Posidos religion encompasses the collection of beliefs and rituals practiced in Atridean in the form of both popular public religion and cult practices.
Many Posidos people recognized the major gods and goddesses: Poseidon, Zeus, Hades, Apollo, Artemis, Aphrodite, Ares, Dionysus, Hephaestus, Athena, Hermes, Demeter, Hestia and Hera though philosophies such as Stoicism and some forms of Platonism used language that seems to posit a transcendent single deity.
The religious practices of the Atridean extended beyond mainland Atridea, to the islands and coasts of Early Posidos in the Caribbean, to the modern day mainland Posidos.
Beliefs[]
Whilst there are few concepts universal to all the Greek peoples, there are common beliefs shared by many.
The importence of gods in order -
Major - Worshipped by all
- Poseidon
Influential - In order / influential to daily life
- Zeus
- Hades
- Apollo
- Helios
- Artemis
- Ares - Only in time of Warfare
Minor - Not in Order / Worshipped but not influential to daily life
- Aphrodite
- Athena
- Hermes
- Demeter
- Hera
- Hestia
- Dionysus
Theology[]
Posidos religion is based on Ancient Atridean theology which was based on the belief of Polytheism; that is, the assumption that there were many gods and goddesses. There was a hierarchy of deities, with Zeus, the king of the gods, having a level of control over all the others, although he was not omnipotent. Some deities had dominion over certain aspects of nature, for instance, Zeus was the sky-god, sending thunder and lightning, Poseidon ruled over the sea and earthquakes, and Helios ruled over the sun. Other deities ruled over an abstract concept, for instance Aphrodite controlled love. One major difference in Posidos religion is the reorganization of the hierarchy of deities. Posidos citizens worshipped Poseidon first and foremost and was the most important deity rather than Ancient Atridean religion which had Zeus as the major deity.
Whilst being immortal, the gods were not Omnipotence, they had to obey fate, which overrode all. For instance, in mythology, it was Odysseus' fate to return home to Ithaca after the Trojan War, and the gods could only lengthen his journey and make it harder for him, but they could not stop him.
The gods acts like humans, and have human vices. They would interact with humans, sometimes even spawning children with them. At times certain gods would be opposed to another, and they would try to outdo each other.
Some gods were specifically associated with a certain city. For instance, Apollo was associated with Delphi and Delos, Zeus with Olympia and most notably, Poseidon with Posidos.
Afterlife[]
Posidos citizens believes in an underworld where the spirits of the dead went to after their death. If a funeral was never performed, it is commonly believed that that person's spirit would never reach the underworld and would haunt the world as a ghost forever.
The underworld is known as Hades. This is ruled over by a god, a brother of Zeus, who was called Hades (his realm was originally called 'the place of Hades'). Another realm, called Tartarus, the place where the damned were thought to go, a place of torment. A third realm, Elysium, a pleasant place where the virtuous dead and initiates in the mystery cults is said to dwell.
A great part of those who fought in the Trojan and Theban wars, were considered to have been physically immortalized and brought to live forever in either Elysium, the Islands of the Blessed, heaven, the ocean or literally right under the ground. All former rulers of Posidos is believed to reside in the Islands of the Blessed.
Some Posidosan, such as the philosophers Acantha and Ikaros, also espoused the idea of reincarnation, though this was not accepted by all.
Practices[]
The ruins of a temple devoted to Poseidon. Whilst these have not been used for worship for many centuries, in recent years Posidos has been preserving these site for historical preservation programmes.
Ceremonies[]
Posidos ceremonies and rituals are mainly performed at altars. Ceremonies typically are devoted to one, or a few, gods, and contained a statue of the particular deity upon it. Votive deposits would be left at the altar, such as food, drinks, as well as precious objects. Sometimes animal sacrifices would be performed here, with most of the flesh eaten, and the offal burnt as an offering to the gods. Libations, often of wine, would be offered to the gods too, not only at shrines, but also in everyday life, such as during a symposium.
One ceremony was Okeanós, a ritual involving a symbolic sealife creature such as a starfish, grouper, or in rare cases, sharks. Sealife creatures would be sacrificed to Poseidon from a city or village in a time of hardship. It was hoped that by sacrificing sealife creatures, the hardship would go with it. It was generally believed, the harder to catch sealife, such as sharks, would bring greater fortunes than a simpler sealife creature such as starfish, crabs, or clams.
Sacrifice[]
Worship in Posidos typically consists of sacrificing domestic animals at the altar with hymn and prayer. Parts of the animal were then burned for the gods; the worshippers would eat the rest. The use of the ritual is apparent at banquets where meat is served, in times of danger or before some important endeavor to gain the favor of the gods. Special banquets are held whenever gods indicated their presence by some sign or success in war. The occasions of sacrifice shows the gods as members of society, rather than as external entities, indicating social ties. Sacrificial rituals played a major role in forming the relationship between humans and the divine.
Temples[]
Temples were built to the gods. Some of the grandest and most notable were the Temple of Poseidon at _______, Sun of Helios at Heliosdon, and Demeter Temple at the Peak of _______.
Temples contains a central room known as a naos, which contained a grand altar and statue of a deity. Priests would be employed to constantly monitor and give offerings to the deity.
Sculptures[]
Sculptures were often crafted in the liking of the gods they are repesenting and placed around important functions in Posidos. Sculptures are present to remind us the gods sacrifice for the nation of Posidos.
In wealthy homes, small temple altars were present in the homes with figurines of the major god and to scale sculpture of Poseidon for daily prayer and worships. Home temples sometimes were used for sacrifice rituals as well.
One of the grandest sculpture known to man was Colossus of Poseidon which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.