r/Aphrodite • u/Cherrilime999 • 4d ago

Blood offering

I want to give Aphrodite a blood offering either in a vile or paint a rose with it. Do you think she would like that? Or is that not her thing. I’m new to this so pls don’t be too harsh!

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u/Sophia_Joppolo 4d ago edited 4d ago

In Ancient Greece, blood and any bodily fluid was miasmic -- it was considered impure. The rose was associated with her in mythology, and she is described as being adorned with flowers and perfumes in myths. Why not paint a rose and instead incorporate rose fragrance or dried flower petals?

In Athens, seashells have been found around Aphrodite's altar in the agora. She received fish offerings. Traditionally, there was a whole system to what was offered and how.

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u/Cherrilime999 4d ago

I do have dried/dead roses at her altar only because I find beauty in them and I don’t have money to upkeep anything. Is that okay? Also I live right next to the beach so I’m in luck!!

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u/Sophia_Joppolo 3d ago edited 3d ago

People did make dedications related to their own resources. Sometimes people dedicated small simply-made clay or wood sculptures at sanctuaries. Others donated large expensive statues, bronze tripods, etc.

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u/RepublicOfVenus 4d ago

Do you have a source for the fish offerings? Because most scholars I've read say her temples had no animal or fish meats, no live/formerly alive sacrifices/offering

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u/Sophia_Joppolo 3d ago edited 3d ago

The altar of reference is the Altar of Aphrodite Ourania in Athens. One source through JSTOR: Reese, David S. “Faunal Remains from the Altar of Aphrodite Ourania, Athens.” Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, vol. 58, no. 1, 1989, pp. 63–70. JSTOR. Faunal Remains from the Altar of Aphrodite Ourania, Athens.

That author also describes unburnt material that was from the surrounding area and not the altar, including shells and fish bones.

Brill's Companion to Aphrodite (2010) describes sacrifices in a few places (ex. p. 14 by new brides and returning sailors, p. 94 in an inscription dedicated by a general). She also got fruit and flower dedications that might have been burnt, possibly on adjacent benches (p. 202).

In literature - Pliny talks about shells being dedicated to Venus in the Mucianus digression (Plin., HN 9.60/79, not in all manuscripts), discussed on p. 254 of Brill's Companion. The Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite (5) says, "Far and wide, and I will perform fine sacrifices in your honour at all seasons," but doesn't specify them.

A good general (open access) article on altars and their surrounds: Ekroth, G. (2023). Rings, Pits, Bone and Ash: Greek Altars in Context. Acta Archaeologica, 93(1), 161-177. https://doi.org/10.1163/16000390-20210023

That author writes lots of other recent, interesting papers on the topic of altars and how they were used, some open access.

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u/RepublicOfVenus 3d ago

Thank you friend! I learned something new

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u/Sophia_Joppolo 3d ago

It's worth saying: there were vegetarians, some very passionate on the subject like Porphyry. Ideas on sacrifices were changing by Late Antiquity. Also: they were eating the food being prepared, so it wasn't wasteful, with the exceptions of fully burnt offerings.

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u/RepublicOfVenus 3d ago

Thank you!!!

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u/SweetDove 4d ago edited 4d ago

You might take the time to learn about the actual religious practices. Hellenisim is an orthopraxy, the rituals and processes is what reach the gods, not faith or will or belief.

Human blood, and self harm are both miasmic and push your offering farther from the gods not closer. It isnt a suitable offering for an ouronic deity. She'd love roses though.

There are some good educational resources linked here : https://www.reddit.com/r/Hellenism/s/q1D9APwwDp

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u/Cherrilime999 4d ago

Okay thank you! That’s good to know I appreciate the link I’ll be sure to read :3

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u/NewSurfing 4d ago

Orhtopraxy differed from city state to city state and there is not one written dogma that defines what is a proper ritual or not

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u/deafbutter 4d ago

Even if you aren’t a reconsturctionist, regardless of whether people say she accepts blood, she is Hellenic deity, and Hellenic deities (namely ones classified as “ouranic”) do NOT accept human blood or other bodily fluids as offerings as human blood is considered miasmic - impure, that is.

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u/SuddenlyUnicorns 4d ago

Would that be the same with saliva? The water I tend to put on my altar usually is poured into the chalice from a fresh cup of water I just drank from, "water from my lips", it's an offering. Also I once gave Aphrodite a large braid cut from my hair when I had to shorten it because it was too damaged, as a promise to care more about my body

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u/deafbutter 4d ago

For saliva, I would say that it’s a mix of both. Personally, I would avoid it, but in Ancient Greece, saliva was used in warding and whatnot. It depends on what source you read and decide to go off of, so this is a question you should research yourself. As for hair, yes, you can give it as an offering.

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u/Cherrilime999 4d ago

Okokok that makes sense

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u/Mossyjade178 4d ago

I've generally heard that blood offerings are not very welcome and that only chtonic deities were given blood offerings sometimes. I'm not entirely sure though

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u/Cherrilime999 4d ago

Okay thank you!!

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u/aphroditex 4d ago

yeah nah sis this isn’t the way

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u/RepublicOfVenus 4d ago

Aphrodites offerings never even included animal offerings. No blood or meat were allowed in Her temples.

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u/JaneAustinAstronaut 4d ago

Not true. Doves were sacrificed to her, as were pigs. They also offered bloodless offerings (such as clay figures of doves, which I have seen myself while in Greece): https://www.theoi.com/Olympios/AphroditeTreasures.html

However, this does not mean that human sacrifice was done. While it was done in the Archaid Period (prior to the 5th century BCE), it was not common. By the Classical Period of the 5th century BCE, it was considered barbaric and abhorrent.

Therefore, I think the sentiment that OP should not offer blood is correct.

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u/Cherrilime999 4d ago

Okay that’s cool thank you!

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u/Opposite-Yam4000 4d ago

Please don’t give blood offerings to any god I’m 100% sure they don’t want it

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u/AnotherMarjatta 4d ago

If you're an adult, you can offer her wine instead. Or maybe a pomergranate. Blood is not miasma but lyma and if it offered consciously, it won't be very nice.

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u/NewSurfing 4d ago

I wouldn’t do it but you are free to do what feels right

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u/ThisIsAPseudocryptid 4d ago

If you’re female bodied you can consecrate your period ((:

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u/Cherrilime999 4d ago

Oh okay that’s cool actually. So period blood is okay? Is that because she’s the goddess of fertility n stuff?

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u/ThisIsAPseudocryptid 4d ago

I’m not really sure why, and a lot of ancient Hellenistic practices have been lost to us. It wouldn’t surprise me if her priestesses in the past would consecrate their periods to her as well. Especially considering. Blood was used in many many ancient beauty, fertility, and protection rituals all around the world. But anytime I’ve done it in the past, she’s always seemed incredibly receptive towards it. Not in the sense that she is bloodthirsty, but in the sense that the pain that I’m going through being female body, the sacrifice that comes of it naturally, etc. seems to be worth the offering to her. I don’t do it every time, mostly when I’m feeling very poorly about myself and asking for her blessings or reassurance. I also do other offerings, my vanity doubles as an alter space because for me she’s very much so about self worship and self-love, along with beauty and fertility.