/r/Hellenism
This subreddit serves as an online gathering space and support network for individuals who adhere to the various faiths within Hellenism. Additionally, it provides a platform for education and respectful discussion, where ideas, practices, questions, and experiences can be shared.
What is Hellenism?: Click here to see our comprehensive definition of Hellenism!
Welcome to /r/Hellenism, a subreddit for links, discussion, and fostering community (both online and in-person) in the broader umbrella of contemporary Hellenism, the polytheistic orthopraxic religion of the classical Greek and Roman world(Including areas that were Hellenized but not generally seen as Hellenic regions specifically.)
Hellenism (Greek: Ellinismós, Latin: Hellenismus), also less frequently called Olympianism (Greek: Olympianismós, Latin: Olympianismus) or Dodekatheism (Greek: Dodekatheïsmós, Latin: Duodecimdeismus), is the traditional polytheistic and animistic orthopraxic religion, lifestyle, and ethos of the ancient Graeco-Roman world, and is the indigenous religion of the common Greek and Latin cultural sphere.
Rules of /r/Hellenism:
Be decent. Racism or bigotry in any form is not allowed and will be removed. No hate material, submissions or comments, will be accepted. No personal attacks, spam, chain posting, vote manipulation, doxxing, or posting illegal content. If you post in other communities promoting hate and spreading bigotry, then you can expect to be banned; regardless of whether you promote those same things here or not.
Stay On-Topic. This subreddit is intended for sharing of personal experiences, communication between practitioners of many faiths, and debate within the religions that fall under what is classified as contemporary Hellenism. This community is not a place for practices that can be considered goetia (love spells, coercive spells, or any practices which reduce the Gods to pools of energy to drawn from). If you are unsure whether a topic is related to Hellenism or not, please contact the mod team.
Keep the Feed Clean. We reserve the right to remove frequently posted topics, posts not meant to encourage good-faith discussion, posts that consist of nothing more than a short title, or significantly off-topic posts, to improve the quality of discussion and reduce clutter. Simple questions can be asked in the pinned Weekly Newcomer Post, where helpful members of the community may offer guidance.
Consult the Mods Before Promoting Other Communities. Please consult mods before promoting any communities (such as reddits or discords). For user safety, we prefer to be able to assure any communities advertized as safe. For goods and services (Etsy shops, Spotify podcasts, Youtube Channels, etc), please post in the monthly self promotion channel, or message the mods to submit as a post. Violation of these rules may result in a ban.
Avoid Proselytization. Hellenism is an explicitly theistic religion, and it acknowledges the real, true existence of the Gods with their own agencies who are independent and above humans. While non-Hellenes are encouraged to interact and post here, respectfully, attempts to convert members of r/Hellenism, bring them to non-polytheistic religious traditions, or promote anti-theistic positions over polytheism, are considered to be a flagrant violation of the subreddit's purpose.
NSFW. r/Hellenism strives to be a safe space for all. Please be mindful of this when posting. Myths of sex, nude art, and offhand references to NSFW topics are fine. Erotica in art or text is not. Please mark anything NSFW as NSFW, and ensure that the title of the post itself is SFW - this allows others to choose whether or not to see the material. For those who would like to share or see such content, please visit r/Bacchanal.
Moderation. This subreddit is actively moderated. If you have a concern about how a rule is being implemented, interpreted, or enforced, please reach out via modmail rather than DM or comments. Ultimately, we reserve the right to use moderator discretion and do what we think keeps our community safe and productive.
No Promotion of AI. This community does not approve of or condone the use of AI. Posts and replies that include AI generated visual or written material, encourage or describe using AI, or contain links to AI generators, will be removed.
