Find Your Gods

  • Home
  • Find Your Gods

Find Your Gods Find Your Gods is a celebration of the ancient myths and an exploration of their resonance in our modern world.

02/06/2024

Kore (Persephone) tapestry depicting her gathering flowers with her nymph companions before the abduction by Hades.

Persephone and Kore are two names associated with the same figure in Greek mythology, representing different aspects of her life and character. Persephone, whose name means "she who brings destruction," is the queen of the Underworld and the wife of Hades. Kore, meaning "maiden" or "girl," refers to Persephone's earlier life as the daughter of the harvest goddess Demeter.

The myth of Persephone and Kore centers around the abduction of Kore by Hades, which led to her becoming the queen of the Underworld. According to the myth, Kore was gathering flowers in a meadow when Hades, emerged from the depths of the Earth and abducted her to the Underworld. This event caused great distress to Demeter, who was devastated by the loss of her daughter.

During her time in the Underworld, Kore assumed the role of Persephone, the queen of the dead, after consuming some pomegranate seed. Her departure from the world above caused the earth to become barren, and her return marked the onset of spring and the blossoming of plants.

The correlation between Persephone and Kore lies in their shared identity and the duality of their roles. The abduction story can be interpreted in many ways, from being a story for mothers who lost their daughters after marriage, to the metaphorical cycle from maiden to woman. Kore represents the innocence and youth of the maiden, while Persephone embodies the power and wisdom gained through her experience as the queen of the Underworld. The myth of Persephone and Kore serves as a metaphor for the changing seasons and the cycle of life and death. It also symbolizes the eternal struggle between darkness and light, as well as the transformative power of experiences and the journey from innocence to maturity.

“Do not worry about your contradictions - Persephone is both floral maiden and queen of death. You, too, can be both.”

― Nichole McElhaney, A Sisterhood of Thorns and Vengeance

And that’s where gods begin.
21/04/2024

And that’s where gods begin.

08/04/2024

Everybody’s acting like they’ve never seen a giant wolfgod devour the sun before.

29/01/2024

Orpheus and Eurydice Tapestry. The tale of Orpheus and Eurydice is a classic myth from Greek mythology, known for its themes of love, loss, and the power of music. Orpheus, renowned for his musical prowess capable of moving all living things and even inanimate objects, falls deeply in love with Eurydice. Tragically, Eurydice is bitten by a snake and dies on their wedding day.

Distraught, Orpheus decides to journey to the Underworld to bring her back. His music softens the hearts of Hades and Persephone, the rulers of the Underworld, who agree to allow Eurydice to return to the living world on one condition: Orpheus must walk in front of her and not look back until they both have reached the upper world.

As they ascend, Orpheus, anxious and doubting whether Eurydice is truly behind him, turns to look at her just as they reach the threshold. Because of this, Eurydice is pulled back into the Underworld, this time forever. Orpheus, heartbroken, spends the rest of his days playing mournful songs until his own death.

The myth of Orpheus and Eurydice has been interpreted in various ways, often seen as a story about the power of love and music, the inevitability of death, and the dangers of doubt and lack of faith. It has inspired numerous artistic works across different mediums, including music, literature, and visual arts. And now this! I truly hope you like how this turned out. 🤎

31/10/2023

Origins of Hallowe'en
One current popular belief associated with Hallowe'en that is often stated as fact is that the origin of Hallowe’en is Samhain (pronounced Sow-in), a festival from pre Christian Ireland which took place around early November. This is widely believed not just by Neo-pagans, who promote the idea of an earlier festival, high jacked by Christianity, but also by the general populace. However, the idea of old Samhain celebrations as the source for Hallowe’en comes from relatively recent times. In the 19th century Sir John Rhys suggested Samhain was the Celtic new year which he ‘inferred’ from contemporary folklore and this was popularised and expanded upon by Sir James Frazer when he used it to support his own idea that it had been a pagan feast of the dead. That the medieval church dedicated the 1st and 2nd of November to Christianize a pagan festival. Neither position is supported by direct evidence, only by a great deal of supposition and conjecture. (Hutton.)

