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amygdalE

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In many parts of the world many people or magicians attempted to avert evil by either using amulets or uttering commanding dispelling words. In my native town (founded by Italic Greeks [Throurioi] in 204 B.C., in southern Italy, as I mentioned before) there is a magical spell , which I learned there before moving to New York, but it is in corrupt Latin form, while the local dialect is a bundle of Greek, corrupt Latin, and corrupt Italian words. Its contents make me suppose that it is a late version of a Greek spell:
"uottu e nove, fore mal'uocchiu" literally = "eight and nine, outside/away [be] the evil eye".
Fore = Latin Fore
Mal'uocchiu = male uocchiu < Lat. Malis/Male + Oculus
8 e 9 mean nothing to me, but I have an hypothesis: those words are an invocation to the 8 Chthonic gods and the 9 Celestial or Olympian gods -- not so classified by Hesiod, but probably by Dorians.
The Celestial gods would be , as in the oldest myths, Ouranos and Gaia, plus, from later myths, Selene or Artemis, Ares, Hermes, Zeus, Aphrodite, Chronos, Helios or the Solar Apollo. The Chthonic [terrestrial and underground] gods would be Hades, Poseidon [of fresh and salty waters], the triple-goddess
Hekate [originally the One Below, Khthonie herself; Hekate Phosphoros in Hades; but also identified with Selene/Artemis], the Chthonic Apollon or [Thessalian] Haplos, and two others: Demeter, the mother of grain vegetation, personified as Kore, and Kore, who after Hades' abduction, was identified with Persephone.
So it seems.
 
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In many parts of the world many people or magicians attempted to avert evil by either using amulets or uttering commanding dispelling words. In my native town (founded by Italic Greeks [Throurioi] in 204 B.C., in southern Italy, as I mentioned before) there is a magical spell , which I learned there before moving to New York, but it is in corrupt Latin form, while the local dialect is a bundle of Greek, corrupt Latin, and corrupt Italian words. Its contents make me suppose that it is a late version of a Greek spell:
"uottu e nove, fore mal'uocchiu" literally = "eight and nine, outside/away [be] the evil eye".
Fore = Latin Fore
Mal'uocchiu = male uocchiu < Lat. Malis/Male + Oculus
8 e 9 mean nothing to me, but I have an hypothesis: those words are an invocation to the 8 Chthonic gods and the 9 Celestial or Olympian gods -- not so classified by Hesiod, but probably by Dorians.
The Celestial gods would be , as in the oldest myths, Ouranos and Gaia, plus, from later myths, Selene or Artemis, Ares, Hermes, Zeus, Aphrodite, Chronos, Helios or the Solar Apollo. The Chthonic [terrestrial and underground] gods would be Hades, Poseidon [of fresh and salty waters], the triple-goddess
Hekate [originally the One Below, Khthonie herself; Hekate Phosphoros in Hades; but also identified with Selene/Artemis], the Chthonic Apollon or [Thessalian] Haplos, and two others: Demeter, the mother of grain vegetation, personified as Kore, and Kore, who after Hades' abduction, was identified with Persephone.
So it seems.
ANCIENT GREEK MAGIC, WITCHCRAFT, SPELLS AND CURSES
 
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In many parts of the world many people or magicians attempted to avert evil by either using amulets or uttering commanding dispelling words. In my native town (founded by Italic Greeks [Throurioi] in 204 B.C., in southern Italy, as I mentioned before) there is a magical spell , which I learned there before moving to New York, but it is in corrupt Latin form, while the local dialect is a bundle of Greek, corrupt Latin, and corrupt Italian words. Its contents make me suppose that it is a late version of a Greek spell:
"uottu e nove, fore mal'uocchiu" literally = "eight and nine, outside/away [be] the evil eye".
Fore = Latin Fore
Mal'uocchiu = male uocchiu < Lat. Malis/Male + Oculus
8 e 9 mean nothing to me, but I have an hypothesis: those words are an invocation to the 8 Chthonic gods and the 9 Celestial or Olympian gods -- not so classified by Hesiod, but probably by Dorians.
The Celestial gods would be , as in the oldest myths, Ouranos and Gaia, plus, from later myths, Selene or Artemis, Ares, Hermes, Zeus, Aphrodite, Chronos, Helios or the Solar Apollo. The Chthonic [terrestrial and underground] gods would be Hades, Poseidon [of fresh and salty waters], the triple-goddess
Hekate [originally the One Below, Khthonie herself; Hekate Phosphoros in Hades; but also identified with Selene/Artemis], the Chthonic Apollon or [Thessalian] Haplos, and two others: Demeter, the mother of grain vegetation, personified as Kore, and Kore, who after Hades' abduction, was identified with Persephone.
So it seems.
I haven't found anything about "eight and nine", but some Ancient Greek lexicons refer to Nine [Ennea] as a sacred number, which was used in connection with the Nine Judges [of some unspecified Supreme Court], the Nine Muses, etc. I still think that originally Nine was the count of the aforementioned celestial gods, a sacred number.
 
