans like Margot Adler and Starhawk, reported on controversies and inspirational moments that have affected our community deeply, and acted as a watchdog when the mainstream media reports on modern Pagans and other minority faith traditions. However, the commitment, time, and energy needed to make this sustainable can only happen if others in the community are willing to step forward and help them fund it.

You can now donate to Pandora's Kharis at baring.the.aegis@gmail.com or by clicking the 'donate' button to the side of the Pandora's Kharis website. Thank you in advance for any amount you can spare. It will matter. The deadline to donate is 24 October, 2014.

• Tuesday, October 7, 2014
  current affairs current events Elaion Paganism Pandora's Kharis

The Acropolis is crumbling... or is it?

We al know the Acropolis in Athens is not exactly being up kept well. Financial stress has brought with it budget cuts, leaving many ancient ruins in disrepair. The latest issue is falling rocks: engineers have discovered that part of a huge flat-topped rock on which the 2,500 year-old ancient Parthenon sits is starting to crumble. The Central Archaeological Council found 'instability over quite a considerable area' after it examined an area where a boulder of considerable size had tumbled on January third. The Greek government, however, has released a statement saying that the damage is not as extensive as it's made out to be.



The sanctuary of Asclepius, which is located on the south slope of the Acropolis,
has been covered to protect it from falling rocks [Credit: Ta Nea]

Researcher Dimitris Englezos outlined some of the problem areas and measures that are being considered when he addressed to the Central Archaeological Council. These include cleaning the slope and unhinging and refixing the unstable rocks at select locations, the construction of passive anchors and drainage holes.

According to the Archaeology News Network, the erosion problem derived from the fact that the Acropolis doesn’t have an up-to-date drainage system to absorb rainwater. Five out of the six ancient gutters have been blocked for many years now and the drainage system of temple complex hasn’t been connected to that of the city.

The London 'Times' published a headline exclaiming that the 'Acropolis is crumbling and will need work to shore it up, archaeologists in Greece have warned'. Teams from the Central Archaeological Council did in fact find “instability over quite a wide area” after investigating an Acropolis rockfall in January. A boulder of “considerable size” tumbled down from the sacred hill.

However, Constantinos Kissas, the deputy director of the First Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities, responded to the 'Times' allegations by insisting that reports of widespread damage were wide off the mark. He explained that a rock with a diameter of 60 centimeters had come unstuck from the southwestern slope of the Acropolis during heavy rain last winter.

The Ephorate has organized a technical survey to ascertain whether any work needs to be carried out to prevent further such incidents.

• Monday, October 6, 2014
  archeology Athens current affairs modern Greece

Kleanthēs' hymn to Zeus

There are many ancient hymns to the Theoi, and many are well known: the Homeric ones, the Orphic ones, Kallimachos... There are many lesser known hymns, though, and those are the ones I try to share with you guys every now and again, just to get them a little more exposure.

Today, I would like to share Kleanthēs' hymn to Zeus with you. Kleanthēs (Κλεάνθης, Cleanthes) lived from 330 BC to around 230 BC. He was a Hellenic Stoic philosopher and the successor to Zeno as the second head of the Stoic school in Athens. Originally a boxer, he came to Athens where he took up philosophy, listening to Zeno's lectures. He supported himself by working as water-carrier at night. After the death of Zeno, he became the head of the school, a post he held for the next 32 years. Kleanthēs was a pantheist; he considered the universe a living being and said that Deity was the soul of the universe and the sun its heart.

The largest surviving fragment of Kleanthēs is the portion of the Hymn to Zeus, which is often printed and published as part of The Golden Sayings by Epictetus (section four).

Kleanthēs - Hymn to Zeus

Chiefest glory of deathless Gods, Almighty for ever,
Sovereign of Nature that rulest by law, what Name shall we give Thee?--
Blessed be Thou! for on Thee should call all things that are mortal.
For that we are Thine offspring; nay, all that in myriad motion
Lives for its day on the earth bears one impress--Thy likeness--upon it.
Wherefore my song is of Thee, and I hymn thy power for ever.