The celebration of Samhain is known only from medieval texts which recorded traditions and stories, many hundreds of years after the time they were set in and long after Ireland was Christianised. Similar feasts in Scotland and Wales are also known only from later sources. Samhain occurred just after the harvest was finished. It was a time of assembly when the Kings and lords gathered together for feasting, it was also a time to pay taxes. Whilst the stories set at Samhain often contain encounters with fairies and deities and other magical beings, the dead play no part. Nor is there any suggestion that these magical beings are particularly part of Samhain, although Gantz suggested it was a time of unusual supernatural power because of the number of stories which contained these elements. Hutton points out that this may be simply because the Samhain gathering was a useful setting for such stories in much the same way as the Arthurian stories commenced with a courtly assembly for Christmastide or Pentecost. There is no evidence that it opened the Celtic New Year. Frazer’s argument that it was a Christianisation of a pagan Celtic festival is inconsistent with its early history when All Saints was celebrated on a variety of calendar dates in different parts of the Christian world, in Ireland this was April 20th - no where near the date of Samhain. (Hutton.)

The real origins of Hallowtide, are probably dual, they may be both Christian and pagan, but there is no evidence for it being ‘Celtic’. Light can be shed on this if we examine the early history of the Christian festivals All Saints and All Souls. In 609AD Pope Boniface IV consecrated the Pantheon in Rome and dedicated it to the Blessed Virgin and the Martyrs on the 13th May. This date was already in use in the Mediterranean world as the feast in honour of the Martyrs and Saints as mentioned by St Ephraem in the mid-4th century (Hutton). This was not celebrated consistently on that day in other parts of the Christian world. In the 8th century Pope Gregory III moved it to the 1st November to honour the day that the Oratory in St Peters was founded. Pope Gregory’s links with Germany suggest there may have been practice in this part of northern Europe which he was endorsing (this may be linked to the Teutonic Feast of the Dead but I cannot find reliable sources to substantiate whether this even existed).

Odilo, the Abbot of Cluny established the Chair of St Peter or the Holy See on the 22nd February, when he ordered a solemn mass for the souls of all Christian dead in his monastery and daughter houses. He moved this day for All Souls to the 2nd November and its celebration was well documented since 1030. (Schmitt.)

What is significant about the celebrations of All Saints and All Souls is the original dates chosen for them: the 13th May and the 22nd February respectively. Both are connected to the dates of Roman pagan festivals which honoured the dead: the Lemuria and the Parentalia.

The Lemuria lasted 3 days in May, 9th, 11th and finishing on the Ides of May, the 13th. It was a religious day to honour those dead which might haunt the living because they had not been properly buried and were not remembered. The dead were offered beans by the head of the household whilst reciting a verse intending to drive them away from the home (see AGC Newsletter 40, Spring 2012).

The Parentalia was a major religious festival during the month of February, commencing on the 13th and climaxing on the 21st with the Feralia (the 22nd being a private festival for family gatherings). These festivities honoured the ancestral and familial dead, Ovid writes of visits to family tombs with offerings of flowers, wine and bread. (Wikipedia.)

The use of these dates is a clear appropriation of older Roman practices and beliefs by the church. Schmitt says the festival for the Souls of Christian dead was a likely attempt to eradicate the Parentalia and the custom of offering libations on graves, whilst Medieval liturgists agreed that the Lemuria was the origin for Hallowtide. Perhaps the familial duties of the Parentalia and the superstitious fear of the Lemuria were persistent and strong beliefs even in the early church. In parts of Italy today, dishes containing beans are traditionally eaten on these holy days, the funereal connection of this food goes back to classical times.

The foundations for the Christian commemoration of Saints and Souls originated with Roman commemorations of the dead, it’s not unreasonable to suggest some of the superstitions and darker associations of these earlier rites have lent something to Hallowe'en. The popularity of the Eve over its holy days and the prevalence of apparently unchristian customs is due at least in part to the success of protestant reformers to eradicate the holy days of All Saints and All Souls.

All Saints and All Souls (1st-2nd November)
Once the belief in the existence of purgatory was established in the early medieval period it became important to try to help souls to move on. Activities such as all night vigils and bell ringing in churches were supposed to help relieve their suffering and ease their path to heaven. Hutton says that by the end of the Middle Ages these were spectacular feasts when churches laid on extra supplies of candles and torches to be carried in procession. In 1539 the church of St Mary Woolnoth paid 5 maidens to play harps by lamplight, in the 1470s the mayors of Bristol were expected to entertain council dignitaries to fires and drinking with spiced cakebreads. (Hutton.)

