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Zeus honoured by modern pagans
21/01/2007 18:50 - (SA)
Athens - It took more than 1 600 years, but the ancient Greek god Zeus was honoured once again, pagan style, by a tiny group of modern worshippers on Sunday at an ancient temple in the heart of Athens.
It was first known ceremony of its kind at the 1 800-year-old temple of Olympian Zeus since the ancient Greek religion was outlawed by the Roman empire in the late 4th century.
About 200 people attended the ceremony organised by Ellinais - an Athens-based group campaigning to revive ancient religion - next to the ruins the temple. The group defied a ban by the culture ministry which had declared the central Athens site off-limits.
Worshippers, dressed in ancient costume, recited ancient hymns calling on Zeus "King of the Gods and the mover of things" to bring peace to the world. Nuptials of Zeus with Hera
"Our message is world peace and an ecological way of life in which everyone has the right to education," said Kostas Stathopoulos, one of three high priests overseeing the event.
The event celebrated the nuptials of Zeus with Hera, the goddess of love and marriage, below the imposing Corinthian-style columns in the city center
To the Greeks, ecological awareness was fundamental, he said after a priestess, with arms raised up to the sky, called on Zeus "to bring rain to the planet".
Ellinais, which has 34 official members, was founded last year and won a court battle for official state recognition of the ancient Greek religion.
It is demanding government approval for its downtown offices to be registered as a place of worship - a move that could allow the group to perform weddings and other duties.
- AP
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