The 2024 Olympics had its opening ceremony today in Paris and is underway for a new round of great athletes and historic victories among humanity.
As a Greek Polytheist, I love the fact that such an ancient Greek custom is still being observed and celebrated in the world. But I do lament that the original identity of the Games is no longer remembered.
In ancient Greece, Games were religious events, like everything else in Greek life at that time. They had no word for religion because to be Greek was inherently a religious life.
The Olympics were created to honor Zeus, King of all Gods, and I wish that identity would be honored still today. I'm certainly not saying that athletes should be forced to honor a religion or worship a God that they don't want to. I'm simply saying that the soul of the Games should be remembered and taught as part of world history and the legitimate religions of the world.
In my view, we can't really call something by its original name if we have changed its meaning entirely. For example, the Hippocratic Oath has been changed and altered so many times that it's absurd to still call it the Hippocratic. If we are going to have something by its original name and ideal, then the integrity of its contents cannot be jeopardized.
Even in the title, we cannot get away from the religious and spiritual parts of it. The Olympics Games were so named after Mount Olympos, the home of the Gods themselves. I suppose what I want people to take away from this post is the understanding that ancient Greece built our very lives and the world we still live in today. We are not as far removed from those men, women, history and customs as we presume. We should never forget who we are. And never forget that we, as humans, are a spiritual people by our nature.
In the Goodness of the Gods,
I'll see you at the next Herm down the road,
Chris Aldridge.