This Is From One Of My Textbooks* And I Think It's Super Cool. I Hope The Apollo Worshippers Out There

Saturnalia is coming on soon, so I'd like to speak some more on this peculiar, interesting festive occasion.

It is an Ancient Roman holiday of abundance, feasting, and celebration of harvest, which was supposed to be over by the time the festivities began. After the farmers gathered the crops, they'd celebrate Saturn, God of seed and sowing, for His generosity and richness of the harvest.

The festival, known for its abundant feasts and the peculiar tradition of switching roles of masters and servants, has a complicated history. It laid basis for the modern-day celebration of Christmas with its fairs, markets, street festivities, and gift-giving.

The origins of Saturnalia are much of a mystery as the festival appears to be so Ancient that Roman sources mark it to be older than the city of Rome itself. Saturnalia existed in both Greek and Roman tradition, though it corresponded to the Greek Kronia, which was a similar, but not an identical festival.

Sources speak on different possible origins of the holiday: some mention the temple of Saturn, the largest of the recorded by the pontiffs, being erected in Rome, and thus starting the tradition; whereas others speak on the festival being brought from Greece. Either way, this Ancient tradition is associated with the liberation of the God of harvest.

Saturnalia was officially celebrated on December 17 and, in Cicero's ties, lasted for a week (inclusively), until December 23. The length of the celebration varied depending on the time period as Augustus shortened it to three days only for the sake of letting the civil courts stay closed for less, while Caligula extended the celebration to five days. The original festival, according to Macrobius, appeared to have lasted for only a day; fourteen days before the Kalends of January. The Julian reform shifted the date to the 17th, thus making it into sixteen days before the Kalends. Some believe that the timing for Saturnalia was symbolic, as next followed Winter Solstice, or symbolic Death of the Sun and Birth of the new one.

Regardless, even after the limiting of the festival, Saturnalia seemed to still be celebrated for a full week with the last day being dedicated to Sigillaria, named so after sigillaria, the small earthenware figurines sold in the cities on that day. The original day of celebration was in turn given to Ops, the consort of Saturn and the Deity of abundance and the fruits of the Earth. The celebration in Her honor was called Opalia, and two festivals tended to mix together with Ops' worshippers sitting down during prayer to touch Earth, mother of all.

Saturnalia involved various activities akin to feasts, parties, gift-giving, and ritual rites. The party traditionally started with the guests exclaiming, i Saturnalia, believed to be a shortening from ego tibi optimis Saturnalia auspico, or 'i wish you a happy Saturnalia'. It is believed to be one of the most delightful periods of the year and one of the most beloved Roman festivals. People went into the streets celebrating, marching, setting up shows and street markets. People of all backgrounds could participate in it.

Among the general aspects of Saturnalia were activities such as gift giving, as people exchanged things such as candles, walnuts, dates, and honey. Masters served slaves, whereas slaves became free men as in memory of Saturn's reign when slavery did not exist. Servants walked the streets masked, in Frigio hats, or hats of liberation. The Saturnals were also celebrated in the army; the party was called the Saturnalicium castrense, when the low-rank soldiers sat next to the generals as equals and toasted together. Dice games and public gambling were allowed, but became prohibited again once Saturnalia ended. Mourning was abolished, while courts and schools were closed; starting war or enforce capital punishment was strictly prohibited. The festivities took such a great degree of chaos that some authors of the time report moving to remote suburban houses for the week of the Saturnalia to avoid the noise.

Saturn was one of the few celebrated Deities, as, in Roman times, Dis Pater and Proserpina were also believed to join the festive processions in winter time. They were to be appeased by gifts, festivities, and food; which was believed to make Them return to the Underworld where, as the Gods of subsoil, They would protect the crops and make them sprout in spring.

The official part of the feast consisted of a solemn sacrifice in the temple attended with bare head and during which the wool bandages that wrapped the feet of Saturn's simulacrum melted. A public banquet followed where all the guests exchanged toasts and wishes.

Further celebratory activities were split into days, and precise rites were done on each day of the festival.

