Offering to the Minoan Deities
Giving back is a vital part of inclusive Minoan spiritual practice
This is one of a long-term series of posts about Ariadne’s Tribe style inclusive Minoan spirituality. Some of these posts, including this one, are revised and updated versions of older articles that I wrote over on the Minoan Path blog. I’m moving the content over here in an effort to consolidate my writing on a single platform. All my new Minoan Path blog posts can be found here.
The Minoans loved their offerings.
Museums are full of their ritual implements for making offerings: offering stands like the one above, to set solid offerings on. I can imagine its ancient Minoan owner leaving fruit and flowers for their beloved deities on this offering stand. The Minoans also made pitchers in all manner of shapes and sizes, some that look like animal heads or whole animals or triton shells, for pouring libations. They also created multi-bowl libation tables like this carved stone one, for receiving liquid offerings.
Carved holes in rocks have been found in places where offerings were poured or inserted into the holes. Some Minoan temples have little “moats” sunk into the ground around the bases of stone pillars, where offerings may have been placed to send them to the Underworld. And one plate of millennia-old olives was even found in the bottom of a well in Zakros, where archaeologists agree it was left as an offering.
So when we put together our spiritual practices in Ariadne’s Tribe, we knew that offerings had to be a major aspect of those practices. So much so that one of the six sections of our ritual format is Offering. We make our offerings generously and with love, because we don’t want to take without first giving.
Our relationships with the deities aren’t transactional. They’re not cosmic vending machines: you don’t put in an offering, and out pops a goodie. Offerings are about relationship, about generosity and the flow of energy in both directions, without keeping score. This is how healthy relationships work, just as much between humans and deities as between humans and humans.
What do we offer to our deities? That depends on the deity.
Just as with humans, deities have their preferences. I’ve put together a collection of offerings that our deities enjoy, that are “safe bets” if you’re just getting started in a relationship with them. Many of these are also the offerings we usually make at the festivals in our sacred calendar.
Some of these offering items, such as cinnamon and ginger, were unknown in the Minoan world. But we’re modern pagans, in relationship with these deities in the 21st century. And it turns out, many of the deities enjoy things that we have now but that the ancient Minoans didn’t have.
As your relationship with the deities deepens, you may find that you want to offer other foods and non-food items, listening always to what each deity has to share with you about their needs and desires. But this list is a good starting point, and it’s sufficient if you never feel like straying from it.
The Offerings
We’ll start, as always, with the Mothers:
Rhea: Animal milk, most kinds of non-dairy milk (she doesn't much care for coconut milk), any fruit that grew in ancient Crete (figs, dates, grapes, quinces, pomegranates). Cooked wheat, barley, or rye (in the form of bread or porridge) or dried heads and stalks of grain. Wool, preferably raw and unspun. You can find more about Rhea here.
Therasia: Fire: campfires, bonfires, fire in your fireplace, little fire in your cauldron or hibachi, oil lamps, crackling wood wick candles. Fiery incense scents like frankincense, cinnamon, ginger. Dates and quinces. Saffron, plain or dissolved in white wine and presented in a clear container so you can see the color. Retsina. Amber-colored distilled liquors (dark rum, whiskey, and so on). More about Therasia here.
Posidaeja: Clean water from any natural source: sea water, lake/spring/stream/pond water, bottled spring water, well water. Fresh flower wreaths and garlands, placed on the altar or tossed into a body of water. Preferably use the daisy-chain method to create these, or at least choose non-toxic, fully biodegradable strings and ribbons. More about Posidajea here.
It’s common in our spiritual practice to make a single offering to all three of the above goddesses, addressing them as the Great Mothers. In this case, honey is a good choice, as are beeswax candles or a mixture of poppyseeds and sesame seeds.
Serpent Mother: Pure water (not chemically treated) from any source, wine, whole uncooked grains, natural ingredient resiny incense (myrrh, frankincense, terebinth, copal, labdanum). She also enjoys offerings of volunteer work with a healing focus, such as soup kitchens or HIV awareness; check with the goddess first to be sure your specific choice is a good one for her. More about the Serpent Mother here.
Ourania: Pure untreated water from a natural source, in a dark bowl, set outside at night under the stars. Songs sung outdoors, a capella, in the dark of night while looking up at the stars.
Now let’s move on to the rest of the family of deities:
Amalthea: Goat's milk, honey, raw unspun wool, plain goat cheese.
Antheia: Fresh flowers in shades of yellow, gold, and white. Fresh duck and goose eggs. Myrtle herb and berries, myrtle liqueur (Mirto), white wine, rosé wine.
Arachne: Very dark red wine. Fiber arts activities and finished products that you have made yourself. Donations of fiber arts projects to shelters, hospitals, and other non-profits.
Ariadne: For her World Above face, white wine, white lilies, saffron, sprouted wheat, wheat grass, honey. For her Underworld aspect, pomegranates (fruit, juice, arils), poppyseeds, red lilies, red wine, honey.
Asclepius: Honey; fresh Mediterranean medicinal herbs such as lavender, sage, and rosemary.
Britomartis: Dark red wine. Parcels of land dedicated to her and allowed to go completely wild. Time spent alone in nature, the wilder the better, dedicated to her.
