Hellenism - Blog Posts

Aphrodite Deity Guide

Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, sex, fertility, and beauty. She is known by the Romans as Venus. I've become interested in working for Aphrodite recently.

This is from my personal grimoire but I tried to remove anything that is an opinion or bias.

Quote from Trisha Mateer's "Aphrodite Made Me Do It"; banner by me.

Who is Aphrodite?

Strongly associated with love and beauty, Aphrodite is also worshipped as a sea-fairing goddess as she is associated with the ocean.

Some places, most notably Sparta, Thebes, and Cyprus honored her as a goddess of war.

In the epic Theogony, the author tells how Aphrodite was born from the severed genitals of Uranus, personification of heaven. The genitals were tossed into the sea by Cronus and out rose Aphrodite.

The goddess gets her namesake from the Greek work aphros which means “foam”.

Parents and Siblings of Aphrodite

Uranus

Sometimes it’s said that she is the daughter of Zeus and Dione.

If she was the daughter of Ouranos, her siblings include the Titans, such as Cronus, Rhea, Hyperion, and others.

If Aphrodite was one of the daughters of Zeus, she had many half siblings since he had multiple affairs. Hephaestus, Ares, Athena, Artemis, Apollo, Hermes, Dionysus and Persephone were all her half siblings, and she didn’t have any direct siblings

Aphrodite’s Lovers

Hephaestus is her husband

Ares is her most prominent affair

Anchises, a mortal with whom she gave birth to Aeneas

Adonis, a handsome young man who was killed by a boar while hunting and was lamented by women at the festival of Adonia. (britannia)

Dionysus

Zeus

Hermes

Phaethon

Posideon

Butes

Aphrodite’s Children

From the mortal Anchises, Aeneas, a mythical hero of Troy and Rome, and Lyrus/Lyrnus.

From Butes, Eryx, Meligounis and several more unnamed daughters.

Hymenaios, Iacchus, Priapus, the Charites (Graces: Aglaea, Euphrosyne, Thalia) from Dionysus

Phobos, Deimos, Harmonia, the Erotes (Eros), Anteros, Himeros, Pothos from Ares

Hermaphroditos, Priapus from Hermes

Rhodos from Posideon

Beroe, Golgos, Priapus (rarely) from Adonis

Astynous from Phaethon

Priapus from Zeus.

Peitho from an unknown father. Though Peitho is also considered one of Aphrodite’s epithets.

Epithets

“…she is Cythereia, she of Cythêra; and Cypria, she of Cyprus, where at Paphos she had her great sanctuary. Living in islands her way was ever on the sea.”

-Jane Harrison Myths of Greece and Rome

Aphrodite Urania (also spelt Ourania)

Aphrodite Pandemos

Venus Genatrix

Peitho, meaning persuasion,

Philommeidḗs, which means "smile-loving", but is sometimes mistranslated as "laughter-loving".

Cypris and Cythereia for her association of Cyprus and Cythera

On Cyprus, Aphrodite was sometimes called Eleemon

In Athens, she was known as Aphrodite en kopois ("Aphrodite of the Gardens”)

At Cape Colias, a town along the Attic coast, she was venerated as Genetyllis "Mother".

Aphrodite Euploia ('of the fair voyage')

Across the Greek world, she was known under epithets such as:

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The Spartans worshipped her as:

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Misc Notes

Many of the epithets are names or titles from various cults that worshipped Aphrodite.

Prostitutes identified Aphrodite as their patron deity.

A male version of Aphrodite known as Aphroditus was worshipped in the city of Amathus on Cyprus. Aphroditus was depicted with the figure and dress of a woman, but had a beard and was shown lifting his dress to reveal an erect phallus. This gesture was believed to be an apotropaic symbol, and was thought to convey good fortune upon the viewer. Eventually, the popularity of Aphroditus waned as the mainstream, fully feminine version of Aphrodite became more popular, but traces of his cult are preserved in the later legends of Hermaphroditus.

It’s likely that Aphrodite was brought over from the Eastern Mediterranean, hinting to Phoenician goddess Astarte or the near Eastern goddess Inanna (Ishtar).

