Hemera: 6 Illuminating Ways to Connect With the Glorious Goddess of Day
Who Is The Goddess Hemera?
Hemera is one of the primordial Protogenoi and is considered the ancient Greek goddess of day.
Hemera In Greek Mythology
In Hesiod’s Theogony she was said to have been born from the union of Erebos and Nyx at the beginning of the universe.
From Chaos came forth Erebus and black Night; but of Night were born Aether and Hemera, whom she conceived and bare from union in love with Erebos.
Hemera doesn’t appear to have had any significant cult in ancient times.
But archaeological evidence shows the presence of a shared shrine dedicated to Hemera and Helios in Kos.
Her pairing with Helios seems appropriate here as the god of the sun.
Hemera and Eos
We know from primary sources that later in antiquity the tragic writers identified her with Eos the goddess of the dawn and used their names interchangeably.
Aeschylus, Euripides and Sophocles all referred to Hemera as the goddess who kidnaps Tithonus (a myth typically ascribed to Eos).
Eos has no known shrines or temples but she was worshipped in Athens through nephalia or ‘wineless offerings’.
I’ve chosen to do as the ancients did and syncretise her with Eos within my personal practice. I see Eos as another aspect of Hemera.
Due to a lack of information, I looked at how other Ouranic deities were worshipped in ancient Greece and used that as my guide to form a connection with her.
Cultural Context Matters
I’ve found that the best way to grow fulfilling relationships with the gods is to venerate them within their own cultural context.
I’m a Hellenic Pagan, so historical context is important to me. I also think it should be important to you too!
Honouring the gods of ancient cultures means acknowledging that they knew best about how to honour and petition the gods.
I mean, they spent the better part of a millennia honing their deity communication skills so I think we have to give them some credit!
Religious Baggage
A big part of embracing the Greek cultural context when connecting with Eros is to not impose your past religious beliefs onto his worship.
If you were brought up within a monotheistic religion, you will have internalised some fairly toxic beliefs about deity.
Here are some things to be aware of when connecting to Eros and other Greek gods:
The myths aren’t literal.
The gods welcome everyone regardless of gender, sexuality or ethnicity.
The gods don’t get angry.
The gods don’t have ‘beef’ with one another.
My Experience with Hemera
Hemera is a goddess that slowly came into my awareness during a rather challenging time in my life.
So while my proverbial Rome was burning I began hearing her name pop into my head.
After some time (because I’m quite slow on the uptake) I began making offerings to her.
My own UPG is that Hemera feels warm and hopeful like the dawning of a new day.
Hemera can illuminate the path forward when things feel darkest.
As the goddess of day she gives us hope that the light will always return after the darkness of night.
Making offerings to her certainly made me feel better in a time that I didn’t feel like I had much control.
How To Worship The Goddess Hemera
This post is going to give you the tools to begin and maintain a relationship with the goddess Hemera, rooted in the ancient Greek culture she was worshipped in.
Hemera Summary
Goddess of: Day, dawn
Other Name: Identified with Eos goddess of the dawn
Home: The sky
Parents: Erebos and Nyx
Husband: Aether
Children: Thalassa
Colours: Yellow, orange, light blue, gold and white
Animals: White horses
Traditional Offerings: Barley, frankincense, honey, milk, olive oil, votive offerings, water
Non-Traditional Offerings: Cakes, candles, lemonade, yellow flowers, tea
Homeric Epithets: Radiant Daughter of Kronos, Far-shining, Ambrosial face, Horse-driving, All-seeing light
1. Learn About Hemera’s Myths and Epithets
Day (1881) by William-Adolphe Bouguereau
The first step to connecting to Hemera is to read Hesiod’s Theogony and look into Eos’s myths.
Theoi.com is an excellent free resource for primary source mythology, Hemera and Eos both a have a page dedicated to them.