At the beginning of Saturnalia, a rite of lectisternium was held. During the ritual, statues of Jupiter and 12 Olympians were seated in a dining position upon a special bed, or couch, and offered food, prayers, and gifts. They were spoken to with due respect and asked for protection of Rome and its people as well as for help with current affairs. After the first step, a procession was sent off to the Temple of Saturn and animal sacrifices were made at the site. A banquet with cheeses, focaccia, olives, and wine was held, to which everyone was invited - all provided by the state.

Starting day one, no-work days began, and gifts as well as greeting cards were exchanged between the citizens. Myrtle, laurel, and ivy - symbolic elements of the Saturna - were given; the trees were respectively sacred to Venus, Apollo, and Bacchus. The first day was signified by banquets, during which the Princeps of Saturnalia, the ruler of the festivities, Princeps Saturnalicius, was elected. During the first day of the festival, people changed from togas to synthesis and pileus; a casual home robe and a cap like headdress.

On the second day of the festival, Rome was still abundant with noise and feasts, to which everyone invited everyone. Stalls and juggles were in the streets alongside dancers and musicians. Celebrations were accompanied by the feast in honor of Epona, Celtic Goddess of horses, much adorned by the equites, whose importance during Saturnalia was due to Her connection to fertility and richness of feasts. The second day of Saturnalia, the 18th of December, marked the beginning of the triad of days of Mercatus, much similar to today's city fairs.

The third day of Saturnalia was the initial day of the celebration (before the reform of the calendar) and was devoted to the Goddess Ops, Deity of Sabine origin introduced to Rome under Titus Tatius. She was praised as the Deity of abundance, protector of rich harvest, giver of fruits of the Earth, and respected consort of the God Saturn. Her Temple at the Capitol hill was erected on that day, and thus received attention and became a center of worship of the Goddess as it was the anniversary of its establishment. Ops was prayed to and asked for blessings of harvest.

The fourth day of the Saturnian festivals, December 20, was dedicated to gift-giving and worship of the Lares, house guardian Deities of Ancient Rome. Terracotta figurines, sigillaria, were made out of paste, wax, or terracotta. Bronze statues were a rarity as bronze was expensive, while sigillaria made out of sweet dough were meant for the children. These statuettes were exchanged as gifts between the citizens as well as given to Saturn as offerings. He was seen as the God of time, and, thus, Death, and the figurines were to be given to Him as ways to redirect Death from coming for the giver, instead letting the figurine take it.

On the fifth day, Rome was filled with visitors from all across the Empire who came to see the city at its peak, blooming with festivals and street activities such as shops, shows, and a multitude of banquet spots. Fod, souvenirs, sigillaria (sigillaria<sigillum<signum+illum), clothes, ornaments and jewels were sold on the street. Artisans from all over the Empire offered goods made of leather, wood, terracotta, bronze, brass, silver and a special alloy of gold and silver, electrum.

On day six of the festivities Rome welcomed dancers, singers, and other performers from across the Empire who came to join the celebration as the entirety of the Empire was involved in it. Gift-exchanging with the guests, also known as xenia, was performed. Marcus Valerius Martialis wrote Xenia and Apophoreta for the Saturnalia, both of which were published in December and intended to accompany the "guest gifts" that were given at that time of year.

On the seventh - and last - day of the celebrations the Gods were thanked for everything given. The streets were full of torches and braziers, and the day passed between banquets and the baths decorated with ribbons and garlands for the occasion. Aulus Gellius relates that he and his Roman compatriots would gather at the baths in Athens, where they were studying, and pose difficult questions to one another on the ancient poets, a crown of laurel being dedicated to Saturn if no-one could answer them.

Saturnalia ended at sunset.

Sources in pinned.

Revere Hephaestus as a disabled God

Give me Hephaestus in a power chair building ramps in the old Temples. I want Him at His forge, sitting at a lowered table in His wheelchair and reaching for His tools with a hand grabber. Let Him sit in hospitals with burn care patients, showing them scars of His own. Show Him transferring from His wheelchair to His throne, some days with ease, some days with struggles. I want him sitting on a rollator, knees in braces, riding an elevator to the top of Mount Olympus.

Let’s stop portraying Hephaestus as an ‘ugly god’ and revere his disabled form.

And stop using slurs like cr*pple to describe Him.

NYT article abt goncharov has comments like 'what is the purpose of this film's existence these kids are just lying' motherfucker how do you think our ancestors survived. how do you think folklore formed. culture. music. art. PURPOSE????? do you think everything must be commodified? sold? weighed to be valued? has the rot in your soul spread so far you cannot find value in anything not spoken in numbers??? it's FUN. THAT'S WHY. THE PURPOSE IS THE ACT, THE MESSAGE IS THE MEDIUM, THE SYMBOL IS THE STORY. it brings people joy for its mere existence and that IS the point. existence is its purpose alone

This year's Saturnalia is in less than a week, meaning that the time of feasting and indulgence is not so far away either. Food was a very important part of the festivities in the Ancient Times because the entire holiday season in Ancient Rome was meant to give the people a chance of tasting delicious meals and otherwise indulging.

I am covering a few of the Roman Saturnalia recipes and, in order to give everyone a chance to celebrate, some modern recipes that match the theme and requirements of the holiday.

Some of the recipes included contain ingredients not everyone can eat, such as meats, nuts, or dairy. I will be offering substitutes for these ingredients. For cheeses, I'd like to suggest some recipes of dairy-free cheese substitutes you can make if you are allergic.

The first recipe I'd like to go over is Mustacei, or Roman Must Cakes. The first notion of it comes from Cato's De Agricultura where he says:

Mustaceos sic facito. Farinae siligineae modium unum musto conspargito. Anesum, cuminum, adipis, casei libram, et de virga lauri deradito, eodem addito, et ubi definxeris, lauri folia subtus addito, cum coques.

Translated, this recipe sounds like this:

This is how to make Mustaceos. Moisten 1 modius of wheat flour with must; add anise, cumin, 2 pounds of lard, 1 pound of cheese, and the bark of a laurel twig. When you have made them into cakes, put bay leaves under them, and bake.

While this recipe is relatively simple, the measurements is where difficulties arise since Cato uses Roman modius. There are many methods of making these cakes, here's the one I'd like to offer:

INGREDIENT LIST

400-500g plain flour (you can use gluten-free flour)

150-200ml of 2-3 day old grape juice (can be fresh)

1/2 tsp dried yeast (optional)

25-60g cheddar or pecorino cheese, grated (or vegan pecorino or cheddar)

2 tsp ground aniseed

2 tsp ground cumin

50-80g pastry lard or hard vegetable fat

olive oil

bay leaves (15 or 20)

DIRECTIONS

Prepare a bowl and add the grape juice in. Dissolve yeast in the juice. The yeast is optional, you can use just the must (grape juice).

Take a bowl, put in the flour, cumin, and aniseed. Mix. Add grated cheese into the flour mix.

Add lard or vegetable fat into the flour mix, mix until it comes together. Add the juice mix.

Knead until the dough is done. Roll the dough up and cover it with a towel. You can let it stay overnight.

Prepare and oil up your baking tray. Place bay leaves on it.

Roll the dough on a floured board until it's about 1 cm thick.

Use a pastry cutter to make individual cakes around 5 cm in diameter each.

Place the cakes on the bay leaves and bake for about 45 min at 180°C.

Serve warm.

The second meal idea follows another Ancient Roman cookbook, this time by Apicius, De Re Coquinaria. He says the following:

2Elixatas cucurbitas exprimis, sale asparges, in patina compones. Teres piper, cuminum, coriandri semen, mentam viridem, laseris radicem, suffundes acetum. Addicies cariotam, nucleum, teres melle, aceto, liquamine, defrito et oleo temperabis, et cucurbitas perfundes. Cum ferbuerint, piper asparges et inferes.

Which, if translated, sounds approximately like this:

Press the water out of the boiled pumpkin, place in a baking dish, sprinkle with salt, ground pepper, cumin, coriander seed, green mint and a little laser root; season with vinegar. Now add date wine​ and pignolia nuts ground with honey, vinegar and broth, measure out condensed wine and oil, pour this over the pumpkin and finish in this liquor and serve, sprinkle with pepper before serving.

