Masterpost: Resources for Hellenic & Roman Polytheism
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The Basics for Hellenic and Roman Polytheists
Theoi Greek Mythology (https://www.theoi.com/) is a very good resource for classical mythology, historic cult information, the Homeric Hymns, the Orphic Hymns, the Delphic Maxims and other primary texts, including:
- The Orphic Hymns: http://www.theoi.com/Text/OrphicHymns1.html
- The Homeric Hymns: http://www.theoi.com/Text/HomericHymns1.html)
The Perseus Digital Library offers a wide range of complete primary and secondary sources for the study of ancient Greece and Rome: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/collections
Hercules:Greece’s Greatest Hero http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Herakles/index.html
Athanassakis,Apostolos N. The Homeric Hymns: https://archive.org/details/homerichymns0 0home https://archive.org/details/homerichymns00atha
🏺 📜 Books and articles
Athanassakis,Apostolos N. The Orphic Hymns. Not currently available online.
Burkert, Walter. Ancient Mystery Cults. https://archive.org/details/AncientMysteryCultsWalterBurkert1987/page/n2/mode/2up
Meyer, Marvin.The Ancient Mysteries: A Sourcebook: Sacred Texts of the Mystery Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean World https://archive.org/details/ancientmysteries0000unse_p7i2
Morford, Mark, P.O., Lenardon, Robert J. and Sham, Michael. The Student Companion to Classical Mythology, Tenth Edition: https://global.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780199997329/
William Smith, D.C.L., LL.D. A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities John Murray, London, 1875. Articles on Roman (and Greek) religion, including divination, festivals, funerals, magic, priestly officers, and rituals: https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/SMIGRA/Religion/home.html
The University of Washington. Interpretations of Myths: A free online course: https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/862997
The Monster Compilation of Free Online Resources for Classical Studies: a compilation of links to free academic sources about archaeology, language, literature, culture, history, magic, philosophy, religion, and more in the ancient Mediterranean world: https://honorthegods.tumblr.com/post/186537661706/the-monster-compilation-of-free-online-resources
Adult Home Study for Hellenic and Roman Polytheists: ideas for self-study to enrich understanding and aid in interpretation of mythology: https://honorthegods.tumblr.com/post/162142268516/adult-home-study-for-hellenic-and-roman
Altars - the basics:
Worship - the basics:
Bloodless sacrifice reading list:
Divination and Magic Resources:
Popular divination methods in ancient Greece: https://honorthegods.tumblr.com/post/163293305101/popular-divination-methods-in-ancient-greece
Astragalomancy (dice): https://spiritusarcanum.tumblr.com/post/29278618720/astragalomancy-divination-with-dice
Homeric Oracle: https://aur-ochs.tumblr.com/post/185994910629/the-homeric-oracle-comprehensive-edition
Academic article about the Homeric Oracle: http://www.chs-fellows.org/2014/03/28/using-homer-for-divination-homeromanteia-in-context/
Divination and magic reading list: https://honorthegods.tumblr.com/post/170457576371/so-i-know-that-minerva-was-the-roman-equivalent-to
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Hellenic Polytheism Resources
Hellenic polytheism, at the most basic, is the modern worship of the ancient Greek pantheon. Hellenic polytheists may also honor the nymphs and other nature spirits, and personified virtues, and practice some form of ancestor cult, sometimes combined with hero cult.
Hellenic polytheism is also known as Hellenic paganism, Hellenic Polytheistic Reconstructionism, Hellenismos, Hellenic paganism, Olympianism and Dodecatheism or Dodekatheism.
It’s occasionally called Hellenistic Polytheism, though it should be noted that the term “Hellenistic” refers specifically to the time period from the death of Alexander the Great to the defeat of Cleopatra and Mark Antony by Octavian in 31 BCE.
The term “Hellenism” was used to describe traditional Greco-Roman religion by the Emperor Julian and is still being used by modern reconstructionist and revivalist groups, especially those in Greece. There has been controversy over the use of “Hellenism” over the past two years, though Hellenic polytheist groups in Greece have issued statements permitting non-Greeks who worship the Theoi to use the term.
“Hellene” is a word used to describe Greeks and people of Greek heritage; it is therefor incorrect to use it as a synonym for practitioners of Hellenic polytheism.
The main tag to search for information of interest to beginners is #Hellenic Polytheism 101.
