Noumenia musings

The three days surrounding the turning of the month are my favorite sacred days within the Hellenic calendar and lifestyle. An evening and night of cleaning, paying bills, doing the tasks I've been putting off and then--with a big sigh of relief--stepping into the new month with fresh flowers and a positive attitude, cleansed of miasma by Hekate, and blessed by Zeus.

While I observe the festivals, it's usually a more formal and slightly longer version of my daily rituals. Somehow, I find I don't do anything truly outlandish when it's just me and the Theoi. On the Deipnon, though, I perform outdoor ritual, I cycle to the forest to give offerings to Hekate at a beautiful crossroads, I clean out my kathiskos, and then clean all my ritual tools as well as scrub down my altar and shrines. On the Noumenia, I perform outdoor ritual again, I fill my kathiskos, give libations at my door-shrine, I buy beautiful flowers, prepare for the month ahead and finish the cleaning. Agathós Daímōn, I give libations at His shrine, finish preparations for the month and settle into the month itself. It's a beautiful trilogy that gives me great peace of mind.

Today, I'm out to celebrate Noumenia, and thus you're getting an update about me and this blog, as put together on the Deipnon. Enjoy these beautiful sacred days, and I'll see you again tomorrow.

• work on the labeling is moving along nicely. You may have also spotted that I'm going back to change the spelling of some of the names of the Theoi to reflect the Greek spelling. It's a bit of a process, but I'm getting there
• I have started the second year of the Pagan Blog Project, and so far I have been on time every week; go me!
• the blog will reach 30.000 hits today, which means that you guys rock!
• if any of you are looking for a very nice, Traditional Hellenismos, online organization, Elaion--which I joined a little while ago and will soon be a full member of--is accepting members; Bob, the most active of the founding members, and I are putting our heads together for a round of improvements and a pooling of resources for seekers; it's exciting work, and I will keep you informed about it
• the new 'Flora Series' has gotten its own link on the left sidebar, in the series box
• the festival page has been updated to include links to the festivals I have written about
• the terminology page has been updated as well
• did you catch the new videos?
• the Pagan blogroll on the left hand side has been updated with more Hellenic links
• a few days ago, someone found this blog by searching for my name! Yes, this is a big deal in my world

Thank you, all for reading, for commenting, or even for simply stopping by. More Hellenism tomorrow, now go out, and enjoy today. I'm relieved this month has ended. Have a blessed new month, everyone. See you tomorrow.

Update: my public Google festival calendar has been updated to the end of the year. Yes, that means that Elaphebolion, Mounukhion, Thargelion and Skirophorion have been added.

• Tuesday, February 12, 2013
  Agathós Daímōn blogging festivals Hekate's Deipnon Kathiskos monthly update Noumenia this is not a real post

Constellation Cepheus: the king

When a whole family gets uplifted into the sky, the breakdown of their constellations gets a little repetitive over time, sorry about that. When we last saw the Aethiopia ruling family, we discussed the constellations Androméda and Cassiopeia. Today, we close the trilogy with Capheus, father of Andromeda, and husband to Cassiopeia, and add a good bit of info to the myth.

Cepheus was king of Aethiopia when he heard his wife Cassiopeia boast that her daughter was more beautiful than the Nereids. Shocked, he tried to silence his wife, but it was too late. The father of the Nereids, the sea God Nereus, heard Cassiopeia's prideful boast and brought his grievance to Poseidon. Poseidon ruled in favor of Nereus and sent Cetus, a huge sea monster, to ravage the coasts of Aethiopia. It destroyed villages, kept fishermen off of the sea and caused huge floods that killed hundreds at a time. A cry went up from the people for Cepheus to remedy the situation and to appease the Gods. Cepheus, desperate, traveled to the oracle of Apollon (or Zeus) to hear how he could solve the suffering of his people. The Oracle told him that Nereus would only be appeased when he sacrificed his daughter to Cetus.

