Sponde is a libation, a poured liquid offering, and a profound image of the outpouring of the spirit of ancient Hellas.

This site is a tribute to the spirit of ancient Hellenic spirit, life, philosophy, and religion. Not to the bleached stone of the long lost, but to the blaze of civilization that burns within us even in our modern lives.

May you find here a little inspiration, a few ideas, or at least something pleasant.

I've begun to assign articles to general categories under the subpages below to help the reader drill down and find something of particular interest or avoid the utterly disinteresting.

What is Hellenismos?

One helpful reader of these pages asked that we provide a little more of a definition of what Hellenismos is. This page attempts to provide an answer to that question, or rather a variety of answers. It is hoped that this page will present a healthy variety of perspectives.

Hector Lugo:

Hellenismos is a term being used in more than one way in the modern world.

The word means Hellenism, which is a word used to describe the culture, religions, language, and customs of the Greek people who call themselves Hellenes. This means that the term Hellenism includes the ancient and modern peoples of Greece, and the various religions and customs that have come about in that land. In paganism, however, Hellenism refers to the ancient polytheistic system of religious belief, custom, language and ritual that flourished in Greece and the surrounding Aegean and Mediterranean world from prehistoric times to the conversion of Rome to Christianity. More narrowly construed, the word refers to the religious beliefs and practices of the Hellenic people from the time of Homer, roughly 800 BCE to the times of the conquest of Greece by Rome.

Hellenismos is a broader term than Olympianism or Dodekatheon (Religion of the Twelve Gods) because it is inclusive of all the variants of beliefs and theology in the Hellenic World which had a broad range of cults and practices.