Some people replace date wine with grated dates moistened with wine, some don't: that part is up to you. However, there are some general methods of cooking this recipe with modern measurements in mind:

INGREDIENT LIST

1 pumpkin, squash, or gourd

1 tsp peppercorns

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander seeds

3-4 mint leaves, shredded

1 garlic clove

3-4 tbsp vinegar

30-60 g dates, finely chopped

45-70 g blanched almonds, finely chopped

2 tbsp clear honey

4 tbsp Wine or Grape Juice

15-30 ml olive oil

Sea salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

Cut the squash or any alternative you're using. Place into a steamer or cook on the stove until done.

Remove the excess water. Transfer the pulp to a saucepan or skillet. Whilst the squash is cooking, grind the spices or prepare them if you're using grinded spices.

Add the mint and garlic, grind or mix together with spices. Add the mix to the squash.

Next add the oil, dates, almonds and the honey. Mix it all together.

Place the final mixture back on the heat and simmer for the flavours to combine.

Serve sprinkled with salt and black pepper.

The last recipe I'd like to describe is that of a beverage. You don't have to have any sort of alcohol to enjoy Saturnalia, this is completely optional. This is purely for educational purposes.

Disclaimer: Do not do this unless you are completely certain what you're of age, you're doing, and know how to properly store it.

In the original text by Apicius, or Apicio, the following is said:

Folias rosarum, albo sublato, lino inseris ut sutilis facias, et vino quam plurimas infundes, ut septem diebus in vino sint. Post septem dies rosam de vino tollis et alias sutiles recentes similiter mittis, ut per dies septem in vino requiescant, et rosam eximis. Similiter et tertio facies et rosam eximis et vinum colas et, cum ad bibendum voles uti, addito melle rosatum conficies, sane custodito ut rosam a rore siccam et optimam mittas. Similiter, ut supra, et de viola violacium facies, et eodem modo melle temperabis.

If we translate this passage, it becomes this:

Make rose wine in this manner: rose petals, the lower white part removed, sewed into a linen bag and immersed in wine for seven days. Thereupon add a sack of new petals which allow to draw for another seven days. Again remove the old petals and replace them by fresh ones for another week; then strain the wine through the colander. Before serving, add honey sweetening to taste. Take care that only the best petals free from dew be used for soaking.

INGREDIENT LIST

A bottle of dry white wine 1 1/2 cups of rose petals Honey, to taste

DIRECTIONS

Take a bottle of premade or store bought wine and pour into a large pitcher or jar.

Pluck the rose petals from the flowers and place them on a piece of cheesecloth. It's best to use freshly collected petals but you can use dry ones, too.

Tie the cheesecloth and submerge it in the wine, leaving to sit in the refrigerator for a few days up to week. After the time has passed, fish the sachet from the wine and replace with more fresh rose petals in new cheesecloth.

Repeat this twice, so the wine steeps for a total of three weeks.

Once it is done sitting, serve the wine with honey to taste (and optional rose petals for garnish).

Before we speak on modern dishes, I'd like to mark down a few honorary mentions of Roman foods that are taken from Ancient cookbooks and follow Ancient recipes but were not included in the list above to save space and time.

If you want to follow Ancient Roman recipes and have the ingredients to do so, you can make: Arrosto di maiale con salsa allo zafferano, Aliter Ius in Avibus, Dulcia Piperata, Chiacchiere, Globi Dolce, Prosciutto in crosta dell’antica Roma, and more. I will be linking all sources on these recipes as well as some cookbooks on my Navigation page.

I also want to recommend some wines as mulled wine was a very prominent part of the celebration. Here are some wine types, not brands, that I personally recommend for the Saturnalia: Chianti Riserva, Sangiovese, Primitivo, Nero d'Avola, Montepulciano, Pinot Grigio, Candoni Moscato. Only get those if you're an adult and know how to deal with alcohol.

These are modern recipes that fit the general theme of the Saturnalia. All of these recipes contain typical ingredients of the festive feast. You don't have to use meat, you can replace it with cauliflower, tofu, and any meat analogues you'd like. For sweets, you can replace eggs with yogurt or heavy cream whereas flour can be non-gluten. You absolutely can replace other gluten-containing ingredients with gluten-free alternatives, and replace nuts with crushed dried fruits or other ingredient with a similar texture.

