While everyone is on this loser’s reblogs delivering a well deserved smackdown (punch nazis ♡), I thought I’d use this to educate newer hellenic polytheists. And ignoring the fact that the original post asks specifically for UPG, I’d like to take a moment to break down this reblog’s thinking and perhaps offer some much needed knowledge on the subject.
This is delusional. Aphrodite is not in reality “drinking” your coke, she doesn’t take any of the “energy” or “taste” of the corn syrup and sugar. She isn’t in reality taking anything from you or the drink so how could she “like coke”
On top of this having never been claimed by OP, this line of thinking completely denounces two of the largest parts of the hellenic polytheistic religion. This being, libations and offerings.
Oftentimes, libations are precursor to offerings. Both can include liquid offerings (libations are quite literally liquid poured for the gods). Offerings, in their most basic definition, are simply gifts to the gods.
Now naturally, the ancient Greeks weren’t giving coke to the gods. For obvious reasons; it didn’t exist.
However, what they were giving was things such as bread, wine, and meat.
AMONGST these offerings, however, were also pastries, bread sweetened with honey, and whole loaves.
The gods do not “taste” the fruits cooked into these pastries. Nor the wheat of the bread. Nor the honey in the bread.
The gods do not eat our offerings the way we eat our food. Rather, they receive the essence of these offerings. It is the act of devotional giving, the symbolic act of sacrifice, that they want.
If you want to offer something to the gods, offer art, offer study of their true being, nature, and message. Offer to spread their beauty and teachings to any and all who may not know them. Offer the promise that they will never be forgotten and that their children will always love them
While you absolutely CAN do this (the majority of it, but I’ll touch on that in a moment), this was just one aspect of the cults of these gods and goddesses. Spreading their influence and ensuring that they thrive and recieve devotion is of course a part of being in the cult of a deity. But the reason these cults would do this was so that these gods recieved more offerings and devotion. So while yes you can absolutely make teaching others part of your worships, ultimately, the gods enjoy their offerings. They all but demand them. However one line of this part is crucial.
Offer the promise that they will never be forgotten and that their children will always love them
Delphic maxim 139, Ἐπαγγέλλου μηδενί. Make promises to no one.
You see, something the gods despise, something that they consider outright hubris, is the breaking of promises and oaths. It is a direct afront to King Zeus. This is important because it reminds us to make promises that we cannot keep.
No mortal can promise that a god’s name will never be forgotten. Nor can a mortal promise that their “children” will always love them (this part itself is unclear as it either implies that the worshipper’s children will always love them which again, is impossible; or that the cults of these gods are their “children”, which is not a concept in hellenic polytheism and stems from monotheistic influence ie ‘God the Father’ or soul parentage which is appropriated from afrocentric spiritualism).
To make these promises themselves would be promises impossible to keep.
They have no need for your coke or berries or whatever physical thing you may place to spoil on an altar. Eat those things yourself
This might be the funniest part of the whole spiel and really shows how little this person knows about this religion.
Altars are made for offerings. And the gods enjoy offerings, many of which are consumable. Wine, bread, milk, honey, fruits, and yes, coke.
And yes, you can consume those offerings after some time (not offerings made to the khthonic, however. Those should be disposed of and not eaten).
At the end of the day, this person has no clue what they’re talking about, and that is quite typical of those involved in antisemitic cults.
But for any newer members of the helpol community that stumbled across this incorrect little ramble of hate, I hope this helped ♡