The Petra Tou Romaniou also named “Aphrodite’s Rock” is a sea stack said to be a marker of where she was born. This rock is by a beach in Paphos, Cyrpus.

She was specifically the protectress of city magistrates.

Correspondences

Disclaimer - Not all of these are traditional or historic correspondences nor do they need to be. However, any correspondence that can be considered traditional will be marked with a (T).

Rocks/Stone/Crystals/Metals

Rose Quartz

Pearl

Aquamarine

Sapphire

Silver

Rose Gold

Gold

Sea Glass

Herbs/Plants

Roses (T)

Myrtle flowers(T)

Apples (T)

Pomegranates (T)

Rosemary

Animals

Dove (T)

Sparrows (T)

Water Fowls including swans, geese, and ducks (T)

Possible Dolphins, as she is often depicted with them.

Symbols

Conch shell (T)

Mirror (T)

Girdle (T)

Offerings

Statues or art of her

Incense (T)

Cakes or pastries (T)

Chocolate

Candles (T)

Strawberries

Traditional items like roses, wine, myrtle, apples, and pomegranates seeds. (T)

Jewelry

Olives, Olive oil, or olive branches (T)

Praise, just tell her how cool and how pretty she is!

Pretty things

Makeup

Honey

Acts of Devotion

Write or recite poetry about Aphrodite (T)

Read hymns written for her/create your own! (Here's Sappho's Hymn to Aphrodite) (T)

Practicing self care, dedicating that good energy to her

Dressing up/putting on an outfit that makes you feel attractive

Glamour spells

Putting on makeup inspired by her

Sex magic (proceed with caution)

Celebrate Adonia (T)

Research her history and mythology. (You can make notes from this post if you'd like, check out the links below, or feel free to do your own research!)

Keep in mind that these are only some ideas for offerings and correspondences! Items and activities that connect you to her in a more personal way are just as good, and often better, than those you find on the internet. As with any relationship, feel it out, ask questions, and be attentive and receptive!

References and Further Reading

Aphrodite - Britannia

Aphrodite (Venus) - Myths of Greece and Rome by Jane Harrison (via Sacred-Texts)

Poems of Sappho collection by J.B. Hare (via Sacred-Texts)

Aphrodite - World History Encyclopedia

Aphrodite - Theoi Project

Aphrodite - Wikipedia

Aphrodite - Greekmythology.com

Aphrodite Made Me Do It by Trisha Mateer

I just love them so much!

Absolutely be political in your worship.

Aphrodite isn't called Pandemos (of All People) so you can sit around and let the big names capitalise love and serve it only to those who can afford to pay past the persecution. Hermes isn't called Oeopolus (Shepherd) so you can sit around and let a bunch of power-hungry wolves lead a flock of influencable sheep. Apollo isn't called Paean (Healer) so you can sit around while wealthy corporations serve healthcare only to those who can afford not to die. Athena isn't called Ambulia (Counsellor) so you can sit around while the people are being fed propaganda against each other to divert them from the real enemy at the top. Dionysus isn't called Eleuthereus (the Liberator) so you can sit around while freedom is only granted to those whose skins have the acceptable colour while the others die in chains. Zeus isn't called Xenios (of the Foreigners) so you can sit around while the borders are closed to those who need it and only open to those who can give back the money.

The Gods stand with the oppressed, and so should you.

Books are expensive, Hermes thinks learning about your religion should be free.

They're just the basics and only a few, but feel free to ask me to add anything and I'll try my best!

me, an individual who has never really prayed or been religious:

hellenism:

i fucking love Aphrodite so much.

Like I fall asleep being in love with her just to wake up being in love with her.

I cannot understand people who don’t love her. She’s so nice, beautiful and smart. She’s been there for me through everything and has never left my side.

Aphrodite has loved me like no one else has ever and I mean ever. My mom, dad, best friend, ex’s, and pets have never loved me the way Aphrodite loves me.

Ever since i started worshipping Aphrodite my life had been the best it’s ever been.

