The Greeks who worship the ancient gods

[cronus]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22972610

The Greeks who worship the ancient gods

The summer solstice, 21 June, is one of the most important dates in the calendar for many followers of ancient religions, and it's a special time for people in Greece who worship the country's pre-Christian gods.

"I love the energy this place has," says Exsekias Trivoulides who has pitched his tent on what he considers to be the holy site of Mount Olympus.

Trivoulides is a sculptor who studied art history and classics, and these days, he is living his passion.

Along with a few thousand others he is taking part in the Prometheia festival, which celebrates the ancient Greek hero Prometheus, who helped humans by stealing fire from the gods.

It's the most important annual festival for followers of The Return of the Hellenes - a movement trying to bring back the religion, values, philosophy and way of life of ancient Greece, more than 16 centuries after it was replaced by Christianity.

These people consider Greece to be a country under Christian occupation.

"People want to identify with something in the past - where they came from - so as to know where they are going," says Trivoulides. "If you don't know your past, you don't have a future.

"It's going back to the roots. It makes me feel the continuation through the millennia."

The festival begins with six runners - in full Greek battle gear - racing the six miles (10 km) up Mount Olympus, home of the gods, their shields and long spears clanking as they go.

But as they set out from the small village of Dion at the base of the mountain, passersby hardly seem to notice - they are used to them.

(continued)

[Trinity]

I'm all for that. I am fascinated in Ancient Greek history and culture. There were some fucking awesome characters and human achievements from that era. And, as gods go, Greek ones read like a sordid, entertaining fantasy novel and a psychologist's dream come true! I love'em!

[Thinking Aloud]

Just wait until they're trying to push Zeus's lightning bolts into the science classroom...

[Audley Strange]

Smacks of Golden Age fantasy nostalgia, like our Daily Mail/Sainsburys Victoriana, or the Nazi's Aryan Thule nonsense.

Thou shalt not worship false Auds.

[cronus]

Animal sacrifice....sex with sheep goats and no one even speaks Welsh.

[Trinity]

Yeah, but it's so much more entertaining than mundane Christianity. Greek gods knew how to have a good time . Any excuse for me to wear a dress like a greek goddess, really.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Just wait until they're trying to push Zeus's lightning bolts into the science classroom...

Faradayism is a religion too!

[Svartalf]

What's funny is that Olympos was totally taboo back in the day... the tenants were cantankerous and not to be bothered.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

What's funny is that Olympos was totally taboo back in the day... the tenants were cantankerous and not to be bothered.

Gated community?

[Clinton Huxley]

Say what you like about the Greek gods, they don't hate fags.

[Svartalf]

Say what you like about the Greek gods, they don't hate fags.

(pictures Zeus courting some mortal maid while drawing on a huge cigar)

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Say what you like about the Greek gods, they don't hate fags.

Yet another way to distinguish between god-like beings and Jim Phelps.

[cronus]

[mistermack]

The funny thing is, the christian god is more ancient than the ancient greek gods. ( I think ).

They all came from a time when there was no television, or drive-ins, so the entertainment was listening to stories.
A good storyteller could get fed and bed if he was entertaining enough. They were the pop stars and film stars of their day.
So it's not surprising that so many gods got invented. They make the best stories. It was the star-wars of the day.

It's just amazing that thousands of years later, there are billions of people worshipping one storyteller's invention.

[Svartalf]

Took many tales, and many tellers to establish the myths, and more than that to turn them into ritualized religion.