Lo, the vast orb of the Worlds, round the Earth evermore as it rolleth,
Feels Thee its Ruler and Guide, and owns Thy lordship rejoicing.
Aye, for Thy conquering hands have a servant of living fire--
Sharp is the bolt!--where it falls, Nature shrinks at the shock and doth shudder.
Thus Thou directest the Word universal that pulses through all things,
Mingling its life with Lights that are great and Lights that are lesser,
E'en as beseemeth its birth, High King through ages unending.

Nought is done that is done without Thee in the earth or the waters
Or in the heights of heaven, save the deed of the fool and the sinner.
Thou canst make rough things smooth; at Thy voice, lo, jarring disorder
Moveth to music, and Love is born where hatred abounded.
Thus hast Thou fitted alike things good and things evil together,
That over all might reign one Reason, supreme and eternal;
Though thereunto the hearts of the wicked be hardened and heedless--
Woe unto them!--for while ever their hands are grasping at good things,
Blind are their eyes, yea, stopped are their ears to God's Law universal,
Calling through wise disobedience to live the life that is noble.
This they mark not, but heedless of right, turn each to his own way,
Here, a heart fired with ambition, in strife and straining unhallowed;
There, thrusting honour aside, fast set upon getting and gaining;
Others again given over to lusts and dissolute softness,
Working never God's Law, but that which warreth upon it.

Nay, but, O Giver of all things good, whose home is the dark cloud,
Thou that wieldesy Heaven's bolt, save men from their ignorance grievous;
Scatter its night from their souls, and grant them to come to that Wisdom
Wherewithal, sistered with Justice, Thou rulest and governest all things;
That we, honoured by Thee, may requite Thee with worship and honour,
Evermore praising thy works, as is meet for men that shall perish;
Seeing that none, be he mortal or God, hath privilege nobler
Than without stint, without stay, to extol Thy Law universal.

• Sunday, October 5, 2014
  Cleanthes Epictetus hymns Zeus

On maidens, the Stenia and the Thesmophoria

Today I am answering a reader question about the Stenia and Thesmophoria, two festivals coming up this weekend (Stenia: 3/4 October, Thesmophoria: 5/8 October):

"I have a question about the Stenia and Thesmophoria festivals, and I really hope you can answer it for me. Is it true that non-married women aren't allowed to participate? Does that mean, because I'm single, I can't celebrate those festivals? I'm looking forward to hear from you!" 

The Stenia is celebrated on 9 Pyanepsion. It was a festival dedicated solely to Demeter and Persephone and was held three days before the Thesmophoria. Not much information about this festival has survived, but because bits and pieces have survived of the Thesmophoria and the preceding Skiraphoria, we can put parts of the festival back together.

A little background first: On 12 Skirophorion, the Skiraphoria was celebrated. The Skiraphoria was one of the few days when the women of ancient Athens would gather in public to honor Demeter and bless the harvest. They refused to sleep with the men on this day and took part in a very odd tradition: casting piglets down into a chasm where they were left to rot until the Stenia.

During the Stenia, women came together and begun the extensive purification rituals needed to partake in the Thesmophoria. How, exactly, the women purified themselves is unknown but it is known that the women engaged in Aiskhrologia, insulting each other and using foul language. To understand this practice, it's important to know the mythology behind it. Nearly all festivals where Demeter is included, recount the myth of Kore/Persephone who was abducted by Hades. While Demeter grieved and vowed to get her daughter out, Persephone was seduced to eat of the pomegranate fruit. This decision allowed Hades to keep Persephone in the Underworld for a part of the year, while she was allowed to rejoin her mother for the rest of it. While Demeter grieved, there was only one who could make her laugh: the strange old woman Iambe. For the longer version of this story, go here.

Important to know is that Iambe is a wise, cheeky, and sexually free Goddess and I believe that a large part of the Stenia was to make the other women laugh by shouting witty insults, making crude jokes or any other way they could think of that was out of character and liberal. It's a laughing day. Yet, there was also a serious note to it. At the Stenia, some women, called 'Bailers', hiked to the chasm where the piglets had been thrown into months ago. Then, in a gruesome display of devotion, the women hauled out the rotting corpses of the piglets and carried them to the Thesmophorion, a site probably on the hillside of the Pnyx.

