Hi folks, do you worship Hephaistos or Athena? If so, this festival might be for you, especially if you're also a craftsperson of any sort.

Before we get into the details, you do NOT have to celebrate religious holidays to be a Hellenic Polytheist. You can observe just the festivals that appeal to you, or none at all. It's optional. But some people have found that celebrating holidays helps strengthen relationships with their gods, so there's potential benefit.

Celebrating Khalkeia

We're fairly certain this was observed on the last day of the lunar month Pyanepsion, which also happens to be one of Hekate's monthly Deipnon holidays. This year, that date falls on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024.

Khalkeia celebrates craftspeople, artisans, and laborers. It also honors Hephaistos, god of blacksmiths and metalworking, and Athena Ergane (Athena the Worker), who instructs artists and craftspeople of various sorts.

We don't know a lot about how this festival was celebrated in ancient times. Perhaps craftspeople had the day off, to rest and relax? It seems reasonable that offerings were given to both Hephaistos and Athena though.

This was also the day when weavers began creating the cloth for Athena's annual peplos, to dress her statue next year.

In modern times, let's celebrate creativity and the gods who inspire it! Buy art from your favorite craftsperson or create something yourself in honor of Hephaistos or Athena. If you're an artisan, maybe take the day off to recharge your creative batteries.

For more information...

From Hellenion

From Baring the Aegis

From Hellenic Gods

Sample Khalkeia ritual (PDF)

Sample prayer for Khalkeia

Potential ways to celebrate

• Give offerings to Hephaistos and/or Athena
  • Food or incense is fine
• Pour libations to these deities
  • Clean water is traditional and inexpensive
• Purchase art or crafts from your favorite vendors, as a devotional act to Hephaistos or Athena
  • Early holiday shopping, anyone?
• Create something artistic yourself, as a devotional act
• Pray to these deities, asking for creative ideas
• Recite a hymn

• For Hephaistos
  • Homeric Hymn
  • Orphic Hymn

• For Athena
  • Homeric Hymn #1
  • Homeric Hymn #2
  • Orphic Hymn

How are you celebrating this holiday?

What are your plans and afterward, how did they go? Tell us all about it in the comments!

Happy Khalkeia!

So I have heard people say that playing stategic games can honor lady Athena and I am just wondering would me learning to become better at hearts of iron 4 ( a warfare strategic game) make her happy and honor her

Hello everyone!

I’m working on a personal project aimed at gathering information and lesser-known aspects about the gods. If you prefer, think of it as in-depth analyses and interpretations of various deities, their philosophies, and common forms of worship and cult practices. You can check out an example of this here in my analysis of Hephaestus.

This project also aims to bring more information about Hellenism to the growing Hispanic community! With that said, are there any topics you would like me to cover? Or are there lesser-known aspects of Athena that you think should be highlighted? I would greatly appreciate your input. Wishing you all blessings and a wonderful day!

Im really new to Hellenism and I’ve wanted to work with (or worship, im not sure what the right word is) lady Athena, so I set up an altar for her. And a few things have happened that I have some questions about.

1. I lit a white candle for her yesterday, I left it on while I went to go have a shower and when I came back there was a thick slit in the side of the candle. Is this a bad or a good thing??😓

2. I gave her a cookie as an offering today and I left it on her altar for about 8 hours. And when I took it back it was dry to the bone. Ive read somewhere that usually Gods will dry out their edible offerings if they like it? Did the cookie just go dry with time or was it Athena? Im not sure.

3. I was sitting at my lunch table in school and I noticed this poster that has always been there, I just never really read it. And there was the word ‘wisdom’ on it with an owl beside it. Is this a sign? Im not sure because the poster had always been there, I’ve just never taken time to read it.

If someone were to answer these u would be SO helpful and it would mean the world! Thank you🫶

Drew her for my college’s philosophy department’s poster; I thought it to be fitting.

Recently, I started worshipping Baldr along with Athena. I have been treating them equally through offerings and speaking to them with meditation and doing spell work with them. Just a few days ago, I started giving more attention to Baldr, wearing his symbols (Daisy earrings and a sun necklace), giving him more offerings and working with him more in spells. This morning, when I put on my sun necklace, I got this rash right where the necklace was on my neck. I have no metal allergies, the necklace is clean and cleansed and I even had it on my altar the night before.

I'm asking this because I'm still new to all of this and don't really know if Athena likes to share or gets jealous. I feel deeply connected to them both so ending my relationship with Baldr is not an option. I'm going on a trip so I won't be able to be near my altar and I also won't be able to do spell work. Should I pray to her more or what type of apology offering should I make (can't be food)?

Hello everyone! I'm a little new to using incense, but in the few experiences I've had, I really liked it and it really helped me. But I have doubts about which ones to use, especially in my devotional acts. I worship Athena and would like to use incense while lighting a candle for her, but I'm a little lost about it. Could you recommend some incense that she might like?

hi!

i've suddenly felt called to lady athena, but i feel like online spaces are saturated with a fan characterisation of her, that you see in fictional media. i was curious if any of you had some stories or interesting moments about your experiences with her, or what she's like in your worship?

thank you so much :)

I have a LOT to ask.

I recently started thinking about Athena, and one night I heard an owl outside my window. (I’ve NEVER heard an owl where I live.)

I was also thinking about other gods, but Athena was the only one who made me have this weird feeling, like kind of heavy in my stomach/gut- I don’t know exactly how to explain it?

And I do martial arts- but since I’ve been thinking of Athena, this day I felt a presence pushing me to try harder, to start telling the truth more and stop cutting corners. I wanted to know what all this means, if it’s just coincidence or possibly something more? I’ve always been sort of interested in Greek Mythology- I had this book about it once. And if this truly means Athena or someone is reaching out, how do I work with them? And also, while before I still was interested in Greek mythology and things like that, I recently got into epic the musical (I get small hyperfixations like that) and I wonder if that would be considered disrespect?

Now, also, how do I do this? I want to see if Athena is truly reaching out, and so, I’m making a list of what I need to get for this/making an altar.

I’ve heard a lot about white candles, so I put it on the list, but now I’m seeing yellow candles? Which is better?

I found some remaining hymns, do those help?

How do I make offerings? And what do I use?

Lastly, what and how do I communicate with her? Like talk- I’ve heard of pendulums, tarot cards, candles, but what specifically should I get?

Any extra tips would be greatly appreciated!

My best friend set up an altar for Athena a few weeks ago (I don't know if it's correct to call it worshipping I'm not 100% on how they see it). Anyway, for their birthday I bought them a few things for the altar like an owl notebook, a citrine and carnelian, and a yellow candle.

I'm a worshipper of Dionysos and Hermes, so I have very little knowledge on the realm of Athena, and my friend is a classical studies major. I was thinking of dressing the candle for them, but I don't know how to do it for Athena.

Any advice is appreciated!

I hadn’t been able to properly worship Athena for a while until today due to not feeling good enough or being very busy and I lit her candle to talk as I usually do and her flame used to spike up very high and tonight it was very small. I used to be Christen before I started working with Athena and I’m worried I’ve upset her by not properly worshiping her lately.

Hello everyone! I came here from r/hermes because I want to find texts and books on Athena’s worship in Hellenic Polytheism and since they over at Hermes Reddit helped me find sources for his worship I was hoping I might find the same here for Athena!

I’ve already found one book “Athena” by Susan Deacy but if there are any other suggestions or recommendations you guys have I’ll gladly take them!

I was really sad, but anyways I decided to scroll abstent mindlessly on Instagram and, you know, after a few reels some ads appear and I didn't mind until this ad appeared (I don't do boxing or any kind of martial art, so I was surprised)

What do you think she's trying to tell me? I'm really surprised by it because I prayed this morning to help with my mental health and health in general.

Then I saw a white owl on another app and I was surprised also.

I hit a milestone recently. Though not a fast one, I've never before run nine miles at once, nor for two uninterrupted hours. Early on, I devoted it to her, as I often do, stating that it would not last a second less than two hours.

I came to slightly regret that decision as I really started to feel out of it around the 90 minute mark, and considered beseeching her forgiveness and cutting it early.

Yet that didn't happen. I still think I have her to thank for such a milestone, small as it may be, in a long, long road ahead.

Or is it more likely Athena divines the valuable aspects of all philosophies, not letting any one constrict utterly a world view. Philosophy, after all, is to truth what a mathematical model is to a data set.

I am a 15-year-old Venezuelan boy, my approach to polytheism began almost a year ago, with Nordic paganism, but I have also been very interested in Hellenism, I mainly worshiped Zeus, but I suspended my practice partly due to procrastination, I want to start will resume but this time also worshiping Athena, I am going through difficult times, and from what I have seen, Athena is good for these moments, I want to genuinely get closer to her, how do I do it? Where do I start? Thanks for responding

Here she is in all her golden glory.

