Ashley Knows It All

I have been absolutely devastated by the news of Ukraine. As a seeress and high priestess to several Greek underworld deities, I've opened myself up to feel the world's pain and suffering. However, I want to share with you how, with no tools no money nothing tangible, how to help in your own way.

Let me break down how you can help through prayer and actually FEEL it.

Some of us may resent the idea of "sending thoughts and prayers" but the thing is.. as we have had found our own true gods that we KNOW assist not only ourselves but others—our prayers DO mean something.

1. Direct your thoughts to your gods/spiritual team. Directly speak to healing or war deities such as Asclepius or Ares. Hekate is also a good deity to pray to for this practice, and other underworld deities.

2. Take all of the anguish you have been feeling for Ukraine. The feelings of powerlessness. The fear you sense. The pain you sense. The stories/news you have been told. Let yourself fully feel it all.

3. While probably crying—tell your chosen gods to please take all of this suffering within you and transmute it into something useful for the Ukrainians.

Example prayer:

"I pray to Asclepius and Ares. May they please hear me during this horrible hour. This suffering energy does not serve me, so I beg of you to take it from me and transform it to become useful for the people of Ukraine. May their suffering lessen. May their strength rise. May they find their peace when needed."

Introductory Hekate F. A. Q.

1. How do I start? I recommend starting simple. Write a basic prayer to Her, light a candle or some incense. Recite the prayer. Sit in silence afterwards. Allow the practice to grow. Items for your altar will be found, new practices will come to your attention.  As you are able, pick up books on Hekate, as well as books on the Ancient Greeks and Romans, and take your time. A spiritual life is not a race to the finish; there is no end.

2. What books would you recommend? I’ll offer up three of varying intensity and approach. You will find a more extensive bibliography at the end of this FAQ. Sorita D'Este’s Hekate: Liminal Rites offers a gloss of history, along with some personal accounts, as well as a selection of recipes. Tara Sanchez’s Temple of Hekate is a workbook that guides the practitioner through a series of rites that can build a relationship with the Keybearing Queen. Sarah Iles Johnston’s Hekate Soteira proffers the academic discussion of Hekate as She came to be understood in the Hellenistic era, as well as a brief discussion of Her earlier roles in the Mediterranean world.

3. I’m scared Hekate will curse me! Seems unlikely. My experiences have led me to understand Hekate as being an understanding sort, though She does expect Her devotees to uphold their promises to Her. She gets typecast as being far more grim than She is by some modern practitioners. Some others opt instead to castrate Her of Her more difficult aspects. The truth is somewhere in between.

4.  What to do when you feel disconnected from Hekate? Honestly? There’s nothing wrong with taking a break. Most likely, you’ll find your feeling overwhelmed with some other part of your life. I am dealing with this of late myself, to a small extent. I’ve been pretty ill, and between that and the resulting doctor visits, I’ve struggled to be connected. I generally refer to these as fallow-times, and think of it as  letting my spiritual fields rest and recharge for later work. Take some time, and see if things are better later. If they aren’t. If it has been weeks (months) or even a year without a real connection,  realize that sometimes relationships need rebuilt. Start anew. Go back to basics. And if that doesn’t work, it is possible that your relationship with Hekate was for a particular time in your life. Like with friendships, relationships with deities can wane and even stop. It may be time for your path to head in a new direction. You may hear Hekate’s call again later.

5. How to set up Altars? That really depends on your tradition. A basic shrine for Hekate could be as simple as a key and a candle.  If you look around on groups like Hekate’s Crossroads and @fuckyeahaltars you’ll see that shrines and altars are as varied as the people who build them. I have one, my doorside shrine, which has small figures of animals associated with Hekate, a watercolor painting of Her, a key necklace, a statue of an angel (which I use as an image of Hekate Angelos), and a candleholder with a tea light. Be creative. Altars grow and change. You don’t need to rush out and buy a lot of gear to get it going. For my work altar, because my original training was in neo-Wicca, I tend to have something to represent each of the four elements, a statue, an offering plate or bowl, and, because I’m an artist who has painted way too many Hekate images, a painting of Her. Keep in mind, most altars you see online were built after years of practice. Take your time. Building an altar and the gear to build one requires time, but not money necessarily. Scour thrift shops, pay attention to gifts given to you. I’m amazed at the number of things given me that are perfect for my shrines.

6. What are Her symbols? Prominent symbols are keys and torches. Hekate’s Wheel, or Strophalos, is a modern adaptation of what appears to have been a Mycenean button, but it has become one of the most popular images.  Other symbols are anchors, stars, crescent moon and star. As one practices with Her, other symbols may rise for one personally, and it can be a wonderful path to discover if others have also received those symbols, and if they have an ancient precedence. Just keep in mind that those symbols are ultimately between you and the Goddess, and may be meant just for you.

7. Animals? Dogs come up often for Hekate. It is said that on the deipna dogs will howl when She comes to attend the ritual. But they’re not the only animal that is associated with Her. Hekate is said to have snakes in Her hair. Mystics have seen Her associated with bulls, horses, goats, and lions. The Greek Magical Papyri say that in working with Her you will perceive lions. Modern practitioners have also connected Hekate with owls, crows, ravens, and bats.

8. Music for Her? There are several options. My personal favorites are Kathryn Hoss’ country-folk song “Hekate” and Wendy Rule’s song of the same name. I find that my mind will chant the chorus of Rule’s song. Jade Sol Luna’s music is pretty popular. Daemonia Nymphe has worked some real magic. Both have brought some of the ancient hymns to Hekate into the modern world. The song “Hekate” by the Darklings is lovely as well. You’ll discover though, that some songs you encounter on the radio or in your every day listening will come to speak of Her. My music playlist for Hekate includes Madonna, Apocalyptica, Adele, and Tori Amos. It doesn’t have to be music that was written consciously for Her for there to be a connection between Hekate and the music.

9. What is a three-way crossroads? How do crossroads relate to Hekate? Three-way crossroads are usually y-shaped or t-shaped. In the ancient world, many of these had statues of Hekate standing at the junction point. Some scholars speculate that the Hekataion at the crossroads began as a pillar with three Gorgon-like masks hanging in three directions. This may have inspired the three-formed image of Hekate created by Alkamenes.  For the Romans, so intense was the bond between Hecate and the three-ways that they called Her Trivia. Hekate is, in latter ages, also associated with the four-way crossroad. The shrines there were usually to Hermes, often ithyphallic (with penises). Crossroads were places where outlaws could be punished and buried. They were associated with outcasts, and are quintessentially places that are in between. As a liminal space, both three and four-way crossroads lay within Hekate’s portfolio, for She is quintessentially the Goddess of all things along boundaries.

10. Hekate and the Mother, Maiden, and Crone: I personally am no fan of the MMC archetype, let me say that up front. That said, in the ancient world, Hekate is always presented as a Maiden, even when presented in triplicate. Some stories do survive in which Hekate is described as the Mother of Skylla, but those are rare and late in origin. It isn’t until the early Modern era that Hekate comes to be seen as a old woman. Even so, She is a God. Zeus and Hermes once appeared as elderly homeless people. Hekate can appear as whatever She will. If She comes to you as a crone, perhaps that’s what you need at the moment.

11. Hekate’s Many Names: Gods have what are known as epithets. Some epithets connect Hekate to a specific location, such as Hekate Zerynthia. Some refer to moments in the story of Her, such as Hekate Propolos, which alludes to Her role as the companion of Persephone. Others tell us of Her nature, and there we find a multitude of ideas. Hekate is Brimo, which means Angry One, or Crackling Flame, or Terrifying. But She is also Atala, tender and delicate.  We find Her to be Melinoe, the Soothing One, and She is also Aimopotis, the Blood-drinker. The epithets tell of when we can find Her for she is Nyktipolos, Night-wandering. We find hints at the power that She holds. She is Pasikratea, the Universal Queen, and She is Epiphanestate Thea, the Most Manifest Goddess. She is Soteira, our Savior.  All in all, it seems fitting that She carry these many facets, for She is Ameibousa, the One that Transforms. Hekate manifests in the lives of Her people in many different ways, and always has. She is a God and a Titan; a kindness and a haunt; She serves Persephone, and rules over the Cosmos.  It will take me lifetimes to learn all that I would like to know. 

