44 Days of Witchery: Day 6

A Favorite God

Apollo was the son of Zeus and Leto, as well as the twin brother of Artemis. His realm was music, prophecy, colonization, religious healing, archery (except war and hunting), poetry, dance, intellectual inquiry, and shepherds. He was also a God of light, sometimes called "Pheobus" (which means radiant or beaming), and had replaced the previous solar deity of Helios. He was also a God of plague and was worshipped under the name of Smintheus (rat) and Parnopius (grasshopper). Ironically, he was also the destroyer of these plague-carriers. According to the Iliad, he shot arrows of plague into the Greek camp. Being the God of religious healing, he gave people guilty of murder and other immoral deeds a ritual purification.

Hera, the wife of Zues, was outraged with jealousy when she found out Leto was pregnant by Zeus. Hera decreed that Leto was forbidden to give birth anywhere on earth. Not the continent, nor an island. The only shelter Leto could find was at Delos, in the center of the Aegean, which was a floating island. It was difficult to get to, because of strong under-currents.

Hera, angry about the loophole, imprisoned Ilithia, the Goddess of childbirth. Fortunatly, other deities intervened and forced Hera to release Ilithia, resulting in Leto giving birth to Apollo and Artemis on Delos. As a gesture of thanks, Delos was secured to the sea floor by four columns to give it stability and became sacred to Apollo.

Apollo's first acheivemnt was to rid Pytho (later called Delphi) of a serpent (sometimes a dragon) called Python. The monsterp rotected the sanctuary of Pytho from its lair near the Castalian Spring. It stood guard while the "Sibyl" (later called Oracle) prophecied as she inhaled vapors from an open chasm. Apollo killed Python with his bow and arrows and took charge of the oracle.

This act was a blessing for the countryside, because Pythos had destroyed crops, sacked villiages and polluted water. However, Pythos was a son of Gaea, and Apollos punishment for killing him was to serve as a cowherd for eight to nine years for King Admetus.

When his pennance was finished, Apollo returned to Pytho in the disguise of a dolphin, bringing with him priests from Crete. He also took on a new name, becoming "Pythian Apollo". He dedicated a bronze tripod (a symbol sacred to this God) to the sanctuary and bestowed divine powers on the priestesses, who became known as the Pythia.

Delphi was named after Delphinios (meaning dolphin or porpoise), which is Apollo's cult title. The Pythia inhaled hallucinating vapors from a fissure on the temple floor, while sitting on a tripod and chewing laurel leaves. After she mumbled her answer, a male priest would translate it for the supplicant. In time, Delphi became the most important oracle center of Apollo.

44 Days of Witchery: Day 5

Sorry about the long wait. Work has been crazy busy lately. I'd promise it won't happen again, but chances are I'll have little time again in the near future.

Anyway, here's day 5!

A Favorite Goddess

Gaia (in Roman she is Terra) is the name of the soul of the planet. Without her, Earth would be as dead as most of the other celestial objects in our solar system.

In ancient Greece, she was the primordial Earth Goddess. She was the great mother of all, the first mother. She is the one who created the Titans, who in turn created the first humans, as well as all the plants and animals.

In modern paganism, she is a popular deity. Pagans from belief paths other than my own believe that she is literally the Earth. Others believe that she is a creation Goddess, a Mother Goddess from which the other deities are descended from.

Deity of the Month: Thor

Thor is a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, destruction, fertility, healing, and the protection of mankind. He is one of the most mentioned deities from pre-Christian Germany. In the Viking era, when Christianity was spreading, the Mjöllnir was worn in defiance and Norse pagan personal names containing the name of the God reveal his popularity. In modern days, Thor continues to be acknowledged in rural folklore throughout the Germanic region. He is also referenced in the day Thursday (Thor's Day).

In Norse mythology, numerous talkes and information about him are found. He is described as having red hair with fierce eyes. He has fourteen different names and is the husband of the Goddess Sif. His mistress is the jotunn jötunn Járnsaxa. With Sif he fathered Þrúðr, and possibly the valkyrie. With Járnsaxa he fathered Magni. With an unknown mother he fathered Móði, and is the step-father of hte God Ullr. His parents are Odin and Fjörgyn. He also has numerous brothers.

He has two servants, Þjálfi and Röskva, and rides in a chariot led by two goats named Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr (that he eats and resurrects). He is known to have three homes (Bilskirnir, Þrúðheimr, and Þrúðvangr). His weapon is the mountain-crushing hammer, Mjöllnir, wears the belt Megingjörð and the iron gloves Járngreipr, and owns the staff Gríðarvölr.

Deity of the Month: Athena

Pallas Athena (Minerva in Roman) was the Goddess of wisdom, civilization, warfare, strength, strategy, female arts, crafts, justice, heroic endeavor, philosophy, and skill. She was also a common companion of Heroes and was the patron of Athens, the city named after her. Another thing she was known for was being one of the three virgin Goddesses.


The most popular story of her birth is that Zeus (Jupiter in Roman) had an affair with Metis. Afterwards, he discovered that any children he had with Metis would be greater than himself. As a result, he swallowed Metis to prevent a pregnancy. What he didn't know was that she was already pregnant with Athena. Metis gave birth to Athena and nurtured her inside Zeus until he complained about headaches. Hephaestus (Vulcan in Roman) split open his head with his smithing tools. Athena burst from his forehead fully grown and armed with weapons.

Other tales of her birth are that she was created parthenogenically as a daughter of Metis. Another story is that she came from another pantheon and was "adopted" by the Greeks as an Olympian.

Athena never took a lover or a consort, and became the enforcer of rules of sexual modesty and ritual mystery. As a result of this, she never gave birth. Not even parthenogenically. However, some stories say she adopted at least one child.

Hephaestus once attempted to rape Athena, but she escaped. His semen fell upon the earth and impregnated Gaea, creating Erichthonius. Gaea gave the baby to Athena to raise the baby as her foster mother. Once he was grown, became the founder of Athens, and its first king. Many beneficial changes to Athenian culture could be traced back to him.

Athena competed with Poseidon (Neptune in Roman) to be the patron deity of Athens, which hadn't been named yet. They agreed each would give the people of the city a gift, and whichever gift the people preferred would name the patron deity. Poseidon struck the ground with his trident and created a spring, giving them a way to trade, not to mention easy access to fresh water. Athena offered them the first domesticated olive tree. The current king of the city, Cercrops, accepted the olive tree on behalf of the people. He also named the city after their patron deity.

She created Medusa, then guided Perseus in his quest to behead the monster. She helped Heracles skin the Nemean Lion, defeat the Stymphalian Birds, and navigate the underworld. She helped Odysseus on his voyage home after the Trojan war and win his kingdom back upon arriving home. She also created the first spider, Arachne.

Deity of the Month: Selene (Updated)

Selene (Luna in Roman) was a lunar deity. Her parents were the Titans Rhea and Hyperion. She fell in love with a mortal king named Endymion who reined in Asia Minor. She asked Zeus, her cousin, to grant Endymion to grant him eternal sleep so that he would never age, and never leave her. Endymion himself made the decision to sleep forever. Every night Selene slipped down behind Mount Latmus near Miletus to visit him. His sanctuary at Heracleia still exists as a horseshoe shaped chamber with an entrance hall and pillared forecourt.

Selene and Endymion had fifty daughters, the Menae. Selene also had a daughter with Zeus, and some sources claim she was the mother of the Nemean Lion.

In Roman mythology, she drove a chariot drawn by white oxen. In Greek, it was drawn by long-maned horses.

Eventually, she would be replaced as the primary lunar deity by Artemis (Diana in Greek).

Deity of the Month: Persephone

Persephone, or Proserpina in Latin, began life as a daughter of Zeus and Demeter. As a Spring Goddess, one of her responsibilities was the growth of flowers. She was doing her job when Hades spotted her from Tartarus. He immediately opened a chasm in the Earth and grabbed Persephone. No one, with the exception of Zeus and Helios, had noticed the abduction.

Demeter's heart was broken over the loss of her beloved daughter. She began wandering the Earth, searching, until Helios revealed what he had seen. Demeter was immediately filled with anger and went into solitude. Her absence was noticed immediately, because the plants ceased to mature or be fertile.

Knowing that if this continued the life that grew upon the earth was in serious jeopardy, Zeus sent Hermes down to Hades to force him to release Persephone. Hades reluctantly agreed, but before she left his palace he gave her pomegranate seeds (in some versions it's the entire pomegranate). In her joy, she forgot that no one must eat the food of Hades, and ate part of it. She was immediately bound to the underworld forever. Quick thinking on the part of Hermes found a loophole. Since she only ate half, she only had to be apart from her mother for six months instead of the entire year.

When Persephone is with Hades, Demeter refuses to allow anything to grow, causing the seasons of Autumn and Winter. During this time Persephone is Queen of the Underworld.


In anticipation of Persephone returning to her, Demeter returns to her duties and Spring soon follows. During this time Persephone is Goddess of Spring.