Animal Sacrifice in Hellenism

Modern Sacrifice

Animal sacrifice in modern Hellenism seems to be a pretty rare thing, for multiple reasons.  Obviously we have Vegans and vegetarians among us, and they surely wouldn’t sacrifice animals.  We have those who do not understand the reality behind sacrifice – as outlined above.  We have those who are against the idea for their own reasons.  We have those who cannot afford to do it – livestock isn’t exactly cheap after all.  And of course there are legal considerations as well.  But for the most part, even if there were no moral and legal concerns, most of us simply can’t do it, because we don’t know how to do it.  Physically.  We can read the hows, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we can physically do it properly, safely and humanely.  It is better to not do a thing than to do it and mess it up.

So, most of us cannot, or will not, perform ritual animal sacrifices, and for good reasons.  What are we to do then?

Butchered Meat

Unlike in ancient times, we do have an abundance of meat, pre-slaughtered and butchered, for our convenience.  So it is that some modern Hellenes will make an offering of meat they bought from the butchers, the grocery store or from a farmer.  Is this okay?  Well, I don’t know for sure, but from what I can tell, the act of sacrifice seems to be more about the meat being offered, and burnt, than it is about the act of death.  I could be wrong about that though, of course.  But, going on that assumption, it certainly seems that pre-butchered meat would be fine to offer.

However there are a couple things here we might take into consideration.  Firstly is one that is confusing even in the act of sacrifice – death and dead bodies are miasmic in the eyes of the (majority of the) Gods.  It makes one wonder how meat is in any way a good offering at all, since it is death and thus, surely, miasmic.  But perhaps only human death is a problem.

The second concern is a bit more problematic, and that is the manner of death, the type of life lived and the animal the meat comes from.  We know the lives of animals were far different than they are today, much nicer and more natural.  We know the animals offered in sacrifice were the best of the lot.  And we know they died without any harm other than the act of death itself.  But we don’t know these things about pre-butchered meat – especially that which comes from the grocery store.  We could be offering meat from animals that have had horrible lives, tortured deaths and they may not be of the best quality at all.  Meat from butchers may be easier to know, and from farmers even more so.

Some people suggest that the best meat to offer is that which is certified as Halal, because Halal meat must meet certain standards.  This is true, and yet, such animals are killed in the name of another God, so I am not sure this is a great alternative.  Organic and free range claims are also not what they always seem, so they too may not always be the best alternative.  In the end, this has to be up to the individual as to what they are willing to do and offer.

Alternatives

An interesting alternative that some do is to create no meat simulacrums of animals.  These can be small clay figurines, which are either smashed or left on the deity’s shrine as a permanent sacrifice.  Or some bake cookies in the shape of the sacrificial animal, thus keeping it as a food offering.  I suppose there would be other alternatives to this type of idea as well – carving a fruit into the animals shape perhaps.

And of course animals were not the only things offered to the Gods in ancient times.  Fruits, breads and cakes, libations of various liquids, and other such things were also offered – indeed these were the more common offerings, because certain of these were more readily available to the average person.  Animals and meat are not the only options.

So, animal sacrifice is not a common practice today within Hellenism, but it is worth knowing why and how it was done in ancient times and to consider our alternatives for modern practice.  But of course, beyond this, animal sacrifice is probably of little relevance to most people reading this post.  Luckily, I am writing up another post on the other traditional and non-traditional offerings of Hellenism, historical and modern.