Links to recipes will be in my Sources.

ANTIPASTO & MAIN COURSES

Rotolini di speck e fichi - Speck and fig rolls

Lonza di maiale in salsa di noci - Pork in walnut sauce Carré di maiale alle mele - Pork with apples Honey Garlic Pork Tenderloin

DESSERTS & BREAD

Struffoli - Honey Balls Noci Dolci - Sweet filled walnuts Crostata di mele - Apple crust cake Buccellati - Sicilian sweet fig pastry

Lievito madre or pasta madre - Classic Italian sourdough Libum or Focaccia al Formaggio - Cheese focaccia Focaccia morbida - Soft focaccia

Sources are in my pinned.

Larentalia of Ancient Rome was a day at the very end of the Saturnalia, around December 23, celebrated in honor of various Deities. Some attest it to the celebration of Acca Larentia, the mythical mother of Romulus and Remus equated with the great she-wolf Lupa, whereas some call it the day of the Lares, protective household Deities of the Roman era. Multiple Di Inferi such as the Lares, Di Manes, Di Penates, and such received due praise on Larentalia.

Known also as Parentalia, Larom, Lemuria, Mania, this sacred day has a long history and roots from the beliefs and customs that preceded the very formation of Rome.

Larentalia has a complicated history, much like most Roman holidays and festivals do. Some sources attest it to be the day when Acca Larentia was praised and worshipped, as she was believed to have raised Romulus and Remus as their adoptive mother. Some stories speak of Acca Larentia as a woman who happened to have a large fortune left after her wealthy Etruscan lover, Tarutilus, passed, and that she gave the money to the people of Rome. Some call her the wife of Faustulus, the shepherd who found Romulus and Remus in the she-wolf's burrow. Some call her a courtesan and the mistress of the great Hercules given to him in a game of dice.

The latter might be a contributing factor to why Acca Larentia got slowly merged with the imagery of a she-wolf Lupa who raised Romulus and Remus according to the old myth: the word for a courtesan (lupa) and the word for a she-wolf (lupa) are cognates. Her other name, Acca, might be compared to the Sanskrit "akka", which means "mother" and rightfully allows us to consider her Mater Larum, the Mother of the Lares whom Romulus and Remus became for Rome after their deaths. The festival to honor the Lares was called Larom and coincided with Larentalia. Some, like Ovid, also referred to it as Mania after a corresponding Sabine Goddess.

The name of Quirinus is tightly connected to the cult of the Lares. Initially, this is likely the name of an Ancient indigenous agricultural Deity of Roman and Etruscan peoples who later was merged with the deified Romulus to represent a giving, prosperous ruler of the Empire.

Quirinus is also one of the epithets of the God Mars, one of the most beloved and treasured among the Roman Gods. Mars Quirinus was the peaceful face of the God of War when He guarded the civillians. Maurus Servius Honoratus in his notes to the Aeneid wrote the following: Mars enim cum saevit Gradivus dicitur, cum tranquillus est Quirinus ("When He rampages, Mars is Gradivus, but when He is at peace, He is Quirinus"). Gods such as Janus and Jupiter were also given the epithet Quirinus. Thus, the very name, Quirinus, became strongly associated with the image of provision, protection, and stability, which explains why Romulus was attested this name as well.

Such a diverse variety of ways Quirinus can be interpreted is partially due to the variety of theories that were created at the time to explain Romulus' death. Some authors claimed him to have been taken by a thunderstorm, some that he was killed by the Senate in a manner much similar to the way Julius Caesar died. Some claim that Romulus and Quirinus are one and have been one. The pre-Romulean function of the Divinity remains much of a mystery, though some argue that He might have been a part of the triad alongside Jupiter and Mars, thus constituting the three most beloved Gods of the Roman Empire.

Quirinus thus has connection to three most important areas of the Roman life: agriculture, military, and the afterlife. This creates a very chthonic identity of the newly coined Divinity, which explains why Larentalia was the day of honoring the dead.

The cult of Quirinus has birthed the new religious rank within Rome, flamen Quirinalis, which coexisted with flamen Dialis and flamen Martialis and seemed to perform a major religious function within the cult and across the entirety of Rome.