12. Hekate’s Origins:

Scholars theorize that Hekate most like originated in either Thrace (modern day Northern Greece and Bulgaria) or in Anatolia (modern Turkey). Her iconography and the remnants we have of spells and stories relating to Her suggest that Hekate absorbed the features of many Goddesses along the way. In Caria, Anatolia, She seems to have originated as one of the Mother Goddesses in the mold of Cybele.

13. Deipnon/Deipna? The Deipnon is a ritual dinner offered to Hekate when the moon is in its dark phase, when it is not visible in the night sky. This household ritual calls for one to fully clean the house, gathering up the remnant of offerings for the month prior, as well as any incense remains, dust, or other debris. One then gathers food offerings along with the debris and takes them to a three-way crossroads, and lays it all out. The participant then leaves without looking back. The rite purifies the house, and provides Her charges  (the dead and outcast) with offerings.

14. Noumenia? The Noumenia happens when the moon reappears in the sky after the Deipnon. It is a ritual asking the blessing of the Gods upon the household for the new month.

15.  Classical Hekate The earliest description of Hekate is found in the Theogony by Hesiod. She’s described as a Titaness who has a share of earth, sea, and sky, who is honored by Zeus, and who unites with Hermes in the stables to bring blessings on the livestock. Hesiod’s Hekate brings victory in games and in war. She guides those who rule over the city-state. She brings wealth for the fisherman. She is also a gentle nurse of the young. He’s obviously a bit biased in Hekate’s favor.  The earliest statue of Her we have shows Her enthroned and  of a type that is reminiscent of the Great Goddesses of Anatolia, like Cybele. So the early Hekate is a Titaness who has a wide range of gifts. She’s young, but tied closely with blessings for various occupations. Already we see Her as a kourotrophos, the nurse of the young, a title that suggests midwifery. Yet She also gives rulers wisdom in their judgments and picks out Her chosen from the Assembly.  With Hermes and Poseidon, she works. And Hekate is not mentioned in the Iliad nor the Odyssey.

16. Literary Hekate:  Euripides and Aristophanes. Aeschylus and Sophokles.  Greek playwrights loved to talk about Medea, about Kirke. As witches both were shown offering gifts to Hekate on the stage.  From Medea helping Iason past the trials of her father to the moment when Hekate sends a chariot for Medea’s grand escape, Hekate’s role in the theater is almost always one in which she walks with the restless dead. Offerings to Her are poured into the ground, and She is described in words that suggest a truly fearsome Goddess. Gone is the glowing maiden of Hesiod. Here we find a Goddess who is beauteous and young, but is thoroughly chthonic in nature. And here’s the catch. We don’t know how much of this is related to how Hekate was understood in the day-to-day. We know, for example, that Zeus was looked upon as a protector of civilization off stage, in spite of being described as a lecherous rapist in the theater. By its very nature, traits are expanded and exaggerated  and others are diminished or ignored on the stage, so one is left wondering how much of the Hekate of the plays reflects the Goddess Herself. Which bits are part of how the ancients actually understood Her? What was blown out of proportion for the purposes of plot? We may never know.  It requires discernment and knowledge to pick out what served as shorthand for everyday ideas of the Gods, and what was blown out of proportion for dramatic purposes The same sorts of questions can be applied to the Shakespearean Hekate. In MacBeth, Hekate is served by three hags, who get rebuked by the Goddess for their meddling. There is not much description of Her, but her servants seem to favor a bloody and dark art.

17. Mystical Hekate :                 Orphic Hekate - The Orphic Hymn to Hekate is one of the most popular in modern practice. In it Hekate is associated with roads, with three-way crossroads. She has provenance over the earth, sea and sky. She wears robes dyed with saffron (which would be a bright yellow). Here we hear of Her association with the dead, with nature, with dogs. She is described as irresistible and the Keeper of the Keys of the Whole Universe.                 There are also elements of the Hesiodic vision as well. She remains a force in three realms, and a nurse of the young. Here she is called Bullherder, retaining her powers over the herds.                 The Orphics were mystics who claimed to have learned their rites from Orpheus. Their Mysteries were centered around Persephone and Dionysos, and thus included Hekate, who is associated with both of these Divinities. Orphism saw life as a dismal thing to be escaped, and emphasized asceticism, and the rites of their initiations were promised to improve the afterlife.                  Chaldean Hekate - The Chaldean Oracles have numerous descriptions and references to Hekate. They describe Her as residing between the First Cause of the world (Had) and Creation and a Demiurge (Hadad). It is She who ensouls everything in existence. From Her flows all the virtues. She is Nature itself, as well as being the origin of all life. This Hekate is the Savior, and a Queen of Heaven.                  In this cosmology, The Father, Had, is transcendental and distinct from the world, and he has created the Demiurge (Hadad) to create Matter, and Hekate to create Spirit. The Mysteries are meant to free the soul from the material world and allow a return to Hekate. This is heavy philosophical thinking with a huge swath of visionary mysticism.                 Eleusinian Hekate - There is some speculation that Hekate played a second-string role as a Guide in the Eleusinian Mystes, which were built around the story of the Abduction of and Return of Persephone. Little is known about the specifics of how Hekate might present in the Rites. A small temple that may have been associated with Hekate (very likely) or Artemis (less likely) and Poseidon has been discovered at the site.

18. Roman Hekate:  For the Romans Hecate was also known as Trivia, Three-Ways. For the most part She remains the maiden Goddess who stands at crossroads, who is attended by the Restless Dead and hounds. She has the key to all the realms.                 Ovid shared several stories of transformation associated with Hekate, and we must approach his offerings with discernment, because his motivation was purely for entertainment.                   I have yet to do, or to find, a thorough exploration of the differences between the Roman iteration and the Greek one, but it is certain that there are some distinct differences in interpretation.

19. Hellenistic Hekate :  By the time that Alexander builds his empire and shortly thereafter dies, and we see the empire fall into four pieces, Hekate has become thoroughly associated with Witchcraft, poisons, and ghosts. Lead tablets and poppets bear curses in Her name, along with Hermes. These are most often uncovered in graves. The surviving documents also back up the trend towards a thoroughly Chthonic understanding of Hekate, and describe Her as having animal heads while emphasizing Her tripartite nature. 

20. Modern Hekate: Reconstructionist Hekate: Those followers today who resurrect the ancient Greek or Roman practices place Hekate as a Goddess who protects the boundaries of the home and the city. Her role as a force in Witchcraft is acknowledged, but not generally embraced. As with the ancient Greeks, witchcraft does not generally play a large role in groups like Hellenismos. For recon purposes, Hekate is one of the many Gods outside of the Olympians that play a role in the household, but do not necessarily warrant close attention outside of the deipna (and for some the noumenia). Luciferan/Satanic Hekate: Some branches of the so-called Left-hand Path work with Hekate alongside a variety of Beings. The specific practices vary widely, but Hekate’s relationship with the dead and with poisons and witchcraft are heavily emphasized. Hekateans:  Some of us are Reconstructionist, some are Luciferan. Some are off on our own little walk away from all others. We have practitioners trained in Wicca, neo-Wicca, neo-Pagan paths, and all else you can imagine. Hekate calls whom She will, and She is vast enough to welcome a wide range of paths. Some of us encounter Her resembling the beneficient Hesiodic facet; others find Her as brimming with righteous fury. Both are Hekate. Hekate has been worshipped or worked with or followed for more than two thousand years, off and on. She is both a Titaness and a Goddess. She is kind, and cruel. She is Nature. She is the Soul. She is the Goddess who keeps out all those who would do ill to you and yours. I have a theory that She comes to us as we need Her to be in our lives.

21. Liminal? Liminal is a fancy word for having to do with a boundary. When something is liminal, it resides on a threshold between two or more territories. As a guardian of the doorstep, and as Someone who stands at the temple and city gate, Hekate is intrinsically liminal. Indeed, my experience, and from talking to other people who worship Hekate, is that Hekate often comes to us when our lives are on hold, when we are in a liminal place ourselves. It may be that we are between jobs or homes, or that life is just stuck, and that is often when She comes to visit.