🏺 Building A Knowledge Base: Books, Articles and Websites
Hellenic Polytheism - free (and reliable!) resources Updated 28 August 2020: https://honorthegods.tumblr.com/post/612595707697840128/hellenic-polytheism-free-and-reliable
Masterpost of Followers of Hellenic Deities: https://thepastelpriestess.tumblr.com/post/184326359865/masterpost-of-followers-of-hellenic-deities
Evaluating the reliability of sources: https://honorthegods.tumblr.com/post/185112455671/hellenic-polytheism-how-to-sources
https://honorthegods.tumblr.com/post/184538461866/how-can-i-know-if-a-book-on-hellenic-polytheism-is
Resources for epithets of the Theoi: https://honorthegods.tumblr.com/post/184436720456/resources-for-cult-epithets-of-the-greek-gods
About the Eleusinian Mysteries: https://honorthegods.tumblr.com/post/150632102731/hey-im-new-to-all-this-what-are-we-supposed-to
About the “Pillars of Hellenisimos”: https://honorthegods.tumblr.com/post/173258771786/pillars-of-hellenismos
The Delphic Maxims: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delphic_maxims
Beliefs about the afterlife: https://honorthegods.tumblr.com/post/188387856416/did-ancient-greeks-believe-in-reincarnation
Funerary customs:
Hades and Persephone reading list: https://honorthegods.tumblr.com/post/174794576611/honorthegods-hades-and-persephone-side-a
Chthonic deities reading list: https://honorthegods.tumblr.com/post/179703232746/are-there-any-reasonably-priced-books-or-scholarly
Antinous reading list: https://honorthegods.tumblr.com/post/188654586206/the-cult-of-antinous-free-online-resources
Dionysus reading list: https://honorthegods.tumblr.com/post/183521520461/monsterbychoice-does-anyone-have-good-sources
Heroes and hero-cult reading list: https://honorthegods.tumblr.com/post/106530516261/heroes-and-hero-cult-in-classical-antiquity-a
🏺 Prayer and Worship
Modern prayers to the Theoi:
- Hearthstone http://hellenicdevotions.com/
- winebrightruby https://winebrightruby.tumblr.com/devotional
Note: downloads of Hearthstone’s four books of Hellenic prayers may be purchased at https://www.etsy.com/shop/HearthfireHandworks for $5 US each.
https://honorthegods.tumblr.com/post/160481841661/what-am-i-to-do-with-left-over-food-offerings-that
🏺 Festival Calendars and When to Worship
HMEPA Hellenic Month Established Per Athens Version 1.0.: the Athenian calendar, updated to be a calendar for the modern world and a Compiled List of Festivals and Sacrifices in Athens: http://www.numachi.com/~ccount/hmepa/
🏺 Weddings
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Roman Polytheism Resources
Roman polytheism is the modern worship of the ancient Roman pantheon. Roman polytheists may also honor the nymphs and other nature spirits, genii locorum, Lares, Penates, and practice some form of ancestor cult, sometimes combined with hero cult and Imperial cult.
Roman polytheism is also known as Roman Polytheistic Reconstructionism, Roman paganism, Religio Romana, Cultus Deorum, and Cultus Deorum Romanorum.
The main tag to search for information of interest to beginners is #Roman Polytheism 101
📜 Building A Knowledge Base: Books, Articles and Websites
Roman Polythesim: free (and reliable!) resources! Updated 22 December 2020: https://honorthegods.tumblr.com/post/612756976981671936/roman-polytheism-free-and-reliable-resources
Roman and Graeco-Roman Polytheists Masterpost: https://amor-augusti.tumblr.com/post/618731689875750912/roman-and-greco-roman-polytheists-masterpost
Getting started with Roman Polytheism:
Ancient Roman Virtues:
Resources about the worship of Antinous: https://honorthegods.tumblr.com/post/188654586206/the-cult-of-antinous-free-online-resources
Resources about the Mithraic Mysteries: https://honorthegods.tumblr.com/post/619125563802746880/free-and-reliable-sources-for-the-mysteries-of
The Lararium and Household Worship
Religio Romana Handbook: A Guide for the Modern Practitioner by L. Vitellius Triarius: https://archive.org/details/ReligioRomanaHandbook I don’t like or usually recommend Polytheist 101 handbooks, but this one is pretty good for those anxious to dive into worship.
Resources about Augury:
Driediger-Murphy, Lindsay G. Roman Republican Augury: Freedom and Control. Oxford: Oxford University Press. https://theeye.unblockit.id/public/Books/Bibliotik/R/Roman%20Republican%20Augury_%20Freedo%20-%20LINDSAY%20G.%20DRIEDIGER-MURPHY.pdf
Linderski, Jerzy. “The Augural Law: ANRW II 16.3. 1986. https://www.academia.edu/18884007/J.Linderski_Watching_the_Birds_Cicero_the_Augur_and_the_Augural_Templa_CP_81_1986_330-40_RQ_1995_485-95_Addenda_668_Addenda_altera_RQ_II_2007_633
Linderski, Jerzy. “Watching the Birds: Cicero the Augur and the Augural Templa.“ https://www.academia.edu/18884007/J.Linderski_Watching_the_Birds_Cicero_the_Augur_and_the_Augural_Templa_CP_81_1986_330-40_RQ_1995_485-95_Addenda_668_Addenda_altera_RQ_II_2007_633
Imperial Cult:
Festival Calendars:
http://www.epistemeacademy.org/calendars/ Convert today or any date to Roman (kingdom and Republic) or Julian calendar date.
Festival Calendar of Antinous: https://naosantinoou.org/all-festivals-and-observances/
📜 Weddings
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Top image info: Woman with phiale (libation bowl) at altar. Terracotta kylix, circa 460 BCE, attributed to the Painter of London. Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Image: Wikimedia Commons (X). Image License: Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication
