Can Heroes Pray For Mortals?

In ancient Greek religion, Heroes form a wonderful and unique part of our spirituality, whether they be Heroes from ancient times or Heroes from one's own personal family who met the criteria. While Heroes do provide a bridge between humans and Gods, they are not merely intercessors, like saints would be to Christians.

Heroes have their own individual wills, personalities, powers and can act entirely of their own accord. Whereas saints do not. They have no ability to act on their own powers. We can worship a Hero and ask for their help entirely as the individual that they are, whereas a saint simply relays one's prayer to deity as their one and only function. Secondly, Heroes do not have to have lived perfect lives. Their Heroism just has to outweigh anything else.

However, the fact that Heroes can have their own functions also means they can do what they are able, and praying is one of those. They no doubt prayed and sacrificed to Gods during their human life, and quite possibly know a said God or Goddess far better than we might at the present time. Most certainly, the Heroes are very practiced in ancient Greek worship and therefore know how to connect with the Gods. It's wise, in my view, to ask a Hero to pray for you. It's certainly not foreign to ancient Greek belief to think that the Gods can act through Beings below them, as it were.

In my personal life, I have 3 main Heroes (which is not to say that I don't pray to others). Those 3 are Theseus, Bellerophon and Ajax (my temple's Patron Hero). I find Ajax to be the one for my interceding specifically, probably because of the nature of His Patronage in my life. But sometimes, when I'm in a very difficult or scary situation, I'll simply say, "Ajax, please pray for me." I might also include, "remember my past sacrifices to you and please pray for me."

And as always, immediately after I finish that one short sentence, calmness and a strong sense of love and assurance descends upon me, as if from the heavens themselves. It's an incredibly unique and beautiful feeling. Of course, asking a Hero for this kind of assistance is all about increasing your chances of gaining the attention of the Gods. Apparently, Ajax can do that extremely well for me, because it never fails to be immediately helpful in changing how I feel or interact with a situation.

Equally important, it's also about devotion, piety and humility, which will always get you a long way with the Gods and Heroes. Some people think they can order Gods around, coerce Gods, and some people even think that they are Gods. But when I say, "Ajax, remember my past sacrifices to you, and please pray for me," I am saying also that I am mortal and there are things which the Higher Powers can do better than me. I am humble in your presence and trust in you. I realize your place above me and accept it as a wise person would.

So in short, I enjoy this as part of my own personal practice. Of course, that's not saying that anyone else has to adopt it for their own. 

In the Goodness of the Gods,

I'll see you at the next Herm down the road,

Chris Aldridge.

In Search of Greek Heroes: Ajax

Welcome to my summer series for this year, In Search of Greek Heroes, where I hunt for the facts and myths behind the greatest Heroes of ancient Greek religion. Today we are looking for the mighty Ajax. You may have heard of Him before in less epic narratives. If you look on or underneath your sink, He's probably a household name you know. The toughest cleaning agents ever made for common man have been named after Him. But the real man comes to us from Homeric Epic, The Iliad. Hellenists like myself go to great expense and labor to furnish and decorate their temples, sanctuaries, treasuries and libraries, so I was delighted when Ajax became the Patron Hero of my temple this year.

When I teach about this great Hero, I normally begin by telling people that there were, in fact, two Ajaxes, those being Ajax the Great and Ajax the Lesser. The one normally worshiped is Ajax the Great. Of course that's not to say that Ajax the Lesser cannot be. All of the great men of Homer are considered Heroes, even some who were not Greek. While Achilles was the greatest warrior of the Hellenes, Ajax was by far of the greatest stature and strength, referred to as the Bulwark of the Greeks, possessing a fearless character and a highly intelligent mind, probably notably when it came to battle and strategy. He was also known primarily as a defensive fighter of the Greek lines, camps and ships, and a man of great honor and nobility. In fact, there are no Homeric depictions of Him initiating a fight, only defending against attacks, and after the duel between Him and Hektor, which is called as a draw, the two men exchange gifts with one another. Ajax was also notable for fighting to recover the bodies of dead Greek warriors for proper honor and burial. One of the most favored of the Greeks by the Gods as well, as Poseidon, at one point in The Iliad, uses His trident to restore Ajax's strength.

Ajax met His untimely end when the Trojan War starts to come to a close. There are different explanations as to why it happened, but it is generally accepted that He committed suicide. If true, we know today that there are lots of reasons why veterans of wars meet these ends. But one of the great things about Greek religion is that while something such as suicide is not admired, it is always possible to be redeemed from errors. Just because you commit an offense in this life, does not mean you cannot ascend to higher levels in your more enlightened State. After His death, Ajax received Heroic honors, worship and even festivals in the Greek world. The island of Salamis even hosted a temple and statue to Him, along with a festival called Aianteia. He also became a Hero of Attika who received worship by the Athenians and statues in His honor.

At the turn of the 21st Century, archaeologists began to excavate around the area where it was believed that the residence of Ajax or at least His family once stood, on the island of Salamis. They brought to the surface a palace of over 8,000 square feet. The structure, it was found, had been abandoned around the time of the Trojan War. Pausanias, the ancient Greek traveler and writer who lived in the Roman times, reported that abnormally large bones had been found on the seashore of the former Trojan landmass, near the Greek City of Sigeion. These, he wrote, were declared those of the washed out grave of Ajax. The bones were ordered to be reburied by the Emperor of Rome. There appears to be no modern coordinates for these remains or their new burial site.

My Temple's Prayer to Ajax

written by me.

O' great Ajax,

colossal to men,

noble to Heroes,

holy to Gods,

as our sacrifices pour out,

and burn sweetly to you,

bless our prayers,

that your strength empower us,

and your shield and spear defend.

Watch our backs,

guard our temple,

protect what is ours,

and clothe our bodies and minds in the armor or heaven.

In the Goodness of Ajax,

Chris Aldridge.