I haven't found anything about "eight and nine", but some Ancient Greek lexicons refer to Nine [Ennea] as a sacred number, which was used in connection with the Nine Judges [of some unspecified Supreme Court], the Nine Muses, etc. I still think that originally Nine was the count of the aforementioned celestial gods, a sacred number.
I still maintain this, but the sacredness of NINE was undoubtedly known also from other contexts, which are mentioned in various lexicons. In fact, I have figured out that the "nine judges" must be the nine archons instituted in many city-states after the middle of the 7th century B.C. They were magistrates who assumed the functions of former kings: religious, military, and JUDICIAL. // {When Thourioi in South Italy was repopulated by Hellenes sent by Pericles, the sophist Protagoras was put in charge of the political [city-] organization. The New Thourioi, my native town, undoubtedly inherited the gods and the political organization of the ancestral Thourioi... and the linguistic sacred Nine.}
 
I still maintain this, but the sacredness of NINE was undoubtedly known also from other contexts, which are mentioned in various lexicons. In fact, I have figured out that the "nine judges" must be the nine archons instituted in many city-states after the middle of the 7th century B.C. They were magistrates who assumed the functions of former kings: religious, military, and JUDICIAL. // {When Thourioi in South Italy was repopulated by Hellenes sent by Pericles, the sophist Protagoras was put in charge of the political [city-] organization. The New Thourioi, my native town, undoubtedly inherited the gods and the political organization of the ancestral Thourioi... and the linguistic sacred Nine.}
In my online searches, I found out that EIGHT is a sacred or powerful number, in many cultures. For instance, China had the eight Immortals, but not much information about the ancient Greek culture, except for the fact that 8 as a symbol of harmony, prosperity, etc., was associated with Venus/Aphrodite, and the popular saying that "all things are eight". The Gnostic symbol, the 8-pointed star, was also associated with Aphrodite. // It seems that 9 had the value of an amulet, whereas 8 had the value/power of a talisman -- for the practitioners of magic.
 
In many parts of the world many people or magicians attempted to avert evil by either using amulets or uttering commanding dispelling words. In my native town (founded by Italic Greeks [Throurioi] in 204 B.C., in southern Italy, as I mentioned before) there is a magical spell , which I learned there before moving to New York, but it is in corrupt Latin form, while the local dialect is a bundle of Greek, corrupt Latin, and corrupt Italian words. Its contents make me suppose that it is a late version of a Greek spell:
"uottu e nove, fore mal'uocchiu" literally = "eight and nine, outside/away [be] the evil eye".
Fore = Latin Fore
Mal'uocchiu = male uocchiu < Lat. Malis/Male + Oculus
8 e 9 mean nothing to me, but I have an hypothesis: those words are an invocation to the 8 Chthonic gods and the 9 Celestial or Olympian gods -- not so classified by Hesiod, but probably by Dorians.
The Celestial gods would be , as in the oldest myths, Ouranos and Gaia, plus, from later myths, Selene or Artemis, Ares, Hermes, Zeus, Aphrodite, Chronos, Helios or the Solar Apollo. The Chthonic [terrestrial and underground] gods would be Hades, Poseidon [of fresh and salty waters], the triple-goddess
Hekate [originally the One Below, Khthonie herself; Hekate Phosphoros in Hades; but also identified with Selene/Artemis], the Chthonic Apollon or [Thessalian] Haplos, and two others: Demeter, the mother of grain vegetation, personified as Kore, and Kore, who after Hades' abduction, was identified with Persephone.
So it seems.
On reading the Wikipedia article about Magic, I learned that Agrippa , a German Renaissance man, wrote about many kinds of magicians and of magic, such as those we now call illusionists (doing tricks with playing cards, etc.), astrologers, sorcerers, "philosophers of nature" who make inferences about God from their observations of nature, etc. Interestingly, the magicians pray to, or invoke, gods or spirits for assistance. Thus, there is a discourse about the spirits: The Hebrew spirits (angels and archangels) are not to be confused with the "Olympian Spirits", namely the Greek Gods. The number of these Gods that are invoked in magic may be 12 or 7 or 14. I haven't seen any listing of 9 Olympian gods, who, at any rate, are always a mixture of what I called Celestial Gods and Chthonic Gods. The only "8 and 9" magic act or trick is about an 8-card and a 9-card of the same color, which have nothing to do with Spirits. // All in all, this article suggests that my hypothesis about the invoked gods is historically plausible.
 

