Hades as a patron god?

[Tana]

Ah, I see, that makes me feel better, I thought something was wrong with me. What do you do in your practise? I only have my altar and no tools as of yet, so don't know what to do in my practise. I somewhat did and didn't like the dogma of Christianity but feel somewhat lost without it if that makes any sence?

What kind of practice you're talking of?
You mean 'just' honoring the gods, or a pagan practice with holidays and rites, or a magic practice?



Personally I am a witch, who uses everything at hand. I do have a nice dagger and a bowl or two. But it's nothing I couldn't do without.

[Ariana Ethaitrius]

Currently I just label myself as PPagan, but I want to work out a routine when it comes to worshiping my deities (I am working with the Greek, Egyptian and Celtic panthians) and how to practise my path etc.

What kind of practice you're talking of?
You mean 'just' honoring the gods, or a pagan practice with holidays and rites, or a magic practice?

Personally I am a witch, who uses everything at hand. I do have a nice dagger and a bowl or two. But it's nothing I couldn't do without.

[oldman]

I don't know if you would say that Hades is my patron God considering I honor 3 gods, just about equally (Hades, Anubis, and Poseidon).

However, I can say that Hades is quite a good God to be connected with. One of his epithets in ancient Greece was Great Counselor and I've realized that he is just that. He offers me great advice and guides my way when I'm having doubts and the like.

To speak casually, Hades is really a chill kind of guy. Like the other Greeks, he likes wine, fruit, and cheese. But what I've come to realize he appreciates most is offerings to lost souls who are trying to find their way to him.

I leave offerings of coins (to pay the ferryman), safety pins or needles (to defend themselves against any beings that might try to prevent them from reaching their destination), and sometimes some sort of gold crafting wire. It comes on a spool, you can cut it with scissors, and it's pretty cheap. I usually take a couple of inches of it and cut it into small pieces before bending them into rings. I see it as a nice way for the souls to fool any harmful beings that might try to rob them.

But if you're really looking to honor him or connect with him, I'd suggest spending some time outside at night and just thinking about him. Something is bound to come to you.

agreed. I have had little dealings with him personally, mainly alongside Persephone, but from what I have experienced, he's an OK guy. He is largely misunderstood by most of the world due to hollywood and their portrayal of him as a sort of devil-figure, and this is simply not the case. The same can be said of Hades (the place) being portrayed as hell-like, another false portrayal. In my belief anyway, we all go to Hades when we die, the trick is to be a good person and thus avoid going to Tartarus.

[Ariana Ethaitrius]

I like the idea of coins and pins (could I use say a 20 cent piece or a $2, or do they have to be Greek coins), and I'll just put them on my altar, say something like: " offer these to Lord hades and the souls in his car"? Do you have to bang your palm (or fist?) 3? times on the ground to make sure he hears you?

agreed. I have had little dealings with him personally, mainly alongside Persephone, but from what I have experienced, he's an OK guy. He is largely misunderstood by most of the world due to hollywood and their portrayal of him as a sort of devil-figure, and this is simply not the case. The same can be said of Hades (the place) being portrayed as hell-like, another false portrayal. In my belief anyway, we all go to Hades when we die, the trick is to be a good person and thus avoid going to Tartarus.

[triple_entendre]

They're not enemies, They're brothers, each holding up part of the universe. I don't see why there'd be a conflict.

Traditional offerings were poured out and sent down, rather than burnt and sent up, if that helps.

Interestingly, I followed a link on this thread about khernips, that said:

miasma describes the lingering aura of uncleanliness in regards to a person or space through which contact is made with the Gods. Next to piety, being ritually clean is one of the most important things to adhere to within Hellenismos. Miasma occurs whenever the space or person comes into contact with death, sickness, birth, sex, excessive negative emotions and bodily fluids. It also comes from a lack of contact with the Hellenic Gods. As a note, I should say that not the actual acts of dying, sex and birth cause miasma but the opening up of the way to the Underworld (with births and deaths)

Our Gods are immortal and are sometimes called the Deathless Ones. It's our duty to uphold this sacred name by making sure no Gods but psychopomps come in contact with death even if it's through us.

So this had be confused and a little concerned about if Hades could also be offended by contact with... death? I mean, it's like a human with a peanut allergy working at a peanut shelling factory. It's not optimal, but I'm sure it happens. And... so... would the other gods shun Hades for that? Is there some difference between energy and entity? Or was this anti-death specific implementation of khernips just a superstition projected by (naturally) life-loving mortals of the time?

[SunflowerP]

So this had be confused and a little concerned about if Hades could also be offended by contact with... death?

While Hades isn't exactly what's usually meant by "psychopomp", I'd say he'd fall into that category for the purposes of that discussion.

Sunflower

[triple_entendre]

While Hades isn't exactly what's usually meant by "psychopomp", I'd say he'd fall into that category for the purposes of that discussion.

