Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Reader Question: Greek Paganism

"I love your blog (Seriously, I should be writing an essay but I've been scrolling through your blog, whoops.)
As I was scrolling, I was thinking about my pantheon, as a brand-spankin' new pagan, I've already become comfortable with the pantheon I know the most about and what feels right with me. Which would be Greek Paganism. And I was wondering if you had any information to share with me, or have any reading materials you would recommend?
Also, on a side note...  it's been a family rule that I'm not allowed to burn anything in my room. I have a few electric candles and I was wondering if those had the same principal,  I've seen on the internet that some pagans use them, I was just wondering what your thoughts were.
- Alex"
Hi there! Thanks so much! I love knowing people are enjoying the blog =D and I'm happy to help.

I do have some sources for you! As a Greek Pagan, you are very lucky as there is a wealth of information available in the form of primary texts, art and archaeology. On the down side, religion was practised a bit differently from area to area, city-state to city-state, which can confuse matters.

But anyway, here are some links for you:
Theoi.com - MANY primary and secondary sources, organised by God, hero, spirit or entity.
Temenos Theon - the best site I've found so far for basic info on Hellenic recon. It's straightforward but has great info, and a lot of links to further reading.
This book was recommended by a Hellenic friend of mine and the website also has some recommended reading, links and an Athenian festival calendar. I haven't read the book myself but I do trust my friend's judgement, so it should be a good read.

And of course the main primary texts are Homer (Iliad, Odyssey) and Hesiod (Theogeny, Works and Days). You can read them here if you don't mind an older translation.

I'm not a big fan of electric candles myself. The act of lighting a candle, the way the flame responds and so on, and the presence of the fire itself can't be replicated by an electric alternative. But, on the other hand, part of the reason for lighting candles is atmosphere. If they provide the right atmosphere for you, then go right ahead and use them. It all depends on the reasons you want to light candles.

EDIT

My friend added her advice:
"My first book introduction (because Kharis wasn't out yet, and Old Stones New Temples was out of print) was actually Walter Burkert's Greek Religion. It's dense, dry, a history book...and utterly important to read.

At some point. It doesn't have to be everyone's first resource, but I think it's an important work to read.

My biggest recommendation is to learn the ritual pattern and then just do ritual. It doesn't need to be very big and fancy, and as you learn, you can incorperate your beliefs and practices into your daily life."
 Thanks hun! Everyone go check out her blog.

3 comments:

  1. My first book introduction (because Kharis wasn't out yet, and Old Stones New Temples was out of print) was actually Walter Burkert's Greek Religion. It's dense, dry, a history book...and utterly important to read.

    At some point. It doesn't have to be everyone's first resource, but I think it's an important work to read.

    My biggest recommendation is to learn the ritual pattern and then just do ritual. It doesn't need to be very big and fancy, and as you learn, you can incorperate your beliefs and practices into your daily life.

    As for electric candles, I can see the idea for atmosphere, but not if the candle is part of an offering. Good thing there's lots of other non-burning things to offer.

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  2. Thanks so much for the info! :D

    Everyone! Read that comment! ^ ^ ^

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  3. Lots of awesome information and help buzzing around here. That's nice to see.

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