22. Is She the Queen of Hell? Mark Smith names Her as such. If one defines Hades as equivalent to Hell (something I’m personally reluctant to do), then it becomes a bit easier to give Her this name. The answer to this question will vary quite a bit depending on your tradition. Do you place Persephone as The Queen of Hades and work with Her as such in any intensity? Trying to approach Hekate as the Queen may not be wise. But if you embrace the polyvalent logic of mythology, and understand that Hades can have many Queens and Kings, it becomes less of an issue. All in all, I don’t connect with this part of Hekatean worship very well. Others, such as Mark Smith, are a wiser source for insight here.

23. Groups Dedicated to Hekate: Covenant of Hekate  - http://hekatecovenant.com The Covenant of Hekate offers classes in a variety of practices, hosts an annual symposium in Glastonbury, helps with the Rite of Her Sacred Fires, and performs a series of rituals and activities dedicated to Hekate according to the phases of the Moon. Hekate’s Crossroads (I’m a moderator here.) - https://www.facebook.com/groups/197015770323026/ There are other groups dedicated to Hekate on Facebook, of varying health and quality, but I am (very biased) comfortable saying that Hekate’s Crossroads is one of the better. If you know of other groups dedicated to Hekate that are active and are relatively welcoming to new faces, please, let me know!

Additional Questions arising after initial publication:

24 - Pronounciation of Hekate and why some people spell Hekate with k and others with a c:

The most common pronunciations today are Heh-Kah-Tay and Heh-Kah-Tee. The spelling Hekate is a transliteration. The ancient Greeks most likely would have pronounced it ‘Eh-kah-tee but this would have varied depending on polis and region. Hekate had devotees over much of the Mediterranean world, so one can imagine the sheer variety of dialects. When the Romans adopted Hekate into their own Pantheon, they spelled Her name with a c instead of a k, simply due to linguistic differences.  

25 - Consorts?

Hekate is most often described as virginal, so strictly speaking most devotees say no. Hekate doesn’t have a consort.

Except there are a few sources that hint that She does.  Apollonius of Rhodes says that Hekate is the mother of Skylla by the sea God Phorkys. Phorkys is the Old Man of the Sea, and was married to the Goddess Keto.

Diodorus Siculus, in his description of Hekate as a mortal queen, has her as the wife of King Aeetes and mother of the witches Kirke and Medea, and their brother Aigialeus.

Theoi.com speculates that both Pausanias and Propertius had Hekate and Hermes as lovers, and the two do work well together.

Many modern practitioners, inspired by the neo-Pagan ideas published in many books, worship deities in pairs. One Goddess; one God. For those purposes, Hekate works well with Helios, Hermes, Poseidon, and Zeus. Among those who are Luciferan or Satanic, Hekate often gets paired with Lucifer himself or Satan.

26 - Offspring?

Hekate’s children are, as discussed under the query of Consorts, varyingly Skylla, Kirke, Medea, and Aigialeus.

Skylla is a monster of the sea, best known from Homer’s Odysseus. She lived in a narrow strait not far from the whirlpool creature Kharybdis. Hekate is not her only mother, as she is also described as the child of Krataiis, Trienos, Lamia, and Ekhidna.

Kirke is best known as a witch, but there is a lot of evidence that She was originally a Goddess of witchcraft. She is best known for turning Odysseus’ men into pigs. As with Skylla, Hekate is not alone in being described as Her mother. Kirke is also known as the child of Helios and Perseis (but then again, Perseis is an epithet of Hekate, in reference to Hekate’s father, Perses.)

Medea, the Witch of the story of Jason and the Argonauts, is also a priestess of Hekate, who beseeches the Goddess repeatedly in Jason’s favor.

Aigialeus makes a brief appearance in the story of Medea, as she kills him in order to secure Jason’s escape.

27. Are Hekate and Heqet, the Egyptian frog-headed Goddess, related?

No. Sorry. A similarity of names isn’t enough to denote a serious connection. There is a vast distance between the two Goddesses, and, while yes, there are some similarities between them, they aren’t the same deity. Both are Goddesses of Childbirth, and Hekate has some connection with frogs. That’s the extent of their overlap, really.  Additionally as someone who has both a Kemetic and a Hellenic background, the two Goddesses feel very different in terms of energy.

Hekate is either Thracian or Anatolian (Karian) in origin, and neither of those societies show a deep connection with Kemet (Egypt). The cultures that birthed these two deities are really distant in terms of symbolic language and worldview. There is simply no logical reason to believe that they’re the same Goddess.  

Epithets with little to no evidence of any variety that I’ve found thus far.

(the Mycenean button, which has become a symbol of Hekate in the modern world.)

Androphonos: Killer of Men Antania: Enemy of Mankind Bolos: of questionable meaning but possibly as Far-Thrower. Bolos variously suggests an  earthy stone, but forms a root word for the epithet Deer-shooting as well as the             word for catching fish. Bolos can imply taking possession of something. Eranne: Lovely Helike: revolving, seems to get mistranslated as Willow: Helike was a polis on the Gulf of    Corinth, and the name of a star in the sky. There is no connection with Hekate.  Theoi.com says the word for Willow was Itea. Hersechthonia: Speaking from Below Hipparete: Horse-speaker: The name of the wife of Alcibiades. No relation to Hekate. Kalkaea: Wearer of High Boots:  The word seems to have no relation to boots of any sort. Mageus: One who Kneads, potentially has roots in the word ‘Magi.’ Meisopomenos: Laborer of the Moon Moira: A Share, Fate:  Connections between Hekate and the Moirae seem to be largely        speculative with no firm historical evidence. Oxythymia: Quick to Anger?: Aristarchus says that oxythymia are gallows trees. See             Groaning Tears: Ethical and Dramatic Aspects of Suicide in Greek Tragedy by Elise P.       Garrison, Brill Press. Panopaea: All-seeing, panorama: The name of a Nereid. Prothegetis: Leader Rhododaktylos: Rosy-fingered: Traditionally an epithet of Eos. Though Eos and Hekate      share the epithet saffron-cloaked, there is no evidence that Hekate bore the name          thus far. Tymborychos: Gravedigger

Part 1

Part 2

Epithets without Historical Precedence but whose Title seems appropriate given other epithets with said provenance.  Or Epithets for which I lack proof of the translation. Please contact me with information that affirms that Hekate had these titles historically if there is such to be had. I have used several of these epithets in ritual with pleasing results.

Epithets without Historical Precedence but whose Title seems appropriate given other epithets with said provenance.  Please contact me with information that affirms that Hekate had these titles historically if there is such to be had. I have used several of these epithets in ritual with pleasing results.

A

Adamantaea: Unconquerable, Untamable Goddess: The name of one of the Nymphs that      nursed Zeus. The meaning of the name certainly applies to Hekate. Agrotera: Huntress: Epithet for Artemis. Likely applied to Hekate through modern              conflation. Amaimaketos: Unconquerable, raging, invincible, uncontrollable: Associated with the           Chimera and with the Sea, see Homer: The Poetry of the Past by Andrew Ford (footnote no. 52 on p. 90) and Man, Myth, and Magic: an illustrated encyclopedia of            the supernatural, vol. 1 by Richard Cavendish, 1971. Apanchomene: The Hanged One: An epithet associated with Artemis.

B

Booporos: Ox-Herder:  As Hekate was historically called Ox-Herder (Bookolos), the title fits.

C

D

E

Epaine: Awe-inspiring, glorious, sublime:  Historically applied to Persephone. Yet the       meaning of this epithet certainly applies to Hekate. Ephoros: Guardian, overseer:  Possibly derived from the name Ephesos. No evidence of     connection to Hekate, though it seems appropriate. Epi-tymbidia: sepulchral: Closely associated with Aphrodite.

F

G

Genetyllis: Birth-helper:  The Goddess of Childbirth whose name came to be a title of          Artemis and Aphrodite. A class of goddesses of midwifery, the Genetillides. See A   Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology by William Smith, 1873.   Pausanias also highlights the similarities between Hekate and Genetyllis.

H

Hexacheira: of six-ways, of six hands. Several reliefs show Hekate with six hands, and thus          could apply. I simply haven’t found an example of it being used historically. Hiera: Holy One: Applies to the Gods certainly.

I

J

K

Kelkaia: unknown meaning: Farnells suggests this epithet came to Artemis from Hekate.

L

Limenoskopos: of the Threshold, Watcher of Havens, On the Harbor, Watching the Harbor:            A title that applied to Zeus and Artemis. Fits too well to Hekate’s nature to overlook         as applicable. I know this one is attested, but I need to find time to assemble the              relevant sources.