Daedalus: Lit oil lamps, olive oil, castor oil, gadgety invention projects dedicated to him.
Dionysus: Wine, beer, mead. Homemade red wine vinegar.
Eileithyia: Honey, poppyseeds, milk (dairy and non-dairy), fresh-baked bread spread generously with honey and butter.
Europa: Whole cow's milk, red wine, white wine. Choose the color of wine based on the symbolism of your purpose for the offering.
Hygeia: White wine with honey and saffron mixed in, offered in a container that allows the liquid’s color to be visible. Incense with a warm, sunny aroma.
Kaulo: Dancing, blowing him kisses, playing a jingly tambourine while dancing, and any other way in which you can express joy via your body.
Korydallos: Brightly colored flowers, sweet-smelling incense, honey, sweet wine, mead, homemade bread spread with butter and honey, puns and word play (never punch down), acts of kindness.
Melissae: Honey. Mead, honey ale. Cooked grain products such as bread or porridge drizzled with honey. Beeswax candles.
Minelathos / Divono: Very dark red wine. Parcels of land dedicated to him and left to go completely wild. Time spent alone in nature, the wilder the better, dedicated to him.
Minocapros / Vikaro: Very dark red wine. Labdanum incense, preferably in the form of raw resin.
Minos: Pure, fresh water from a well or natural body of water, in a dark bowl, under the light of the full moon.
Minotaur / Lugoso: Red wine, especially the kind called "bull's blood." Red sweet foods, candies especially.
Potnia Chromaton: Brightly colored flowers, fruit, juice, ribbons, painting or dyeing projects. Be sure to use brightly colored altarware, too.
Talos: Water in a bronze or copper cup or bowl. Bronze or copper-colored metallic gadgets, including puzzle toys.
Tauros Asterion: Dark red wine (including "bull's blood"), ruby port. Earthy/sweaty activities like digging ditches, planting trees, cleaning parks and roadsides.
Thaena, Sydaili, and Eshuumna: Light, preferably in the form of a rainbow from a sun-catcher or similar source. Place it so the light shines on your altar.
Thumia: Expressions of joy through the voice: singing, chanting, humming, reading poetry out loud, etc. Playing a sistrum. Dancing with ankle bells on. Blowing kisses to her.
Zagreus: Fresh flowers in mixed, assorted bright colors. Floral-scented incense, white wine, whole wheat berries and barley groats.
The No-Gos
Now for a few don’ts.
In Ariadne’s Tribe, we don’t practice reversion of offerings. Once you’ve given something to the deities, it’s theirs. When you feel the offering has been left on your altar long enough, please dispose of it respectfully. Food should go in the compost, if possible. If no compost is available, and the food is safe for wildlife, it can be left outdoors. Liquids can be poured outdoors on the ground. If you’re uncomfortable giving food to the deities and then disposing of it, consider non-food offerings such as crafts you’ve made, lit candles or oil lamps, or volunteer work whose purpose matches with the deity’s characteristics. Note that when we offer food, it’s usually just a single serving size, not the huge quantities that were given to the temples back in the Bronze Age.
The ancient Minoans included blood in their ritual activities, as is clearly indicated in the art. But the Minoans had a highly developed, intricate religious tradition, presumably with plenty of rules, restrictions, and safeguards around this kind of activity. Since we no longer have the full context for the use of blood in Minoan ritual, for safety, we have chosen not to enter that arena in official Ariadne’s Tribe spiritual practices.
So we don’t make blood offerings. Blood of any sort (venous blood, menstrual blood, birthing blood, the blood from an animal you've hunted or slaughtered) has powerful connotations. Its presence in a sacred setting can easily offend or anger any number of deities. Offering your own blood can also tie you to the deity in ways you may not intend. With Underworld deities, this can have grave (pun intended) consequences.
What you do on your own time is your lookout, but definitely, buyer beware.
In Closing
Making offerings is a good way to connect with the deities and develop relationships with them. This is similar to how we might offer carefully chosen food or drink to special guests, beloved family members, or dear friends when they come to visit as a way to show them how much we care about them.
Offerings outline a path between us and the divine. They're not payment for services rendered, but activities that are part of a long-term relationship.
Take your time to get to know the deities you'd like to connect with. You can start with the "safe bet" offerings then try asking them what they would like from you in particular.
Listen carefully and learn directly from the source. Then you're on your way.
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About Laura Perry
I'm the founder and Temple Mom of Ariadne's Tribe, a worldwide inclusive Minoan spiritual tradition. I'm also an author, artist, and creator who works magic with words, paint, ink, music, textiles, and herbs. My spiritual practice includes spirit work and herbalism through the lens of lifelong animism. I write Pagan / polytheist / magical non-fiction and fiction across several different subjects and genres. My Minoan entry in the Moon Books Pantheons series is now available for pre-order and will be released on 26 August 2025. While that process percolates along, I’m working on an illustrated book of modern Minoan myths which will be released 21 June 2025. I’m also an avid herb and vegetable gardener and living history demonstrator.
Loved the libation bowls! Beautiful. And so important to stress reciprocity. Goddess is not an ATM machine you go to just to withdraw from.