Plynteria is here!

I've been looking forward to Plynteria for weeks!

Plynteria, along with Kallynteria, are Athenian festivals of purification associated with Athena. The Kallynteria was celebrated on Thargelion 25, which is June 6-7. Kallynteria is the "festival of sweeping". It was a thorough cleaning of Athena's temple by women under the direction of Athena's priestess. The priestess also refills and relights Athena’s eternal flame in the temple. Kallynteria is an excellent day to refresh your Athena shrine or just erect one.

Kallynteria is followed by Plynteria, the "festival of washing". During Plynteria the cult icon of Athena was divested of its peplos and veiled. The icon was then carried by women in a pompe to the ocean where it was ritually bathed. The pompe was led by a woman carrying a basket of figs. Two girls, the Loutride, or bathers, washed the icon in salt water. In the evening the icon was returned to the temple in a torchlight procession and was re-clothed in her peplos. Only the Loutrides and the women who dress and undress the Goddess are permitted to see Her naked.

The ancient statue of Athena Polis at Athens was of human size or less, carved of olive wood, and probably showed the Goddess seated without weapons. She wore a tall, golden stephane (crown) and She may have had a Gorgoneion (Medusa head) on her breast.

Plynteria was a time that was considered apophras, or unfortunate, because the icon of Athena Polis was not guarding the city.

Tomorrow I'll be veiling my own icon of Athena and escorting her down to the pond where I will ritually bathe Her. After the bathing I will clean and rearrange my shrine to Her, light an oil lamp to symbolize Her eternal flame, and return the icon to its place on the shrine.

Here are some links for further information on Kallynteria and Plynteria.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plynteria
http://www.adf.org/rituals/hellenic/plynteria.html

Kali Plynteria!

Athena Shrine Photos

These are from our old apartment. We have new-and-improved shrines at our new residence. I'll try to get some new photos up shortly.

The shrine features an iron Spartan Cyclic-influenced statue of Athena from Basil Street Galleries which I like because it displays Athena with wings, her owl and a crescent moon, all of which are older symbols of this Goddess. At her feet is a hand-sculpted Gorgon head that I made to honor her Aegis and her relationship to the dark serpentine energy of Medusa. To the right is a goblet filled with red roses, owl feathers and prayer scrolls filled with hymns to Athena. I hope to replace the roses with olive branches eventually. Also to the right is an owl's skull, which was a gift from a dear friend. Behind that is a large holed stone. At her feet is a bronze oil lamp embossed with owls that I picked up at the Nashville Parthenon gift shop. The lamp is lit with prayers to Hestia and is filled with olive oil. Beside it is a small skein of undyed wool -- as Athena is the weaver's Goddess -- and an ancient silver tetradrachm which depicts Athena's profile on one side and her little owl on the reverse, a gift from Laurelei. To the icon's is a black-feathered replica of an Athene Noctua owl, the owl depicted on her coins. I like the symbolism of the black feathers, as Athena has some very dark (almost chthonic) roots. Behind everything is a painting of Athena I did in acrylics.