In our continuing dialogues we have covered the importance of honoring the Twelve, appropriate patron relationships within a Hellenic paradigm, virtue and vice, personal deities are personal daimons and tutelary spirits, and the Hellenic religion overall. Today, I wish to discuss the Household Gods and everyday practice. Many new to Hellenismos seem to focus only on the grand festivals and large public sacrifices of the city-states, which in some respects is understandable, but this focus leaves large and empty gaps. In many respects, a practitioner of Hellenismos who places their main emphasis on festivals is like a Christian who only sees the inside of a church on Christmas or Easter. 

Understanding the Hellenic religion requires understanding the Divine is immanent. Divinity is within and inherent in all things. Therefore, the secular world has no distinct separation from the spiritual. To a practitioner of Hellenismos the phrase, “If you cannot find God in a flower, you will never find him in a book,” is not empty spiritual rhetoric, but a statement of profound wisdom and understanding. There are deities everywhere: in the mountains, the rivers, the forests, and even your home. Therefore, practicing Hellenismos is living a lifestyle that combines spirituality into every aspect of one’s life.

Hellenismos is a 24 hour a day, 7 day a week, commitment to practice, but it is not at all anything that is debilitating or unbearable. In fact, the Hellenic tradition can provide a form of liberation and freedom that few will ever experience. It is through piety and virtue that we break free from the slavery of our passions, fully embracing the experience of our humanity, honoring this incarnation of our being. Piety is part of the ethike arete (habitual excellence) discussed previously regarding Hellenic virtue. It is seen as essential to living a full balanced life, and has the value of producing the qualitative results of contentment and a flourishing life.

Some uneducated persons, unfamiliar with Hellenismos, may perceive the worship of some Gods to be over-emphasized, but this is a result of proper context. While it can be said that the Twelve are the pinnacle of our pantheon, and that we honor all the Gods and all the Goddesses, those Gods that we are closest to will seemingly receive the most veneration. It must be understood, the Gods we are closest too does not mean ones we have a special fondness for, or those we place the traits and characteristics above others, but in fact those who have the most affect or influence in our lives.

Household Gods (Theoi Ktesioi)

• Zeus
• Hestia
• Agathos Daimon
• Apollo
• Hercules
• Hecate
• Hermes
• The Dioskouroi

Marriage Gods (Theoi Gamelioi)

• Zeus
• Hera
• Aphrodite
• Artemis
• The Moerae (Fates)
• The Charites (Graces)
• The Erotes (Loves)
• Peitho (Persuasion)
• Eunomia (Good Order)
• Harmonia (Harmony)
• Hebe (Youth)

In my book, A Beginner’s Guide to Hellenismos, we do go into more detail regarding worship and modern adaptation, but generally the honoring of the Household Gods is not overly complicated, and easily adjusted to modern conditions. Typical offerings include frequent libations of wine or olive oil, and minor sacrifices of incense, fragrant oils, herbs, flowers, el al. The basic ritual structure does not deviate from those of the grander public rites, but they are less formal and more intimate. They are the development and cultivation of the most personal and familial relationships with the Gods.

Zeus and Hestia are the prime household Gods. Zeus, having the most influence, receives a backyard altar inscribed with one or more of his epithets associated with the home. Hestia’s sacred space is the hearth or, in the modern home, the kitchen. Doorway Gods, such as Apollo, Hercules, Hecate, and Hermes, receive statues or icons near the main door of a dwelling or in the front yard. One custom for Hercules is to place a plaque above the main door announcing he protects the home. The prime Marriage Gods are (of course) Zeus and Hera. They receive a simple shrine in a couple’s bedroom. Each of these can be accomplished in a way that adds to a home’s décor or landscape without being overdone or tacky.

Additionally, there are those who may also see fit to incorporate the Gods of Country Living (Theoi Nomioi). Several Gods already discussed, such as Artemis and Hermes, are part of this “subfamily” but there are also Dionysus and many rustic non-Olympian divinities including the Centaurs, Nymphs, Naiads, et al. These Gods cover a multitude of rural pursuits including hunting, fowling, fishing, and animal husbandry. They are the Gods of the fields and forests. Those living in rural areas will find themselves very close to these divinities, who have a great influence over a country lifestyle, in the same way as farmers will be close to the Gods of Agriculture.

The Household Gods protect and provide favor to the home and family. Marriage Gods protect and preside over marriages. The Gods of Country Living watch over rustic lifestyles. We are responsible for recognizing those Gods who most affect and influence our lives day to day, fostering and nurturing those relationships. The paradigm of the Hellenic religion has us recognizing Divinity is within and inherent in all things. The Gods do not exist separate from the secular world. They are part of our lives, every day.

Overall, all patronages are relationships with divinities who directly act as guardians and guides. The qualitative results of Hellenismos depend on our piety, and the reciprocal relationships fostered with the Gods. Ignore those Gods who have influence over key aspects of your life, and the achievement of a content flourishing life becomes improbable within the Hellenic tradition. We embrace the whole of the Gods so that we may live in harmony and receive their grace.

Additional Reading

• A Handbook of Greek Religion by Arthur Fairbanks (1910)
• Ancient Greek Houses and Households by Bradley A. Ault and Lisa C. Nevett (2005)
• Ancient Greek Religion by Jon D. Mikalson (1983)
• Athenian Popular Religion by Jon D. Mikalson (2006)
• Greek Popular Religion by Martin P. Nilsson (1940)
• Greek Religion by Walter Burkert (1985)
• Polytheism and Society at Athens by Robert Parker (2005)
• The Excavations at Ancient Halieis: The Fortifications and Adjacent Structures by Michael H. Jameson, James A. Dengate, and Frederick A. Cooper (2005)
• The Semi-Fixed Nature of Greek Domestic Religion by Katherine M. Swinford (2006)

Tags: Family Religion, Gods of Country Living, Greek Gods, Greek pantheon, Hellenismos, Hera, Hestia, Household Gods, Household Religion, Marriage Gods, Patron deities, Theoi Gamelioi, Theoi Ktesioi, Theoi Nomioi, worship, Zeus