Stricken with grief, Cepheus raised his hands to the sky--the position he was immortalized in--and prayed for another resolve of the situation that would not lead to the death of his much beloved daughter. The Theoi, however, remained silent. Cepheus resisted the oracle's message as long as he could, but eventually, the anguish of his people became too much for a king to withstand. In other versions of the myth, Androméda (like Iphigeneia) offered herself up to be sacrificed, as she realized her life was not worth the lives of all those who were dying now.

Androméda was chained to the cliffs near the palace, and awaited her faith there, while both Cepheus and Cassiopeia looked on with immense sadness. Thankfully, Androméda was rescued from her fate by Perseus, on his way back from defeating Médousa. King Cepheus hosted a huge wedding banquet at his palace to celebrate the wedding. There was one problem, however: Androméda had already been promised to Phineus, Cepheus' brother. While the celebrations were in progress, Phineus and his followers bursted in, demanding that Androméda be handed over, which Cepheus refused to do--too grateful to Perseus for rescuing his daughter from certain death. Ovid has described the battle that ensued in the Metamorphoses, but before the battle begins, we first get a speech by Cepheus to his brother, who begs him to let his claim to Androméda go:

"Hold, brother, hold; what brutal rage has made your frantick mind so black a crime conceive? 

Are these the thanks that you to Perseus give? This the reward that to his worth you pay, whose timely valour sav'd Andromeda? Nor was it he, if you would reason right, that forc'd her from you, but the jealous spight of envious Nereids, and Jove's high decree; And that devouring monster of the sea, that ready with his jaws wide gaping stood to eat my child, the fairest of my blood. 

You lost her then, when she seem'd past relief, and wish'd perhaps her death, to ease your grief 

With my afflictions: not content to view Andromeda in chains, unhelp'd by you, her spouse, and uncle; 

will you grieve that he expos'd his life the dying maid to free? And shall you claim his merit? 

Had you thought her charms so great, you shou'd have bravely sought that blessing on the rocks, where fix'd she lay: but now let Perseus bear his prize away, by service gain'd, by promis'd faith possess'd; 

To him I owe it, that my age is bless'd still with a child."

Phineus refused to listen to reason, and threw a spear at Perseus, who barely managed to dodge it. After that, all hell broke loose. Perseus cut down many of his attackers, turning the remainder to stone by showing them the head of Médousa. Eventually, he hailed victorious, and got to carry off his bride. In doing so, he left Cassiopeia and her husband to the fate of Poseidon, who would still have His revenge. As such, He took both Cassiopeia and Cepheus up into the sky and placed them near each other in the heavens. Poseidon placed Cassiopeia close to the North Celestial Pole on her throne, spending half of her time clinging to it so she does not fall off. In old portraits of the constellation, she is seen as either tied to her throne--which most often resembles a torture device--or desperately clinging to it. Later on, she was depicted as holding a mirror (or palm leaf) to show her vanity. 

However, because Cepheus had nothing to do with Cassiopeia's original declaration, because he had done everything in his power to make things right afterwards, and he had plead his case to the Gods again and again, Cepheus was placed into the sky unchained--either regally on his throne or with his hands raised in pious prayer--and a little further away from the pole. He still circles it in punishment, but his position is a lot less precarious than that of his wife. 

The constellation Cepheus is visible at latitudes between +90° and −10°, and best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of November, the same as the constellations of his wife and daughter.

• Monday, February 11, 2013
  Androméda astronomy Cassiopeia Cepheus Constellation series Iphigeneia Ovid Perseus Phineus Poseidon Ptolemy

Hellenistic activities for kids

I don't have children, but I can imagine raising my future children in the Hellenistic Tradition. Now I'm a member of Elaion and come in contact with people who are part of thaisos (a group of Hellenists--kind of like a Pagan coven). What's infinitely interesting to me is that these thaisos are often described as 'consisting of various oikoi', which means that gatherings often include partners and children. To stick with the themes of childhood, coming of age, marriage and love, I'm going to describe some fun things to do with children to get them in the mood for a Hellenistic festival, and to help make them feel more included.

