CRUSADER KINGS 2 HELLENIC FULL

Also long established were the Eleusinian Mysteries, associated with Demeter and Persephone. Magic was a central part of Greek religion and oracles would allow people to determine divine will in the rustle of leaves the shape of flame and smoke on an altar the flight of birds the noises made by a spring or in the entrails of an animal. At the local level, the landscape was filled with sacred spots and monuments for example, many statues of Nymphs were found near and around springs, and the stylized figures of Hermes could often be found on street corners. Such heroes ranged from the mythical figures in the epics of Homer to historical people such as the founder of a city. Religious practice would also involve the worship of heroes, people who were regarded as semi-divine. The city-states would conduct various festivals and rituals throughout the year, with particular emphasis directed towards the patron god of the city, such as Athena at Athens, or Apollo at Corinth. Each god was honored with stone temples and statues, and sanctuaries (sacred enclosures), which, although dedicated to a specific deity, often contained statues commemorating other gods. Remains of the temple of Apollo at Corinth.Д¬entral to Greek religion in classical times were the twelve Olympian deities headed by Zeus. The systems of Hellenistic philosophy, such as Stoicism and Epicureanism, offered an alternative to traditional religion, even if their impact was largely limited to educated elites.

The complex system of Hellenistic astrology developed in this era, seeking to determine a person's character and future in the movements of the sun, moon, and planets. Throughout the Hellenistic world, people would consult oracles, and use charms and figurines to deter misfortune or to cast spells. Many people practised magic, and this too represented a continuation from earlier times.

CRUSADER KINGS 2 HELLENIC FULL

Elsewhere, rulers might receive divine status without achieving the full status of a god. The worship of deified Hellenistic rulers also became a feature of this period, most notably in Egypt, where the Ptolemies adapted earlier Egyptian practices and Greek hero-cults and established themselves as Pharaohs within the new syncretic Ptolemaic cult of Alexander the Great. There was much continuity in Hellenistic religion: people continued to worship the Greek gods and to practise the same rites as in Classical Greece.Д¬hange came from the addition of new religions from other countries, including the Egyptian deities Isis and Serapis, and the Syrian gods Atargatis and Hadad, which provided a new outlet for people seeking fulfillment in both the present life and the afterlife. The concept of Hellenistic religion as the late form of Ancient Greek religion covers any of the various systems of beliefs and practices of the people who lived under the influence of ancient Greek culture during the Hellenistic period and the Roman Empire ( c. Serapis, a Greco-Egyptian god worshipped in Hellenistic Egypt

Crusader kings 2 hellenic