Hiera (ritual)
Hiera ( ancient Greek ἱερά 'rituals' ), plural of hieron ( τὸ ἱερόν 'sanctuary' ), denotes rituals in the context of the Greek sacrificial system. Hiera is interpreted by science both as a general term for rituals and as a specific ritual in a Thysia , in which grain and cake were burned.
definition
Hiera was a general term for rituals related to the Greek sacrifice. In particular, it referred to parts of a sacrifice that were burned on an altar or the interpretation of signs of a sacrifice.
Gunnel Ekroth defines Hiera as a regular ritual in a Thysia. The ritual includes the burning of grain and cake.
A more recent definition describes Hiera as “things of the gods” and interprets the term as comprehensive for all festivals and cults for gods and the dead together. In the context of this interpretation, Hiera also specifically refers to individual concrete objects that people offered to the gods and placed in a sacred area. By this act the objects were consecrated.
ritual
Hiera understood as a general ritual had to be carried out “(outwardly) beautifully” ( καλά ) in order to obtain the approval of the gods. Hiera kala included the sacrificial animal that had to be kalon . The age had to be right as well as the sex and the color. In some cases it is said that an actual “beauty contest” was held to select the right animals. To do this, the demos determined officials who had to select the best animals. The participants and spectators also had to be kalos . In one case narrated from Athens , an adulteress was removed from the shrine so that the gods would be freed from their harmful presence.
The demoi regulated the execution of the whole sacrifice. During the procession they kept order and handed out the prizes for the best performances by singers and poets. Priests signed contracts and Theoroi (the festival organizers) had to report back when they returned from a festival. Officials who made sacrifices were examined.
The Hiera kala was not about success, but about the judgment of the gods as to whether they liked the sacrifice or not.
References
In Kos's calendar of sacrifices from the 4th century BC Hiera are mentioned. Those responsible should provide a hierarchy within the framework of the Thysia. It should contain barley groats, wheat and barley mixes, three kylikes and a tray ( πίναξ ). It is believed that this hiera should be burned in the sacred fire.
Individual notes
- ↑ Michael H. Jameson : Cults and Rites in Ancient Greece: Essays on Religion and Society . Cambridge 2014, p. 102.
- ^ Gunnel Ekroth: The Sacrificial Rituals of Greek Hero-Cults in the Archaic to the Early Hellenistic Period . Liège 2002, Chapter II, paragraph 44, and Chapter III, paragraph 135.
- ^ Saskia Peels: Hosios: A Semantic Study of Greek Piety . Leiden 2015, p. 214.
- ↑ On Hiera kala see Folkert T. Van Straten: Hierà Kalá: Images of Animal Sacrifice in Archaic and Classical Greece. Brill, Leiden et al. 1995; Fred Naiden: Sacrifice . In: Esther Eidinow, Julia Kindt (Hrsg.): The Oxford handbook of ancient Greek religion . Oxford 2015, p. 467.
- ^ Gunnel Ekroth: The Sacrificial Rituals of Greek Hero-Cults in the Archaic to the Early Hellenistic Period . Liège 2002, Chapter II, paragraph 44.