While the Hellenistic rituals are pretty fun, and children are easily included--washing their hands and face, throwing barley grains, acting as carriers of water, wine or offerings, etc.--there are most certainly specifically Hellenistic activities that you can undertake with your children to make the day memorable and prepare them for the rituals, should you so desire.

• let the children design their own Hellenic clothing, and have a fashion show to show off the designs
• pick flowers with the children and let them make their own wreath to wear for the festival
• assist the kids in writing a mythologically inspired play, and let them perform it on the day of the festival; this play can be inspired by existing plays, of course
• play '20 questions' with the kids by having them stick a post-it with the name of a Theos or Theia on it on their foreheads and asking each other questions to find out who they are
• make temples of their own design with the kids; these can be drawn, fashioned out of clay, made out (or inside of) shoe-boxes, or with bricks and wood, if you have the resources at your disposal
• a similar assignment can be done  for altars, pottery, columns, statues, or ancient Hellenic houses
• Hellenic shields and helmets can be made out of cardboard
• how about drawing monsters on cardboard and cutting them out? They can play 'Hēraklēs' with them afterwards and vanquish them
• collect as many rocks and other markers as you can find and lay out the lines of a temple behind the altar, so they can play at being priests and priestesses
• alternatively, the kids can make a labyrinth and find the heart of it, like Theseus when he went to hunt for the Minotaur. Having them find their way out is also an option, of course
• cook as much Hellenic food together as you can stomach and have a tasting party
• let the kids read and study the Hellenic alphabet, and compose coded messages to each other. Use clay or plaster to create a plaque the students can carve their name into. Use a paperclip as a hanger (apply to the plaster or clay while it hardens) so the plaque can go on the wall. Stone fleck paint or simple gray paint can be used to 'stonify' the plaque afterwards.
• make ancient Hellenic coins out of clay, carving images into it, or using the clay to make a mould that you can pour tin in. Note, tin fumes are poisonous and is has to be melted! Don't let the kids do this themselves!
• host Olympics with kids-appropriate sports like long jump, sprints, relay races, and things like frisbee throw, space hopper races, and rope jumping competitions

As you can see, there are a thousand-and-one things to do with children that will teach them about ancient Hellas, and make a festival day extra special. Besides, most of these things, I would love to do myself; the space hopper races, especially!

Image taken from: Culture24

• Sunday, February 10, 2013
  ancient Hellenic culture community Elaion festivals Hellenic Reconstruction Hellenismos 101 household worship

Mix-tape to Aphrodite

Today, I'm posting a mix-tape for Aphrodite. This idea is not mine; it's a combination of a wonderful idea by Sannion and Hellenion's monthly libation schedule. Hellenion is a Hellenistic organization from America and I used their wonderful calender and the great store of information they have gathered to start my own practice. Every month, Hellenion members pour a libation to a different Hellenic God or Goddess. This month, it's Aphrodite's turn, and while I will not be continuing this practice in the next Hellenic year, I will most certainly keep up the practice until then. To make the day more special, I have created a mix-tape of songs which either describe or would speak to Her.

Aphrodite has a modern PR problem: she's described as an air-headed woman with jealousy issues, who is only concerned with romantic love, while in ancient Hellas, Aphrodite was the Goddess who personified love in all its forms, from romantic, to obsessive, to abusive, to paid for. She rejoices in physical desire and beauty. In a form, She is the anti-Hera--who puts the sanctity of marriage above all--although she also has a marriage epithet (Aphrodite Hera, Αφροδιτη Ἡρη). Aphrodite's marriage to Hēphaistos is not only portrayed as an arranged one, it is also a childless marriage--a rare oddity in ancient Hellas, where the lack of legitimate children was feared above all. The only children Aphrodite has are with her lovers, mostly with Ares, Hermes and Dionysos. Aphrodite might have, in fact, divorced Hēphaistos, a very rare occurrance in ancient Hellenic life, as well as in the lives of the Theoi.