🩷I love you Aphrodite🩷

Hestia is the ancient Greek goddess of home and hearth🔥 and here are some simple offerings for her:

• Olive oil 🫒 A traditional ancient Greek offering for protection, peace, and nourishment.

• Honey 🍯 Represents sweetness and the warmth of the hearth.

• Bread 🍞 Freshly baked or simple loaves as a symbol of sustenance.

• Wine 🍷 A small libation of red or white wine, symbolizing celebration and hospitality.

• Candles 🕯️ To honour her as the goddess of the hearth flame.

• Flowers 💐 Fresh flowers or faux flowers for simplicity and calm.

• Cooked meals 🍲 A portion of home-cooked food, especially soups or stews, as a gesture of hospitality.

• Incense 🪔 Frankincense, myrrh, copal, or sandalwood for purification and devotion.

• Simple tea 🫖 Herbal teas like chamomile or peppermint, representing warmth and welcome.

• Homemade crafts 🧶 Knitted or sewn items, representing the domestic arts.

• Grains 🌾 Barley, oats, or rice, offered raw or as part of a meal.

• Clay or pottery 🏺Small handmade items symbolizing the home and stability.

• Clean, well-kept spaces 🧹 Tidying and maintaining a clean altar or hearth area in her honour.

• Warm drinks ☕️ Coffee or hot chocolate, especially during colder months, symbolizing warmth and comfort.

[...a son, of many shifts, blandly cunning, a robber, a cattle driver, a bringer of dreams, a watcher by night, a thief at the gates, one who was soon to show forth wonderful deeds among the deathless gods.]

Praise Lord Hermes by taking the time to write. In a journal, a blog, a notes app, anything. Just write.

e-offering to Lord Hermes 💛

Great son of Zeus and Maia,

God of travelers, of luck, of guidance,

I ask for your protection during these next few days as I journey out of town,

I feel safer following you and appreciate all you do to keep my days going smoothly and my luck abundant,

thank you for your blessings,

I post this offering in your honor,

asking for any protection you can provide 💛🪽

Digital Offering to Lord Hermes

Digital Offering to Lady Hestia

Digital Offering to Lord Hermes

I forgot to put snakes and if I forgot another thing you can tell me

Digital Offering to Lord Hermes

Digital Offering to Lady Hestia

May Hestia protect our families and our home at the beginning of this week

First Digital Offering To Lady Hestia of the year

I hope she can protect our homes and our families, happy new year.

Digital Offering to Lord Hermes

I will try to make at least one digital offering to Lord Hermes every Wednesday.

for lady hestia

Another Digital Offering to Lady Hestia

*grabs you and shakes you but gently cause I love you* you do not need to be ‘called’ to worship the gods. Just worship. Please just worship if it is what your heart wants.

Finally finished this filet crochet project of the goddess Hestia!

I'm insanely proud of it and it's currently being blocked

Done with a 1.5mm hook, pen for scale below:

What to put in your hellenic journal and why it helps

Building a kharis with gods using a religious journal is really helpful. It helped me keep my information and my thoughts related to the Gods organized. It can also help beginners if they are uncomfortable reciting hymns out loud.

What could be put inside it:

Every day write one delphic maxim and write how you interpret it or what you think about it

Make a shopping list for your altar and offerings

Compose prayers

Hymns/ prayers to your patrons and Hestia, Nyx, Helios, Hypnos

Write something as if you are conversating with the Gods.

Important information on deities

Favorite offerings, incenses, and libations of the Gods

Important Callendar events, festivals, and key info on celebration

Quotes from the most famous books of Gods that you relate to or want to remember

Instructions on composing prayers

What afterlife means in Hellenismos

What defines hubris, agos and miasma

7 pillars of Hellenismos and their meaning

Do some drawings for the Gods as a devotional act

Include your personal experiences with the divine and how it affected you

Write down the signs you saw during the week

You can also decorate it with the images of Gods

Delphic Maxims:

https://www.tumblr.com/bluemorfedbutterfly/746793310790828032/delphic-maxims-pt1-the-delphic-maxims-are-a?source=share

Books are expensive, Hermes thinks learning about your religion should be free.