There stands the awful home of murky Night wrapped in dark clouds. In front of it the son of Iapetus stands immovably upholding the wide heaven upon his head and unwearying hands, where Night and Day draw near and greet one another as they pass the great threshold of bronze: and while the one is about to go down into the house, the other comes out at the door.
And the house never holds them both within; but always one is without the house passing over the earth, while the other stays at home and waits until the time for her journeying come; and the one holds all-seeing light for them on earth, but the other holds in her arms Sleep the brother of Death, even evil Night, wrapped in a vaporous cloud.
Hemera and Eos’s epithets provide more clues about their divine nature.
Epithets are titles or descriptive functions of deities that were used in ancient Greece. These epithets are cult titles and some are titles from the poetic tradition.
Hemera’s Epithets
All of Hemera’s epithets are taken from the poetic tradition as we know nothing about any cult she potentially received.
These titles are taken specifically from Hesiod’s Theogony:
Radiant Daughter
Far-shining
Ambrosial face
Horse-driving
All-seeing light
Eos’s Epithets
Eos’s epithets are also exclusively from the poetic tradition. Hers include:
Hemera ‘Day’
Rhododaktylos ‘Rosy-fingered’
Krokopeplos ‘Saffron-Robed’
2. How to Create an Altar to Hemera
The best way to feel the presence of Hemera is by setting up a dedicated altar and creating kharis through regular offerings.
When I think of Hemera I think of the soft dawn sky and the warmth of morning light.
A Hemera altar would look wonderful draped in an abundance of yellow and gold.
Soft pinks and blues are also acceptable choices.
Hemera altar ideas:
Image of Hemera
Offering bowl
Incense burner
Yellow, gold or white candle
Yellow or white flowers
Citrine or sunstone crystal
Simply set up the items in an arrange that is symmetrical and pleasing to the eye.
There’s no special ritual to ‘cleanse’ your altar. Just make sure everything you’re using is clean and keep it that way.
No one likes a dirty altar.
3. How to Pray to Hemera
Prayer was an extremely important part of ancient Greek religion.
The ancient Greeks differentiated between Ouranic (sky gods) and Kthonic (Underworld) gods and how they worshipped them differed slightly.
Hemera is considered an Ouranic deity, so the ancient Greeks would have prayed to her with their hands held up raised towards the sky.
To pray to Hemera, simply stand or sit before your altar, with palms up and arms raised.
Then say your prayer. For example:
‘Hear me, Hemera! Ambrosial face, Horse-driving, All-seeing light. Or whatever name it most pleases you to be called. Come from your place in the sky. May this offering of incense please you.’
There are no surviving prayers to Hemera but there’s an Orphic Hymn dedicated to Eos!
We can incorporate these hymns into our veneration of the Greek gods.
When I’m less pressed for time, I give a physical offering and then recite a hymn like a poetic prayer.
Orphic Hymn
Hear me, O Goddess! whose emerging ray
Leads on the broad refulgence of the day;
Blushing Eos, whose celestial light
Beams on the world with reddening splendours bright:
Angel of Titan, whom with constant round,
Thy orient beams recall from night profound:
Labour of every kind to lead is thine,
Of mortal life the minister divine.
Mankind in thee eternally delight,
And none presumes to shun thy beauteous sight.
Soon as thy splendours break the bands of rest,
And eyes unclose with pleasing sleep oppressed;
Men, reptiles, birds, and beasts, with general voice,
And all the nations of the deep, rejoice;
For all the culture of our life is thine.
Come, blessed power! and to these rites incline:
Thy holy light increase, and unconfined
Diffuse its radiance on thy mystic’s mind.
4. How to Give Offerings to Hemera
The main way the ancient Greeks built kharis or reciprocity with the gods was through simple, regular offerings.
Sacrificing animals was expensive and only really occurred during state festivals.
The best way to build a long-term connection with Hemera (or any Greek deity) is by giving regular offerings.
Traditonal offerings include:
Frankincense incense
Grains
Honey
Milk
Olive oil
As Hemera is an Ouranic goddess, give her offerings during the day.
Always wash your hands before giving an offering. Then say your prayer whether formal or informal, pour out a libation, light your incense or place the offering in the offering bowl.
Spend a few minutes in quiet contemplation or talk more informally.
I honour Hemera in the mornings and on Sundays as it’s associated with the sun (this isn’t an ancient Greek practice, it’s something I do because it makes sense to me).
How Do You Dispose of Offerings?
Leave offerings out for an hour or two before disposing of them.
Liquid libations can be poured onto the ground outside, or poured down the sink.
Food offerings can be composted.
Try to avoid leaving food offerings outside as it can attract pests and harm wildlife.
How Often Should You Give Offerings?
The answer is as often as you want.
You can give offerings daily, weekly, monthly or even yearly.
The more important a deity is to you the more frequently you’ll probably want to give offerings.
5. How to Communicate With Hemera
We can commuinicate with Hemera athrough prayer, offerings, divination, signs or omens and theourgia.
Divination
Divination was incredibly important in ancient Greece religion.
I prefer tarot or oracle cards for divination.
Pendulums are getting more popular because of TikTok. But they’re mostly just your arm muscles unconciously manipulating the answer.
Basically, avoid them. They’re innaccurate.
To connect with Hemera through divination wash your hands, make an offering, and ask your question out loud in the form of a prayer.
Then interpret the cards and spend some time journalling about their meaning.
I like to talk to Hemera through the Greek mythology based Mythic Oracle. This oracle contains an image of both Hemera and Eos.
Signs or Omens
You can ask for signs from deities as confirmation of an important question. If you’d like to ask Hemera for a sign you certainly can.
Wash your hands, make an offering, say your prayer and ask for a sign.
The Day represented by Hemera, Sebasteion (1st Century CE)
Theourgia
Communicating with Hemera through meditation overlaps with ancient theurgy practices.
Theourgia or ‘theurgy’ is a form of divine magic that involves the ritual invocation of the gods with the aim of achieving henosis or union with the divine.
I recommend The Practical Art of Divine Magic: Contemporary & Ancient Techniques of Theurgy: Contemporary and Ancient Techniques of Theurgy (2015) by Patrick Dunn.
You can call out to Hemera during meditation and see if you receive any intuitive insights. You can also try pathworking to meet Hemera in her domain.
6. Devotional Acts To Connect With Hemera
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Clytie by Evelyn De Morgan
While tradition is important, it can be fun to create our own rituals that worship the gods in a more modern context.
Sprinkling a bit of fairy dust into your practice makes things more enjoyable and less stale.
Here are some suggestions for simple rituals to connect with Hemera:
Morning Prayer
When I open the blinds first thing in the morning aside from hating life and wishing I was back in bed, I whisper a quick prayer to Hemera, Eos and Helios in thanks for the new day.
Joking aside, I am actually a morning person.
Now that is scary.
Light a Golden Beeswax Candle
Being the goddess of day, a simple daily ritual of lighting a candle dedicated to Hemera feels appropriate and symbolic.
Do you know what makes everything even better?
Biodegradable glitter.
That’s right.
For my Hemera candle, I like to use a raw beeswax candle and rub it in biodegradable gold glitter! Sparkly.
Watch the Sunrise
Watching the sunrise is a simple way to honour and connect with the presence of Hemera-Eos. Getting up to watch the sunrise at 4am during the summer in England isn’t really for me, but when it doesn’t get light until 8am in the winter, I’d say that’s far more manageable!
Create a Sun Wheel
While Hemera isn’t strictly a sun goddess she represents the day and consequently, its light.
Creating a sun wheel is a lovely way to celebrate her radiance. Once you’re done channelling your inner Picasso you can keep it on her altar.
Celebrate the Summer Solstice
Hemera doesn’t have any festivals dedicated to her and while the summer solstice isn’t an ancient Greek festival, it does mark the longest day of the year. Which by default makes it sacred to our glorious goddess of day, Hemera.