Larentalia was celebrated at the place of the supposed tomb of Acca Larentia, the Velabrum located between the Capitoline Hill and the Palatine Hill, not a long way from the old city. There, pontiffs and flamen Quirinalis sacrificed to Di Manes. Di Manes were the souls of the deceased loved ones, connected to other indigenous Roman Deities such as Di Penates, Genii, and the Lares. The festival to honor the Manes and Acca Larentia included performance of parentatio, or funeral rites. The Latin name of the ritual is the reason why Larentalia is also sometimes called Parentalia.

As the Mother of Lares, Acca Larentia received offerings given to the guardian spirits under her protection. However, the holiday wasn't limited to just her and instead celebrated all the Lares.

The nature of the offerings varies depending on what time period and what author we refer to. For example, Macrobius says that at first, Di Manes, as they were among Di Inferi, received offerings in form of human sacrifice. However, according to him, this tradition did not last for long and, under Junius Brutus, was replaced. Starting from Brutus' times, human sacrifice was substituted with offerings of garlic and poppy. In the same book Macrobius also states that people would hang up woolen human-shaped figurines on the day of the Manes to ward off anything bad happening to the family. This, as well as the fact most rituals likely happened at night, points out that this day was devoted to the chthonic Deities.

Among other offerings during Larentalia were homemade cakes and pigs sacrificed for the Di Inferi. Some writers suggest that if during the Larentalia, any piece of food was to fall on the ground, from the moment of touching it the food became an offering to the Lares and was to be burned. A similar tradition is seen among the Greeks who also believed that food dropped on the ground belonged to the spirits dwelling in the house.

As a part of the Saturnalia, Larentalia was one of the holidays of passing when the old died out and allowed the coming of the new.

Note: Do not use the decor in this post. I made it myself, images not mine. Please, be respectful. This holiday mentions the souls of the dead.

Sources are in my pinned.

Carmen <3

Dionysos Kolotes

Early in January, when I was in the deepest throes of my hyperfixation on researching everything about Dionysos, I found this post by @bacchant-of-dionysus with a nice, neat list of epithets of Dionysos, with their Greek spelling (much appreciated), meanings (even more appreciated), and small prayers you could say with the epithets (I was about to weep tears of joy). As I was reading through it, I saw the epithet of "Dionysos Kolotes", Kolotes meaning "spotted gecko", which gave me serious pause. It almost seemed comedical - where in Dionysos' mythology were geckoes of any kind even mentioned, especially spotted ones? And why the specification?

When I came back around to this epithet while working on my series of prayers, I decided to take to the internet to see if I could dig up any more information on why Kolotes was an epithet of Dionysos. After a few searches, I came across this page on Theoi.com about Asklabos, who had been turned into a spotted gecko. I'll copy it down below, it's not very long:

"Askalabos was the son of a peasant-woman named Mimse who the goddess Demeter visited upon first arriving in Attika during her long search for Persephone. The woman offered her a drink of barley-groats, and the goddess hurriedly quaffed it down to relieve her thirst. The boy rudely mocked her as a glutton and in her anger she cast the drink at him, transforming him into a spotted gecko."

This is interesting, because, while Dionysos was mentioned nowhere here, the story of Demeter looking for Persephone was in fact a part of the Eleusinian Mysteries, which He does have some connections to. But that still begs the question - why is it Dionysos who is given the epithet of Kolotes, rather than Demeter, who it would seemingly be more fitting to?

In my own opinion, this epithet is one that seems to connect to Dionysos' habit of being, in some ways, a God of hospitality. Frequently, when He appears in myths, He is seen judging people on their hospitality (usually lack of). For example, in the Bacchae, one of Pentheus' greatest evils was his lack of hospitality towards the maenads, and he was ripped apart. Lykurgous, too, attacked Dionysos and His maenads, and was punished with madness. And the Tyrrhenian pirates, who kidnapped Dionysos to sell him to slavery, found themselves turned into dolphins. In all of these examples, Dionysos is the one who carries out the punishment of those who have violated Xenia. The spotted gecko, meanwhile, was once a boy who mocked a Goddess as she quenched her thirst after frantically searched for Her missing daughter.