M

N

Noctiluca: Light of the Night, Night Shiner: A Latin epithet of Luna.

O

Oistrophaneia: Manifester of Madness: This name is of uncertain origin. Hekate was      certainly described as a Goddess who could bring or cure madness. Ophiothrix: Serpent-haired: created by me for the purposes of describing Hekate’s snake-          haired figure which is found in various texts. Oriplanos: Mountain-wandering: PGM IV 2441-2621. Ori translates ‘hill’ or ‘mountain,’ and planos means ‘wandering,’ but this word is absent from the LSJ or Strong’s.

P

Paggenneteira: Mother of All. Pasiphaessa: Wide-Shining: An epithet of Aphrodite. Phthorenes: Ruin-bringer, Corruptor: PGM IV 2785-2890. Polyboteira: Generous Giver of Nourishment: I’ve yet to find evidence of this specific    epithet, though Kerenyi describes Hekate as Nourishing. Polyplokamos: of many Tentacles; with many Feelers:  from an ancient poem. Waiting for     the exact source before affirming this epithet. Potnia Theron: Mistress of Animals, Lady of Wild Beasts: a title first found in Minoan            society, and applied to various Goddesses. Rabinowitz in his book on Hekate hints at         scholarly debate over the application of this epithet to Hekate. Prokathegetis: She who goes down before: Kathegetis means teacher or guide. Hekate              certainly fits. Prytania: misunderstood to translate as “Invincible Queen of the Dead” but it is more likely     a connection to the Council Chamber, the Prytania.: See The Symbolical Language of         Ancient Art and Mythology: An Inquiry by Richard Payne Knight, p. 26 for a       discussion of the Prytania. The modern (mis)understanding as Invincible Queen of          the Dead fits well. See the historical epithet Nertoron Prytanin, which actually does   mean Mistress of the Dead.

R

             Rexipyle: Door-breaker: PGM IV 2708-2784. Not found in LSJ or Strong’s.

S

             Strophaia: Standing as a porter at the door hinge: Mentioned by Farnell that it was inherited from Hekate to Artemis.

T

             Tymborychos: Gravedigger, Grave-robber. The word is in the LSJ but I have not found it associated with Hekate as of yet.

U

V

W

X

Y

Z 

PART 1

PART 3

Hekate’s Many Names

Kleidoukhos, Dadophoros, Eilytheia, Basillea, all names that Hekate has born through Her history. Just four of well over a hundred titles and names and qualifiers and descriptors. Each gives us a different perspective of our Goddess, though no name is sufficient to encapsulate Hekate who is the Soul of the World. Epithets are perspectives, new or old, that Her followers have found appropriate. Some, like Perseia, describe elements of Her mythos. Others may tell us where She had a temple or a cultus, such as  Zerynthia. We learn via epithets that She is bright-coiffed, beautiful, maidenly, or angry-voiced, wild, and sepulchral.

When a priest or a devotee puts pen to paper and strives to describe Hekate in the poor terms of language, epithets can provide the means to begin.

I have arranged my study of epithets in terms of veracity, not because I only want to use the oldest and most original, but because I believe it is important to recognize how Her titles and descriptors have grown and changed as the world as shifted. Being honest about whence an idea originated and when allows for a greater grasp of what is being created today.

I owe many people for this project. Florian Schlie, Tina Georgitsis, Sorita d'Este, Tara Sanchez, Natalie Baan, Melissa McNair, Nikki Salvatore, Katerina Dogiama-Azeri as well as the community of the Covenant of Hekate as a whole, and the group known as Hekate’s Crossroads as well. Without them and their support, I never would have created this project.

If you can assist in this work, please email me at [email protected] with your insights, preferably with a source, and permission whether I can mention your name in later editions of this project.

Ultimately, my hope is that this on-going exploration of Hekate’s names helps the community of Hekate’s devotees to find inspiration and insight into our vast and enigmatic Goddess. May it be a blessing upon your path, a guidepost, and a light in moments when you need it.

EDIT: Updated Feb. 13, 2016 with almost 100 new epithets, thanks to this wonderful list. Some of the entries didn’t pass my personal standards for making it into the most historical list, but they are all valuable, and all will probably eventually be added to the first category. My kingdom for a good original Greek copy of the PGM… that I can afford.

EDIT: updated 5/27/2016 with a slew of new epithets.

EDIT: updated 8/13/2018 with a few new epithets. Thanks to Cyndi Brannen from Patheos’ Keeping Her Keys for the help with these! 

Epithets with  Historical Precedence

?: Subduer of All: Greek Magical Papyri Hymn IV 2714-83 ?: Fawn-slayer: Hymn to Selene-Hekate-Artemis, Greek Magical Papyri IV 2714-83. ?: Greatest Overseer: Hymn to Selene-Hekate-Artemis, Greek Magical Papyri IV 2714-83. ?: Who Pours Forth Arrows: Hymn to Selene-Hekate-Artemis, Greek Magical Papyri IV         2714-83.

?: Adorned in Full Armor: The Chaldean Oracles. See Stephen Ronan. ?: Holds the Helm of All: The Chaldean Oracles. See Stephen Ronan. ?: Dog-slaying: Lycophron. See also Simon Hornblower. ?: Mistress of Dreams. See Stephen Ronan and Fontenrose’s Python. ?: Swordbearing: See Stephen Ronan and Sarah Iles Johnston.

A

Abronoe: Gracious: PGM IV 2441-2621. See Pachoumi’s “A List of Epithets from the Greek Magical Papyri…”. Admetos: Unconquered: PGM IV 2708-2784. Also said of Atalanta. Aenaos: Eternal, Ever-flowing: PGM IV 2785-2890. Agallomenen elaphoisi: Rejoicing in Deer: The Orphic Hymn to Hekate. Agia: Sacred, holy, saint: PGM IV 2241-2358. Aglaos: Radiant, bright, beautiful, pleasing: PGM IV 2241-2358. As a term, aglaos connotes festivity and song. Agriope : Wild-eyed, Fierce-faced, Savage-watcher, wild-voiced : A name associated with           Eurydice, Orpheus’ wife, likely came to be attached to Hekate when the two were    conflated. From Orpheus and His Lute: Poetry and the Renewal of Life by Elisabeth              Henry, SIU Press, 1992 p. 3. Also, Maass’ Orpheus, 1895. Aidonaea:  of the Underworld (lit. of  Hades): PGM IV. 2708-84 and PGM IV. 2855. Beware              spellings such as Adonaea, which more properly refers to the gardens dedicated to       Adonis. Aidonia also may apply to a site in Mycenaea. Aimopotis: Blood-drinker, murderer. Footnote from Catharine Roth discussing the term          and its association with Hekate on www.stoa.org Aionaios: Eternal: PGM IV 2241-2621. Aizeos: Vigorous: PGM IV 2241-2358. Akrie: Extreme: PGM IV line 2277. Aktinochiatis: Radiant-haired, with rays for hair: PGM IV 2241-2358. Aktiophis: of unknown meaning: various hymns to Selene and Hekate in the Greek Magical            Papyri. Alexeatis: Averter of Evil:  A 5th c. BCE inscription to Enodia mentioned by Sarah Iles        Johnston in Restless Dead. Alkimos: Strong, stout, brave, powerful: PGM IV 2241-2358. Ambrotos: Immortal: applied to all the Gods and many Titans. PGM IV 2241-2358. Ameibousa: One that transforms: Oracle Table from Pergamon dedicated to Hekate.            (Special thanks to Florian Schlie for the information.) Amphiphaes: Circumlucent: Proclus. Damascius. trans. by Stephen Ronan. Amphiprosopos: Double-faced: The Chaldean Oracles, also Reading Plotinus: A Practical      Introduction to Neoplatonism by Kevin Corrigan. Amphistomos: Double-mouthed. Proclus’ In Timaeus. Anassa: Queen:  The Orphic Hymn to Hekate. Applied to a variety of Goddesses. Anassa Eneroi: Queen of the Dead: A title which is perfectly appropriate, though historically     was most often applied to Persephone. theoi.com/cult/hekatecult.html Angelos: Messenger: The Chaldean Oracles. Associated with numerous Gods. Karl Kerenyi   discusses the shared role of Angelos between Hermes and Hekate in Hermes: Guide         of Souls. Antaia: She Who Meets, Besought with prayers: Sophocles’ Rootcutters. Aoroboros: Devourer of the Untimely Dead: PGM IV 2785-2890.  Apanchomene: The Hanged One, The Strangled, One Who Hanged Herself: assoc. with Artemis in particular, but Farnell mentions a story about a woman Artemis named Hekate after she hanged herself.  Aphrattos: Unnamed One:  In “Taranto” by Enzo Lippolis, Salvatore Garraffo, Massimo          Nafissi by the Instituto per la Storia e l'Archeologia della Magna Grecia, 1995, p. 194- 5. 