Taken at the Parthenon in Nashville’s Centennial Park.

Hello everybody! I want to start properlly worshiping Athena. I have a small altar but Im not sure of what it must include and how to communicate with her. I would apreciate any advice or suggestion. Thank you:)

What made you a devotee of Athena? What was the biggest lesson given by her? Which aspects of your life got better after starting your practice with her? How do you see her in your mind (physically, personality wise...)?🦉⚔️

When I started my own Historical European Martial Arts club 2 years ago I named it Aegis Historical Combat Training, in honor of Athena whom I have worshipped for close to a decade.

The club art I had commissioned has the Aegis, of course, and two snake-bodied figures (like Ericthonius) representing the scope of arts we train, from unarmored sword and buckler (and now, rotella as well) to simulated armored combat with the poleaxe. Sport combat kind of straddles the lines between Athena and Hermes, but I’m very happy to have some practical way to honor Athena week in and week out.

It's been on my mind a lot lately since I've been so busy and I struggle to remember everything/focus. I'm a bit newer to working with Athena (or any deities for that matter 😅) but I do have a respect for her. When initially being confronted by her I found a connection with her right away that I didn't find growing up under a Baptist household. I would love to find ways to balance my time/ connections with her while managing my undiagnosed ADHD. So if anyone has any advice (preferably people who also struggle with ADHD undiagnosed or diagnosed) it would be very appreciated. 🙏

Sorry for bad english or if question is very stupid.

Good day guys,month ago i had some personal and very tragic experience which made me very broken,this somehow made by relationship with her(Athena)stronger. But this strenghtness of relationship was so strong that i got extremly uneasy and uncomfortable feeling with her so i just cut my relationship with her and became atheist. Few days ago,i recovered from that uneasiness and other such problems which made me uncomfortable and i would love to again build my relationship with her. I never insulted her,never disrespected her and never hated her after i left my relationship. Will she forgive me?

Here is my new altar to the gods and heroes, I shall describe it from left to right.

Apollon’s section: First, we have the beeswax candle that is Aristaios’ I got it in a farm shop I cannot remember if it came from any brand in particular. And then is my Apollon statue (link: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1118886169/vintage-apollo-mini-statue-small-hand) and next to him is a bee I got from Eugy they do many animals and I will see if they have the sacred animals of their other deities as I can then buy them and make it for the deity (making it can be a devotional act).

Dionysus section: There is my statue of Dionysus (link: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1484715629/) unfortunately I don’t have any other hits to go with him but I am on the lookout for them.

Aristaeus section: There is my statue of Aristaios (unfortunately I cannot get the kink the shop owner must have gotten rid of it) and along with him a playmobile beekeeper with a beehive and a little Lego beekeeper.

Hestia section: I am not a worshipper of Hestia but I have her on there as I see her as the mother of humanity and how she looks out for us. So I got her statue (link: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/832761426/) being the offering bowl which I got from a charity shop.

Hermes section: I have his statue (unfortunately they must be out of stock or have stopped going statue but I did get it from the same seller as the Apollon, Dionysus, and Hestia statues) unfortunately I don’t have any other bits for him but I am looking.

Hekate section: She is the newest deity I have decided to worship and I hope she can help with my witchcraft journey. So firstly I have her statue (link: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1630799071/) and nothing else with her but I am also looking for that.

Athene section: First I have her statue (link: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/846228993/) a little owl and a little fake Greek pot with her depicted in it. I got those both from the charity shop. And the candle to her right is for her.

General on the top altar: I also have a Greek-style pot that is there generally for the entire altar, I haven’t dedicated it to anyone yet.

Odysseus section: I have my Odysseus statue (link: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/787699740/) alongside the candle I have for him. Next to that is a medal I got from Conqueror Challengers.

Penelope section: I have my Penelope statue (link: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1569179668/) and alongside her a Greek-style pot I also got at the charity shop that I dedicate to the hero altar as a whole.

General of hero section: I also have the Greek-style vase for a single cut flower (I haven’t found a flower to put in it yet I will one day) which I got from the charity shop along with the offering bowl in the middle.

That is my altar I hope you enjoyed it along with the tour. I have reorganised it (so from right to left are the deities I worship in order).