Tidbits

So I found this interesting ditty doing research for my book. Supposedly, it comes from the Suda Lexicon compiled by the Byzantines around the 10th century A.D.

“Theus Ares (Dushrara); this is the god Ares in Arabic Petra. They worship the god Ares and venerate him above all. His statue is an unworked square black stone. It is four foot high and two feet wide. It rests on a golden base. They make sacrifices to him and before him they anoint the blood of the sacrifice that is their anointment.”

 

A few small, quick observations: one, that this syncretic Ares is the chief god of their pantheon, which could be one reason the region turns out such good warriors–they’d want to make their god proud. Second, that his icon is a square, black stone, much like the Kaaba. Three, they perform anointing with the blood much in the way I personally do when blood is involved in my rituals. I never really had a source for that, but they, I figure that if I do have past lives, many of them were in fact Arab. Then of course there’s the fun, personal coincidence that Petra is the feminine form of my name… Ah the things you learn.

Ares’ Best Friend

When people talk of Ares, and especially of his relations with other gods, there are a few words that get thrown around: “passion”, “hatred”, “love”, and “violent”. Yet for some reason, many people skip “friend”. The rivalry with Athene and passion for Aphrodite are common themes in Aresian myth, and yet, we often forget the many myths Ares spends paling around with whom I’d call his best buddy in the divine world. I’m talking, of course, of Hermes.

Hermes is a constant player in Aresian myth. He is the god who helps Ares escape the Aloadai giants, where he had been trapped for a year in a brazen jar. It is into Hermes’ hands that Ares delivers the criminal Sisyphos, who then escorts the petulant king to Haides. It is Hermes who retrieves Ares to his trial upon the Aeropagus, and it is Hermes who delivers Ares into the hands of Dike in his cult in Anatolia.

It should be of no surprise Ares and Hermes show up together in myth and cult. Ares and Hermes are both potent male figures with an erotic bent; Ares is the sexy bad boy where Hermes is the virile youth (ever see a herm?). Both are gods associated with the chora, with Ares as its general guardian and Hermes the guardian of travelers. Speaking of travelers, both are gods of banditry. Ares is alluded to having sat with Hermes at Olympian feasts by Homer. The pairing of Hermes and Ares is a central part of Aeschylean theology, especially in the cult at Syedra in Anatolia (and most likely Biannos on Crete as well). Both were associated with dogs (a trait that is shared with Hekate as well), with Hermes as their god and with Ares as accepting them in sacrifice.

It’s really a wonder we don’t see these gods paired more often in modern Hellenismos. However, they do figure prominently into my personal cult (gotta guide all those dead hippies out of the way :P), especially in the Aresia festivals. So a toast to Hermes:

Hail Hermes, companion of Ares

You who guides both Man and Beast

A toast to you, dear Hermes

Hold fast our friend and hold us in esteem

That we may be blessed as Ares

With kind words from you, swift messenger

Religious Goals for 2013

Along with the Year of Epic Crafting, which will have some religious undertones (notably the xiphos), I do have some even more religiously important goals for 2013.

My first two most ambitious goals are woven together intimately. The first part is finishing my book. The launch of the book, I have decided, will also launch my formal creation of a local Aresian cult. Now that I finally have what I feel is an acceptable cult image (my finished statue), I think I feel comfortable becoming a more formal dedicant, possibly even a (gasp) priest. Of course, almost 99% of the cultic material will be printed in my book, so no worries there, you can join me (cue “one of us” chanting).

I also plan on expanding my art projects. I may even begin selling some, especially of Ares, because if y’all are anything like me, those on the market just aren’t good enough (seriously, Ares is a war-god, put some armor on him!). I also want to expand my offerings to other gods. I think the most important ones, to me, would be Aphrodite (because I so neglect her, and it shows), Hephaestos (all the metal projects). and possibly Artemis (with the hunting and all). The other gods are important, and I give a nod to them every once in a while, but for now, I’m going to start out small and slow until things become more routine.

Speaking of routines, I really want to get into the rhythm of being more devotional. Pouring more wine, lighting more incense, and most importantly for you all, writing more. I’m a pretty spontaneous guy, so routines have never been my strong point, but I want to cultivate a little more discipline, especially religiously. It’s not that I don’t have the time; I just don’t have the mindfulness.

My final goal, at least for now, is to hunker down and finish reading the rest of the Greek classics, and make more progress actually learning  Ancient Greek. The last part will be toughest, especially because I would rather learn manly Greek (Dorian) as opposed to wuss Greek (Attic) [just teasing, for those of you who couldn’t catch that], and most of the sources are in Attic. I can already read the letters and words, and have a pretty good handle on some religious and war-related vocabulary. I’ve also got a basic understanding of how to make plurals and identify masculine, feminine, and neuter words. I really need to work on verbs and sentence structure. I think focusing on the Maxims should help me begin to grasp the grammar, as that’s part of their purpose.

Well, that’s all I have for now. I’ll let you know if I come with anything else (I know I will). Until then, Hail Ares!