Apotropaios: Averting, Averter: Supplementum epigraphicum Graecum (SEG) 42 1816. Archikos: Royal: The Chaldean Oracles, xx (Psellus) and xxbis. See Ronan. Aregos: Helper: PGM IV 2241-2358. Ariste: The Best: See Zeus: A study in ancient religion which posits that Ariste Chthonia is Hekate. The epithet also applies to Artemis and Demeter. Arkyia: Entrapper: PGM III.1-164 Astrodia: Star-coursing, Star-walker: PGM IV 2441-2621. See Pachoumi’s “A List…” Atala: Tender, delicate: Hesiod’s Hymn to Demeter. Atala Phroneousa: Gay-Spirited: The Homeric Hymn to Demeter. Atasthalos: Reckless, Presumptuous, Wicked: PGM IV 2241-2358. Athanatos: Immortal, of Immortal Fame: PGM IV 2241-2358. Autopheus: Self-Begotten: PGM 4.2274. Azonos: without Borders: See The Chaldean Oracles, xx (Psellus), Ronan. Azostos: Ungirt, without a belt: The Orphic Hymn to Hekate. B

Baridoukhos: skiff-holder, barque-holder, the one who has a boat: PGM IV 2241-2358. Basileia: Queen, Princess:  The Orphic Hymn to Hekate. Also, Farnell’s Cults of the Greek         States vol. 2, p. 507.  Applied to a variety of Goddesses. Boopis: Cow-eyed: PGM IV.2708-84. Borborophorba: Eater of Filth: Greek Magical Papyri, 1402, 1406. Brimo: Angry One, The Terrifying, of Crackling Flames : Apollonios Rhodios 3.861-63, 1246.          Also applied to Persephone, Demeter, and Cybele. Bythios: Abyssal, of the Deep: PGM IV 2441-2621. Can also mean ‘of the Sea,’ but scholars have typically interpreted this as a reference to Chthonic powers in this context.

C

Charopos: Fierce, grim, flashing, bright, having blue-grey eyes, of the Sea: PGM IV 2241-2358. I nearly didn’t put this one on list A because of the wide range of meanings, and the lack of a notation to explain the translator’s choice of words. Chrysopis: Golden-faced: PGM IV 2241-2358. Applied to many Gods, including Leto and Helios. Chrysosandalos: of Golden Sandals:  The Hymn of Hekate-Erechkigal, Greek Magical Papyri            LXX. Chrysosandalaimopotischthonia: Goddess of the Lower World wearing golden sandals and drinking blood: found on a curse tablet. Chrysostephanos: Golden-crowned, crowned with splendor: PGM IV 2241-2358. Also given to Herakles and Aphrodite. Chthonian: of the Earth: The Orphic Hymn to Hekate.

D

Dadophoros: Torchbearer:  Well-attested in sculpture and coins. Daeira: The Knowing One, Teacher: A nymph and lover of Hermes who was sometimes      conflated with Persephone and Hekate, according to the Perseus Project. Daidalos: Cunning: PGM IV 2241-2358. Damasandra: Subduer of men: PGM IV 2785-2890. An epithet for the Moon. Damnameneia: She who Subdues by Force: PGM IV lines 2850-1. See Pachoumi. Daspleti: Frightful: PGM IV. 2785-2890. Deichteira: Teacher: PGM IV 2241-2358. See Pachoumi’s. Deinos: Terrible: The Chaldean Oracles, xli (Proclus), Ronan. Despoina: Mistress, Lady: From Aeschylus, Fragment 216, Hekate is called Lady.  Despoina           was also an Arkadian Goddess of Fertility and daughter of Demeter in her own right.              Thanks to Sophia Kirke for the insight! Many Goddesses were called Despoina. Dione: The Goddess: Dione is a goddess in her own right that came to be conflated with             Hekate. From the Oracle Table of Pergamom. Source: Hekate die dunkle Gottin by Thomas Lautwein. Dodonie: of Dodona: PGM IV line 2275. See Pachoumi. Doloeis: Astute, subtle, wily, cunning: PGM IV 2708-2784. Drakaina: Serpent/dragon: PGM IV 2241-2358.

E

Eidolios: Ghostly, fantasmal: PGM IV 2241-2358. Eileithyia: nurse of Childbirth: Goddess of midwives, conflated with Artemis and Hekate. Einalian: of the Sea: The Orphic Hymn to Hekate. Einodia Thygater Demetros: Daughter of Demeter, who is of the Road: See Farnell, who attributes the phrase to Euripides. Ekdotis: Bestower: The Chaldean Oracles. Lewy and Des Places applies this to Had, the First Father, but Johnston and Ronan say it applies to Hekate. Ekklesia: of the Assembly: See Ronan. Elaphebolos: Shooter of Deer, Deer-huntress: PGM IV 2441-2621. Also belongs to Artemis. Elateira: Driver, Charioteer: The Chaldean Oracles. Originally an epithet given to Artemis. Ellophonos: Fawn-slayer: Hymn to Selene-Hekate-Artemis. PGM IV 2714-83. Empousa: Empusa: The Scholiast on Apollonius’ Argonautika, Rohde’s “Hekate’s Hordes.” Empylios: at the Gate:  See the Orphic Argonautika 902, as well as an inscription in a           museum associated with the Temple of Zeus in Nemea. Empyrios: Empyrean: The Chaldean Oracles. See Ronan and Johnston. Enodia: of the Path:  Pausanias’ Description of Greece 3.14.9,  Hippocrates Of Sacred            Disease, and The Orphic Hymn to Hekate. Ephodia:  travelling expenses… of uncertain appelation with Hekate.  Inscription in a           museum associated with the Temple of Zeus in Nemea. Ephthisikere: Destroying Death: PGM IV line 2852. Betz keeps this as a Voces Magicae. Epigeioi: of the Earth: a class of deities that includes Hekate, according to Artemidorus. Epiphanestate Thea: the Most Manifest Goddess:  “The Priviledges of Free Nontributary States” by Sulla, 81 BCE. Epipurgidia:  on the Tower: Pausanias’s description of Athens. Episkopos: Guardian, one who watches over, overseer: PGM IV 2708-2784. Epiteichea: The Stronghold, Fort: see Der Apollon-Delphinios-kult in Milet und die Neujahrsprozession nach Didyma by Alexander Herda. Erannos: Lovely: The Orphic Hymn to Hekate. Ergatis: Energizer: The Chaldean Oracles. Lewy and Des Places applies this to Had, the First Father, but Johnston and Ronan say it is Hekate. Erigeneia: Daughter of the Morning, Early-born. PGM IV 2785-2890. An epithet for the Moon. Erototokos: Producing Love, who bore love, bearer of love: PGM IV 2441-2621. Also an epithet for Aphrodite. Eukoline: Good tempered:  grave stele in Athens. Additionally Kallimachos refers to Hekate Eukoline. Additionally, could be applied to Eileithyia. Eupatereia: Noble-born: PGM IV 2708-2784. Eurippa: Horse-finder:  Robert Brown, Semitic Influence in Hellenic Mythology, Williams and Norgate, 1898. Eurostochos: Wide-Aimed: PGM IV lines 2281-2

G

Geneteira: Mother: PGM IV 2785-2890. Gigaessa: Giant: PGM IV 2708-2784. See Pachoumi’s “A List…” Gorgo: The Grim, the Gorgon: A.B. Cook’s study of Zeus, vol.3, part 2, and Rohde’s “Hekate’s Hordes.”