Also famously, ritual prostitution was a valid form of worship for Aphrodite in Cyprus, the center of her cult, in Cythera, Corinth and in Sicily. The women were called 'hierodoule' (ἱεροδούλη), temple slave, and 'made love' with paying customers. The practice was considered distinctly 'un-Hellenic' by 460 BC, but it made Corinth very wealthy, indeed. The practice seems to have lingered in converted Corinth from earlier worship of Astarte, who was brought into the pantheon as Aphrodite in Hellas. Pindar describes this exact practice beautifully in his 'Eulogies' (Fragment 122):

"Young women visited by many, servants of Peitho in rich Corinth, you who burn the tawny tears of pale frankincense, on many occasions fluttering in thought to the Uranian mother of desires, Aphrodite--To you she has granted without the possibility of refusal, O children, to have the fruit of your soft bloom plucked in lovely beds. And with necessity, everything is beautiful."

Aphrodite is the patron, protector and avenger of hierodoule as well as hetairai--female companions, a term used non-sexually for women, about women, but used by men to indicate a woman hired for entertainment, often leading to sex. She passes no judgement on those who enjoy the sanctity of sex and offers protection to those who practice it for money. When these women (usually, anyway) were wronged, they could call upon Aphrodite to have their abuser punished. And so, I'm going to start off this mix-tape with a song by Donna Summer, because it's a song about prostitution that is a little sad but also empowering.

Donna Summers - Bad Girls

This 1979 single was released by American singer Donna Summer, who was inspired to write it after one of her assistants was offended by a police officer who thought she was a street prostitute. I don't know, exactly, how prostitution was viewed in ancient Hellas, and if the women were looked down upon or pitied for their profession, but sacred sex was something that happened, regardless.

"Hey, mister, have you got a dime? / Mister, do you want to spend some time? Oh, yeah / I got what you want; you got what I need / I'll be your baby; come and spend it on me"

Poe - Hey Pretty (Drive By 2001 mix)

To stay with the theme, I'm moving on to a song about S-E-X. No one thought this post would be suitable for the work environment, right? Anyway, I adore Poe. She has a uniquely haunted sound, and has never been afraid to push a few boundaries. There are many songs about sex, and many are more explicit. What I like about Poe, though, is the sexual prowess of the woman in relation to the passiveness of the man, and the narrative, which is sexy as hell because of its slow build. I also love the fantastic spoof of a video that accompanies the song, but that might just be personal taste. Bonus points: the guy in the video is Poe's brother. Remind you of someone?

"Hey pretty, don't you wanna take a ride with me / Through my world? / Hey pretty, don't you wanna kick a slide / Through my world? / (Do you get the gist of the song now?)"

Imogen Heap - The Walk

I posted an Imogen Heap video for the Ares mix-tape (and Hera's but that's mostly unrelated) so it seems only fitting I include one for Aphrodite as well, especially when the accompanying song tackles Aphrodite's infidelity to her husband and attraction to Her lovers. While the song suggests some trepidation in the face of overwhelming feelings of desire for someone who one should not feel desire for, I am certainly not sure that was--and is--ever the case for Aphrodite. She seems to relish Her lovers, and in the time spent with them. Yet, I could see someone praying to Aphrodite to make these feelings go away, especially in modern society. Also, that desire described right there? Definitely Aphrodite's doing.

"Big trouble losing control / primary resistance at a critical low / on the double gotta get a hold / point of no return one second to go

No response on any level/ red alert this vessels under siege / total overload, systems down, they've got control / there's no way out, we are surrounded / give in, give in and relish every minute of it"

Rihanna - Disturbia

I must be very clear that there are no ancient sources that connect Aphrodite specifically to any form of madness, yet, we all know love makes you crazy sometimes. Obsessive love, kinky love, desires that are frowned upon by society--Aphrodite covers those too, I'm quite sure.

