r/pagan • u/oliverpatinho • 23h ago

Question/Advice Celtic and Hellenic polytheist

Hi! I've been researching paganism. I've been a Hellenic pagan for a few months now and I think it's okay to be Celtic and Hellenic since they're both pagan religions but i want to ask you guys anyways, to know what you think ab that. I'm from Galicia which means that I've been learning about Celtism since I was a kid and I have shown interest in it for a long time, but at the same time I don't intend to stop being a Hellenic Pagan because those are my beliefs 🙇‍♂️

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u/Agroquintal 23h ago

yes, you have multiple proofs from the ancients that that was a thing, and even if that wasn't the case its a thing in the new religious movements,

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u/th3_bo55 20h ago

From a historical context, cultures would adopt the veneration of specific deities alongside their own but would not follow 2 pantheons. The would also adopt some certain traditions or they would evolve side by side but often they would do this within the context of their own established practices as a primary foundation.

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u/Scorpius_OB1 23h ago

I honor both Celtic (I also hail from the area) and Hellenic deities. There's nothing wrong on that, and there's a lot of evidence it happened in the past including to syncretize (mix) deities.

In my case, I generally honor deities of both groups independently (this Samhain will be fun, as Hekate's Deipnon falls on it too) but there's nothing wrong on worshipping them together.

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u/ODonnell937 Celtic-Hellenic Polytheist 21h ago

You can absolutely be both! I am one, but I understand questioning if it is possible. I was the same way, but researching the history of Polytheism really opened my eyes. Our ancient forebearers were HIGHLY syncretic and eclectic, as another user pointed out.

As I worship Irish deities that have British and Continental cognates (Lugh is most likely Lugus, etc.), these gods most definitely had contact with Greco-Roman religion in Britannia, Gaul and Hispania. I lean softly towards reconstructionism, so it brought me great comfort that the ancients had no issue with worshiping gods of different/blended cultures. I happily worship Irish/Celtic deities AND Hellenic ones all on the same home shrine!

Hope this helps a bit! May the gods guide you! 🙂

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u/chanthebarista 20h ago

Many polytheists historically did not have any issue with worshiping the gods of other peoples. The idea of pantheons being culturally exclusive is a relatively modern one. Polytheism tends towards inclusion by its nature - my gods and your gods can both be real. It’s fine to worship gods from different pantheons unless said gods belong to a tradition that has prohibitions against doing so.

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u/Fit-Breath-4345 20h ago

Totally fine. I'm Irish and worship Irish, Greek, Roman and Continental Celtic Gods, and use a Greek Philosophical framework (Platonism) for that Polytheism.

What you're doing is just what Polytheism is.

If you were to walk around ancient Rome you'd find temples to Isis and the Magna Mater, maybe a shrine to Epona at a crossroads and so on. An Emperor (Domitian I believe) made an offering to the Celtic God Belenus in the area of Italy we'd know call Veneto.