On litanies of epithets: an appeal to my fellow Hellenic polytheists
One practice common in modern Hellenic polytheist practice is addressing a God with a long litany of epithets. The practice comes straight from classical sources. You can't read a myth about Aphrodite without hearing Her called Laughter-loving, Golden, and half a dozen others. You can't read a story about Hermes without hearing Him called Wily one, Slayer of Argos, and many more.
And modern pagans seem to love collecting these epithets. If you pull up any web page dedicated to a God you're sure to see a list of them. Usually this list includes the epithet in English. Sometimes it'll include a transliteration of the original Greek that it was translated from, and occasionally you can even reconstruct the original Greek itself from the information provided. But it's downright rare to see any explanation or context or a reference to more information.
Not to say that such a list isn't valuable. While we may all know Zeus as Basileus and Keraunios ("King" and "Of the Thunderbolt" according to his page at theoi.com), it can be helpful to remember that sometimes he's also Kosmetes "Orderer" and even Labrandeus "Furious, or Raging". It can be helpful to remember Dionysos as Anthroporraistos "Man-Slayer" as much as he's Lysios "Releasing".
But really, what good does it do me to know that Dionysos is also Kolotes "Spotted Gecko" or Erebinthinos "Of the Chickpea"? The vast majority of these lists of epithets provide absolutely no explanation or context for these names. They don't explain what that name means to them. They don't reference any sources -- classical or modern -- that might provide a hope of understanding the term. Some hope that the name will speak for itself, like Ares Miaiphonos "Blood-stained" clearly does. Others just like the idea of being completists.
And to their credit, completists are well-attested in classical sources. Take a look at the Homeric Hymns sometime and you'll see hymns that list attributes connected to each other only in that they honor the same God. Take a look at the later Orphic Hymns and you'll see even more agglomerated litanies. I've heard claims that classical worshipers often did this in prayer, too, though I haven't studied this myself. And from this same tradition many modern websites aiming suggestions at new Hellenic polytheists recommend beginning prayers with as long a list of epithets as they can manage.
This litany of obscure epithets is certainly well-attested in history, but for today it lacks a vital component. It wants the component of reference. It needs context. In ancient times when poets sang of Hephaistos Amphigueeis "Lame One", listeners were reminded of the story of how He was thrown from high Olympos at His birth. When they called to Hera Argeia it reminded them of Her cult in Argos, either in their memory or in their imagination. And it's those connections that breathed life into their world and into their understanding of the Gods.
Modern pagans need this context. Lists of epithets are an adequate starting point, if only barely. The second step must carry them into more depth about the stories behind these names. They can be old stories, or they can be new stories. But please, if you're a leader in the Hellenic community, if you write rituals, if you maintain a devotional web page or even an informational one, please don't just give your audience a list. They can find that list a million places already. Point them to one, and then breathe life into their understanding of the Gods by giving them context.
(LJ Spellchecker Genius of the Day: Lysios -> Lushes)
And modern pagans seem to love collecting these epithets. If you pull up any web page dedicated to a God you're sure to see a list of them. Usually this list includes the epithet in English. Sometimes it'll include a transliteration of the original Greek that it was translated from, and occasionally you can even reconstruct the original Greek itself from the information provided. But it's downright rare to see any explanation or context or a reference to more information.
Not to say that such a list isn't valuable. While we may all know Zeus as Basileus and Keraunios ("King" and "Of the Thunderbolt" according to his page at theoi.com), it can be helpful to remember that sometimes he's also Kosmetes "Orderer" and even Labrandeus "Furious, or Raging". It can be helpful to remember Dionysos as Anthroporraistos "Man-Slayer" as much as he's Lysios "Releasing".
But really, what good does it do me to know that Dionysos is also Kolotes "Spotted Gecko" or Erebinthinos "Of the Chickpea"? The vast majority of these lists of epithets provide absolutely no explanation or context for these names. They don't explain what that name means to them. They don't reference any sources -- classical or modern -- that might provide a hope of understanding the term. Some hope that the name will speak for itself, like Ares Miaiphonos "Blood-stained" clearly does. Others just like the idea of being completists.
And to their credit, completists are well-attested in classical sources. Take a look at the Homeric Hymns sometime and you'll see hymns that list attributes connected to each other only in that they honor the same God. Take a look at the later Orphic Hymns and you'll see even more agglomerated litanies. I've heard claims that classical worshipers often did this in prayer, too, though I haven't studied this myself. And from this same tradition many modern websites aiming suggestions at new Hellenic polytheists recommend beginning prayers with as long a list of epithets as they can manage.
This litany of obscure epithets is certainly well-attested in history, but for today it lacks a vital component. It wants the component of reference. It needs context. In ancient times when poets sang of Hephaistos Amphigueeis "Lame One", listeners were reminded of the story of how He was thrown from high Olympos at His birth. When they called to Hera Argeia it reminded them of Her cult in Argos, either in their memory or in their imagination. And it's those connections that breathed life into their world and into their understanding of the Gods.
Modern pagans need this context. Lists of epithets are an adequate starting point, if only barely. The second step must carry them into more depth about the stories behind these names. They can be old stories, or they can be new stories. But please, if you're a leader in the Hellenic community, if you write rituals, if you maintain a devotional web page or even an informational one, please don't just give your audience a list. They can find that list a million places already. Point them to one, and then breathe life into their understanding of the Gods by giving them context.
(LJ Spellchecker Genius of the Day: Lysios -> Lushes)