Two days later, the three day festival of Thesmophoria took place. There was a male and female encampment at the Thesmophorian and the division was clearly set; no men were allowed in the female encampment, and no women in the male encampment. Sex was not allowed. From what I have been able to gather, the three days in the female encampment followed a strict regime.

On the first day, called Anodos ('ascent') and Kathodos ('descent'), the women sacrificed the rotting piglets to Demeter and Persephone. The remains were mixed with seeds and would be ploughed into the earth after the festival to assure a good harvest. The piglets were fertility symbols, but also related to the myth of Demeter, Persephone and Hades, because it is said that, when Hades opened a chasm to swallow up Persephone, a swineherd called Eubouleus was grazing his pigs and they were swallowed up in the chasm as well. The women ate on this day, but only food which would not upset Demeter. Pomegranate fruits were off the menu.

The second day was called Nēsteia ('feast of lamentation'). On this day, the women did not eat. They recreated the time before Demeter taught humankind to cultivate the fields. It was a dark time, a time of hunger and pain. At the same time, this day was also used to remember the time when Demeter sought her daughter and neglected her duties as a harvest Goddess. This had also been a time of great hunger.

The third day, Kalligeneia ('she who is of beautiful birth'), was a happy one. The women prayed to Demeter and Persephone for fertility for themselves, their loved ones and the earth. They celebrated the magic of new life, fertility and the kindness of the Gods.

These festivals were huge. All free women, except for maidens, were allowed to participate. While we can never be entirely sure why this is, I dare to wager an educated guess. The Stenia and Thesmophoria were festivals in honour of Demeter Thesmophoros, the law-giver. She was seen as the foundation of law and society: agriculture allowed settlements to thrive, allowed societies to be built, and humanity to evolve into what it was now. In short, Demeter was at the root of modern life. A huge part of that modern life was the institution of marriage, which was far more important then as it was now.

Demeter is, perhaps, ancient Hellas' most famous mother, and marriage allowed for the continuation of the family line. Children born out of wedlock were frowned upon, and as such, maidens were excluded from a festival intended to raise fertility in the ground and the women who took part in it. As women married young, maidens were often teens, and they would represent Persephone more than Demeter--and since the Stenia and Thesmophoria commemorated Demeter's separation from her daughter, the inclusion of maidens was most likely discouraged because of that fact.

The Stenia and especially the Thesmophoria were festivals intended for mothers, for those who sought to bear children. They acknowledge the powerful position of women in a patriarchal society. It was because of that that women could say no to their husbands when it came to sex, and why they all left their marital homes. Many women rarely left their homes, and never overnight. To do so for not one but two nights was huge. These were powerful festivals for women, because they celebrated their fertility: the one thing they were always respected and honoured for by the men in their lives.

As for not participating in these rites... society changes. Most of us don't have a rotting pig to haul out of a chasm, for example, and I doubt many of you will spend a few days on a mountainside in Greece for the duration of this festival. Yes, in general maidens were not included. Should that stop you from honouring Demeter in some way on this day? My personal opinion is that it shouldn't, but at the end of the day, it's up to you. It always is.

• Saturday, October 4, 2014
  ancient Hellenic culture Demeter Eleusinian mysteries festivals household worship Persephone Stenia Thesmophoria

My pyanepsia

I had a very successful Pyanepsia celebration yesterday, which I quite enjoyed. Due to lack of time, it was a bit hurried in its preparation. I re-used much of my eiresiône from last year, simply taking it down and filling the bottles attached to it anew with honey, wine, and oil. I burned a little twig of it to stay at least moderately true to tradition. As I had to leave early this morning an I did not have much time yesterday, I thought I'd share some images of my celebration with you, along with some commentary. 