"Put on your pretty lies, you're in the city of wonder / ain’t gon’ play nice, watch out you might just go under / better think twice, your train of thought will be altered / so if you must falter be wise

Your mind’s in disturbia, it's like the darkness is light / disturbia, am I scaring you tonight? / disturbia, ain’t used to what you like / disturbia, disturbia"

Pat Benatar - Love is a Battlefield

I must end this mix-take with a very 80's video of the very aphrodesian Pat Benatar. This women-power power ballad represents all the best parts of Aphrodite's domain; from the epic love, to the pain it can cause, to the love for friends (and family), and the love for the self that Aphrodite governs just as much as external love.  Love is a battlefield sometimes, but Aphrodite can ease the fight--unless you work against Her, then She will kick your ass. If that ass-kicking incorporates over-rehearsed dance routines, you'll have to find out for yourself, though.

"We are young, heartache to heartache we stand / no promises, no demands / love is a battlefield

We are strong, no one can tell us we're wrong / searchin' our hearts for so long, both of us knowing / love is a battlefield"

• Saturday, February 9, 2013
  Aphrodite Ares Dionysos Hēphaistos Hermes mix-tape series

PBP: Coming of age ceremonies

Coming of age ceremonies are prevalent in most cultures and are often linked to the religious views of the people performing it. Famous examples are the bar mitswa's and bat mitswa's of the Jewish. The ancient Hellenes had coming of age rituals as well, and like almost everything else in ancient Hellenic life, these rituals were tied into deity worship. Today, I'm going to talk about these coming of age ceremonies, but because the differences are so great between girls and boys, I'm going to describe their coming of age ceremonies separately.

Girl to woman
In ancient Hellas, a girl's coming of age ceremony was linked to her wedding day. As soon as she got married, she would move out, into her new husband's oikos, and commit to the task she was born to fulfill: gift her husband legitimate offspring--boys, preferably. It won't come as a surprise that in preparation for this entirely new role in life, a girl's coming of age ceremony was focussed almost entirely on ending her own childhood, and petitioning the Theoi for help in her life as an adult. As such, fertility and womanhood were big parts of the rituals.

Young girls rarely had a role to play in household worship. The family only had them with them for thirteen to fifteen years, on average, after that, she joined her rightful place at the oikos of her husband, where she carried more (religious) responsibility. There were religious roles young girls could fulfill outside of the home, however, most notably as 'Arrephoros' (Ἀρρήφορος)--year long handmaidens of Athena Polias (Πολιάς)--in Athens, and as 'Arktos' (αρκτος), bear, a service in the following of Artemis Brauronia (Βραυρωνια) at Brauron (Βραυρών).

During the Arkteia festival, celebrated every four or five years alongside--or as a part of--the Brauronia, named and in honor of the epithet of Artemis. Every Athenian girl, as well as many other girls from all over Attika, had to take part of the festival before they could marry. The girls were brought to Brauron, a temple of Artemis with a rich history in both myth and history. Some versions of the myth of Iphigeneia have her taken from the sacrifice and dropped in Brauronia, where she established a temple to the Theia in gratitude. Otherwise, an oracle might have told the ancient Hellenes to build a temple to the Theia at Brauron after a terrible plague or famine plagued the land following the killing of a bear by two hunters.

The symbolism of the bear might refer to the bear which was slain by the hunters, or the clothes Iphigeneia might have left at her 'sacrifice'. It's also possible that the bear reference refers to Kallisto, who was transformed into a bear by the Theia.

During the festival young girls, and it seems that on occasion young boys, would gather to celebrate Artemis Brauronia with races, and dances. They would don bear masks and dance a dance known as the 'Arkteia', which was made up of slow, solemn steps meant to imitate the movements of a bear and was performed to a tune from a diaulos (double flute). They might have carried baskets of figs. Up until as far back as the 5th century, the girls might have worn actual bear skins, but bears soon became scarce, so they wore yellow dresses called 'krokoton', which they 'shed' instead of the skins to signal their coming adulthood.

The actual reason for the 'bear' ritual has been lost. It's possible that the ritual served to exorcise 'the wildness' out of little girls, but it's more likely that it was simply a way to procure kharis for the young girls who would soon call on Artemis during childbirth. In the same spirit, young women on the threshold of marriage made an offering to Artemis of their childhood toys and other paraphernalia that represented childhood, as with an offering of one drachma (roughly $ 60,-) at the temple of Aphrodite. Most likely, the bride also honored Hera Teleia and Zeus Teleios in some way.

