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C - An Illustrated Glossary of Hellenic Polytheism

BEING A DICTIONARY OR BRIEF ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HELLENISMOS, THE ANCIENT PAGAN GREEK RELIGION

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PLEASE NOTE: Throughout the pages of this website, you will find fascinating stories about our Gods. These narratives are known as mythology , the traditional stories of the Gods and Heroes. While these tales are great mystical vehicles containing transcendent truth, they are symbolic and should not be taken literally. A literal reading will frequently yield an erroneous result. The meaning of the myths is concealed in code. To understand them requires a key. For instance, when a God kills someone, this usually means a transformation of the soul to a higher level. Similarly, sexual union with a God is a transformation.

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ABBREVIATIONS: A list of abbreviations used in the glossary can be found on this page: GLOSSARY HOME PAGE

C, The letter - The English letter c has been frequently used to represent the Greek letter KAPA in transliterated words, but we are avoiding this and using the English letter k, for obvious reasons.

Caduceus - Caduceus is the Roman word for Kirýkeion. See Kirýkeion.

Cærulean - (from the Latin: caeruleus, "dark colored, dark blue, dark green, azure") Cærulean is an antique adjective used by Thomas Taylor in his translation of the Orphic Hymns. It literally means deep blue, but he tends to use the word metaphorically, "like the sky," "like the sea," or as an adjective referring to the river Gods.

Calendar, Orphic - Please visit this page: Hellenic Zodiacal Calendar

Callimachus - See Kallímakhos.

Cancer - See Karkínos.

Cantharos - See Kántharos.

Capitalization - Throughout this website and the Glossary, we assume the convention of capitalizing the words God and Gods, unlike the convention of the scholars. This is for the obvious reason of piety and it is an expression of our sincerity regarding the validity of our Gods. In circumstances where there are words that refer to the Gods, words such as he, she, him , her, me, mine, they, etc., we do not capitalize, as such a practice would become excessive.

Capricorn - See Aigokǽrohs.

Carneia - Please visit this page: Κárneia.

Carneus - Please visit this page: Κárneia.

Catabasis - See Katávasis.

CE/BCE - vs - AD/BC - Two methods of describing dates, one oriented to favor Christian dominance, the other neutral. The designations, generally used by modern scholars, CE (Common Era) and BCE (Before the Common Era), are preferred. The designations AD (anno domini, "the year of the lord") and BC ("before Christ") are avoided on this website.

Celts - Please visit this page: Kæltí.

Centaur - See Kǽntavros.

Cerulean Mother - Cerulean Mother is the Roman name for Mítir Antaia (Mother Antaia; Gr. Μήτηρ Ανταία). Her hymn is number forty-one in the Orphic Hymns.

Ceres - Ceres is the Roman name for Dimítir (Demeter; Gr. Δημήτηρ).

Chalceus - See Khalkéfs.

Chaos - See Kháos.

Chaplet - See Stǽphanos.

Chariot - The Chariot is symbolic of the Aitherial Envelope of the soul.

Charioteer of Delphi - See Iníokhos.

Charis - See Kháris.

Chernips - Please visit this page: Khǽrnips.

Chi - See kh - Χ, χ (Khi).

Chimera - See Khímaira.

Chiron - See Kheiron.

Chiton - See Khitóhn.

Choe - See Khoí.

Chryselephantine - See Khrysælæphántinos.

Chthonios or chthonic - See Khthónios.

Chytri - See Khýtri.

Cistus - Visit this page: Labdanum.

Cithara - Please visit this page: The Lyre of Apóllohn.

Classical Elements - See Elements, The Classical.

Cleobis and Bito - Please visit the following pages: Klǽovis and Víton and Kouros.

Clotho - See Klohthóh.

Clymene - See Klymǽni.

Cognitive dissonance - Cognitive dissonance is the stress resulting from holding two or more irreconcilable ideas, or it can refer to the psychological tension experienced when a closely held belief is challenged by a new experience which seems to contradict that conviction.

Co-Influence = Interaction = Allilæpídrasi (Allilepidrasi; Gr. Ἁλληλεπίδραση). Co-Influence is the seventh of the Natural Laws. See Allilæpídrasi.

Colors associated with the Olympians - Please visit this page: Colors and the Olympians.

Compassion = Ǽlæos (Eleos; Gr. Ἔλεος)

Completeness or Plenitude - See Plírohma.

Composite, The - See Sýnthæton, to.

Cone - The Cone is one of the Toys of Diónysos. See Kóhnos or Stróvilos.

Conscience = Syneidisis (Gr. Συνείδησις)

Consorts, Divine or The Pairs of Gods - Please visit this page: Divine Consorts.

Cosmogony - Please visit this page: Orphic Cosmogony and Theology.

Cotyle - See Kotýli.

Couples, Divine - Please visit this page: Divine Consorts.

Courage - Courage is one of the Four Cardinal Virtues of classical antiquity. See Andreia and Thrásos.

Courage, The Ritual of - See Kourayía.

Crater - See Kratír.

Creator-God - Please visit this page: Creator God - Dimiourgόs.

Creature - The word creature is problematic in Ællinismόs (Hellenismos; Gr. Ἑλληνισμός), the ancient Greek religion, because to be a creature means that such a being was created and this implies a creator, but the idea of a creator does not seem to reflect the Orphic theogonía (Gr. Θεογονία). Rather than creature, a more appropriate term may be sentient being. Please visit this page: Creator God - Dimiourgόs.

Crocus - See Krókos.

Cronidae - See Kronídai.

Cronus - Visit this page: Krónos.

Cult or cultus - Cult is the Anglicized form of the ancient Latin word cultus. Cultus is the ritual and participants for the worship of a deity, for instance, the cult of Pan or Diónysos, or the cult of all the deities. Cultus refers, in particular, to the outward expression of this worship, for it implies an obligation to the Gods, that we owe them a gesture of reverence and gratitude. When you are reading scholastic literature about the ancient religion and they use this word, it is not in the modern sense of a fanatical religious group that brainwashes its participants. Rather, cultus has no negative connotation but is something wholesome that everyone participates in when they practice their religion. The word is short for cultus deorum. Cultus means care, honoring, reverence, adoration, veneration (LD p. 488, right column); Deorum is from Dei meaning "Gods;" therefore, cultus deorum is the care of the Gods. It is related to thriskeia (threskeia; Gr. θρησκεία), the outward expression of our religion, which, from this perspective, is good and necessary.

Cult image or cult statue - The cult-image, the Ágalma (Gr. Ἄγαλμα), is a statue that represents a God. Please visit this page: Ágalma.

Cupid - Cupid is the Roman name for Ǽrohs (Eros; Gr. Ἔρως). Please visit this page: Ǽrohs.

Curetes - Please visit this page: Kouritæs.

Cydonia and Cydonian - See Kydohnía.

Cyre - See Kýri.

ABBREVIATIONS: A list of abbreviations used in the glossary can be found on this page: GLOSSARY HOME PAGE