18th century During the 18th century, several people adopted Ancient Greek religion to some extent, studying and translating ancient works of theology and philosophy, and in some cases composing original hymns and devotionals to the
Ancient Greek pantheon. The English author
John Fransham (1730–1810) was one example, considered an eccentric by his peers, who was also referred to as a pagan and a polytheist. In Fransham's 1769 book
The Oestrum of Orpheus, he advanced a theology similar to that of the
Neoplatonists: that the first cause of existence is uncreated and indestructible, but not intelligent, and that the universe is shaped by "innumerable intelligent powers or forces, 'plastic and designing', who ruled all sublunary affairs, and may most fitly be designated by the nomenclature of the Hellenic theology."). Though the extent of his actual devotion to Ancient Greek spirituality remains unknown, brief descriptions written by others about him tend to portray him as a sincerely devout polytheist. The most notable was Godefroi Izarn, the Marquis de Valadi, a young member of a wealthy French family who adopted a "
Pythagorean mode of life". In 1788, Valadi traveled to
England in order to convince an unnamed "gentleman of eminence in the literary world" to become the head of a new Pythagorean sect, assuring him that Valadi would help him find numerous followers. He refused, and suggested Valadi learn Greek and become the head of the sect himself. Valadi began his studies at
Glasgow, where he learned of Taylor, to whom he wrote in a letter: Valadi paid Taylor to live in his house and study under him, but his tenure as Taylor's disciple was short lived. He returned to France to fight in the
French Revolution in 1789 and he reportedly said, "I came over
Diogenes. I am going back
Alexander". He was executed by
guillotine in December 1793 during the
Reign of Terror.
20th century In the early 20th century, several
neopagan groups were formed, often incorporating elements of ancient Greek religion and honoring Greek gods, but with heavily syncretic elements drawn from Hermeticism and 19th century folklore studies. Most prominent of these modern traditions are
Thelema and
Wicca, though
Feraferia (an American tradition founded in the 1970s by Fred Adams) places heavier emphasis on a more Hellenistic style of worship and on the Greco-Roman pantheon of gods. One Wiccan organization in the United States, the
Aquarian Tabernacle Church, began to host a spring festival based on the
Eleusinian Mysteries in 1985, which has continued to be held every year through the present day. While not exactly a Hellenist, the sociologist and practicing Wiccan
Margot Adler stated in her book on Wicca titled
Drawing Down the Moon that when she was a child, she had a great interest in the Greek gods and goddesses and that she also devised her own rituals to perform in dedication to them. Many years later when Adler found out about Wicca, she converted to that religion because she felt that it confirmed her earlier childhood experiences, though Adler also notes that with regards to her conversion "I never converted in the accepted sense. I simply accepted, reaffirmed, and extended a very old experience." During the 1970s, some began to reject the influence of Hermeticism and other heavily syncretic forms of Greek religion in preference of practices reconstructing earlier or more original forms of Hellenic worship. Early revivalists of Hellenic religion tended to be individuals working alone, and early attempts to organize adherents into larger groups failed. The first successful revival attempt was made by the
Supreme Council of Ethnikoi Hellenes (or YSEE). In 1993, a variety of adherents to the Hellenic religion in Greece and elsewhere came together and began the process of organization. This resulted in a "Hellenic National Assembly", initiated at a gathering in southern Olympus on 9 September 1995. The process culminated with the formal establishment of the
YSEE as a non-profit in Greece, in June 1997.
21st century and official recognition 2004 Olympics controversy The
2004 Summer Olympics stirred up several disputes concerning Hellenic polytheistic religion. • Professor Giorgos Dontas, president of the
Archaeological Society of Athens expressed public outrage at the destruction of ancient archaeological sites around the
Parthenon and
Acropolis in preparation for the games. • Prior to the Olympic Games,
MSNBC correspondent
Rehema Ellis, in a story called "It's Greek to Me: Group Tries to Restore Pagan Worship", documented the vandalism and arson of a bookstore in Athens which sold books promoting ancient Greek religion. She also interviewed several adherents who were upset about the current state of affairs in Greece. Ellis said: "A contrast in this place where the Olympic Games were created to honour
Zeus – now those praying to the ancient gods are criticized for putting too much faith in the past." • The Greek Society of the Friends of the Ancients objected to the commercial use of
Athena and Phevos as the official mascots of the
2004 Summer Olympics held in Athens. They felt that the caricatured representations of the Greek gods
Athena and
Phoebus were disrespectful and culturally insensitive. In a BBC Radio interview on 26 June 2004, Dr. Pan. Marinis President of the said that the mascots "mock the spiritual values of the Hellenic civilization by degrading these same holy personalities that were revered during the ancient Olympic Games. For these reasons we have proceeded to legal action demanding the punishment of those responsible."
Recognition and places of worship In May 2006 an Athens court granted official recognition to the veneration of the Ancient Greek pantheon. Soon afterwards, on 22 January 2007, the Hellenist group
Ellinais held a ceremony at the
Temple of Olympian Zeus in Athens. It was the first such rite performed at the temple since the ancient Greek religion was outlawed by the Roman government in the late 4th century. The ceremony involved participants dressed as ancient warriors who left their swords and spears outside the sacred site, to represent the laying down of arms before the Olympic games. The
BBC referred to the event as a show of "intentional publicity". The event caught the attention of the Greek Orthodox Church. Reporters at the event suggested the church might step up their opposition to the legitimizing of Hellenism. Father Eustathios Kollas, who presided over a community of Greek Orthodox priests, said: "They are a handful of miserable resuscitators of a degenerate dead religion who wish to return to the monstrous dark delusions of the past." Despite the 2006 court ruling, the Greek
Ministry of Culture and Sports continued to disallow ceremonies of any kind at archaeological sites, and some early 21st century Hellenic rituals therefore took the form of protests. In August 2008, a group of adherents, again organized by Ellinais, gathered at the
Acropolis both to give libations and other offerings to the goddess
Athena, and to protest the removal of architectural pieces from the temples to a new museum at the site. ,
Thessaloniki The first modern Hellenic temple dedicated to the
Hellenic gods was started in 1994 just outside
Thessaloniki in the village of
Oraiokastro and completed in 2009. Another temple, dedicated to
Alexander and
Dionysus opened in the nearby village of
Mesaio in 2019. A third temple, and the first in the
Peloponnese, dedicated to
Zeus,
Dionysus and
Pan, opened in the village of
Kalliani, Arcadia in 2025. A modern Hellenic temple in
Athens is still in the planning stages, and worshippers meet at a temporary temple at the headquarters of the
Supreme Council of Ethnikoi Hellenes (YSEE) at an apartment building on Aristotelous street in
central Athens. ==Organizations in Greece and demographics==