A young woman came of age during her wedding and the subsequent wedding night, but became a woman when she gave birth for the first time. Especially during the latter, they desperately needed the support of the Theia Artemis. Aphrodite and Hera Teleia would support her through her marriage, and help her make it a success. With the help of the Theoi, a girl could become a woman.

Boy to man
Young boys had a very different life to young girls when it came to life in ancient Hellas. Because it was very important for a man to have legitimate children, the child's paternity was attested to on multiple occasions. In Athens, this was done the first time shortly after being named, and the second time when he reached sixteen years of age. Both times, the child was presented at the 'phratria' (φ(ρ)ατρία)--brotherhood--of his father. The system of brotherhoods, four in total, was the system that preceded the system of tribes. The brotherhoods largely fades, except for the registration of male offspring, and the vetting of such with testimonials and tests. The brotherhoods were overseen by Zeus Phratrios and Athena Phratria, who were honored yearly in a three-day festival called the 'Apoutouria'.

During a son's presentation to the brotherhood, Zeus Phratrios and Athena Phratria during the Apoutouria, boys sacrificed a lock of their hair to the patron Theoi and Hēraklēs, their father an animal. If one of the phratria contested that the father was, indeed, the father of this child, he could take the animal from the father before they reached the altar, and drag it away. Doing so would have been a very serious thing to do, and very shocking for a young boy to witness, not to speak of the father. The claim would then be put to a vote. When the phratria ruled in favor of the father, the animal was sacrificed and the meat distributed to the members of the brotherhood. The son became a full member.

At sixteen, a boy was considered a young man, and he entered one or two years of public service, either to mature, or to show he had matured enough to take part. This was called his 'ephebeia', which literally means 'young man'. On completion of this public service, a young man could enter the military and became a voting member of the Ekklesia. He became a citizen. Although young man were now considered adults, he only truly became an adult at age thirty, when he could serve in the boule, and get married.

Young men swore an oath upon completion of their ephebia, which has largely been preserved. It read as follows:

"I will not bring shame upon these sacred weapons nor will I abandon my comrade-in-arms wherever I stand in the ranks. I will defend both the holy and profane things. I will not hand on the fatherland smaller than I received it, but larger and better, so far as it lies in my power with the assistance of all the other citizens. I will obey the officials who govern wisely and the laws, both those which are already established and those which are wisely established in the future. If anyone attempts to destroy them, I will not allow it, so far as it lies in my power with the assistance of all the other citizens. I will hold in honor the ancestral sanctuaries. The following gods are witnesses: Aglauros, Hestia, Enyo, Enyalios, Ares and Athena Areia, Zeus, Thallo, Auxo, Hegemone, Heracles, the territory of the fatherland, the wheat, barley, vines, olive trees, and fig trees."

With this oath, the world opened up for young men; they would now be held divinely accountable for any trespassing upon the law and common sense. Political life would become important for men, as well as military service. They had roughly ten years to dedicate to these before he took a wife, so young men tended to fulfill much of their obligation to the city in these ten years. After his marriage, he became the one who presented sons to the phratria, and he got to experience the entire proceedings from the spot his father once held. This--most likely--created strong familial ties that continued through family lines for centuries.

In conclusion
There is much that remains to be said about coming of age ceremonies in ancient Hellas, more to be said about coming of age ceremonies in ancient Athens, even, but that is talk for another day. For now, I hope you have a basic idea of the youth and religious focal points of an Athenian child's life. Personally, I have a soft spot for coming of age rituals, and I strongly suggest creating or adapting ceremonies for the second (or even third) generation of Hellenists. What this would look like will be left for another post, but it would surely be beautiful.

• Friday, February 8, 2013
  ancient Hellenic culture Aphrodite Apollon Artemis Athena Phratria Hellenismos 101 Hera Teleia Hēraklēs Iphigeneia Pagan Blog Project Zeus Phratrios Zeus Teleios

Blessed be the marriage of the King and Queen of the Theoi!

