Do you know if the whole “Gods can’t interfere in their kids’ lives because of the Ancient Laws” thing is based on mythology, or if that’s something Rick just made up?

It's not an Ancient Laws thing, it's "the Gods cannot defy fate" thing, which does exist in mythology. The Gods can interact with their kids, they can even offer help and advice and often did in some manner. But there's also a time in the Iliad-

Iliad. 16.433-8, tr. R. Lattimore Ah me, that it is destined that the dearest of men, Sarpedon, must go down under the hands of Menoitios’ son Patroklos. The heart in my breast is balanced between two ways as I ponder, whether I should snatch him out of the sorrowful battle and set him down still alive in the rich country of Lykia, or beat him under at the hands of the son of Menoitios.

She spoke, nor did the father of gods and men disobey her; yet he wept tears of blood that fell to the ground, for the sake of his beloved son, whom now Patroklos was presently to kill, by generous Troy and far from the land of his fathers.

So basically, the Gods can't interfere. Zeus wants to interfere, he wants to save his kid. But he can't, and he does mourn it. Zeus has a duty as king of the Gods, he of all the Gods cannot defy Fate. But equally so none of the Gods can, though at times they may try.

So he didn't necessarily make it up, but his way of handling it is def made up.

Here's the ninth chapter of Freeing death!!!

Am I aware that "Father of Monsters is actually an epithet for Typhon? Yes. Will I still be using it for Poseidon in this story? Also yes.

The portrayal of the Amazons in the Riordanverse was not. It.

There is so much more to the legends of Amazon and Themiskyra, and literally none of the myths with actual base to them mention the warrior women as man hating. In fact, they are actively called "man-loving". Granted, they were also called "man-killing" but did people forget that they were warriors? Warriors kill, and idk how much people know about ancient warrior ethics, but killing children, old people and women who weren't participants of battle was generally considered a grave sin. So obviously the Amazons were called "man killers". Killing women went against the very essence of being a warrior, but men were literally on the dam battlefield.

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Also, why are all the powerful women in the Riordanverse somehow made out to be villainish?? Hera, the literal queen of the Gods and an extremely venerated deity of the Hellenics (y'all her epithets are so fucking cool), is given such a bad character arc. Athena, such an important goddess, and why is she shown like she is? Why is she shown so vengeful against the Romans? She was nearly more important than motherfucking Mars in Roman religion. Mars! The literal Father of the damn city!

The Amazons are given a bad representation, and then Piper is a "quirky" girl and I'm.. disappointed.

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Anyways, I just wanted to make clear that I'm also going to change a lot of things about Percy Jackson and The Olympians, and in The Lost Hero. Those changes will be made known when relevant.

Also to be noted is that the Gods are still assholes, but they do help. They are present in their children's lives, even if they can't show themselves due to the Rules of Existence. They are there, they are supporting their children.

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List of Gods Percy respects:

Sally Jackson (a goddess in her own right)

Poseidon

Amphitrite

Triton (don't tell him that)

Artemis

Apollon

Hestia (obviously)

Persephone

Hades (whose character is going to be changed drastically because canon is horrifically inaccurate)

Demeter

A few others

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The thing about Percy going down to Atlantis twice a week and about him having bi weekly dinners with the whole family? Yeah, none of the Gods know about it. Just you watch as the whole thing blows up.

I mainly use epithets in describing Hera and the other Gods because in Ancient Greece, names were believed to have immense power, and calling a God by their given moniker was belived to attract their attention. Percy does not want any more attention from the Gods than is necessary, fuck you very much.

Also what do you think about the change in the Amazon way of life? I found the books very disappointing as i already said, so I changed it up hehe.

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The upcoming chapter is going to be interesting, that is for sure. The Worship of Artemis Astrateia is a fictional ritual that I made up based on actual facts that we know about the Amazon legends, and I've taken a lot of creative liberties while trying to stay as true to myth as possible.

Are you interested in paganism, polytheism, witchcraft or the occult?

Then have I got the server for you!

I’m opening the gates to my server Pagans, Polytheists and Pals! It’s a server for people of all faiths to come together and learn about

Paganism

Polytheism

The Occult

Wicca

Witchcraft

Old Faiths

Mythology

Satanism

Philosophy

And much more!

We also host game and debate nights, and have a relaxed calm environment. Come discuss the faiths of old, and join our server today!

so today i thought i was sooooo smart at the self checkout;

i paid for one bag like a good citizen!! But then i realised i needed another one and i didn’t want to pay for another bloody bag. so i started putting the milk i bought into this stolen bag. now here’s where i went wrong, i put the bag on top of the scanny bit, so when i went to move the bag when i was ready to leave it scanned and i did have to pay for the bag in the end.

straight afterwards i can smell roses (there was no one around me), so yeah Lady Aphrodite - 1 Peaches - 0

Untitled #543, par Hellen van Meene

Helios, Titan God of the Sun, sight and oaths 🌞

Acrylics on paper, 9.5x9.5 cm.

