Witchtok: You can NOT be friends with the gods!
Meanwhile Athena to Odysseus in the Odyssey:
"HEY BITCH!!! 👋😆"
Technically, she affectionately calls him a "wretch" but I wanted to use "Hey bitch!" to modernize the effect of what she meant when she used the word "wretch" to refer to Odysseus. It is no different than how best friends will sometimes refer to each other by an insult but the tone is playful, kind, and both parties have consented to being referred to in this way only by the other and will find it insulting if someone else refers to them in this way.
The following passage comes from the Odyssey translated by Richard Lattimore, p. 205: (LINK)
My Ancient Greek Civ. professor says Athena favors Odysseus so much that she playfully bullies him as soon as he reaches his goal and finally returns to his homeland in Ithaca. When she calls him a "wretch" there's no malice in her words.
In the Odyssey, this time translated by Robert Fagles, instead of using the word "wretch," Fagles translates it to "terrible man." But again, Athena isn't meaning this in a negative way, but more of an endearing way because this is the first time they've seen each other in a decade, p. 296: (LINK)
In ancient Greece, it was believed that Homer called upon the muse, Calliope, to speak through him and tell the story of Odysseus. Homer summons the muse of epic poetry at the very beginning of the book:
"Tell me, Muse, of the man of many ways, who was driven far journeys, after he sacked Troy's sacred citadel." (Trans. Richard Lattimore, p. 27, (LINK))
According to this ancient belief, Calliope, a goddess, is the one portraying Athena in this manner.
If Athena, who is often portrayed in a very serious manner, is relaxed about being affectionate with Odysseus, then the other gods also have the potential to be more relaxed about showing affection towards their favorite humans.
If you don't want to honor the gods in a more casual manner (or you happen to be someone who needs a more formal environment, or someone who misses the feeling of tradition) thats different. It's okay to want a more formal relationship with the gods, I'm just not okay with bullying worshippers who chose to honor the gods in a less formal fashion (including developing a proper friendship).
Some people need a more casual approach to honoring the gods because it helps them connect with the gods on days where their disabilities get in the way. (Lately my OCD and PTSD have made it impossible to do anything. As an ex-Catholic, I used to get in trouble for having ADHD because it would get in the way of worshipping "correctly". I used to think I would never be able to work with the gods so long as I was disabled, but a more casual approach to honoring the gods has changed my life).
(In this post, I'm strictly speaking of the GREEK GODS! As a Native American POC, I understand this might be very different for gods of other pantheons!)
Don't let others dictate your relationship with the gods! That is between you and the gods!