After the reformation in Britain the feast for All Souls was was dropped, as the concept of purgatory was rejected from the liturgy in 1559, the religious practices associated with it were banned. However, bell ringing was very popular and persisted for many years with various prosecutions recorded in the later 16th century. In some persistently catholic areas of the country, vigils of prayer and fire took place in the fields in the night to pray for the dead, giving rise to 'Purgatory Field' in place names. (Hutton.)

Offerings of money and food in the form of Soul Cakes had been traditionally given to the poor at this time, this was also supposed to help the souls of the dead, the poor representing the dead in taking receipt of alms and food. In 1686 John Aubrey records that in Shropshire and surrounds, high heaps of Soul Cakes were set on the table for friends and visitors, not just in papist households; the receiver was expected to repeat the rhyme: ‘A soul cake, a soul cake, Have mercy on all Christian souls for a soul cake’, in other areas ‘God have your soul, bones and all’ was also known. This secular activity persisted at least into the 19th century, house visiting for food became known as souling although it was generally carried out later on by children. In rural Cheshire and Staffordshire it was known until the 1950s and the caking rhyme is still used in Sheffield today without understanding its original meaning. (Roud 2006.)

Souling is also the name given to a type of Mummers play, the only surviving example of which is from Antrobus in Cheshire, the entertainments being provided alongside Soul Cakes and beer. (Roud 2006.)

The Hallowtide rituals are complex and varied. Although we now think of America as the source for current celebrations, the picture is in no way that simple with many earlier rituals have given rise to current practices, such as house visiting, food begging and 'tricking' all being elements existing before. In 19th century Cornwall ‘Ringing Night’ was on the eve of Guy Fawkes Night and children would ‘holloa’ for biscuits, both activities probably fragments of the earlier ringing traditions at All Souls and Soul Cakes, but moved to the new celebration and their original meaning lost (Roud 2006). Bon fires are a feature of Guy Fawkes Night and would have originally been part of the Hallowtide rituals, although as Roud points out, bonfires at gatherings in winter is hardly a surprise in northern Europe. The common practices and features of this time of year have waxed and waned and taken new forms and meanings but they have persisted to this day. Although All Souls was reinstated in 1928 as a commemorative day in the Church of England, Hutton points to Armistace Day on the 11th as the new day for the dead in November, a coincidence of date but a fitting one.

Sources
Hutton, R., (1996) The Stations of the Sun, Oxford, reissued 2001
Schmitt, J.-C., (1998) Ghosts in the Middle Ages: The Living and the Dead in Medieval Society, trans. T. Lavender Fagan, Chicago
Roud, S., (2006) The English Year, London
Roud, S., (2003) The Penguin Guide to the Superstitions of Britain and Ireland London
Wikipedia, (2012) Parentalia Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parentalia

Fair.
08/09/2023

Fair.

🫠

You know which god you don’t want to p**s off with your hubris?All of ‘em. But also Poseidon.
06/09/2023

You know which god you don’t want to p**s off with your hubris?

All of ‘em. But also Poseidon.

It’s the latest in a slew of incidents concerning tourists trespassing on historic landmarks and cultural heritage sites across the country.

I wish all news and analysis was more from this perspective.
25/08/2023

I wish all news and analysis was more from this perspective.

Trump’s mug shot was supposed to be an exercise in humility. He turned it into a threat.

12/08/2023

Local nonprofits and lawmakers are raising money and collecting donations to help assist in fire recovery efforts on Maui. Here's a list of ways you can help, both in-person and from afar.

I have an alibi.
11/08/2023

I have an alibi.

An 8-foot carved wooden pole has mysteriously appeared on a cliff in southeast England. The pole, thought to be carved from a single tree, is inscribed with the name Perkūnas, a Baltic god of thund…

05/08/2023
Her voice. A beautiful ache.
27/07/2023

Her voice.

A beautiful ache.

Provided to YouTube by IngroovesYou Do Something to Me · Sinéad O'ConnorRed Hot + Blue: A Tribute to Cole Porter℗ 1990 Red Hot OrganizationReleased on: 1990-...

Just up the road…
21/06/2023

Just up the road…

These old Indian burial mounds, discovered in the 1800's near Grand Rapids, date back 2,000 years! Here are photos and details!