H

Hecatoncheires : Hundred-handed:  The Chaldean Oracles Hegemonen: Guide: The Orphic Hymn to Hekate. Hieros Pyr: Holy Fire: The Chaldean Oracles, See Johnston and Ronan. Hippokyon: Mare Bitch, Horse-dog: PGM IV 2441-2621. An epithet for the Moon. Hippoprosopos: Horse-Faced: PGM IV 2441-2621. An epithet for the Moon. Hypolampeira: of unknown meaning: hypolamp* words generally have to do with the quality of light, hypolampros translates as ‘rather bright’ as of the stars, while hypolampes suggests ‘shining with inferior light’: Thomas Lautwein. lampe- implies lamp or light.

I

Iokheaira: One who shoots Arrows: PGM IV 2241-2358. Shared with Artemis. Indalimos: Beautiful: PGM IV 2241-2358. Perhaps related to Indalmos, which suggests form.

J

K

Kalligeneia: Bearing beautiful offspring: PGM IV 2785-2890. An epithet also used to describe Demeter in the Thesmophoria. Kalliste: Fairest: Thomas Lautwein says the PGM refers to Hekate as Kalliste. Kapetoktypos: Tomb-disturber, causing the noise of lamentation: PGM IV 2785-2890. Betz translates it as “who makes grief resound,” and Pachoumi as “the one who makes the graves to resound.” Kardiodaitos: Heart-Eater, Feasting on Men’s Hearts: PGM IV 2785-2890. Kareia: of Karia, Kraus. Karko: Lamia: See Rohde’s “Hekate’s Hordes.” Katachthonia: Subterranean: Demotic Text 74. Kata(kam)psypsauchenos: Bending down necks that show off: PGM IV lines 2718-9. Keratopis: Horned-faced, Horned-looking: PGM IV 2441-2621. Keroeis: Horned: PGM IV 2785-2890. Khthonia: Of the Underworld; Of the Earth: The Orphic Hymn to Hekate. Kleidoukhos: Keeper of the Keys: The Orphic Hymn to Hekate. Klothaie: Spinner of Fate, of Klotho: PGM IV 2241-2358. Komas: of the Revel: The Chaldean Oracles, see Ronan. Kore: Maiden: The Orphic Hymn to Hekate. Kourotrophos: Child’s nurse, nurse of youths: The Orphic Hymn to Hekate. Shared with    Artemis and Eilytheia. Kratais: The Strong One, of the Rocks: Apollonius of Rhodes’ Argonautika. Krokopeplos: Saffron-cloaked: The Orphic Hymn to Hekate. Kydimos: Glorious: OGM IV 2241-2358. Also the name of several priests known from inscriptions. Kynegetis: Leader of Dogs:  Orphic Hymn 36.5. Kynokephalos: Dog-headed: A.B. Cook’s Zeus and Ronan. Kynolygmate: Howling like a Dog, who howls dog-like: PGM IV 2441-2621. Kyon Melaina: Black Dog: Thomas Lautwein says this epithet is to be found in the PGM. Kyria: The Powerful, Supreme: A.B. Cook’s Zeus and Ronan.

L

Laginitis: of Lagina, possibly: The city of Idrias had a temple to Hekate Laginitis. : See A   History of Discoveries at Halicarnassus, Cnidus, and Branchidae, vol. 2 by Charles T.     Newton, R.P. Pullan, 1863. Lampadephoros: Lamp-bearer, torch-bearer, who warns of nighttime attack. : Associated      with the Mysteries of Phrygia.  The Cities and Bishoprics of Phrygia by William    Ramsay.  Suidas describes a statue dedicated to Hekate the Torchbearer for saving   the city of Byzantium from Philip of Macedon. Lampadios: Torchbearer, Lampbearer: PGM IV 2441-2621. Leaina: the Lioness:  Porphyry, Fragmenta III, 18. See also Kraus’ Hekate, p. 32-33. Leontoukhos: Holding A Lion: Psellus’ Chaldean Oracles fragment 148. Michael Italicus             Letter XVII, 182.26. Leukophryne: white-browed or of the white-browed hill: The Prognostikon of Pergamon.      See Thomas Lautwin. Closely associated with Artemis at Magnesia, might come from conflation. Limenitikos: of the Harbor, Harbor Goddess: PGM IV 2441-2621. Liparokredemnos: of the bright-headband, Bright-coiffed: The Homeric Hymn to Hekate. Lothaie: The One with Crest: PGM IV line 2267. Lyko: Wolf-formed: PGM IV.2241-2358

M

Maera: Shining:  In Ovid’s Metamorphoses connects the story of a woman Maera turned            into a dog with Hekate. Makairapos: Blessed One: PGM IV 2441-2621. Mastigophoros: Scourge-bearing: The Chaldean Oracles. See Ronan and Johnston. Medusa: Protector: For information on the relationship between the Gorgons and Hekate, see Ronan. They are definitely related. And of course, the Gorgones face-mask was used to fend off evil, as on Athene’s Aegis. Medousa’s name derives from medo, meaning to guard or protect. PGM IV 2708-2784. Meisoponeros: Vice-hating: from a Capitoline inscription that is mentioned by Farnell. Also see Kopp’s Paleoepigraphica. Megiste: Greatest:  Sarah Iles Johnston mentions this Hellenistic Carian epithet in Restless       Dead, p. 206. Melaine: Black: A stele in Phrygia calls Black Hekate’s curse upon those who intrude upon the tomb. Melaneimon: Black-clad, wearing black: PGM IV 2441-2621. An epithet associated with the Furies. Melinoe: Soothing One: The Orphic Hymn to Melinoe, in which she is described as sharing a         lot of traits with Hekate. Found as an epithet for Hekate on the Prognostikon of          Pergamon in Thomas Lautwin’s Hekate: die dunkle gottin. Mene: Moon: See Rohde. PGM IV 2241-2358. PGM IV 2441-2784. Mitrie: With a Headband: PGM IV lines 2274-5. Monogenes:  Only Child: Hesiod’s Theogony, 11.404-452. Mormo: She-monster. See Cook and Rohde. Munychia: of unknown meaning, possibly of the village Munychia. An epithet of Artemis            associated with the Attic military port of the same name. See Women of Classical    Mythology by Robert Bell, Oxford, p.312. Also Farnell, p. 473.

N

Nekyia: Mistress of Corpses: PGM III. 1-164. Nerterios: Infernal, Nether One: PGM IV 2441-2621. Nerteron Prytanin: Mistress of the Dead: Thomas Lautwein. The Nerteroi are Chthonic          Spirits. Nekuia: Mistress of Corpses: PGM III 1-59. Noeros: Intellective: The Chaldean Oracles, vii. Ronan. Nomaios: Pastoral: PGM IV 2241-2358. Nykhia: Nocturnal, of the Night: PGM IV 1390-1495. Nyktairodyteira: She that rises and sets by night, Night-riser and setter, who rise and set by night: PGM IV 2441-2621. Commonly given to the Moon. Nykteria: of the Night: The Orphic Hymn to Hekate. Nykti: of the Night: From the Oracle Table of Pergamom. Source: Hekate die dunkle Gottin by Thomas Lautwein. Nyktipolos: Night-wandering:  Orphic Argonautika. Nyktophaneia: Night-shining: PGM IV 2441-2621. Nymphen: Bride: The Orphic Hymn to Hekate. Nyssa: Goal, beginning, turning post, ambition: PGM IV 2241-2358.

O

Oistroplaneia: Spreader of Madness, Causing the Wanderings of Madness: PGM IV 2785-2890. Olkitis: Who Draws Swords: PGM IV lines 2267. Opaon: Follower: The Homeric Hymn to Hekate. Ophioplokamos: with Snaky-Curls, Coiled with Snakes: PGM IV 2785-2890. Oroboros: Tail-Eating: Defixiones Tabellae 41, part of a spell incantation. Ourania: Celestial, Heavenly: The Orphic Hymn to Hekate. Ouresiphoites: Wanderer in the Mountains: the Orphic Hymn to Hekate. 

