Everyday
OLYMPUS OLYMPUS
Written & Illustrated by
Sydney Bakker
How do I begin to explain this…?
So…
What is
Hellenic Polytheism Greek, can either refer to modern or Ancient Greece, but in this case it refers to Ancient Greece.
The belief and/or worship of multiple Gods
Therefore…
Helleni c polytheism is a Modern
d version of the Ancient Greek re l igion structe n o c e . r One notable difference between ancient and modern practice is that rather than having a large community that shares the practice throughout daily life, current Hellenic polytheists practice mostly inside the home, and within their own bubble. This is due to the decrease of practitioners and their spread all across the world.
This does NOT mean that this is a dead religion! Despite this, I’ve found that it’s still not uncommon for Hellenic polytheism to be misunderstood at first glance. That’s why this zine invites you to sit down and discover all about Hellenic polytheist traditions with curiosity and understanding.
with g n i l ve a r T
Hermes
Myths What’s interesting is how mythology falls into all of this. Unlike many other religions, the myths aren’t treated as holy texts and stand rather separate from the practice itself. Funnily enough, even back in the day, a lot of myths were written for the sake of entertainment, or to explain the world around them. They were both written to describe and talk about the gods, as well as bringing along life lessons and morals. A key aspect to note about this, is that it was widely known that these stories were written by people and not taken as literal fact. When reading the myths today, it’s important to note this and read the stories within the context of their time. After all, their purpose was to be an interpretation written in ancient societ, and would be written differently today. When we take Persephone’s kidnapping for example, a common interpretation is that it represents the unfairness of death and that it can even take a young girl, rather than a literal kidnapping.
Prayer stances
Ouranic Gods of the heavens
Thalassic Gods of the ocean
Chthonic
Gods of the earth and the underworld
What can you find on a modern altar?
In modern day, what used to ONLY be considered a shrine in the home, is also used as an altar
ot… but what is the p ice little sp oint o n a t o f an g u o y altar , y a ?” “Ok
Offerings
As much as offerings could be anything one might think of, the most common type of offering to the gods is…
o
il &
The most common and easy food offerings include:
Food Olive
Milk
Wine
H oney
F r uit
h of bot ance t r o imp rings… the od offe w o kno nd f we ion a w it No trad
ck e h C
up! g u d at I h w out
Studying with
A T H E N A
l l o o p A
th i w g n i bn ath
Su
Greek gods aren’t just stories from the past. For some people, they’re part of everyday life. This little zine is a light-hearted introduction to Hellenic polytheism: the worship of the Greek gods in our modern world. So come with me and step into the world of Hellenic polytheism through art, humor, and honest information.