 

 



[Khernips, a towel, and barley to toss]

[My altar with my incense burner, statue of Apollon and Daphne, a karyatis,

my flame to Hestia, my panspermia, my offering bowl, and mixed wine]

[Close-up of the panspermia]

 

[My eiresiône]

[My renewed eiresiône, hanging over the door]

• Friday, October 3, 2014
  festivals household worship personal Pyanepsia

Greek members of parliament call for statue of Alexander the Great

A group of twenty-four conservative New Democracy Members of Parliament submitted a joint appeal in Parliament for a bronze statue of Alexander the Great to be erected in a central spot of the capital on Tuesday. The statue in question, by the late artist Yannis Pappas, was purchased by the Culture Ministry in 1993 and given to City Hall but it has yet to go on public display. Members of Parliament from New Democracy now say that the statue remaining in a warehouse for so long since its commissioning is a form of negligence and obstruction. Members of Parliament:

“In 1993 the Culture Ministry purchased the bronze statue of the commander, work of the late sculptor Yiannis Pappas and granted it to the municipality of Athens in order to place it in a prominent spot. [However] twenty one years later, the city of Athens has not found a suitable spot to place the statue, something which can only cause grief and anger."

Alexander III of Macedon (20/21 July 356 – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a King of the Ancient Hellenic  of Macedon, member of the Argead dynasty. Alexander succeeded his father, Philip II, to the throne at the age of twenty. He spent most of his ruling years on an unprecedented military campaign through Asia and northeast Africa, until by the age of thirty he had created one of the largest empires of the ancient world, stretching from Hellas to Egypt and into present-day Pakistan. He was undefeated in battle and is considered one of history's most successful military commanders.

Alexander's legacy includes the cultural diffusion his conquests engendered. He founded some twenty cities that bore his name, most notably Alexandria in Egypt. Alexander's settlement of Greek colonists and the resulting spread of Hellenic culture in the east resulted in a new Hellenistic civilization, aspects of which were still evident in the traditions of the Byzantine Empire in the mid-15th century. Alexander became legendary as a classical hero in the mould of Achilles, and he features prominently in the history and myth of Greek and non-Hellenic cultures. He became the measure against which military leaders compared themselves, and military academies throughout the world still teach his tactics.

A statue of Alexander currently resides in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, which is also the capital of the region of Macedonia, as well as in Skopje, the capital of the Republic of Macedonia. The initiative to place the statue in Athens as well is seen as a response to the placing of the statue in the Republic of Macedonia. The move of the Members of Parliament comes a few days after the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’s (FYROM) parliament speaker Antonio Milososki published a picture of himself and members of a group of climbers from Greece’s neighbouring country on Mount Olympus, holding a flag bearing the Vergina Sun, an ancient Greek symbol, butting relations even more on edge. In their appeal, the lawmakers complained of:

"[I]ntentional foot-dragging... even as the nationalist zealotry of Skopje continues to grow and the appropriation of Greek history and Greek symbols continues."

The statue was due to be placed in downtown Athens’ Kotzia square but was stopped due to bureaucratic issues in 2010. It does remains available for art lovers to admire in an outdoor exhibition space at the late artist’s studio in Athens’ Zografou district.

• Thursday, October 2, 2014
  Alexander the Great current affairs modern Greece

Commentary on the Pyanepsia

Dusk tonight marks the start of the Pyanepsia festival. The Pyanepsia (Πυανέψια) is one of the many harvest festivals of the season, but instead of focussing on the actual harvest like well know Pagan harvest festivals like Mabon, the Pyanepsia focusses almost completely on the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. It celebrates his return from Minos, and represents both his homecoming and his victory. Elaion is hosting a PAT ritual tomorrow to celebrate, but today, I would like to share some words written by my dear friend and Elaion co-founder Robert Clark. Enjoy his words of well-researched and practical wisdom.


Commentary on the Pyanepsia
Robert A. Clark

The Pyanepsia festival derives its name from a stew of boiled beans (pyanon epsein = to boil beans). A 'pyanion' is a mixture of various kinds of pulse boiled in a pot (khytros) and offered to Phoebos Apollon and shared by the celebrants. It is not a typical Greek panspermia (all-seeds) as this dish is of legumes only. According to legend this was the votive offering Theseus and his crew made to Apollo when they returned to Athens from Crete on this day after rescuing the young men and maidens from the Labyrinth at Knossos, for it was all that was left of their provisions. It is a thank offering for the bounty of the season and prayers for bountiful year to come.