Community wiki: General Questions
YouTubers: Pic the Pagan Fel the Blithe Elani Temperance
Myths & epithets: Theoi.com
Blogs & websites: Beginner's Guide - Baring the Aegis Julian Hellenism - Hellenic Faith Orphism - Hellenic Gods
Books: Household Worship, by Labrys Reading list Books, blogs, & websites
Ancient texts: Theoi's Library ToposText Library Sacred Texts Library
Hymns: Homeric Hymns Hymns by Callimachus Orphic Hymns Hymns by Plethon
Festivals & calendars: Hellenion 2023 calendar HMEPA calendar Lunar months & festivals
Terms & definitions: Terminology list
Φιλίαν ἀγάπα : Love friendship
Ψέγε μηδένα : Find fault with no one
Πᾶσιν ἁρμόζου : Be accommodating in everything
Ὑφορῶ μηδένα : Look down on no one
Ὁμοίοις χρῶ : Associate with your peers
Φιλοφρόνει πᾶσιν : Deal kindly with everyone
Εὐπροσήγορος γίνου : Be courteous
Ἔχθρας διάλυε : Do away with enmities
Hellenic Deity Subreddits
Other Related Communities
/r/Hellenism
Hi! I’m new to Hellenism, and I was wondering: -can I veil in devotion/honor of any goddess? -how could I veil in devotion? -if I don’t have an actual veil, what could I use? -where can I get a veil? -does veiling have to be for modesty? -do I only veil when I pray? -can I veil for part of a day, or does it have to be a full day? -can I veil in honor/devotion of Lady Persephone?
If anyone has any answers, they would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Hi, im new to Hellenism. I knew the greek gods were the gods were the ones i wanted to follow when I converted to pagan. i didn’t even know there was a name.
Anyways I've been noticing that ive been heavily leaning towards Hecate as the goddess i want to worship (is that the right word). And i was wondering how i could set up an alter for her and what type of offerings i could give.
I know torches are associated with her, would candles work. I also know dogs are associated with her, would dog statues work
I just recently started an alter for Apollo after various signs, But id like to communicate with him. im new to all of this. I know how offerings work (kind of) but I just end up talking to him while I light his candle and say my prayers to him (just hopes and dreams and things I want guidance with). I could use help! I want to be able to “talk” with him,
Right now its again lighting the candle I have for him and greeting him, praying and talking for 30 minutes, watching the flame for anything
Please helpp im so lost
This bee has been on my car for the past 7 hours. Something like this has never happened before so idk a deity had something to do with this or not. Hope the bee is okay though
Hi! My names Arlo and I’ve recently started looking into and practicing Hellenism. I don’t really know a lot and would like to know more so any help is welcome! I have a few questions and if you just have tips that would be great too! Questions- -How do you know who to worship? (I don’t really know the right word) -What are the best ways to create an altar? -Are there any books or websites that you recommend for beginners?
Those are pretty much my basic answers but really any tips work! Thank you so much!
The story I'm going to tell you is about an interesting event I had with Apollo. I should clarify first that it happened a few weeks ago. And I don't know if this was a coincidence.
It all started when my aunt wanted to throw a party for her baby that was originally going to be small and she asked my mom for help. My mom agreed to help her but over the course of a few days, my aunt told her that they were going to make the party bigger because her boyfriend's family was going to the party and she asked her for money for the sodas that cost around $19 (using the conversion).
However, since my mother didn't have any money, she asked me for it and I reluctantly paid for it. On the second day, to forget about that problem, I decided to draw a picture of Apollo. I had so much fun drawing it that I forgot about my problems.
On the third day, it was the day of the party. So, I was feeling a bit discouraged thinking about money but I decided to put that situation aside. When I least expected it, I found money in a bag that I hadn't used in a long time, 15 dollars to be precise. I remember I was happy because I didn't remember that I had that money saved.
I had never felt so happy about that :,)
I was playing one of my vinyl's for apollo and his candle kept flickering so I decided I would start recording it and right as I was gonna hit record, my record starting repeating and his flame was flickering like crazy.
Idk just thought it was cool.
And who is the most popular? I'm curious.
Ok so I've been wanting to really get in touch with the gods specifically Apollo and Poesidon and Aphrodite, and since I don't have a cande (nor am I allowed to use one or have the money to buy one ) I was thinking of using a pendulum. I've got kind of the scope and I already made the board and I was just wondering how to use them to connect with some of the gods, and I have some questions about them. If there are any online books I can download about them or about Apollo and Poesidon and Aphrodite.
Do those specific deities respond well to pendulum?
Do I have to use differnt pendulum for different deities?
I might have more in the future but those are all I can think of.
I (16f) live in a small house and don't have enough space in my room/house to have more than one altar. Because of this I've been using one altar for all of the gods, and I'm starting to question whether that's disrespectful or not.