Preparation for a mural frieze 💐

Helios is the literal embodiment of the Sun, the star itself, unlike Apollo (who doesn’t interest me at all even though he’s patron of art and things 🤷🏻‍♀️)

Helios sees everything and stirred a lot of drama in mythology 👀

His Tarot cards are XVIIII The Sun & VII The Chariot. I used to draw Arcana XVIIII a lot in readings when I was first set on healing my daddy issues lmao. I also associate him with XVI The Tower because in the Tarot de Besançon the lightning bolt striking the tower is actually the ray of a tiny sun in the upper right corner.

The Sun represents (healthy) masculine energy, kingly, fatherly, bright, warm and reliable. I have a huge part of masculine energy that receded little by little to give more space to the feminine; and I’d picture myself in relationships as the Sun to someone’s Moon. I see now that I’ll always be the Moon 🌕🥚🌑🩸

this one goes out to my girl persephone

Me: *guiltily eating leftovers at 12am before bed* I'm so going to regret this later.

My supportive fiancé: You do what you want! Nobody is going to shame you for eating!

Aphrodite, loudly in my head out of nowhere: AMEN, SISTER! Me: *nearly spits out rice*

LOL OK

Join the Group!

An 18+ discord server for occult lovers, witches and pagans!

We're very casual, and I've taken to doing 3 card pulls while high, so if you want in on that.... ;)

I recognize that this is probably a “chicken and the egg” question, but do you have any theories/head canon/actual knowledge of how the Ancient Greeks believed that nymphs were born?

I know that in the Percy Jackson series and later books the satyrs, dryads (and possibly naiads) can reincarnate…but how do they form initially?

Well, Nymphs is honestly a broad category of female deities, generally a more- minor class of deity. Small areas of influence and domain.

There's the Okeanides (daughters of Okeanos) who presided over fresh-water and the like. They include a large variety of nymphs, such as Naiades, Nephelai, Aurai, Dryades, Epimelides, and Leimonides. In modern day they're also considered ocean deities.

There's also the Hamadryades, which are typically connected to a very important tree in a grove, sometimes also Naiades of springs too.

There's also the Meliae (which classify as Oreiades and Melissai on top of Hamadryades and Naiads).

Plus the Anthousai, Hesperaies, Asteriai, Haliai, Nereides, Lampades, Mainades, and Nymphai.

Some of the fresh water nymphs are also further classified by Homer, such as Pegai, Krenai, and Potamoi, which became known collectively as Naiades.

Uh- got off point- the point is a large collection of them are simply born much like any other God. Some Nymphs are children of Titans like Atlas and Okeanos, others Gods like Nereus and Boreas, and some have an uncertain origin.

But they're born like any other.

Devotional activities for Hellenic pagans

Learn to pray and write in Greek, or at least download the duo lingo app and add Greek as a language you’d like to learn

Read the Greek Magical Papyri, Drawing Down the Moon, and the collection of texts called Gods and Heroes of the Ancient World, curated by Susan Deacy

Go op shopping and choose an item you are drawn towards to use in your practice

Research the use of stones and crystals in Ancient Greece - I am planning to make a post on this soon.

Research the use of herbs in Ancient Greece - I am also planning on making a post on this.

Research and make a traditional amulet

Write a prayer to the gods and burn it ceremoniously

Play a game or read/watch media related to the gods that is fun and relaxing - such as playing Hades or reading Circe by Madeline Miller. I realise these depictions of the Gods are flawed, but for many people it’s a fun way to connect with the gods. Just don’t take it too seriously.)

Read or watch a play by one of the ancient writers, such as Euripides’ Medea or the Bacchae.

Read a reputable translation of the Odyssey

Wear a symbol of your God/s

Reach out to other Hellenic communities pagans through the link below

New Pagan/Hellenic Polytheist Small Business!

Hello everyone! I'm a Hellenic Polytheist in Washington - and I'd like to share my small shop - Earthbound Altars!

I offer a variety of stones and altar kits - both travel- and full-sized! My altar kits generally include vials of Barley, Lavender, and Olive oil, along with a wooden plate, 1-3 offering dishes, stones, dried flowers & herbs, incense and candles. I typically choose items related to Hellenic polytheism or ancient Greek practices, but I also make custom altar kits and general Pagan kits. Each kit includes information about each item and their use, as well as prayers and hymns.

I also make hand-poured and all-natural candles, soaps, and oil blends though they are not currently listed in my shop. I plan to list these in the future, but if they're of interest, let me know!

If you'd like to support a new, small Pagan business, please consider visiting my page at Earthbound Altars!

I'm willing and able to negotiate prices, and I have a (very small) number of basic kits I can send out for free to those who truly cannot afford the cost but are struggling to build their own altars or acquire the items they need! Please send me a message either here on Tumblr or at my Etsy shop to chat about your needs, request custom or personalized kits or items, or negotiate prices; I typically respond within 48 hours.

Supporting our community is very important to me, and I'm very passionate about providing what I can to those who share in the worship and love of the Gods - regardless of your path or beliefs.

I am also a gay trans man, and I use any profits for bills and covering my medication co-pays, so any money I make goes into helping me get by.

Thanks for reading, and again - feel free to send me a message with any questions, requests, or suggestions!

How do you reach a level of confidence in Greek polytheism when you’re like “okay, I know enough. I can teach others about it.” Because I don’t feel confident about it myself.

This is a wonderful question and a topic I’ve been stewing on quite a bit recently. To begin, I try to be very honest about the fact that I started teaching way sooner than I should have. To put it into perspective, I technically started worshipping the gods in 2018 and took to TikTok in 2020. That same year, I found viral success and soon started “teaching” about Greek mythology (I put teaching in quotes because I didn’t know nearly enough to educate anyone. During this period, I frequently made the mistake of relaying myths from books like Bernard Evslin’s Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths, the back of which explicitly states it’s a “reimagining of ancient myths”). Between 2020 and 2021, I stumbled across #classicstok and developed a deep love for ancient Greek religion. I spent all of 2021–2022 learning as much as possible (as fast as possible) about the field of Classics—especially the specialized study of ancient Greek religion. By then, I’d already cultivated a following of tens of thousands of people, and the expectation that they looked to me for guidance expedited my learning process. The sheer speed at which I became a teacher tremendously inhibited my growth in my private worship. And that’s because I put more stake in knowing about Hellenic polytheism than I did doing Hellenic polytheism, thereby destroying my confidence in my ability to cultivate a practice. Being informed is one thing, but Hellenic polytheism’s precedent (i.e., ancient Greek religion) emphasized ritual action. In the wake of my religious inaction in 2022, I stopped practicing altogether. At the behest of Zeus, I spent much of 2023 simply earning sufficient ritual experience. All this to say, I was overly confident from the start, which disadvantaged me. 

I believe I’ve since grown into my own as a practitioner and teacher, but it came with many unnecessary pains. And I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t still growing, but I can positively say that’s because I’m still young, and learning itself is a lifelong endeavor. There’s nothing I can do to change what happened, but I think I could’ve saved a lot of hurt if I didn’t platform myself. That is the one thing I would sternly advise anyone not to do (especially on TikTok). Instead, I think it’s wise to integrate yourself into Hellenic polytheist spaces before you entertain the idea of teaching because teaching doesn’t stand alone—it goes hand-in-hand with content creation, which is labor—and labor with little to no material reward. If someone asked me what qualities [I think] make me a capable teacher, I’d include my capacity to do arduous, time-consuming research in exchange for seemingly no gain. And I would principal the patience it takes to engage with fellow learners, a patience I’ll readily admit I’m still working to cultivate. 

Being a capable teacher entails understanding that teaching is work. You have to develop a sense of how much you can handle and set boundaries with yourself so you don’t overextend. It also comes with understanding and embodying that you are a lifelong learner before you are a teacher (you can certainly be both, but being a learner always takes precedence). As learners, it is our responsibility to constantly engage with each other so that we’re perpetuating dialogues and building understanding.

That’s about all I have to say on the matter. I hope this answer is useful to you, and please [everyone] feel free to send clarifying questions if something is unclear or if you require additional information (or if you simply want to chat over this topic).

:)

Promo Hellen, your local Rook kisser! I love chatting with people through asks <3

Ask game: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21

choose violence ask game (send me more pls!)

the character everyone gets wrong

Annabeth, Annabeth, Annabeth. In SO MANY ways. Right down to her name, where people decide randomly that Annabeth is a nickname for Anna Elizabeth.

But mostly it's the school thing. Annabeth is always going to be the smartest person in the room, but she would (literally) rather die then demean herself to prove it. She also has ADHD, Dyslexia, and missed grades 2-6. I don't know how you can read about her being unwilling to play the Sphinxes game and then think that she'd be a good sport about school? I don't necessarily think she'd do badly. She is 100% in the "smart enough to coast" category. But she's not going to study, she's not going to apply herself. And I suspect when she finds herself disagreeing, she's not going to be open to listening to most teachers. She'll talk back, she'll argue, she'll get detention. She reads books in greek, she probably doesn't have special affection for her school libraries full of books she can't read. Free yourself from the Hermione Industrial Complex and embrace smart girl characters who's only life goal isn't getting As on tests.

Other things, Annabeth did live in Virginia some as a child. But given that it was in Richmond, her father is from Boston, and they moved at least a little (in TLT her family lives in New York State), the idea that her upbringing would be particularly southern, or that she'd have a southern accent is silly.

Also, she thinks Percy is funny. She enjoys his company. They have a lot of similarities. And she knows he's not as smart at she is (no one is) but she doesn't think he's the dumbest person alive. She doesn't hate him. About 80% of all PJO Incorrect quotes can be summed up as Percy: says something dumb, Annabeth: You're an idiot, and I hate you. And that's just...not what's going on with them.

2. a compelling argument for why your fave would never top or bottom

It's a sexual position they don't enjoy? Let us not confuse sexual positions with gender or rolls in power dynamics.

Now, if you want to discuss power dynamics, Annabeth is a sub and Percy is a dom. Because Annabeth has a long history of feeling unloved, unwanted, and abandoned and wants to feel desired. And Percy has been dismissed and untrusted and wants to feel competent and trustworthy.

3. screenshot or description of the worst take you've seen on tumblr

Recently saw a post that said Frederick had fucked Athena. You know, Athena, the famously virgin goddess.

(The funniest part was that it was part of a very anti-Frederick post, and yet...by saying Athena, the goddess of wisdom, broke her millennia long, life defining desire to not sleep with men, to sleep with Frederick Chase, they were saying he was a giant Chad and extra extra special. And that Athena saw so much in him, loved him so much, she developed sexual feelings for him and was willing to throw away one of her defining characteristics for him. And that...that was kind of hilarious)

5. worst discord server and why

Um, the Taylor Swift one I joined to trade tips for my show is really pretty bad. Everyone is so mean and bitchy and, I say this as someone who is weird about how much I love Taylor Swift, Swifties are the worst.

Otherwise, I can't keep up with servers, or really any chat with more then like 3 people them. So I can't really tell if they are good or bad.

8. common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about

See previous comments about Annabeth. But, also, Jesus Christ Frederick Chase. Who is super interesting, and also dealt a bad hand he then played badly. Dude is a Norse Legacy who fell in love with a Hellenic Goddess. He went out of town and his wife ran off his daughter while he was gone. He can see through the mist. He dive bombed a Titan to save said daughter. He's a Red Sox fan and has a daughter who's a Yankees fan. He managed to enchant Athena. Favorite minor character.

Also, everyone is wrong about Poseidon. He's an ass, he's a bad dad (Hades is the best big three dad. And possibly the best godly parents. And that's being graded on the scale that calculates that time he told Nico he wished he'd died and bianca hadn't. That's how bad everyone else is.) And Sally has moved on to bigger and better things.

Combining those two things: Fredthena > PoSally. Fredthena is more interesting, and during the canon of the stories, it's actually still interesting instead of Poseidon just being Sally's loser ex.

Other things: in fic, Luke is Annabeth's looser older brother, not abusive ex. Annabeth is the punk and Percy is the good boy, Jercy wants what Frankercy has.

13. worst blorboficiation

Connor Stoll. He's literally just half a character. And that's fine.

Also Octavian. Who is allowed to just be power mad.

Also...I love Nico a lot, but the way fandom acts about him is...so much.

21. part of canon you think is overhyped

Nico. I love Nico, I think he's an awesome character and have written multiple fics about him. But people are so weird about him. And there is an extent to which I get it. He's one of the first incidentally queer characters in middle grade literature (as opposed to a character who is gay in a book all about being gay). He's got the emo vibes we love. And he definitely went through it.

But everyone is kind of going through it. And yet, people will unironically make posts about how Percy promised to protect Bianca and then let her die when...When Bianca set off a monster and Percy literally was like "I have a plan to get rid of it" and then Bianca said "I'll do it" and Percy was like "No, I will" and then Bianca just did it anyway. That isn't on Percy. Similarly "Percy choked Nico, its inexcusable." You know, that time that Nico helped his father trap Percy in a room in the underworld with no ways out or windows or anything. Nico didn't know, and he felt bad and tried to make it right, but it wasn't unreasonable for Percy to be pissed and attack the dude who behaved like an enemy.