the-fields-of-asphodel asked: What do people think of the Percy Jackson books?

Beyond what I’ve already posted here?  In general, I have seen no majority consensus among Hellenists.  Some people think they’re decent YA Lit, others think they’re crap for any age, and then there are people like myself who can’t really have a valid opinion cos we haven’t read them.

I like Bob Newhart.  How about you?

Oh dear, are we preparing for Dan Halloran 2: Hellenic Boogaloo?  We do not need any Hellenic Problems like that!

bayoread:

achangingaltar:

bayoread:

eupheme-butterfly:

bayoread:

The clothes of women who had died in childbirth were regularly offered to the goddess at her temples and sanctuaries.

Which means, I take it, that this was not a violation of normal miasma laws? I’m…

Yes and no. Some things, it’s easily argued that “miasma” might just be related to personal hygiene that people didn’t quite understand or at least didn’t have the greatest control over —but then there are things that there are clear temple records of, which fly in the face of the typical understanding of what miasma is. Things like sacrificing the clothing of a woman who had just died in childbirth to Artemis, or the huge, often lavish, funerary processions, or other examples I’m brain-farting on.

The best possible working definition of miasma, past or present, is simply “spiritual uncleanliness”. Sometimes, that overlaps with physical hygiene, other times it’s clearly more spiritual in nature. 

did-you-kno:

Source

atalantaflails:

lucusantiquus:

…until I decided to venture into the Percy Jackson and various Greek deity tags.

And I want to say that I’m sorry.  I’m so sorry for what Rick Riordan has done to your deities, and for how that fandom acts.

You poor, poor things.

It seems every time I say I worship the Greek gods people go, “….like Percy Jackson?” FUCK YOU NO.

I actually haven’t had anyone respond to my “whut ur reelidgun lol” answer with any kind of Percy Jackson related quip, but then, I’m older than I look and was raised by old people (mostly my grandparents, but my parental units were both about forty when I was born), so I have no idea what the kids are up to, these days. 

That said, some of my co-religionists with children, or who are just into YA novels, and thus have read the PJ books say they aren’t bad, at least taken with a grain of salt, but then some of the snips I see on tumblr or dA just make me go “wha???” I can’t imagine that they’re as bad, or any worse than The House of Night series, though.

(via hailprostaterius)

saricaeli asked: Are there any reading, movies, etc., that you suggest?

Depends on what you’re hoping to get out of them.  Possibly the best “primer” for the religion is to read Greek Religion by Walter Burkert, and then Sarah Kate Istra Winter’s KHARIS offers a run-down on applying it to modern practise.  Also:  Nothing beats primary texts, including the works of Hesiod, Homer, and others.  I also recommend the fragments of Empedocles and The Cyreniacs Resource, but that’s just me —most other people prefer Plato, Pythagoras, and Aristotle.

http://neosalexandria.org/syncretism/miasma/ (via chienquiroule)

Would one of my Hellenic friends explain to me about this hubris stuff in a Hellenic context? Kemetics are… we don’t really have this concept.

(via satsekhem)

Hubris is shameful pride. Unfortunately, in ancient Athens, the crime of hubris —shaming another to the fulfillment of one’s own gratification— was a crime of mortal against mortal (and as per Nonnos, often sexual in nature), and its re-envisioning as a religious concept seems based on linguistic drift and poor research into the ancient concepts.  The fact that this linguistic drift is endorsed by YSEE certainly helps promote the misconception that the ancient people believed the Theoi cared about hubris, but YSEE is not actually a reconstructionist group (I’m on the tablet, which I hate, so I can source that statement later), as is often mistakenly believed, so their Lexicon of Terminology is less about restoring an ancient mindset, and more about creating a common language among other Hellenists, in and outside their group. (via hellenicproblems)

(via satsekhem)

unseelieguardian asked: Im curious about your premise of calling this religion the name that relates it to Helen of Troy when she was not in fact a major founder or subject of said religion? I do apologize if i am rude in my terminology but the question is out of pure curiousity

What?  Are you serious?

You know, in the event that you’re not just a weirdo troll, let me tell you, it should never be your source when writing a term paper, but for shit like this, Wikipedia is your friend. 

• Greece (Greek: Ελλάδα, Elláda), officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία, Ellīnikî Dīmokratía^[8])

Does that help?  In Greek mythology, Hellen is a differenct figure from Helen of Troy/Sparta —for starters, he’s male— and it’s from him that the name “Hellas” comes.  The people of Hellas were Hellenic long before Helen of Troy/Sparta.

ceryneian-hind-deactivated20130 asked: I hope things are well. I miss your wonderful updates!

Part Tumblurnout, part seasonal depression.  There’s a lot of back-up questions and submissions that I should get around to.

eupheme-butterfly reblogged your photo: For eupheme-butterfly :-D

I YSEE what you did there.

Hey, this is TOTALLY a nerd religion. :-D  PROVE ME WRONG, CLASSICS PROFESSOR!

keledones reblogged your photo: Hellenic Problems #187: People who insist that …

I blame this partly on the state of Modern Astrology.

Partly, sure.  I also partly blame the Bowdlerisation of Greek myth to the point that people think the versions they read as children are the only versions that matter.  I mean, hell, Disney tried to make a version of the Herakles myths —of course, I suppose that’s not saying much, as a couple years prior, they did The Hunchback of Notre Dame, but I sure do seem to run into a lot of people (at least outside the HP and general pagan communities) who seem to think that Hellenic mythology is “just for children”.

jesterontheheath reblogged your photo: Hellenic Problems #187: People who insist that …

What? Huh? Who would say that?

I can’t remember names, but I’ve seen people make that claim.  I’m dead serious.

Hellenic Problems #188: When the nearest Hellenist to you is at least a four hour drive away from you. Even if you get to meet up there is little you can do to bond as a community with only being two people and all.

(sumbitted by Anon)

Hellenic Problems #187: People who insist that Aphrodite’s domain is “love, but not sex”.

Hellenic Problems #186: Every damn time you use the phrase Christian mythology. (suggested by follower)