I know, you're probably thinking that I'm someone with a tremendous ego believing myself to be the literal son of the supreme god of the Greek pantheon, but no, it's nothing like that, I know perfectly well that no one can literally descend from a god, but, the reason why I consider Zeus as a father, what's more. Even though he is described as the father of gods and men, even more so, my connection with Zeus is truly incredible, in all the good and bad times, Cronida has been there for me, every prayer I I ask Father Zeus, every prayer that is heard, when I feel alone, he is there to listen to me and accompany me, a few minutes ago I just did a ritual with offerings in gratitude to Zeus, I traced an image of one of his many busts to have it for offerings and rituals, and I gave it incense and some livation (water) as offerings and, friends, truly, this is one of the best rituals I have ever done, Zeus was present throughout the ritual, and his presence It came to me in the form of a strong wind, and when the ritual ended, the wind stopped, I thanked it for everything it had given me, I asked it for protection, guidance, strength and masculinity to face the problems of this life, and even more so living in the country where I live (Venezuela), but the part that moved me was when I asked him to take care of my mother's soul, my mother died 3 months ago, that was the darkest moment of my life, because the person who had given me life and who taught me everything necessary for it, and who also loved me madly, is no longer physically with me, but I know that his soul is with me, protecting me in every corner where I go, She was Catholic, and in fact she forbade me from worshiping the Norse gods, since at that time I was very into Nordic paganism, but you know, I don't care about that, she was my mother, she was a good person, and she cared about me. My, I don't know if she is in the Abrahamic heaven or somewhere else, but I asked Father Zeus to protect her, that anyone who comes close to her soul, may Zeus launch one of his powerful rays, to destroy that wrong, and tell her on my behalf, wherever she is, that I love her, and that when I fulfill my purpose in this life (I'm 15 years old) I will meet her again in the other life, after having fulfilled what I promised her. Under his grave, I really wanted to cry, but I didn't shed tears, but I cried inside, Zeus saw, I know, because his presence was undeniably there with me, I finished the ritual and, honestly, I was left nostalgic, but also with a good taste in my mouth. , Zeus cares about his children, and he is showing it to me every day. All that remains is to say HAIL GREAT AND POWERFUL ZEUS, GOD OF GODS, SOVEREIGN ON OLYMPUS, THE CRONIDE, THE PROVIDER, THE ONE WHO PIELS UP THE CLOUDS, HAIL ZEUS-JUPITER, HAIL ZEUS FATHER, HAIL, ZEUS!!!
Love u Hestia <3
Is it ok to smoke weed while doing deity worship?
I’ve asked my deity and they said no; and I can’t find much information about it online so far ;-;
So, I've been thinking about some past experiences I had and I noticed an intriguing thing. I'm not a person who dreams a lot in my sleep, it's rarely or I rarely remember at least. But there was a couple of times that I had repetitive dreams about things there was no way I could have predicted these things. Two examples: 1- I dreamed for several nights that my mother's ex husband was trying to invade our house and do something, and then a couple of months later a neighbor saw his car parked in front of our house when we were out. She called the police and they caught him really trying to invade (we solved this legally and everyone is okay). 2- I had a repetitive dreams again about my mom getting in a car accident for weeks and I got really paranoid. I didn't really followed any religion at the time so I just prayed for whenever was hearing to keep my mother safe. She really got in a car accident later and the car was completely destroyed, but she didn't had a scratch.
I was wondering, since Apollo is the God of prophecies, maybe this means he reaches me out somehow when something bad is about to happen? I don't really know if this makes sense. But I don't know if these dreams make any sense either or if they were just coincidences (there was other times this happened, but with smaller things).
i’m just now learning how different the two are but because i’ve seen so many people online who combine the two, it’s hard to know what’s ok to do. ex: can i ask a dirty i worship for advice/tell them about my problems? can i ask them for guidance when im struggling?
im a beginner in diety worship and hellenism and still confused on what exactly to do. i’ve currently made altars for apollo and gaia so if there’s anything specific to their worship that you know of, that would be extremely helpful!
I’ve recently come to the realisation that this religion really appeals to me. While I’m not 100% on whether I’d like to be apart of it all, I’d like to hear a bit more on how it all is from you guys, and some starting advice.
I stopped being Christian at around age 10 and a year after found out I was queer. I’d been “atheist” ever since but I’ve always felt a belief in divine power(/s). It’s only until very recently when I heard about Hellenism and have looked it up that I’ve felt drawn to it.