P

Paionios: Healer: PGM IV 2241-2358. Also applied to Apollon. Name of the sculptor of the Nike of Samothrace. Pammetor: Mother of All: PGM IV 2785-2890. Pandamateira: All-tamer, all-powerful, all-subduer. PGM IV 2708-2784. Pandina: possibly something about whirling or rotating, but largely unknown. : See The   Numismatic Circular and Catalogue of Coins, Tokens, Commemorative and War      Medals, Books and Cabinets, vol. 16, Spink & Son, 1908, p. 10308 Pandoteira: All-giver, Bestower of Everything, bounteous: PGM IV 2241-2358. Pangaios: World-wide: PGM IV 2241-2358. Also the name of a mountain associated with Rhesos. Pachoumi translates it as ‘holding the whole earth.’ Panta ephepousa: Unknown meaning: The Prognostikon of Pergamon. See Thomas           Lautwin. Panphorba: One who Eats Everything: PGM IV line 2749. Betz chooses to keep this as a voces magicae.) Pantos Kosmou Kleidokhos: Keeper of Keys of the Kosmos: The Orphic Hymn to Hekate. Pantrophos: All-nurturing: PGM IV 2708-2784. Panupata: Most High: PGM VII line 700. The prayer is associated with Brimo. Parthenos: Virgin: The Chaldean Oracles. Pasikratea: Universal Queen: The Prognostikon of Pergamon. See Thomas Lautwin. Pasimedousa: Ruling over All: The Prognostikon of Pergamon. See Thomas Lautwin. Patrogenes: Father-Begotten: The Chaldean Oracles. Pege: Source: The Chaldean Oracles: See Damascius, Ronan and Johnston. Pege Psychon: Source of Souls: The Chaldean Oracles, x (Psellus), xii (Psellus), and xlii (Psellus), Ronan. Perseian: daughter of Perseus: The Orphic Hymn to Hekate. Persephone: to cause or bring Death: The Prognostikon of Pergamon. See Thomas Lautwin.          Possibly through conflation with the Goddess of the same name. Persia: Persian: PGM IV 2241-2358. Phaenno: Brilliant: PGM IV 2241-2358. Name of one of the oracles of the Roman Era, Phaenno of Epirus. Phaesimbrotos: Bringer of Light: PGM IV 2785-2890. Pheraea: of Pheraea, daughter of Zeus and Pheraea (daughter of Aeolus):              theoi.com/cult/hekatecult.html Phileremos: Lover of Solitude: The Orphic Hymn to Hekate. Philoskylax: Lover of Dogs: Nonnus 3.24. Phoberos: Fearful: PGM IV 2441-2621. Phoebe: Bright: From the Oracle Table of Pergamom. The epithet is also associated with     Artemis and Apollo. Source: Hekate die dunkle Gottin by Thomas Lautwein. Phoinikopeza: Ruddy-footed: Pindar’s Paean 2. Also applied to Demeter. Phos: Holy Light, Light: PGM IV 2241-2358. Often used to describe the light of the Moon. Phosphoros: Light-bearer: Artemidoros. See also Euripides Helen, 569. Photoplex: who strikes with light: PGM IV 2241-2358. Phroune: She-toad:  JGR Forlong’s Encyclopedia of Religions or Faiths of Man pt. 1 p. 269.     This is also one of the sources of the idea that Hekate and Heqet might share     common origins, an idea that has been thoroughly debunked by scholars of both    Egypt and Greece.   Phylake: Guard, Who keeps watch and ward: PGM IV 2708-2784. Physis: Nature: The Chaldean Oracles. Podarke: Fleet-footed: PGM IV 2241-2358. Also an epithet for Achilles. Polykleitos: Much renowned, far-famed: PGM IV 2241-2358. Also the name of a sculptor from Sicyon. Polyodynos: One who Suffers, suffering many pains, who suffers much: PGM IV 2441-2621. Polyonumos: Many-named: PGM IV 2708-2784. This epithet applies to many Gods. Presbeia: Ancient, Elder: PGM IV 2241-2358. Prodomos: Of the Vestibule, literally Before the House: Aristophanes’ Fragment 388. Promethikos: with forethought: PGM IV 2241-2358. Propolos: She Who Leads, Guide, Companion: see archimedes.fas.harvard.edu ’s entry on              the term Propolos. Propolousa. Guide, companion, servant. Sophocles, The Root Cutters. Propylaia: One before the Gate:  See Tooke’s Pantheon of the Heathen Gods and Illustrious             Heroes by Francois Pomey, 1823, p. 178. Prothyraea: Before the Gate: The Orphic Hymn to Prothyraea doesn’t explicitly use       Hekate’s name, but carries many of Her traits, and  it uses the names of Diana and        Eileithyia, both of who were conflated with Hekate. Protistos: Primordia, the very first: The Chaldean Oracles. See Ronan. Psychopompe: Soul-Guide:  a psychopomp is a class of beings with the responsibility of         guiding souls into the afterlife, rather than an epithet. Hekate certainly qualifies. Pyriboulos: of Fiery Counsel: PGM IV.2751. Pyridrakontozonos: Girt with Fiery Serpents.: PGM IV 1390-1495. Pyripnoa: Breathing Fire: PGM IV.2727. see also Michael Clark, Revenge of the Aesthetic, U.    CA, 2000. Pyriphoitos: Firewalker: PGM IV 2708-2784. Often an epithet for Persephone. Pyrphoros: Fire-bearer: May also be interpreted as torch-bearer. See Farnell, Cults of the Greek States, vol. 2. p. 516.

R

Rexichthon: Earth-cleaver: Hymn to Selene-Hekate-Artemis, Greek Magical Papyri IV 2714-          83. Rixipyle: She who throws down the gates: PGM 2751.

S

Sarkophagos: Flesh-eater: PGM IV 2785-2890. Skotia: of the Dark, of the Gloom:  Diodorus I describes Hekate Scotia as worshiped in Egypt. The title was also associated with Aphrodite in Egypt.  The Day of Yahweh by       William Arthur Heidel, 1929, p. 516. Skylakageia: of unknown translation, other than having something to do with dogs. Thomas              Lautwein. Skylakitin: Lady of the Dogs: The Orphic Hymn to Hekate. Soteira: Savior: see Hekate Soteira by Sarah Iles Johnston for a great exegesis. This epithet    has been given to many different Gods and Goddesses. Speirodrakontozonos: Girt in Serpent Coils: See Michael Italicus’ Letter 17, as quoted in         Stephen Ronan’s The Goddess Hekate.

T

Tartaroukhos: Ruler of Tartaros: PGM IV 2241-2358. Taurodrakaina: Bull snake, Bull dragon: PGM IV 2441-2621. Taurokarenos: Bull-headed: PGM IV 2785-2890. Tauromorphos: Bull-formed: PGM IV 2441-2621. Tauropolos: Bull-herder: The Orphic Hymn to Hekate. Tauropos: Bull-faced: PGM IV 2785-2890. Tergeminus: of Triple-Birth: An Elementary Latin Dictionary by Charlton T. Lewis, American    Book Co. 1890. Tersimbrotos: One who delights mortals, gladdens mortals, gladdens the hearts of men: PGM IV 2241-2358. Tetrakephalos: Four-headed: The Chaldean Oracles. See Ronan and Johnston. Tetraoditis: of the four-ways, haunting crossroads, mistress of the Four-Roads: PGM IV 2441-2621. An epithet for the Moon. Tetraonymos: Four-named: PGM IV 2441-2621. An epithet for the Moon. Tetraprosopos, Tetraprosopeine: Four-headed: The Chaldean Oracles. See Ronan and Johnston. Thanategos: Death-bringing: PGM IV 2785-2890. Thea Deinos: The Dread Goddess: Apollonius Rhodius Argonautica 3.1194 Therobromon: Roaring like a Wild Beast, of the City of the Beast: The Orphic Hymn to          Hekate. Theroktonos: Beast-slayer: PGM IV 2441-2621. Also given to Artemis as an epithet. Thrinakia: Triple-pointed, of three extremes, triple: PGM IV 2441-2621. The LSJ simply says this epithet means Triple. It is also the name of an island Odysseus visits after escaping Skylla and Charybdis. Tletos: Patient: PGM IV 2241-2358. Triaucheros: with Three Necks: Lycophron’s Alexandra 1186. Triceps: Three-formed: Ovid’s Metamorphoses 7.194. Trikephalos: Three-headed: numerous sources, coins, and statuary. Trikaranos: Three-headed: PGM IV 1390-1495. Triktypos: Triple-sounding: PGM IV 2441-2621. Trimorphos: Three-formed: numerous sources, coins, and statuary. Trioditis: Of the Three Roads: Athenaeus. Trionymos: Triple-named: PGM IV 2441-2621. Triphthoggos: Triple-voiced, having three voices: PGM IV 2441-2621. Trivia: Of the Three Ways: The name for the Roman Goddess of the Three Roads. Tymbidian: sepulchral: The Orphic Hymn to Hekate.