Sweeping up the long grasses that my daughter brought in for the cats, it arranged itself into a portrait of Pan or some...
29/05/2023

Sweeping up the long grasses that my daughter brought in for the cats, it arranged itself into a portrait of Pan or some suchlike wild spirit.

Alfred Pierce - “The Angel of Mons”
29/05/2023

Alfred Pierce - “The Angel of Mons”

News of Ray Stevenson’s passing has hit me surprisingly hard. His performance in HBO’s “Rome” is outstanding.He played T...
22/05/2023

News of Ray Stevenson’s passing has hit me surprisingly hard. His performance in HBO’s “Rome” is outstanding.

He played Titus Pullo with so much charisma and complexity. Stevenson perfectly captured the simple faith in—and devotion to—his gods.

Rest in peace.

Rome only lasted two seasons, but it's an incredible showcase for Ray Stevenson's talents.

In the ancient world, there was no greater transgression than the betrayal of a stranger or guest. The rage and judgment...
22/05/2023

In the ancient world, there was no greater transgression than the betrayal of a stranger or guest. The rage and judgment of the gods on those who did was swift, brutal, and devastating.

The New York Times is reporting that in April, the Greek Coast Guard gathered a group of asylum-seeking migrants in Greece, including a baby, put them on an inflatable raft in the Aegean Sea, and a…

PSA
16/04/2023

PSA

Deities You’ve Never Heard Of:
El: Canaanite/Hebrew supreme creator god, father of the gods

In 1929, archaeologists discovered a treasure trove of cuneiform tablets in Ugarit, a port city in northern Syria. Over 1,500 tablets were collected from a temple library, a palace library, and two private libraries. (Support your local library.)

They date back to 1300-1100 BCE.

Within them is a vast—though fragmented—collection of early Canaanite myths. Many of which are echoed in the Bible. I use the word “echo” loosely. There are some chunks that are almost straight copy and paste. But, they gave scholars a glimpse into how closely related the Hebrews were to the Canaanites.

The Canaanite supreme creator god was El.

El, the Most High, is the “eternal creator,” “father of man,” “father of the gods,” and “creator of creatures.” He was depicted as an older man with a graying beard who sits on a throne above the clouds (like a sky god). His three primary sons were Yam (god of the sea), Mot (god of the dead), and Baal (the storm god).

Kind of like Poseidon, Hades, and Zeus.

El was a benevolent and compassionate father figure who ruled the universe in tandem with the Divine Council for whom, he divided up the nations (see: Deuteronomy 32:8). He was said to dwell at the edge of creation in a tent, where two sacred rivers flowed. He never had a temple.

When you think of God as an old man in the sky with a beard, you’re thinking of El.

The image of a violent, aggressive, jealous, “smite me, almighty smiter” deity come from Yahweh, who carries the epithets of a storm god. He’s almost identical to Baal.

Over time, El lost his personal name and became synonymous with the word “god.”

When you read the Bible in Hebrew, anytime you see “God,” it’ll be some combination of “el.” For example: “El Shaddai” (God almighty), or the plural, “Elohim,” meaning “gods” and “bene elohim” meaning “sons of god.”

In the Canaanite language, the word “elohim” is “ilhm,” which refers to the 70 sons of El and his wife, Asherah.

While El became synonymous with the word “God,” the name Yahweh is translated into the English Bible as “Lord.” At some point in Biblical history, they merge into one deity. This is when you see it written as the “Lord God.”

In broader mythology, the storm god (Zeus, Yahweh, Baal, etc.) leading a great war and stealing the throne from their father, the sky god, is a common motif. (Although there is an extra generation in Zeus’ story).

In the Canaanite myths, El ends up building a sanctuary for his wife and children in the desert, but why they needed a sanctuary isn’t known.

Additionally, because he had no temples, his imagery is hard to pin down. His stories in both the Ugaritic texts and the Bible are fragmented, which leaves a lot of ambiguity. It is, however, almost certain that El was the god of Abraham--not Yahweh.

El's sacred icon/animal was a bull and one of his epithets was “Bull-El,” or “the bull god.” Occasionally, he was depicted with the horns of a bull.

Which, I personally think changes the meaning of the golden calf story in Exodus.

