There exists a few misconceptions, fallacies, and misbeliefs regarding Hellenismos that have been perpetuated both internally and external to the movement. Some of this is based on poor communication to those outside, causing some misunderstandings and just poor public relations all the way around. Still, some of these myths about Hellenismos cannot be seen as anything else but intentional.

What would cause someone to fabricate myths about their own religion? Who knows what goes on in some people’s heads? It could be a form of prejudice, and a wish to keep “undesirables” out of the movement. It could be an attempt to acquire position, power, and prestige by trying to elevate their “opinions” above the scholarship of others. Today, I’m going to address three myths I believe are hindering the growth of Hellenismos.

1. Study is central to Hellenismos. We are constantly pouring over antique volumes or heavy-handed archaeological or anthropological texts, and wrestle with weighty philosophical concepts.

This is the big one, and truly is an extreme dramatization of the reality. Hellenismos is a Reconstructionist religion, and as a result, we do use very academic materials in order to revive the ancient Greek religion. Having said that, ancient Greece is not a lost civilization that needs arduous analysis of sparse material. The ancient Greek religion is well documented and explored. New evidence does become available from time to time, but there has been nothing found that has caused us to redefine how we think about Greece. 

This myth makes people believe that for them to even consider practicing Hellenismos, they need to spend hundreds of hours in a dank library, over thick dusty books, to even begin to understand (let alone practice) Hellenismos. It is all hogwash. Sure, as with anyone new to any religion, there will be some study involved, but learning the basic practices and theology can be accomplished by reading a few select titles.

The second part of this myth concerns the idea that practicing Hellenismos requires one to be a philosopher, great thinker, or theorist. Let me tell you something, I know some of the people on the “inside” that promote this idea and, while they try very hard to perpetuate the image, they fall short of meeting this so-called requirement. Besides, most practitioners will tell you that it all starts with the Gods. Everything else is secondary. Additionally, understanding that philosophy had little influence on the public religion, or household practices in ancient Greece, helps put this in perspective.

2. The ancient Greek language is an important part of our worship.

This is absolutely false. As I understand it, even practitioners in Greece use Modern Greek in their rituals, as compared to an ancient form. In the United States, most practitioners have no skills in speaking, reading, or writing ancient Greek, or they only have a very basic and introductory level of ability. The overwhelming consensus, among those practicing Hellenismos, is that while knowing some Greek words is helpful, learning the language itself is unnecessary. Even in translating ancient texts, unless you are thoroughly versed in the linguistics of ancient Greek, the best a person could do is either a verbatim translation or one very biased by modern concepts.

3. Hellenic ritual forms are complex, the liturgy difficult, and the work that goes into putting them on is startling to outsiders.

Statements like this really make you wonder where some people are getting their information. The basic ritual has a relatively straightforward structure. It will many times include a procession, hymns, prayers, purification, offerings, and a communal meal. The formulary for most public and private worship, and the arrangement of services, revolves around the concept of reciprocity (the mutual interchange of gifts, and the principle that favors and benefits that are granted by the Gods should be shared with Them) and thanksgiving. This, of course, does not mean that some rituals (especially public rituals) cannot be grand, theatrical, extravagant events. It just means that there is nothing incredibly mind-boggling about any of it.

Many of these myths about Hellenismos seem to stem from our commitment to making accurate claims when discussing the history of our religion, and often aggressively challenging false historical statements about the ancient culture, which our modern practice has evolved. While Hellenismos must remain intellectually honest, the fact is it is an unreasonable expectation for every practitioner (or even most) to be a scholar. These myths cause an inaccurate criticism that Hellenismos is both rigid and dogmatic. Our religion is not as difficult or complicated as the talk of historical accuracy and scholarly study implies. Those taking a more intellectual approach must insure they balance scholarship with a true sense of spirituality, and avoid the pitfall of hubris. When spirituality is sacrificed to accomplish reconstruction, it becomes mere reenactment.

Misconceptions, fallacies, and misbeliefs, such as these, regarding Hellenismos serve no other purpose, and discourage people from even attempting to practice Hellenismos. Why represent the religion as one that requires heavy research, extreme scholarship, learning a dead language, and complicated rituals if not to discourage people and make them feel unworthy?

Tags: Ancient Greece, fallacies, Hellenismos, misconceptions, myths, philosophy, scholarship, worship