They're just the basics and only a few, but feel free to ask me to add anything and I'll try my best!

Runaway

Διακτορος - Diaktoros, Guide, Messenger

A most confounding feeling has washed over me; I wish I could look in the mirror and find a stranger, unburdened by the accumulated sorrows and troubles of this life. I wanted to be unsettled, free from these chains, and eager to be led to a distant land and give birth to myself to have a fresh start.

I want to be an unseen face in the crowd, watching as people pass me by, filled with the giddiness and melancholia of witnessing life but not understanding or knowing it.

I want to be lost. I want to be free. I want to be guided.

I want to stop the endless noise in my head that fills me with dread.

I want to be a nameless wanderer, wandering and wondering, flying free with all the consequences of freedom entailing, such as wonderlust and loneliness.

He is lonely too, is he not? Always on the run, going place to place, meeting people and bidding them adieu in the same breath.

Yet, it is thrilling and fulfilling nonetheless, isn't it?

I wish for companionship on such lonely roads.

I wish for the eternal guide to hold my hand and squeeze it, telling me all will be fine.

I wish for a friend to teach me to bask in the sanctity of loneliness and being unknown and being fresh.

I wish for many thing, but there is one wish I hope for the most.

I wish for guidance in this vast, scary world.

this evening, I think of Thanatos...

Παιων - Paiôn, healer

"In my restless dreams, I see that town..."

I don't think it's necessarily death that humans fear, I think it is the potential pain and agony that may come with and from it... (oh, to be a shade wondering and wandering, without aim, without burden...)

Swift Luck-bringer

He of the lucky coins,

He of the serendipitous blessings,

He of the joyous fortunes,

May I continue to find balance in even the most tumultuous of moments,

May I continue to seek the good to overcome the bad,

May I continue to prosper even in my darkest hours.

Whenever we see a cow...

Cow: *literally just existing* Me and Hermes pointing at it at the same time: c o w Bonus Hermes: This reminds me about the time I achieved godhood by stealing Apollo's cattle. Me: Hermes, no, this is the 7th time- Hermes: See, it all started when I was just a mere infant child in a cave-

First Interaction with Hermes

(using a coinflip to determine answers, heads = yes, tails = no)

Me: Uh...should I be afraid of you...?

Hermes: *serious* Yes.

Me: *nervous* Wait, what- really?

Hermes: Haha, no! *laughs*

Me: *realizing I have been pranked by god*

Πανδαματωρ - Pandamator, all-vanquisher, all-subduer, all-tamer

"Days pull you down just like a sinking ship, Floating is getting harder, But tread the water, child, and know that meanwhile, Rises the moon.

Days pull you up just like a daffodil, Uprooted from its garden, They'll tell you what you owe, but know even so, Rises the moon.

You'll be visited by sleep, I promise you that soon the autumn comes, To steal away each dream you keep, Breathe, breathe, breathe."

- rises the moon, Liana Flores

A comfort post because today was rough and I cried several times today but Sleep is always there to carry me down to his domain as I rest my heavy head upon my pillow so that I may receive relieving respite from life's pains.

Hypnos's lullaby would definitely be "rises the moon" though, it suits him...

(He's also a big fan of hot chocolate.)

Οιοπολος - Oiopolos, Sheep-Tending/Shepherd The shepherd plucked the lamb away from the den of wolves, walking away whilst the lamb bleated in fear, for it would be leaving the familiar coldness and lupine threats. "Where are you taking me, shepherd?" The lamb asked. "I'm taking you home." The shepherd replied, "I'm taking you away from that saddening situation." "But what if I get lost?" The lamb asked, hesitation pulling at its downy wool. "You were always lost, but it's alright." The young man smiled, as gentle as the breeze, "Now, you are found. That place wasn't home. It was only a house, see. There's a difference. You belong somewhere else. Not amongst snapping jaws and razor claws." The lamb followed close, basking in his warmth. It's strange. Though the fear of the unknown lingers in its heart, the thrill of freedom is undeniable. "Come with me, and have no worries." He held his hand out, a guide to an aimless wanderer, "Let me show you what it's like to go home, little lost lamb."