u/Lucy_the_oracle

I'm deep diving into the question of whether or not Ancient Greek city-states always had border control and in which specific scenarios a visitor from outside might have just walked into another polis without a fuss lol

Am I passionate about this particular topic? Hell no. But did I become invested in it because of the necessary research? Oh yea.

It may resonate with you or not. Take what does.

So, you're discovering modern paganism now. You feel a deep sense of identification with polytheism, nature worship, etc. You can't wait to start building an altar, making offerings to the deities you like, learning mythology and energy work and a zillion other related things.

Stop for a minute, though. Take a deep breath. Whatever you start doing, take it easy. I know the "honeymoon phase" can bring a lot of excitement and urgency, but there's no reason to rush. Spirituality can extend over an entire lifetime, so you have plenty of time to dedicate to it without filling 100% of your day with devotional activities. There won't be a day in your life when you'll say "oh crap, I'm too old for paganism now". Right? There's no age limit. Seriously, relax.

Obsessing over it, even if it's during an initial phase, can cause you to forget about other pursuits in life. Trust me, there's no "one thing only" that will make you happy. This is why we ALSO have music, sports, crafts, events to attend, non-believer friends to meetup with, nice people in the family to catch up with, pets, dating, other kinds of study, etc. Life is multifaceted for a reason, dear. If it starts looking like a monolith (yes, even temporarily), you have a problem.

"Oh but what if I end-up becoming a priestess or a mystic and need to dedicate most of my life to paganism" - okay. What if? That's certainly not something that happens immediately. Let it happen organically if it does. Don't turn a blind eye to every OTHER part of your life that IS going well right now, just because you found this shiny new thing to obsess over. It's a mistake.

With all that said, there's nothing wrong with being passionate about this pursuit. It's beautiful how much you care. This is simply a reminder to look at your life "from above", like an eagle, and see that there's a lot more to it at the same time; Just like with everybody else's lives.

Good luck on your path.

I'm more interested in the existence or non-existence of such curse words ("swearing", in American English), and where to go in order to try and find some of them. I'm asking this question because I'm writing a novel set in Ancient Greece where teenage characters sometimes get into heated arguments. Although I'm aiming for Historic plausibility instead of strict accuracy, I'm wondering how believable it would be if I inserted some curse words related to bodily functions or NSFW stuff here and there instead of strictly just "by Zeus" and other exasperations that use the names of the gods. I'm having a hard time trying to find info on whether Ancient Greek people even found these things offensive back in their day (And if not, what else other than religious stuff can be used). Ya know, I'm trying to see how relatable to a modern audience I can make the dialogues without falling into "this is obviously fake" territory.

Thanks in advance.