Any help would be appreciated! :D
Hi guys! I’ve been wanting to get into Hellenism for a long while now but am struggling to find good sites to do research on about it. Could anyone give me tips about setting up altars and how to know if any gods reach out to you? It would be greatly appreciated 🫶 (I have no idea how to read tarot cards due to not having any yet)
And if anyone could tell me or help me understand this: I recently had a lay down while ago and is it normal to have dreams about certain Deities or gods (in my case Persephone) even though I’m still very very knew to understanding this religion and what would it mean?
Hope everyone has a great day/night/ evening/ afternoon 🫶
I was testing my pendulum and just asking random questions. i got curious about Lord Hermes', Lord Apollo's and Lady Athena's sexualities. I googles it and it said that Lord Hermes and Lord Apollo were both bi but i asked using the pendulum and they both said that google was wrong. i just wanted to tell someone because i thought this was a little cool.
Hey all,
I have been trying to get a list of Hellenic "Religious Holidays" so I know which days to do what, and I constantly get differing results. I know the days they fall on may change as they were based on old Lunar calenders which had like 11 days less then our current years so they added like an extra month every so often, but a rough list with dates would be a massive help if anyone would be able. Thank you so much in advance!
I found these framed busts in a store and am trying to ID them. I gathered that the middle is Apollo, but I cant figure out the other two. Can anyone help?
Here is a link to the store page. Please let me know if not allowed.
Thank you!
I see people doing devotional acts for a god and i dont understand how that works. how do you make an act FOR a god? like if i am, say, cleaning the house, how do i make that an act to Hestia?
Same question with veiling - how do you veil FOR a specific god? (also, how does veiling work in general [what should it be made from, what should it cover, how does it work/what is its purpose, etc]?)
I know some cultures have different holidays and rituals to honor the dead (ex. Dia De Los Muertos, which is currently being celebrated), and my Aunt's birthday is coming up. For some reason, this time of year, I always feel really sad and miss her. Is the a Hellenistic ritual or act to honor the dead? It's been a few years since she died, so all Google is sharing is funerary acts, but that's not what I'm looking for. I'm new-ish to this and don't really know where to start or how to explain.
So I came across something that got me thinking and thought it might be an interesting point of discussion that may be familiar with the ex-Christians out there. It's basically the "if God is so powerful why are people suffering in war, being trafficked or abused, dying from cancer, etc." question, but how do you view this from a Hellenistic perspective? Curious to hear thoughts on it.
The title is pretty self explanatory, but I want to go more in depth.
So lately I’ve felt a strong pull to Nyx and some of her children. (Hypnos, Thanatos and Charon) And I think Hestia is present slightly, reminding me to grow and take care of my home.
And I’ve been doing a bit of research into veiling, and I was hoping to hear some dont’s related to it, as I feel like that topic is never discussed. And how to cleanse my veils, I assume it’s up to personal method. (I.E smoke) But I wanted to know of other ways you guys may cleanse your veils, and how often you do.
I’ve started wearing a veil as a means to protect myself from outside influences, and to respect Nyx as she’s the primordial goddess of night, and I associate her with growth and healthy solitude.
The veils purpose being to remind me I don’t have to take on everyone’s feelings. As well as protecting me, and respecting Nyx as I mentioned earlier.
Any tips would be deeply appreciated 🖤
Its been 3 days since I made my first altar, which was for Aphrodite. The altar is located in my bedroom, in the same table as my computer which is where I spend most my time in. I put there my favorite perfume, favorite skincare product, a necklace that reminds me of her, some jewelry I like, and a printed image of her because I cannot afford good stuff. The first offerings I gave her were a lit white candle, incense, and a letter. That's where I think I messes up... I didn't really know how to offer her the letter, so I burned it on the candle. It made a HUGE mess, I tried to put it on a little bowl but couldn't and it basically burned everywhere on her altar. I got really scared and thought I had made her mad so I instantly cleaned it and apologized to her. The next day, the same thing happened. I offered her another letter, burning it again, but this time it got a LOT messier and burned even the necklace and a little bit of the paper where her image is. I apologized again and tried to clean it but it is now stained with burn marks and ashes.
I fear she does not like me or maybe Im just extremely clumsy and unlucky. Please someone tell me if I did something bad to her
As I'm new, I don't yet have a method of communicating, I was thinking about writing a yes, no and maybe letter. And also make a pendulum but with any stone I find in my backyard😃
I would like to hear from the more experienced what they think? Is it a good idea?
I would also welcome other ideas (other than tarot, I can't buy one right now).