dontbeanassbutt:

so @kittyfunkkat and i were discussing wizardry in greece and here’s what we came up with

• greece was the first nation in the west to create a wizarding academy
• wands weren’t a big things until the late Classical era (more on that in a bit)
• this school was named after Hecate, the goddess of magic.
• speaking of the gods, the images the ancients had of the gods comes from wizards. some time in like 700 bce, a number of wizards and witches were found doing magic by Mortals. to save their asses, they told them that they were the gods, come down from Olympus to bless the city-state people freaked out and thus, images of the gods came to be
• (all those myths about Zeus transforming? probably just a wizard transfiguring)
• the term Mortal is the equivalent of No-Maj and Muggle.
• Hecate Academy of Magic rests on the peak of Mt. Olympus. (that’s why mortals think the gods are there)
• before the academy was founded, there were only small secret societies within each city-state.
• the school was “founded by the gods” aka the wizards and witches found doing magic
• the school doesn’t have a housing system. rather than being sorted by personality, you’re sorted by your interests.
• even then, you’re not sorted, you pick what you want to focus on
• each Study of Focus (S.o.F) has a patron god or goddess that the course is named after
• first years are in the Dionysus course. it’s a generalist focus designed to give the students a strong foundation in magic, and also to have them experience as many magical fields as they can before choosing so they don’t make a foolish/blind decision.
• they don’t have to pick a course until third year, and even then they can switch at any time.
• courses are 2-3 years long, and once completed they get a certification for that focus. from there they can either choose a new S.o.F, or continue on with a Masters certification. if that is received, they can work in that field and go for the teaching certification if they choose to teach (the Athena S.o.F is the one they would choose)
• There is no limit to how long you can attend Hecate. The only requirement is that you must be enrolled until you are at least 18 and have gotten one certification.
• astrology was a huge deal
• the original uniforms for Hecate were priest/priestess robes. bracelets were used to show your year and S.o.F. the amount was your year, any emblems were the S.o.F, and the material was whether it was your certification of your masters. (example: three silver bracelets with olive branches: third year of the first certification in the Athena S.o.F)
• modern uniforms look more like Hogwarts robes, but they;re still very much influenced by ancient times. (they’re sticklers for tradition)
• year and S.o.F are told by the robes. the color is your S.o.F, and the trim is your year.
• when temples were built by the Mortals, the wizards and witches used it as an opportunity to use their powers and claim they were blessed by the gods. they also aided in recruitment of young wizards.
• the Oracle was just a Seer.
• wands became a thing toward the end of Classical era, around 450 bc, when a witch was harvesting olive branches for potions when someone startled her. she shouted a curse from surprise and found that her magic was more focused and powerful. 70 years later, she would open a wand shop in the Olympic mountains. People started referring to her as Ollivander.
• Rome didn’t really affect the Greek wizards. the only major change was there was an increase of students attending Hecate (a second school was built near modern day Florence. It, like most Roman things, was modeled after the Greek school)
• after that things were pretty chill in the Greek wizarding world, up until the Christians started destroying the temples. as a result, a lot of witches and wizards went into hiding, or found shelter in the school itself. Hecate functioned not only as a school, but as a safe haven for witches and wizards.
• during the 400 or so years of turkish rule, the greek wizarding community went underground, and the school was all but forgotten
• Hecate was later revived by those underground societies. the 12 gods were still used to specify which S.o.F you were in
•  Because Greece missed the renaissance, the school retained it’s ancient influence
• When the revolution ended in 1829, the school’s alumni reached out to help the mortals get everything under control
• because Hecate’s is the only wizardry school in Greece, the international wizarding society reached out and created “Athena’s Court for Greek Wizardy” to keep Greek wizards in check
• In the 1850s, the school needed some serious remodeling. the remodels were influenced by ancient greek styles and modern styles.
• when you finish, the graduation ceremony (cause they had those, obviously), the students wear golden olive branches instead of caps or anything like that
• the school has natural spring baths
• hear me out on this one: WIZARD OLYMPICS
• they test your powers and abilities as a wizard
• javelin throwing: it tests how well you can make a strength potion. the judges have to watch you make the potion
• MONSTER WRESTLING BOY HOWDY aight so as it says, you gotta wrestle monsters, BUT you can use magic to enhance your strength/agility/whatever. you can’t use magic on the monster or anything
• each S.o.F has an emblem as well
• Zeus: Political Magic, emblem is a thunder bolt
• Hera: Wandless magic, emblem is the peacock
• Poseidon: alchemy, emblem is the trident
• Demeter: herbology, emblem is wheat
• Athena: magical sciences (mortal science + magic), emblem is olive branches
• Apollo: magic in the fine arts, emblem is the pyton lyre
• Artemis: magical creatures, emblem is a stag
• Ares: defensive and offensive magic, emblem is a torch
• Aphrodite: magic and the human condition (how magic effects emotion and the human soul), emblem is a rose
• Hephaestus, Charms and Magical objects, emblem is the anvil
• Hermes: magic and the Physical body, emblem is talaria (his winged sandals)
• Hecate: astrology, emblem is the moon (the emblem on the robes and S.o.F crest changes according to the phase of the moon)
• Hades: divination, emblem is the key
• Dionysus: undecided, emblem is grapes

I’M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT GREEK WIZARDRY OKAY