So in my opinion, Dionysos holds the epithet of Kolotes not because He is someone who would also mock Demeter on Her worst days, but because He reminds others not to do the same, as a God who seems to oversee Xenia. Just as we see dolphins not as an inspiration to go out and kidnap someone, but rather as a reminder to not take advantage of others, the spotted gecko is a reminder to always be courteous to other people, even when their actions seem strange or desperate to us. We do not know what they have undergone.

Aphrodite

Content warning: Because of the deity being discussed in this post, there are talkings of sex and sexuality under the cut.

Who is Aphrodite?

Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, beauty, desire, passion, pleasure, sexuality, fertility, and procreation. She has many epithets, or titles, that relate her to other aspects as well.

Antheia - The blooming, Friend of flowers

Anadyomene - She who rose from the sea

Ambologera - Delayer of old age

Aphrogenea - Foam born

Apostrophia - Expeller of sinful desires

Areia - The warlike

Callipygos - Of the beautiful buttocks

Charidotes - Giver of joy

Elikoblepharus - She with fluttering eyelids

Eleemon - Merciful

Eratoplucamus - Lovely haired

Gamelia - She who resides over marriage

Morpho - The fair shaped, Of shapely form

Nicephorus - Bringer of victory

Ourania - Heavenly

Pandemos - Common to all people, Of all people

Panmorphilos - Lover of all shapes

Peitho - Persuasion

Pontia - Of the sea

Philomeides - Laughter loving

Philopaneia - Lover of all

These are just some of her many names. She has many more epithets, including newer ones applied through UPG and modern practice.

Aphrodite and the Moon

This section is entirely UPG

I associate Aphrodite with the moon, more specifically, the moon's cycle. I do not see her as *the* moon goddess, but rather as having an aspect of the moon. I see her as the cycle the moon follows. There’s a few factors that contribute to this UPG of mine.

The first being that the moon’s cycle and a woman’s cycle are roughly the same length in time. I guess here it’s important to note that I am female, and a part of my work with Aphrodite has been centered around that. 

The second is that the moon controls the tides. Aphrodite is considered a sea goddess. But my association goes a little deeper than that. I have always heavily associated the ocean and its movements with Aphrodite, beyond just her usual ‘risen from the sea’ aspect. I don’t see her as the personification of the sea, or *the* ocean deity, but as the movements of the ocean. The waves, the tides, the things washed up on the shore in the waves, the feeling of a wave pulling and pushing the water as you stand in it. \

I really began to understand this association when I started working with the moon phases, and learning about how to live and plan by them. A book I highly recommend to learn about this subject is Lunar Living by Kirsty Gallagher.

Offerings for Aphrodite.

Chocolate

Honey

Fresh Fruits

Cherries

Apples

Olive oil

Water

Apple juice

Wine, especially red

Teas infused with herbs associated with her

Or just any tea

Fruit and/or herb infused water

Roses

Jasmine

Myrtle

Cinnamon sticks*

Orchids*

Love letters (to yourself, or to someone else)

Jewelry

Seashells

Devotional Acts

Self care

Morning / night beauty routines

Write love letters to yourself or to someone else

Visit the ocean if possible

Practice gratitude

Practice self confidence

Listen to music that makes you feel confident

Listen to music that reminds you of Aphrodite

Practice self acceptance

Tell your loved ones you and appreciate them

An act of kindness toward a stranger

Give compliments to yourself or to someone else

Watch a romance movie

Read Sappho’s poetry

Read poetry about love, romance, or sexuality

Read poetry dedicated to her

Explore your sexuality

Learn about the important of practicing safe sex

Pleasure yourself

Read a romance novel 

Read an erotica novel

Care for your mental and physical self

Learn about the ocean

Read her myths

Read modern retellings of her myths

Write retellings of her myths

Write poetry or song dedicated to her

Practice cyclical living (by the moon phases)*

Practice sea focused witchcraft

Dance

Create a playlist dedicated to her

Meditate and ask her to be present

Other Aspects of Aphrodite

People often forget, especially with the more popular and well known deities, that they can have aspects most would view as negative. 