Mythological Roots of the Olympic Games

I've recently found myself deeply fascinated with how ancient myths and legends have influenced modern traditions and events, particularly those with a global following. Among these, the Olympic Games stand out as a prime example of ancient traditions influencing contemporary world culture. I'm eager to learn more about the mythological roots of the Olympic Games and thought this would be the perfect community to turn to for insights.

From what I understand, the origins of the Olympics are deeply intertwined with Greek mythology. The games were held in Olympia, a sanctuary site for Greek gods, and featured various competitions and rituals dedicated to Zeus, the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion. However, my knowledge of how these mythological aspects directly influenced the establishment and evolution of the Olympic Games feels quite superficial.

Sad and Interesting Story of Prometheus

I find the story of Prometheseus to be sad and interesting and I wanted to share. Yes, I like to study Greek mythology - I find it so fascinating!

Prometheus, a Titan in Greek mythology, occupies a unique space in the pantheon of myths due to his intelligence and his profound impact on human civilization. His tale is one marked by valor, insubordination, and enduring punishment, a narrative that has fascinated scholars and enthusiasts for ages.

Prometheus, whose name aptly means "forethought", was known for his wisdom and for being a champion of mankind. Unwilling to see humans suffer, he committed a daring act of defiance against Zeus, the king of the gods, which would forever alter the course of human history.

The most famous aspect of Prometheus’ story involves him stealing fire from the gods and gifting it to humanity. Fire, in Greek mythology, represents more than just a means to warm food or fend off the darkness; it symbolizes knowledge, technology, and enlightenment—tools that would empower humanity to shape their world, for better or worse.

Zeus, infuriated by Prometheus' transgression, sentenced him to a severe and enduring punishment. Prometheus was bound to a rock, where each day an eagle, the emblem of Zeus, was sent to eat his liver, which would then regrow overnight, only for the torment to repeat ad infinitum. It was an eternal punishment for a being who, in many accounts, acted out of compassion and foresight.

I find it sad that he did something so beneficial to humanity but then got punished for it.

Janus - God of Beginnings

I learned recently of Janus, the Roman God of Beginnings. The month January, I believe, is named after this God.

Many of the Roman Gods and Goddesses have Greek counterparts. Does Janus?

If so, I think that would be an interesting god to learn about. I have to be honest - I am not sure there is a counterpart. I have been searching but there either isn't enough information online, or there really is no equivalent.

Do you guys have any idea?

Different Gods and Goddesses in Different Parts of Greece?

I had thought that the pantheon of gods and goddesses was a standardized concept throughout Greece, but it appears as if that might be incorrect thinking on my part.

In learning about the different Greek islands and regions of Greece, I see that there might be regional myths, gods, and goddesses that might not be present in other parts of Greece.

I can't think of specific examples. I am just writing this post to confirm to you guys whether this is true or not... For example, I get the feeling that some of the stories on Crete may not have been part of the stories in other places in Greece - like the Minotaur - was that Crete specific?

Maybe there's no way to really know....?

Hestia Greek Goddess Information

We don't talk about Hestia much... but I just remembered that my yiayia did! I wondered why, so I researched her. Here is what I found... I think it has something to do with the fact that she was a housewife and she loved her family.. Looking at what she represents, it kind of makes sense. Here's what I found about her:

The Greek goddess Hestia was revered as the goddess of the hearth and home. In ancient Greek mythology, she was known to be a benevolent deity, who brought warmth and comfort to the home. Through her presence, she blessed the family and provided them with a sense of safety and security.

Hestia was the first-born child of Cronus and Rhea, and she was the sister of other Olympian gods such as Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. Unlike her brothers and sisters, she did not engage in any power struggles or battles. She preferred to remain neutral and instead focused her attention on her household duties. Hestia was considered one of the most important deities, as the hearth represented the heart of the home. People would light a fire in her honor and worship her by placing offerings of food and drink on their hearth.

In ancient Greek culture, a hearth was often considered the most important part of the home. It was where food was cooked, and family members gathered to eat, share stories, and bond. Hestia's role in domestic life was crucial, and she was responsible for creating the warmth and sense of security felt within the home. Her presence was believed to bring good luck and happiness to the family.
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