On a day pretty close to Valentine's day us Hellenists honor a beautiful festival of love and social stability: the Theogamia, also known as the Gamelia. This festival celebrates the anniversary of the marriage (gamos,  γάμος) of Zeus Teleios (Τελειος, Of the Marriage Rites) and Hera Teleia (Τέλεια, same). Zeus Teleios and Hera Teleia were considered the patron Theoi of marriage, although we are unsure if They were given sacrifice to when a man and women wed in ancient Hellas.

I have described the ancient Hellenic idea of marriage before: marriage in ancient Hellas was a family affair. The father of the son--who was often in his thirties by the time he got married--opened negotiations with the family of a bride in her teens. The two families came to an agreement about dowry, a contract was signed by the father of the groom and the father of the bride in front of witnesses, and the groom met his new wife--often for the first time--before taking her to bed.

In another previous blog post I wrote about Zeus and how He returns to His wife Hera every night despite his affairs. In the Odyssey, Odysseus's entire journey is aimed at going home to his wife Penelope. Marriage provides you with a stable foundation; it's family. Even if you are not close to your own ancestors, you can find and/or create love and shared DNA. It is this bond that we celebrate in the Theogamia.

We know very little about the actual festival. In ancient sources it's sometimes called 'hieros gamos', the sacred marriage, and was referred to as a domestic festival. A day to spend at home, with your wedded partner. Hera Teleia was the primary deity of the festival, with Zeus Teleios being of secondary importance. It was celebrated for sure in Athens, and most likely also in city-states around Athens. It included a shared dinner, and presumably lovemaking, between husband and wife. Unmarried men were most likely free of religious obligations, and were free to dine out.

There seems to be a suggestion that the gamos of Zeus and Hera was enacted as part of the rituals of a hieros gamos festival, but there is no concrete evidence for this. The closest we get to a Hellenic 'Great Rite' is a ritual performed near Knossos in Krete, but the details are so very vague that we can't be sure about anything.

It doesn't take much imagination to fill in how to best celebrate this festival. If you are married or have a partner, have a nice dinner together, have some romance, spent the night together and bond. Think about ways in which you will help, honor and love your partner in the year to come. This day--or this month--is of course the best to get married! Appropriate hymns are the Orphic Hymns 15 to Zeus, and 16 to Hera as well as the Homeric Hymn 12 to Hera. I want to leave you with a quote from the Ilias, that has nothing to do with the Theogamia itself, but does describe the eternal love between Zeus and Hera so very beautifully. Enjoy the Theoigamia, everyone!

“Zeus, the Cloud-Driver, saw her, and instantly his sharp mind was overwhelmed by longing, as in the days when they first found love, sleeping together without their dear parents’ knowledge. [...] ‘Hera, [...] let us taste the joys of love; for never has such desire for goddess or mortal woman so gripped and overwhelmed my heart, not even when I was seized by love for Ixion’s wife, who gave birth to Peirithous the gods’ rival in wisdom; or for Acrisius’ daughter, slim-ankled Danaë, who bore Perseus, greatest of warriors; or for the far-famed daughter of Phoenix, who gave me Minos and godlike Rhadamanthus; or for Semele mother of Dionysus, who brings men joy; or for Alcmene at Thebes, whose son was lion-hearted Heracles; or for Demeter of the lovely tresses; or for glorious Leto; or even for you yourself, as this love and sweet desire for you grips me now.’” (Iliad XIV)

• Thursday, February 7, 2013
  ancient Hellenic culture Athens festivals Hellenismos 101 Hera Hera Teleia Hómēros household worship Iliad Zeus Zeus Teleios

Ancient Hellenic hairstyles in religious rites

A long time ago, I wrote down the basics of miasma and katharmos; ritual pollution and cleaning. I commented then, that there were more way in which katharmos was practiced, including the pinning up of hair by women. I was going to come back to that, but I absolutely forgot until now. As you can see in the videos I have made about Hellenismos, I wear my hair up during religious ceremony, as did many women in ancient Hellas.

