What is the ancient ritual of Hieros Gamos?

The hieros gamos ritual, called by Wiccans The Great Rite, is a ritual of sexual magic involving intercourse between the Goddess of fertility, embodied by Her Priestess, and Her Consort, present in the Priest.

What is the purpose of Hieros Gamos?

One of the main rituals in the Ancient East was the ‘sacred marriage’ (Hieros Gamos), the purpose of which was to assure abundance, prosperity, and cosmic fertility, and to validate the status of the king.

Is Hieros Gamos real?

Hieros gamos or Hierogamy (Greek ἱερὸς γάμος, ἱερογαμία “holy marriage”) is a sacred marriage that plays out between a god and a goddess, especially when enacted in a symbolic ritual where human participants represent the deities.

What does Hieros mean?

sacred
Hieros (ἱερός) is Greek for “holy” or “sacred”. It may refer to: Ancient Greek religion.

What are Selene’s character traits?

• Personality. Peaceful, Passionate, Seductive, Selfless, loyal.
• Friends. She is very seluded and timid. While her brother, Helios, is flashy, she is hidden in the shadows.
• Opponents. Selene is mostly a peaceful goddess. She isn’t known to have any enemies.
• Greek name. Selene’s official Greek name is Σεληνη.

What are the powers of Selene?

Selene has the power to give sleep and to light the night. She has control over time, and like the moon itself, she is ever-changing. It’s interesting then, that one of the most enduring parts of Selene’s myth has to do with keeping her beloved Endymion in an unchanged state for eternity.

How does ouranos lose his power?

The castrated Ouranos was allowed by Cronus to ascend once again to the heavens, but Ouranos had lost most of his powers, and no longer had the strength to be the supreme deity, and so Cronus succeeded Ouranos as supreme god of the Greek pantheon.

Who is most often associated with the term Hieros Gamos?

The best-known ritual example surviving in classical Greece is the hieros gamos enacted at the Anthesteria by the wife of the Archon basileus, the “Archon King” in Athens, originally therefore the queen of Athens, with Dionysus, presumably represented by his priest or the basileus himself, in the Boukoleion in the …

What is the hieros gamos ritual?

The annual hieros gamos ritual involved the whole community. The sex act and dialog were presented on a central stage at the temple, and the audience participated with choruses of narrative verses. The following translation is from the Sumerian Gudea Cylinders, circa 2100 BCE, though many believe the ritual began perhaps thousands of years earlier.

What does hierogamy mean in Greek?

Hieros gamos or Hierogamy (Greek ἱερὸς γάμος, ἱερογαμία “holy marriage”) is a sexual ritual that plays out a marriage between a god and a goddess, especially when enacted in a symbolic ritual where human participants represent the deities.

What is the sacred sex ritual of the Sumerians?

Hieros gamos was a sacred sex ritual performed by the Sumerians to bring in the new year (coinciding with the spring equinox), and to ensure a fruitful growing season and the safe rule of their king. The ritual shows the close connection between sexuality and fruitfulness of the land in the eyes of this ancient culture.

What is an example of ritual in ancient Greece?

The best-known ritual example surviving in classical Greece is the hieros gamos enacted at the Anthesteria by the wife of the Archon basileus, the “Archon King” in Athens, originally therefore the queen of Athens, with Dionysus, presumably represented by his priest or the basileus himself, in the Boukoleion in the Agora.