Aphrodite isn’t just the goddess of love and beauty. She also resides over the negative aspects of her associations. Jealousy, obsession, clinginess, heartbreak, self-centeredness, manipulation. 

 This isn’t to say that working with her will bring those things. You can work with her to get past these things or move them out of your life just as you would any other aspect of her. 

Anything in this post marked with the symbol * means that it is my own UPG

Hermes Offerings and Devotions

Offerings

Keys

Dice

Playing cards

Coins

Rocks/pebbles

Playing jacks (UPG)

Bouncy balls (UPG)

Lucky charms (Cereal)

Rabbit's foot

Horse shoe

Magic 8 ball

Coffee

Energy drinks

Herms

Road trip snacks (I like Hostess donuts)

Airplanes/trains/cars imagery

Foreign/new foods

Trail mix

Peanut m&ms (UPG)

Turtles

Lyres/string instruments

Sandals/shoes/running shoes

Journals

Camping gear

Survival gear, like multitools, fire starters, first aid kits etc.

Pens/pencils

Small (stolen) trinkets

Language dictionaries

Work out gear

Panpipes

Postcards

Letters

Mail

Stamps

Envelopes

Zodiac signs

Sheep/goats

Car parts

Backpacks/drawstring bags/bags

Crocos

Sticks

Saffron

Sticks

Board games (UPG)

Dominos (UPG)

Pick up sticks (UPG)

Books

Cups

Scales

Dream journals

Graveyard dirt

Cookie fortunes

Foreign money

$2 Bills

Dollar coins

Marbles

Travel souvenirs

Bikes/skateboards/skate

Old licenses/IDs

Sport trophies/jerseys/jackets/gear

Wings/feathers

Letters/numbers

Video games

Magic kits

Oranges/Lemons (UPG)

Devotional Acts

Write letters

Go for walks

Run

Road trips

Learn about alchemy, astrology, lucid dreaming/astral travel, astronomy, etc.

Learn basic car maintenance (change a tire, jump a car, change air filter, check oil etc.)

Give money/socks/cigarettes/water/food to panhandlers

Go talk to a panhandler and keep them company for a bit. I usually smoke a cigarette with them (only time I smoke) and just chat.

Pranks

Public speaking

Tip well

Stargazing

Geocaching

Learn new language

Learn ASL

Work out

Drive safely and predictably

Use your blinker fools

Bike/skate

Clean your car

Make a travel altar

Get a passport

Travel

Practice keyboarding

Have a penpal

Train your voice

Magic tricks

Check your mail/email regularly

Low risk gambling, like lotto tickets

Riskier gambling if you're mindful of it

Make sigils

Have a race

Play a tag

Be nice to wait staff

Play sports

Make maps of trails near you

Make maps of whatever you want

Play uke/string instruments

Make herms

Carpool

Uphold confidentiality

Coin tricks

Be a reliable worker

Thrifting/yard saling

Dumpster diving

Making trades and barters

Help look for missing people/pets

Do you know where to find out about ancient roman festivals?

Depends on what kind of info you're looking for but for general information, any book on ancient roman religion and even the wikipedia page on ancient roman festivals will get you started.

If you're looking for references, the most straight forward book to refer you to would be H.H. Scullard's Festivals and Ceremonies of the Roman Republic, which goes through each month of the religious calendar.

I'd also suggest taking a look at:

Jörg Rüpke, A Companion to Roman Religion: this is a thorough introduction to roman religion at large, but you'll find plenty of passages on festivals.

Rasmus Brandt, & Jon Iddeng, Greek and Roman Festivals: Content, Meaning, and Practice: more focused on the greco-roman aspects but some chapters of interest for you.

Harriet I. Flower, The Dancing Lares and the Serpent in the Garden Religion at the Roman Street Corner: This is about household religion rather than big, publicly-funded festivals but important to understand as the foundation upon which everything else is built.

Jörg Rüpke, On Roman Religion : Lived Religion and the Individual in Ancient Rome: good complementary read to understand the more personal religious experience.

In term of relevant blogs, take a look at @asklepiean's religio romana tag, and check out the many resources gathered by @honorthegods