Author: Claire Niederberger – 3 minute read
Artist: Ovidiu Nicolae Baiculescu
Our namesake, Achelois (pronounced “ah-khe-LOH-ees”), was a minor Greek lunar goddess. Her name translates to the phrase seen above––“she who washes away pain”––as she was looked to as a source of comfort and healing for ancient Greeks.
I have to say, I am not familiar with Greek mythology at all. I have had to do quite a bit of research to understand moon deities, oracles, etc...these are topics that are totally out of my zone of knowledge. I wanted to write this blog post to better understand the story of our name, and I figured some of our audience––you!––may be in the same boat.
Here are some things I learned:
Greek gods and goddesses had human characteristics and personality traits and received human names, whereas Roman gods and goddesses were named after objects and did not possess a gender.
An oracle is an intermediary between people and gods. The term may also refer to the site of the oracle, like a portal, through which the gods spoke directly to people.
Achelois was associated with the oracle Dodona, which is located in the northwestern part of Greece. This is known to be one of the oldest Greek oracles.
This Dodonian Oracle is best known for its association with Zeus (king of the gods of Mount Olympus, a.k.a. one of the major Greek deities). However, sacrifices were frequently made to Achelois at the Dodonian Oracle, as a plea for her assistance in curing illness and other maladies.
When the gods were communicating through the oracle, as in a sacrificial order to Achelois, those on earth would listen for some sounds in nature: oak leaves rustling, or the ringing of bronze pieces hung from branches, similar to windchimes of today.