You can read more about El here:
https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/El



Image: El, the Canaanite creator deity, found at Megiddo, Late Bronze II, 1400-1200 BC, bronze with gold leaf - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:El,_the_Canaanite_creator_deity,_Megiddo,_Stratum_VII,_Late_Bronze_II,_1400-1200_BC,_bronze_with_gold_leaf_-_Oriental_Institute_Museum,_University_of_Chicago_-_DSC07734.JPG

I like it that “Ramadan Kareem” carries a sense of generosity, that this is a time for hope, a time for the unexpected g...
23/03/2023

I like it that “Ramadan Kareem” carries a sense of generosity, that this is a time for hope, a time for the unexpected gift spiritual blessings… and also a time to use your own generosity to enrich the lives of others in unexpected ways.

(I admit I do not have a complete or nuanced understanding of these concepts and practices.)

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — The first daily fast of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan began Thursday, as hundreds of millions of Muslims worldwide enter a four-week period of worship. The observance comes at a time when numerous countries and governments across the Middle East are taking tentative step...

17/03/2023

I am...

The wind from the sea
The wave on the ocean
The eagle on the rock
The eye of the sun
The fairest of plants
The fish in the stream
The lake and the plain
The strong and the wild

I am the word of knowledge
I am the tip of the spear
I am the god that puts fire in your head

Tell me now

Who spreads light in the gathering on the hills?
Who can find the place where the sun rests?
Who knows the ages of the moon, if not I?

-

An invocation to the Spirit of Ireland sung by Amergin Glúingel, a prehistoric bard from Ireland's mythical era.

Pictured: The Triquetra, an ancient pre-Christian Celtic symbol.

Writing tonight with Mr. Ferry in the background and it occurs to me that this is a Hades/Persephone song.
04/03/2023

Writing tonight with Mr. Ferry in the background and it occurs to me that this is a Hades/Persephone song.

Bryan Ferry - Slave To Love (Live in Lyon)Available Now: https://mercury-studios.lnk.to/BryanFerryLyonFrom his earliest recordings with Roxy Music at the beg...

Well, this is unexpected.
23/02/2023

Well, this is unexpected.

I Am Jesus Christ is a unique and innovative game that takes players on a journey through the life of Jesus Christ, from his baptism to his resurrection. Fan...

07/02/2023

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales hopes a new series of posters will encourage “reflection on how we are all made in the image of God.”

Harry was right.
20/01/2023

Harry was right.

Harry Hamlin tells The A.V. Club about how he foughtClash Of The Titans producers over a climactic scene

25/12/2022

Khione (Χιονη) is the Greek Goddess of snow; She is the daughter of Boreas, the winged God of the north wind Who is also the God of winter, and Oreithyia, the Goddess or nymph of mountain winds, daughter of the legendary Athenian King Erekhtheus. Her mother's sisters are Herse and Pandrosos, Goddesses of dew Who are strongly connected with the Akropolis (as is Their father).

The original is in colored inks, and quite small.

“Solstice” comes from the Latin words for “sun” and “to stand still; to wait.”Light your candles, by all means. Celebrat...
21/12/2022

“Solstice” comes from the Latin words for “sun” and “to stand still; to wait.”

Light your candles, by all means. Celebrate the promise of the returning Light… And take a moment to be still, to wait.

Be still.

Wait.

And listen.

We recently travelled to the beautiful country of Norway and was able to capture some of the magic for you. This campfire was shot on the high planes of the ...

The Great Veiled Bear is my new holiday entity of reverence and reward.
03/12/2022

The Great Veiled Bear is my new holiday entity of reverence and reward.

Finally departing the cursed birdsite means I get to discover and rediscover all kinds of new people on Mastadon.Happy W...
23/11/2022

Finally departing the cursed birdsite means I get to discover and rediscover all kinds of new people on Mastadon.

Happy Wednesday, kids…

I’m getting some strong “Revelations 13” vibes from this nonsense. Might be the first time I’ve ever said this: This her...
18/11/2022

I’m getting some strong “Revelations 13” vibes from this nonsense.

Might be the first time I’ve ever said this: This here is one god you probably don’t need to find.

CHECK IT OUT: A giant GOAT sculpture is heading to Austin this weekend, with the ultimate journey to the Tesla Giga Factory as a gift to billionaire, Elon Musk. https://bit.ly/3EiUHos

Address


Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Find Your Gods posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Find Your Gods:

Videos

Shortcuts

  • Address
  • Alerts
  • Contact The Business
  • Videos
  • Want your business to be the top-listed Media Company?

Share