Cool.

What makes psychopomps different from the non-death gods, though?

[Nyktipolos]

Interestingly, I followed a link on this thread about khernips, that said:

(quote removed)

So this had be confused and a little concerned about if Hades could also be offended by contact with... death? I mean, it's like a human with a peanut allergy working at a peanut shelling factory. It's not optimal, but I'm sure it happens. And... so... would the other gods shun Hades for that? Is there some difference between energy and entity? Or was this anti-death specific implementation of khernips just a superstition projected by (naturally) life-loving mortals of the time?

There are a number of differing opinions on miasma and ritual purity within Hellenic Reconstructionism, kind of similar to ritual purity within Kemetic religions (i.e. can you come before a shrine with menstruating? an argument that's been done to death, and will be done to death in the future.). You're right that it does sound a little redundant. I do think that khthonic deities have different.... requirements. I think though that would change depending on the god. What Haides is comfortable with, Persephone or Dionysos might not be, and visa versa. So, that would probably need to be negotiated if need be?

This is, however, if one is strictly working from within a strict Hellenismos world view. One can be ritually pure according to their tradition and thus worthy to go before god without the Greek concept of miasma.

To clarify, this is bits and pieces of information that I collected while I was a Hellenic Recon. I haven't identified nor practiced that religion (to any sort of letter) for years.

[Nyktipolos]

Cool.

What makes psychopomps different from the non-death gods, though?

Generally speaking, one of their jobs is to ferry the souls of the dead to the underworld/afterlife/etc. It's their ability to go from this world to the next that makes them stand apart from other gods, usually because crossing are fraught with a lot of danger, and well... it's deliberately MEANT to not be cross-able (although that happens anyways).

Haides technically does not ferry the souls into his domain, he just accepts them. (AFAIK, anyways) He can of course cross into our world and come back with ease (it is His domain, after all), but that's not his... primary job, I would say. That job would more to Hermes and Dionysos (although for the latter it would be more for his initiates, I'd say).

Overall I'd say it's that liminal quality to them, that not every god has.

Of course, YMMV and all that.

[Elani Temperance]

Interestingly, I followed a link on this thread about khernips, that said:

-quote removed-

So this had be confused and a little concerned about if Hades could also be offended by contact with... death? I mean, it's like a human with a peanut allergy working at a peanut shelling factory. It's not optimal, but I'm sure it happens. And... so... would the other gods shun Hades for that? Is there some difference between energy and entity? Or was this anti-death specific implementation of khernips just a superstition projected by (naturally) life-loving mortals of the time?

I wasn't going to reply to this thread because the OP wanted to know about Hades in a non-Hellenic fashion and I can't give advice on that and shall not offer my opinion. yet, triple_entendre linked to a post on my blog, so I shall try to clear up some of the confusion, from my Hellenic POV.

As a general rule in ancient Greece, very few people contacted Hades (in his Lord of Death epithets) because to know Hades would be to know death. At best, He was appeased at funeral rites. As far as I'm aware, only two minor cults performed rites of any kind to the Lord of the Dead. One was his Oracle of the Dead in the Thesprotia.

Ploutôn, however, an epithet of the Lord of Death, was considered a bringer of abundance from the earth and worshipped in Eleusis, Mytilene on Lesbos, Sparta, Ephesus, Carian Cnidus and a few others.

Rituals involving any Khthonic Gods was done without a ritual meal and was usually very solemn. Libations for the Khthonic Gods are called khoḗ and are given to the Khthonic Gods through a holókaustos. This means that the offerings are given in its entirety to the Gods and not just partly as is the practice for Olympic Gods. Historically, instead of offering through a heightened fire--usually on a pedestal--, as is done for the Olympic Gods, a pit was dug into the ground, often in the form of a grave, but it could be shallower. Libations were poured into this hole in its entirety. A holókaustos of animals were sacrificed through a fire which was started in the pit. The bones, offerings and ashes were left in the pit and buried. This fire-pit altar was called a bóthros.

Getting the attention of the Lord of Death was done by dropping yourself into the hole and hitting the ground with your fists, calling for the Lord of Death to hear you. Doing this was only done in the most dire of circumstances, I imagine only when a family member was dead or close to death. In the latter case, the sacrifice could have been used to try and keep Hades at bay.

As for miasma in regards to Khthonic Gods; katharmos (the act of ritually cleaning yourself in preparation of a meeting with the Gods) was practiced for all Gods, regardless if They were Olympic or Khthonic. It was--and is--a sign of piety. There are different forms of miasma; miasma caused by contact with the Underworld is but one of them, and was removed differently than miasma incurred due to daily life. Although miasma due to contact with the Underworld probably did not need to be removed when contacting the Lord of Death or other Underworld Deities, miasma would still have occurred and therefor would have needed to be removed before coming before Him.

I hope this helps.