After burying his father, Theseus paid his vows to Apollo on the seventh day of the month Pyanepsion; for on that day they had come back to the city in safety. Now the custom of boiling all sorts of pulse on that day is said to have arisen from the fact that the youths who were brought safely back by Theseus put what was left of their provisions into one mess, boiled it in one common pot, feasted upon it, and ate it all up together. At that feast they also carry the so-called "eiresione," which is a bough of olive wreathed with wool, such as Theseus used at the time of his supplication, and laden with all sorts of fruit-offerings, to signify that scarcity was at an end, and as they go they sing:

"Eiresione for us brings figs and bread of the richest, brings us honey in pots and oil to rub off from the body, Strong wine too in a beaker, that one may go to bed mellow."

Some writers, however, say that these rites are in memory of the Heracleidae, who were maintained in this manner by the Athenians; but most put the matter as I have done.

In trying to discover what legumes (pulses) were grown in Europe before New Worlds beans arrived, I found another article that said the broad bean or fava bean (Vicia faba) was the only bean (actually a member of the pea family) in Europe until Columbus brought beans from the New World. It has been found in Neolithic sites throughout Europe. I found articles that mentioned the Egyptians growing them.  The Greeks had fava beans, lentils, chick peas (garbanzo beans), and peas. This means that the mixture of pulses that the crew of Theseus' ship mixed together for the first Pyanepsia was comprised of fava beans, lentils, chick peas (garbanzo beans) and peas. I suspect they would have added onion and salt and pepper and olive oil.

The Mediterranean chick pea is different from what we usually find here in North America. Here is a link to Purcell Mountain Farms showing the Mediterranean variety. Also, the fava bean has an enzyme that some people are allergic to.  It is thought that Pythagoras had this allergy and hence the prohibition on beans (the one bean available-the fava bean). The gene responsible has beneficial qualities in resisting malaria. Here are some Indo-European lentil varieties that the ancient Greeks likely had: Petite golden lentils,  Ivory lentils (Urad Dal)

Basic Bean Cooking Instructions for fava beans:
Pick over beans (legumes of the pea family) and rinse thoroughly in cold water. Place cleaned beans in a bowl of fresh cold water, cover and soak for 3 to 8 hours or overnight at room temperature; drain and rinse well.  Or place beans in a saucepan with water of cover, bring to a boil, remove from the heat , and soak for 1 1/2 hours, drain and rinse well. Cook beans by covering with 2" of water, simmering 1 to 2 hours or until tender depending on size of the bean.

Cook the fava beans and garbanzo beans together. Bring to boil and add:

• bay leaves
• sea salt and black pepper to taste
• 3 chopped onions sautéed in olive oil until golden
• 1 cup olive oil
• ¼ cup chopped parsley

Boil for at least one hour until tender and add the lentils and dried peas for the last half hour.

 

This recipe is modified from a traditional Greek recipe and reflects the ingredients available in ancient times. Here is a link to ancient Greek foods which says the ancient Greeks did not have lemons and oranges.

 

Such a recipe may give us a taste resembling what the first offering may have tasted like and is fun to try, but is it traditional? It is well known form the many excavations that the ancients were very practical and used what they had available. Whether the rites are in memory of the Heracleidae or of the offering Theseus and his crew made to Apollon, the more compelling tradition would be for people to use a mixture of all the pulses they had in their homes just as the crew of Theseus' ship did. Thus, in a modern home with a much greater variety of pulses, an offering of a mixture of all the pulses one has would be a traditional approach in the spirit of the Pyanepsia.

 

This approach applies in other areas as well. People in ancient homes used the utensils and agalma (statues of the Gods) they had just as the offerings were part of the food they had. They gave of something that was likely more precious to them than our huge variety of food is to us.  It is the intent of giving of making whatever you give as special as you can that is important to keep in mind as it is a gift filled with kharis (grace – giving with delight) and all the love and delight that goes with it. The utensils they used in prayer and libations, perhaps only an olive oil lamp and phiale, were what they had. We seek reproductions for their beauty, but simply using what one has, whether it is a candle and a shallow bowl and container for barley groats or whatever else we can assemble from our homes to enable us to give with kharis is in true keeping with tradition.

 

The recipe I provided may taste wonderful, but whatever recipe you use, make it as special as you can and offer it with kharis.

• Wednesday, October 1, 2014
  current events Elaion festivals Hellenismos 101 household worship Pyanepsia Robert A. Clark Theseus