Greek Gods You’ve Never Heard Of, Part IV

hereticalheraldry:

More Personified Concepts

Dike/Dice (f) “justice”, moral order, fair judgment, socially enforced norms, conventional rules. Young slender woman carrying a scale with a laurel wreath. Represented in the constellation Libra. Roman: Justitia

Astraea/Astrea/Astria (f) “star maiden/starry night” Virgin goddess of innocence and purity, and associated with Dike (justice). the last of the immortals to live with humans during the Golden Age. Abandoned earth during the Iron Age. Became Virgo, next to Libra.

Adikia/Adicia (f) injustice, wrongdoing. Opposite of Dike

Angelia (f) daughter of Hermes, daemon of messages, tidings, proclamations (if this sounds like the word “angel”, it’s because our word angel comes from the same root: Greek “angelos”, meaning “messenger”)

Harmonia (f) harmony and concord. opposite of Eris (strife). (Also the name of a nymph of the Akmonian Wood, mother of the Amazons.) Wife of Cadmus, first king of Thrace. Sister of—–>

Iasion/Iasus/Eetion, founder of the mystic rites on Samothrace; with Demeter fathered Ploutos, Philomelus, and Corybas, who gave his name to the Corybantes/Koribantes, dancing priests of Phrygia

Hedone (f) pleasure, especially sensual pleasures. daughter of Eros and Psyche; opposite of the Algos (pains). Roman: Voluptas

—–Four winged enforced siblings stood in attendance at Zeus’s throne: Zelus, Bia, Kratos, and Nike, children of the titans Pallas (m) and Styx (f). Along with their mother, they helped Zeus in the war against the Titans and became his constant companions after he triumphed.

  • Kratos/Cratos (m) daemon of strength
  • Nike (f) “victory,” goddess of victory, strength, speed. Associated with Athena. winged goddess. Roman: Victoria 
  • Zelus/Zelos (m) “zeal.” Zelus and Bia were less famous than Cratos and Nike.
  • Bia (f) 

    “Power, force & Might” was the personification of force and raw energy. when Prometheus was punished and was to be chained to a rock, 

    Bia and her brother, Kratos, were sent to carry out this task, but Bia was the only one strong enough to actually bind Prometheus to the rock with the unbreakable chains.

Lampetia (f) “shining,” daemon of light. daughter of Helios (sun) and Neaera (nymph of Thrinacia), she and her sister Phaethusa guarded the ageless and deathless sheep and cattle of Thrinacia.

Phaethusa (f) “radiance”, daemon of the brilliant, blinding rays of the sun

Mnemosyne (f) memory. a titaness, mother of the Muses. Roman: Moneta

Polemos (m) “war,” daemon of war. Roman: Bellum

Pandia/Pandeia (f) “all brightness”, associated with the full moon. daughter of Zeus and Selene (moon)

Agon (m) struggle, contest

Phthonus (m) jealousy, envy, especially in love

the Horae/Horai/Hours (f, plural) “seasons,” goddesses of the seasons and the natural portions of time. sometimes goddesses of order in general, and natural justice. usually 3: Thallo, Auxo, and Carpo (the order of nature); or Eunomia (good order, lawful conduct) and her sisters Dike (justice) and Eirene (peace). in Argos there were two, winter and summer: Auxesia (possibly Auxo) and Damia (possibly Carpo).

First triad of the Horae, children of Aphrodite and Zeus:

  • Thallo/Thalette “the one who brings blossoms”, spring, buds, blooms, protectors of youth. Roman: Flora
  • Auxo/Auxesia “increaser”, summer, vegetation, plants, growth, fertility
  • Carpo/Carpho/Xarpo, the one who brings food, autumn, ripening, harvesting. Guarded the way to Mount Olympus

Second triad, children of Themis and Zeus

  • Dike “Justice”, moral justice, ever-young woman dwelling in the cities of man, Virgo. Roman: Iusticia (see Dike, Astraea: above)
  • Eunomia “order”, goddess of law and legislation
  • Eirene/Irene “peace”, peace and wealth, beautiful young woman carrying cornucopia, scepter, and torch or rhyton. Roman: Pax

Third triad:

  • Pherusa, substance, farm estates
  • Euporie/Euporia, abundance
  • Orthosie/Orthosia, prosperity

The Horae as the four seasons:

  • Eiar (spring), Theros (summer), Phthinoporon (autumn), Cheimon (winter)

The Horae as the hours: tutelary goddesses of the times of day

9 hour system: 

  • Auco/Auxo, Eunomia, Pherusa, Carpo, Dike, Euporie/Euporia, Eirene/Irene, Orthosie/Orthosia, Thallo

10 or 12 hour system:

  • Auge (first light) not original to the set
  • Anatole/Anatolia (sunrise)
  • Mousike/Musica (morning hours of music and study)
  • Gymnastike/Gymnastica/Gymnasia (morning hours of education, training, exercise)
  • Nymphe/Nympha (morning hours of ablution/bathing)
  • Mesembria (noon)
  • Sponde (libations poured after lunch)
  • Elete (prayer, first of the afternoon work hours)
  • Akte/Acte/Cypris (eating and pleasure, 2nd of the afternoon work hours)
  • Hesperis (end of the afternoon, start of evening)
  • Dysis (sunset)
  • Arktos/Arctus (night sky, constellation) not original to the set

(See the rest of the series)

chironomy:

seafoamlovechild:

What are my gods to me?

Aphrodite and Hestia are my selfcare coaches. They keep me motivated in taking care of myself when I neglect the time I should go to bed or feel the need to stuff myself with unhealthy food, or when I work on my comic too much, not allowing myself to take a break. Or push me to clean my room when I definitely should but feel too lazy to do so. Or chant “it’s not your fault” until I stop blaming myself for a stupid mistake I’ve made due to my social awkwardness and can’t help but think the person I harmed hates me.

Aphrodite and Hestia are my companions. It feels comforting that I always have someone to talk to, who is always present for me and rarely ever criticizes me. Or someone I can present my speech school assignments to, since I tend to drag them out more with unnecessary pauses if I don’t have an audience.

Aphrodite and Hestia are representatives of my own character in its beautiful duality of sorts. Independent but not afraid to love. Passionate about many things and yet very gentle and non-conflictual. Valuing romantic love and gained family very much, sometimes more than family by blood, but being forever thankful to my parents for everything they do for me and having home be my sanctuary where I feel the most comfortable. And, most of all, considering kindness and compassion be the most important qualities for any being to have.

Aphrodite is my active protector, fiercely warding off as many bad influences as she can.

Hestia is my passive protector, embracing and shielding me from things that could do me harm.

I am very thankful for all of it and happy to have them with me.

What are your gods to you?

Hades is my no matter what. He’s my bedrock, my anchor, my fixed point. I’ll be his (eventually) regardless of whether I write ten more books and change the world or murder fourteen people (”but please don’t murder people.”) He’s also my guide, my greatest teacher, my confidante, the little itch of mortality that gives me perspective on what really matters in life and urges me to go out and do great things. I love my Lower Power. 😀

Hades is my bedrock as well, as I approached Him as my very first devotional relationship back when I was a witchling. He was adamant about me getting sober and would not allow me to work with any of the Theoi until I succeeded. He returned promptly after the fact.

Persephone is who initiated me on my Healer’s Journey because I associate the Underworld and Dark Goddess so strongly with healing. I’ll be starting with Shadow Work this winter. Persephone’s story also mirrors my own.

Hekate is my protection and guiding light as a witch, pushing me toward self-sovereignty and owning my power. I shave my head for Her on the Deipnon and set intentions with Her on the Noumenia.

Hades, Persephone and Hekate are my three devotional relationships, but I work with and acknowledge as many of the Theoi as I can to gain greater understanding of myself, my path and the spirit underlying Western civilization.

Hestia allows me the blessing of stable and supportive living arrangements. I always make mention of this before and after offerings to any other Theoi.

Apollo has given me the blessing of my oracular abilities, and I work with Him while doing divination. I recently made a set of Psephoi dedicated to Him.

Aphrodite and I briefly worked together on self-love this Venus Retrograde, but I didn’t commit to it as much as I wanted.

Recently, Asclepius has appeared to me. I believe I will be working with Him as a Healer once I am better situated with my own Shadow Work under Persephone.