A group in Greece has built a new temple for the worship of the Olympian Gods. Finished last March, it has been explicitly built to celebrate rites according to the Ancient Greek religion.
The temple is facing administrative barriers, and the authorities of the Greek Orthodox Church appear to be mightily pissed off and seem to be doing their level best to have the place closed.
To what extent this is serious and to what extent this is the equivalent of elaborate LARP (or a tourist trap), I do not know. But I found the news interesting.
Architecturally, what is going on with the roof (in the website photos)? It looks open, but like it is intended as supports for solar panels rather than an actual covered roof. Has the solar panel portion not completed? What would they need that much wattage for inside anyway? Though being for Zeus, perhaps show faith by putting your hands on the high-voltage zappy terminals?
Isn’t that to allow natural light in?
I would love to visit this next time I’m in Greece. I wonder if it is intended as an actual temple or more of a learning experience for tourists in the style of Colonial Williamsburg.
Does it mention what particular set of rites will be followed, and which gods will be represented? I’m not sure a singular temple for all the gods is “kosher” (so to speak).
“ The temple is dedicated to Zeus, Dyonisus, and Pan, while a statue of the latter is housed inside. The rituals that took place during the inauguration were dedicated to these gods.”
I’ve experienced this visiting Salem, Massachusetts. The local guides have to walk a fine line between “These women were totally innocent because there’s no such thing as witches” and “I’d like to welcome all of the practicing witches who are visiting us today.”
I can’t imagine Zeus being super stoked. I mean, true, it’s the first brown nosing he’s seen in a millennia on two, but come on it’s barely big enough to house a Dunkin Donuts franchise. Seems definitely nymph grade to me, not up to snuff for a full Olympian pantheon.
My first thought- Wow! That is a tiny temple for just one deity- and it is dedicated to three?
My honest conclusion is that is a tourist trap meant to attract curious tourists but mostly neo pagans. If you worship the gods of Olympus and want to be married in a restored temple, this is your best bet.
The Olympians were very jealous and petty. OTTOMH Theseus son loved hunting and spent all his time hunting and worshiping Artemis, godess of the hunt. He was very attractive and Aphrodite was jealous because he didn’t spend any time worshipping her. She starts things in motion. IIRC the end is Theseus killing his son.
Builiding a temple to Zeus makes sense. Did the Greeks build temples to Dionysius or Pan?
Dionysius was a rather wild and uncontrolled guy. OTTOMH His female followers are roaming the woods praising him while very drunk. A local governor learns his mother is in the group, He disguises himself as a woman to infltrate. He is discovered. In a frenzy one of the women, possibly his mother, literally rips his head off.
Pan was partly a god of untamed wilderness. I would think a proper setting for his worship would be a statue set in the woods somewhere.
Telling Zeus that he will have to be worshiped at the same time and place as the other gods or wait his turn from 3 to 7 pm on Tuesday and Thursday is a great way to get a lightning show going.
Thanks. I posted a link to the article on Facebook with my commentary. Apparently there were temples to Dionysius. The one picture I saw had the bases of some colums, a floor and not much else remaining. This was at Naxos. If anybody has any details. I would really like to hear them.
“The temple is dedicated to Zeus Sex God, Dyonisus Drugs/Booze God, and Pan Rock 'n Roll God, while a statue of the latter is housed inside.
Which ties into what DocCathode and others have said:
A conclusion which I agree with.
And yes, of course, I’m making wildly atypical characterizations of Zeus and Pan, but playing up to how all three gods are often seen in modern interpretations to make the joke, which I think is part of the planning for the creators.
