IN THE shadow of Mount Olympus the toga-clad worshippers sway to the beating of
a drum as the bearded man leading the ceremony throws a pinch of grain into a
torch, then circles his hand above the flames.
While the group, dressed in yellow, red and blue robes, may appear to be taking
part in some bewildering historical re-enactment, they are members a growing
pagan movement dedicated to resurrecting the religion and way of life of
ancient Greece.
The pagans have gathered in a meadow near the sacred mountain where their
ancestors believed the gods lived and held court to perform a naming ceremony
for a nine-month-old boy, Nikoforos Xanthopoulos.
The bearded man officiating, Tryphon Olympios, 58, from Skliva in southern
Greece, was a philosophy professor at Stockholm University for 25 years.
"May he be worthy of being Greek" Olympios calls out.
"Worthy," the crowd roars in response.
Leaders of the "return of the Hellenes" movement say they have 2,000
"hard-core" practising followers, about 5,000 who travel to Mount
Olympus, 100km southwest of the city of Thessaloniki in northern Greece, for
the annual celebration, and 100,000 "sympathisers" who support their
ideas.
The colourful Hellenes are viewed with interest by many in Greek society but
largely ridiculed by the media. Yet their unsuccessful efforts to be recognised
as an "official" Greek religion highlight Greece’s intolerance of the
expression of non-Christian religions.
Olympios - now his legal name - is one of the founders of the revival. He first
attracted national media attention when he publicly married his wife in an
ancient ceremony in 1987.
"We want to take the world view, concepts, ideas, religion and values of
the ancient Greeks, the founders of western civilisation, and adapt them to
today," Olympios explained. "The Greek way is to establish a
scientific society. Christianity today is hostile to science."
The Hellenes have dozens of websites and books on ancient history, culture and
ideas. Ancient Greek language courses and unofficial associations are popping
up throughout the country. They also hold ancient ceremonies for weddings and
funerals, although only the rites of Greek Orthodox Christian clergy are
legally recognised.
"We think of Carl Sagan as a Greek, and all the people in the world who
love knowledge and don’t hate others," said Giannis Psomiadis, 48, a
medical doctor at the naming ceremony. "We wouldn’t have Socrates or Plato
without polytheism."
One of the group’s followers is Cornelia Buschbeck. The 32-year-old from
Chemnitz, in the former East Germany, was wearing a white T-shirt showing a
picture of a bust of Zeus.
She started teaching herself Greek at 15, and later obtained university degrees
in Greek and archeology. She moved to Thessaloniki eight years ago.
"It’s a religion from here," said Buschbeck, placing a hand on her
heart, "rather than here," pointing to her head.
Buschbeck explained that Hellenes do not worship the pantheon of 12 gods as
deities. Rather, each god represents a natural phenomena or human value.
The movement appeals to many different tastes: for some it provides an
intellectually satisfying philosophy, for others an antidote to the Greek
Church’s political power, New Age reverence for the ancient or something exotic
for the curiosity-seeker.
However, the movement has also attracted a small number of more sinister
followers; right-wing nationalists who believe their anti-Semitic views are
reflected in its rejection of the Judeo-Christian religion.
Meanwhile, the Hellenes are viewed with disdain by the Greek Orthodox Church.
About 200 yards from the meadow where the naming ceremony was being held, a
small crowd filed out of a stone Christian church, following a baptism. When
the priest was asked for comment, he responded with hostility: "I have
only one word to say about them: idolaters."
The Hellenes still mourn the end of their civilisation in the 4th Century AD,
when Christians representing the new official religion of the Roman Empire
began destroying their temples, statues and libraries.
"The Greek Orthodox Christian Church is still at the scene of the
crime," said Vlassis Rassias, a human resources manager at a bank, who
writes books about ancient Greek history. The 44-year-old is indignant that the
Greek Orthodox Church today builds new churches at every site where an ancient
temple is uncovered.
One group of Hellenes, led by Panaghiotis Marinis, from the Committee for the
Recognition of the Greek Religion Dodecatheon, applied two years ago for the
movement to be officially recognised. The Greek government has still to make a
decision on the application and, without official recognition, the group cannot
build temples, have an office, or hold public ceremonies.
"We are the only religion in the world not allowed to visit our sacred
sites," said Marinis. He intends to take his case to the European Court of
Human Rights in Strasbourg if the Greek government does not act.
According to the US State Department’s 2002 human rights report on Greece:
"Laws restrictive of freedom of speech remained in force, and some legal
restrictions and administrative obstacles on freedom of religion
persisted."
Making Greek society more tolerant will not be easy. According to official
figures, 98% of Greeks are Greek Orthodox Christians. And Hellenes report
occasional harassment. During one ceremony at a lake near Mount Olympus,
Buschbeck recalls, the local Greek Orthodox Christian Bishop and some monks led
a group of 100 people to the other side of the lake to oppose them. The Bishop
shouted at them through a megaphone, and played cloister music through a PA
system to drown out their ceremony.
"The Bishop said they would have to throw a cross in the lake to cleanse
it of us," Buschbeck said. When the Hellenes complained to police, they
were told it would be better that they leave, rather than have a stand-off with
the Bishop.
At the Greek Ministry of National Education and Religious Affairs, Konstantinos
Kontogiannis, general director of the religion directorate, claimed recognition
of the movement was being considered "at the highest levels". But he
added:
"We might love Manchester United, but we can’t say it’s a religion."