Hephaistos
God of the Smith.
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Blessings
Hephaistos values hard work, honesty, dependability, and above all, loyalty. He is not concerned with getting the glory, but with getting the job done, and doing it well. He encourages his followers to tackle their problems with vigor and persistence, and shows them how to take rough and unpleasant things and turn them into works of beauty. He is a peacemaker, capable of seeing the many different sides of an argument. He doesn’t jump into a fray until he has carefully weighed all sides of the dilemma. But when he does, his actions are swift, decisive, and effecient. He is the patron of all civilized arts, though smiths and metalworkers are his special charges.
God Of
- The Smith
Primary Cult Centers
- Athens
- Ephesos
- Lemnos
Epithets
- Ambidexter – Skillful
Symbols
Forge, anvil, tongs
Animals
Quail
Sacrifices
Frankincense, fire opal, aloe, red poppy, hibiscus, nettle, galbanum, olibanum
Festivals
- Apaturia (3 days in Puanepsion (October-November)) .
- Hephaestia (celebrated on different dates) .
- Khalkeia (30 Puanepsion (October-November)) .
Ways to honor
Work with your hands, particularly in making jewelry, smithing, or home repair projects. Support artisans and craftspeople. Support those with disabilities. Read about volcanoes and earthquakes. Visit the site of one, if you’re able. Be a peacemaker..
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Articles
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Ancient Hymns and Texts
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Modern Hymns and Devotions
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Primary Sources
- Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound 1-81, 365-369
- Apollonius Rhodius’ Argonautica 1.202-205, 1.850-860, 3.16.1
- Apollodorus’ Library 1.3.5-6, 1.4.1-4, 1.6.2, 1.9.23, 2.4.11, 2.5.6, 2.5.10, 3.14.6, 3.16.1
- Hesiod’s Shield of Heracles 120, 240, 297
- Hesiod’s Theogony 570-572, 865, 927-929, 945-946
- Hesiod’s Works and Days 60
- Homer’s Iliad 1.571-608, 2.100, 5.10, 15.310, 18.368-617, 20.73-74, 21.328-382
- Homer’s Odyssey 8.266-366
- Homeric Hymn to Apollo 3b.305
- Homeric Hymn to Hephaistos 20
- Hyginus’ Fabulae 166
- Hyginus’ Poetica Astronomica 2.12-13, 2.15, 2.34
- Pausanias’ Descriptions of Greece 1.20.3, 2.31.3, 9.35.4
- Pindar’s Olympian Odes 7.32
- Plato’s Critias 109c
- Plato’s Laws 920d
- Plato’s Symposium 197b
Links
Modern Books
- Hephaestus: The Great God by Gregory Zorzos
