Hail Queen Æstia! Hail Mighty Aris! Hail Queen Artæmis! Hail Mighty Iphaistos! Hail Queen Ira! Hail Mighty Poseithohn! Hail Queen Athina! Hail Queen Aphrothiti! Hail Mighty Apollohn! Hail Mighty Ærmis! Hail Mighty Father Zefs! Hail Queen Dimitir! Hail Mighty Ivy-crowned Dionysos! Yes, and let us hail all the myriad Gods and Goddesses, too numerous to name, who adorn and bless our world and lives!
Æstia (Hestia; Gr. Ἑστία) [Roman: Vesta]
Aris (Ares; Gr. Άρης) [Roman: Mars]
Artæmis (Artemis; Gr. Ἄρτεμις) [Roman: Diana]
Iphaistos (Hephaestus; Gr. Ἥφαιστος) [Roman: Vulcan]
Ira (Hera; Gr. Ήρα) [Roman: Juno]
Poseithohn (Poseidon; Gr. Ποσειδῶν) [Roman: Neptune]
Athina (Athena; Gr. Ἀθηνᾶ) [Roman: Minerva]
Aphrothiti (Aphrodite; Gr. Ἀφροδίτη) [Roman: Venus]
Apollohn (Apollo; Gr. Ἀπόλλων) [Roman: Apollo]
Ærmis (Hermes; Gr. Ἑρμῆς) [Roman: Mercury]
Zefs (Zeus; Gr. Ζεύς) [Roman: Jove, Jupiter, or Juppiter]
Dimitir (Demeter or Demetra; Gr. Δημήτηρ) [Roman: Ceres]
Some lists include Dionysos as one of the Olympians, eliminating Æstia, but this is not correct, but although Dionysos is not an Olympian, his position is critically important.
The Twelve Æphori
Frequently an individual may be drawn to one or more of the Olympians and there is a tendency to ignore the rest of the pantheon, but all of the Gods and Goddesses of the Dodækathæon work in a progression of influence on the soul. Therefore, although one deity may provide a steppingstone to a deeper relationship with the Gods, ultimately we need the support of the entire Dodækathæon, for the Twelve Olympians have dominion over every single aspect of life, mortal, divine, vegetative, and beyond the earth; because of this, they are known as the Twelve Æphori (Ephoroi; Gr. Ἔφοροι), the magistrates or rulers who have dominion over the Natural Laws. They exercise ministry over the laws, for the harmonic concordance of these laws, and provide a means by which mortal beings can communicate with these laws, laws which are divine but, unlike the Olympians who have dominion over them, are impersonal. Because the Olympian Gods are personal deities with feelings and the ability to sense and respond to us, they provide a much more accessible means to understand and work with the laws of nature. And foremost: only the Olympian Gods can deify the soul, which is the ultimate goal of progress.
The Olympians have dominion over the Zodiac by which we organize our worship
An excellent means by which to deepen one's relationship with the Olympians is to establish their worship based on the Orphic month of which each God or Goddess has sovereignty. The Olympians work in pairs (referred to as Divine Consorts) and each couple has particular influence over one zodiacal month each year. You may learn more about the calendar here: Hellenic Zodiacal Calendar.
In our tradition, all ritual performed during a particular zodiacal month incorporates the recitation of the Orphic Hymns for the Olympian God (and his or her consort) who have influence over that month. This is an excellent way to become familiar with the complete Dodækathæon. After you have gone through the cycle for an entire year, you will become very familiar with the epithets and qualities of all the Olympians.
...and... Dionysos
PLEASE NOTE: Throughout the pages of this website, you will find fascinating stories about our Gods. These narratives are known as mythology, the traditional stories of the Gods and Heroes. While these tales are great mystical vehicles containing transcendent truth, they are symbolic and should not be taken literally. A literal reading will frequently yield an erroneous result. The meaning of the myths is concealed in code. To understand them requires a key. For instance, when a God kills someone, this usually means a transformation of the soul to a higher level. Similarly, sexual union with a God is a transformation.
SPELLING: HellenicGods.org uses the Reuchlinian method of pronouncing ancient Greek, the system preferred by scholars from Greece itself. An approach was developed to enable the student to easily approximate the Greek words. Consequently, the way we spell words is unique, as this method of transliteration is exclusive to this website. For more information, visit these three pages:
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