Skittles for Dionysus

Skittles anyone?  (Public Domain)

Every once in a while, the urgent question arises:  What do you get a Greek god who seemingly has everything?

If that god is Dionysus, then Skittles might be in order.  When grapes lose their luster, something sweeter is needed, quick!

At least that’s what Hellenic-worshipper Dean Cameron seems to believe.  Cofounder of Thiasos Phoibos (meaning “Followers of Apollo”), he seeks to commune with Olympians (not the kind who ski down sacred mountains, but the ones who live on them).

And what does the Greek Orthodox Church think of this polytheistic revival?  Rev. Efstathios Kollas, then-president of the American Association of Greek Clergymen, once called such beliefs “a degenerate dead religion,” and its adherents “a handful of miserable resuscitators.”

That being said, there are alleged advantages to communing with Olympians.  Wendilyn Emrys, a member of Thiasos Phoibos, reports that the goddess Athena cured a raging fever with just a splash of holy water.

Certainly worth a Skittle or two.  And besides, Skittles taste a whole lot better than most antibiotics.       

Resources

https://wwrn.org/articles/46696/ 

Copyright March 21, 2017 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved