What Do I Need for A Hellenic Altar or Shrine?

I see so many people ask about what’s needed on a Hellenic altar or shrine, so I thought I’d share what I do real quick, since I changed up the altars in my house today.

1. The Most important thing in my altars and shrines is a bowl, plate, or chalice for offerings.knotted-vines and I have purple wine glasses, carnival glass chalices with grape designs on them, a clear glass dessert bowl on a stem, and a tiny silver ashtray I picked up at an antique shop that has grape designs that we alternate as offering dishes.
2. The next thing I try to have at my altar is a representation of the deity that altar is dedicated to. For the two of us, this usually consists of flowers that are sacred to Dionysus or Persephone. For Dionysus we also add ivy, and will usually use an old wine bottle as a vase. We also have a jar of amethyst shards we’ve been collecting from Micheal’s for years, and we use that to represent Dionysus too. This doesn’t have to be an image of your deity. Aphrodite? Try using shells. Hera? Peacock motifs are popular right now. Athena? Owls, shields, books, the list goes on. Hermes? A nice pair of shoes maybe. 

Those are the two elements I try to always incorporate. When my altar was nothing but a little wooden box in the back of my closet, I kept my jar of amethyst and a shot glass in it. Those two things were all I needed to feel like I’d set up an altar. 

Some other items I like to include are still functional and important though. I’ll usually place either candles or an incense holder on my altar. They can be used in katharmos, and add a nice feel to any ritual I do. When I decide to use a candle instead of incense I will usually go with one plain candle that I’ll light while I cleanse the area. When I go with incense I like to use incense cones, but that’s just me.

I also have a nice pitcher that I can use to hold khernips, but I don’t typically include it at my altar. I’ll include it when I set the whole table as an altar, and add a bowl so you can do the whole thing where you pour khernips over your hands and the water goes into the bowl. Otherwise though, when I use khernips I’ll typically just make a bowl of it and wash my hands and face with that. I don’t think it’s necessary to have khernips at your altar though.

Everything beyond that is just regular old decoration. I’ll sometimes include an altar cloth if I feel like it. I may also include candles and lights that are just to look pretty, not to be lit.

If you are planning on using it as a shrine, then you don’t need to worry too much about leaving any free space. If you’re wanting an altar, then I recommend leaving enough room near the front of the altar that you can prepare a bowl of khernips there. If you can prepare khernips on your altar then you should have room to do just about any other altar work you may want.