Hair has long had an important role in society and religion. During the classical period female citizens wore their hair long except when they were in mourning during which they cut their hair short. Before the fifth century BC women's hair was allowed to fall over the shoulders and back, but it was often fastened by a headband or diadem, and the front section of the hair was restrained. After that, hair was often restrained.  Female citizens, especially, wore their hair long, and after their marriage--usually at a very early age--they wore their hair up in elaborate styles. Typically, only their immediate family and servants saw Hellenic women with their hair undone.

The most basic hair style was a bun on the back of the head, with about half of the woman's hair. The hair in the front was left unbound, pinned up, or wrapped around a rope like the video of the hairstyle of the Vestal Virgins shows. This was seen as either an alternative, or an additive, to veiling. While I veil on rare occasions in ritual, wearing my hair up has become a staple of my life and I rarely--if ever--go out with my hair completely unbound. During Hellenic times, women often waved and curled their hair, but parts of it were still restrained.

Short haircuts were functional for servants and slaves who had to work during the day, making long hair the privilege of wealthy citizens. Female warriors and athletes, especially in Sparta, cut their hair short as well, and within Spartan wedding ceremonies, brides had their heads shaved. During funeral rites, women wore their hair down, and tore at it to show their grief. As a sign of grief, the hair was then sometimes cut.

Hellenic women often had dark brown or black hair, but the beauty standard was blond. Both men and women bleached their hair, as well as drying it in the sun to reach a lighter color. In the Odysseia, Odysseus is described as being gifted blond hair by Athena:

"And when he had washed all over, and rubbed himself with oil, and put on the clothes the virgin girl had given him, Athene, daughter of Zeus, made him seem taller and stronger, and made the locks of his hair spring up thickly like hyacinth petals. As a clever craftsman, taught his art by Hēphaistos and Pallas Athene, overlays silver with gold to produce a graceful finish, so the goddess graced his head and shoulders. Then he went some way off and sat on the shore, alight with that grace and beauty: and the girl gazed at him admiringly"

Young boys cut hair short--to about chin-length--when they reached adolescence, and kept it that way until they became older and more distinguished. After that, men tended to keep their hair long in Athens. In Sparta, young boys' heads were shaven, and the men kept their hair short. For a long time, ancient Hellenic men wore beards. It was Alexander the Great who ordered his soldiers to cut off their beards, so the enemy couldn't grab on to it in battle. After that, the beard became a scholar's prerogative. Most men who were not in the army indeed had beards; they were a mark of distinction and virility.

There were several popular ancient Hellenic hairstyles: with a krobylon the hair is gathered, tied and pinned over the forehead; the kepos is a bowl-cut used for youths and slaves; the theseid is a sort of proto-mullet which was short in front and long in the back; and with the hectorean, the hair was combed back into curls.

Within a religious framework, hair was done up as well, unless otherwise specified. Many Dionysian rites, for example, encouraged women to literally 'let their hair down', and join in the revelry. For (married) women, it was extremely uncommon to wear their hair down outside of the oikos, and to do so must have helped them get out of their comfort zone. For other religious ceremonies, wearing the hair up was a way to apply katharmos, and prevent miasma from entering the ritual setting. This is a practice is still applied today, by yours truly included.

Interestingly enough, this is one of the ways in which the outside world can see my transformation into Hellenismos; before, I almost always wore my hair loose. I'd been experimenting with a shorter hairdo prior to my progression. Now, I'm growing my hair long again, and only wear it down inside the home. Yesterday, a visitor came to the door just after I'd showered and dressed; my hair was still down. I felt physically uncomfortable that a stranger saw me with my hair down, and put it up in a loose knot as soon as I could. It's a sign of devotion and purity for me, plus, there is something beautiful about only letting your partner see your hair undone.

• Wednesday, February 6, 2013
  ancient Hellenic culture daily practice Dionysos festivals Hellenic Reconstruction Hellenismos 101