Hellenic Polytheism
Hellenic Polytheism (or Hellenic Paganism, Hellenism) is a modern pagan religion centered around the culture(s) of ancient and Classical Greece. Many Hellenic pagans are reconstructionist, and use historical and archaeological research as the basis for their practice. Of course, things are adapted for life in the modern world.
Hellenic pagans who aren't reconstructionists tend to follow either eclectic or Wiccan approaches, which are separate topics entirely and won't be covered here.
The main sources for reconstructionist paganism would be 1. ancient and classical writers and philosophers 2. modern scholarship regarding ancient Greek culture and religion and 3. personal religious/spiritual experience.
As with most forms of paganism, there is no "correct belief", only things that would be considered proper actions. Obviously, what these are is debated, like in all other religions. A thing that comes up relatively often when looking for information on Hellenic polytheism is the "pillars of Hellenismos". These are not historical and were created by a man who deserves his own page, explaining why this is an issue. As mentioned, there are many opinions on what ethics, but some common ones are...
- Arete - "excellence"
- Eusebia - basically, reverence for the Theoi; piety
- Hagneia - ritual purity
- Kharis - giving to the Theoi (gods/goddesses), typically in the context of offerings. The cycle of giving and recieving, to put it generally.
- Sophia - pursuit of knowledge
- Sophrosyne - self-control
- Xenia - hospitality and generosity
In my experience, Xenia tends to be the virtue that is taken the most seriously. After that, Eusebia and Kharis. The avoidance of Hubris is also important to Hellenic pagans as well.
There are many other things that are important to Hellenic pagan practice, but those will be covered on their own.