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

Zatheos: Divine: PGM IV 2241-2358. Zerynthia: of Mount Zerynthia: See Gimbutas’ Old Europe, p. 197. Likely named after    Zerynthos in Lagina. Zonodrakontos: Covered in Snakes, Intertwined with snakes: The Chaldean Oracles. Zoogonos: Seed of Life: Psellus’ Chaldean Oracles. Zootrophos: Nourisher of Life: The Chaldean Oracles.

PART 2   http://nehetisingsforhekate.tumblr.com/post/87605286501/hekates-many-names-part-2-of-3 

PART 3    http://nehetisingsforhekate.tumblr.com/post/87605388811/hekates-many-names-part-3-of-3

Bibliography

Admetos: Unconquered

Agallomenen Elaphoisi: Rejoicing in Deer

Aglaos: Radiant/Bright/Beautiful

Agriope: Wild-eyed/Fierce-Faced/Savage-Watcher/Wild-Voiced (Blocked by Tumblr censors…) 

Aidonaia: of the Underworld

Aimopotis: Blood-drinker/Murderer

Aionos: Eternal

Aizeos: Vigorous

Aktiophis: of unknown meaning

Alexeatis: Averter of Evil

Alkimos: Strong/Stout/Brave/Powerful

Amaimaketos: Unconquerable/Raging/Invincible/Unapproachable

Ambrotos: Immortal

Ameibousa/Amibousa: One that Transforms

Amphiphaes: Circumlucent

Amphiprosopos: Double-Faced

Anassa Eneroi: Queen of the Dead

Angelos/Angele: Messenger

Antaia: She Who Meets/Besought with Prayer

Aoroboros: Devourer of the Untimely Dead

Apanchomene: The Strangled, The Hanged One, She who Hangs Herself

Aphrattos: Unnamed

Apotropaia/Apotropaios: Averting/Averter of Evil

Archikos: Royal

Aregos: Helper

Ariste: the Best

Arkyia: Entrapper

Atala: Tender/Delicate

Atasthalos: Reckless/Presumptuous/Wicked

Athanatos: Immortal/of Immortal Fame

Autophyes/Autopheus: Self-Begotten

Azonos: without Borders

Azostos: Ungirt, without a Belt

Baridoukhos: Skiff-holder, Barque-holder

Basileia: Queen/Princess

Bendis

Boopis: Cow-Eyed

Borborophorba: Eater of Filth/Eater of Excrement

Brimo: Angry One, Crackling Flame, Roarer

Bythios: Abyssal, of the Deep, Of the Sea

Charopos: Fierce/Grim/Flashing/Bright/of the Sea

Chrysosandalos: wearing Golden Sandals

Chrysosandalaimopotichthonia: Goddess of the Lower World wearing golden sandals and drinking blood

Chrysostephanos: Gold-Crowned

Dadophoros/dadophoroi: Torchbearer

Daeira: Teacher/Knowing One

Daidalos/Daedalus: Cunning

Damasandra: Man-Crusher, Subduer of Men

Daspleti: Frightful

Deinos: Terrible -  on the Pulse Orlando Massacre

Despoina: Mistress, Lady

Dione: Goddess (also the name of a Goddess) 

Doloeis: Crafty, Cunning, Subtle, Wily

Drakaina: Dragon, Serpent

Eidolos: Ghostly, Phantasmal

Eileithyia: She who Comes to Aid, Reliever - a midwifery aspect

Einalian: of the Sea

Ekdotis: Bestower

Ekklesia: Of the Assembly

Elaphebolos: Deer-Slayer

Elateira: Charioteer, Driver(ess)

Ellophonos: Fawn-Slayer

Empousa/Empusa

Empylios: At the Gates

Empyrios: Heavenly, of the Empyrean Realm.

Enodia: In the Road

Ephodia: of Travelling Expenses

Ephthisikere: Destroying Death

Epiphanestate Thea: The Most Manifest Goddess

Epipurgidia: of the Bastion, on the Tower

Episkopos: Guardian/One who Watches Over/Overseer

Epiteichea: The Stronghold, Fort

Erannos: Lovely

Erototokeia: Producing Love/Bearer of Love

Eukoline: Good-Tempered

Eupatereia: Noble-Born

Eurippa: Horse-Finder

Eurostochos: Wide-Aimer

Geneteira: Mother

Gigaessa: Giantess, Titaness

Indalimos: Beautiful

Kapetoktypos: Tomb-disturber/Causing the Noise of Lamentation

Kardiodaitos: Heart-Eater/Feasting on Men’s Heart

Kelkaia: (Artemis)

Khthonian/Chthonian: of the Earth

Krataiis/Kratais: Strong One/of the Rocks

Krokopeplos: Saffron-Cloaked

Kydimos: Glorious

Lampadephoros: Lamp-Bearer/Torch-Bearer/Who Warns of Nighttime Attack

Limenoskopos: of the Threshold/Watcher of Havens/On the Harbor/Watching the Harbor

Liparokredemnos: of the Bright-Headband/Bright-Coiffed

Luko/Lyko: Wolf-Formed

Makaira(pos): Blessed One

Melinoe: Soothing One/Yellow

Nekyia/Nekuia: Mistress of Corpses

Ophioplokamos: with Snaky Cults/Coiled with Snakes

Pandoteira: All-Giver/Bestower of Everything/Bounteous

Phileremon/Phileremos: Lover of Solitude

Polyodynos: One who Suffers/ Who Suffers Much/ Suffering Many Pains

Propolos: She Who Leads/Guide/ Companion

Skylakagetis: possibly, dog-leader.

Soter/Soteira: Savior

Trikephalos: Three-Headed

Zerynthia: of Mount Zerynthia

Hekate and Storms

Hekate and Animals

I do not own all of these sources, nor have I read all of them. Some of them are outside my budget, and some do not interest me. This is a work in progress that will change dramatically over time, I’m sure.  - Neheti

Sources:

Primary Sources:

Ahl, Frederick, trans. Seneca: Medea (Masters of Latin Literature), Cornell, 1986.

Apollodorus. Library, 1.6.2.

Aristophanes. Frogs and Other Plays (Penguin Classics), David Barret, trans.  Penguin, 2007.

Athanassakis, Apostolos N. trans. The Homeric Hymns: Translation, Introduction, and Notes, Johns Hopkins, 2004.

——–. Hesiod: Theogony, Works and Days, Shield,  Johns Hopkins, 2004.

———. The Orphic Hymns, Johns Hopkins, 2013.

Boyle, A.J. Seneca: Medea. Oxford, 2014.  (This is an expensive copy, so I’m adding a cheaper translation as well.)

Euripides. Ion, Line 1049.

———–. Phoenician Women, lines 109-110.

———–. “Hymn to Hekate,” The Trojan Women.

Habicht, Christian. Pausanias’ Guide to Ancient Greece (Sather Classical Lectures), University of California, 1999.

Hesiod. Theogony and Works and Days, M.L. West, trans. Oxford, 2009.

Lucian, Pharsalia, 4.839-40.

Ovid. Metamorphoses (Oxford World’s Classics), trans. A. D. Melville, Oxford, 2009.

Plato. Six Great Dialogues (Dover Thrift Editions), trans. Benjamin Jowett, Dover, 2007.

Race, William R. Apollonius Rhodius: Argonautica, Loeb Classical Library, 2008.

Strabo, Geography, Vol. VI, Books 13-14 (Loeb Classical Library, No. 223), trans. Horace Leonard Jones, Loeb, 1929.

Theocritus. Idylls (Oxford World’s Classics), trans. Anthony Verity, Oxford, 2008.  

Virgil. The Aeneid (Penguin Classics), Penguin, 2010. 4.511, 4609-610, 6.247.

West, M. L. The Orphic Poems, Oxford, 1983.

Academic Sources:

Alexandrescu-Vianu, Maria. “The Treasury of Sculptures from Tomis: The Cult Inventory of a Temple,” from Dacia 53, pp.27-46. 

Alföldi, Andrew. “Diana Nemorensis,” American Journal of Archaeology, vol. 64, no. 2, Apr. 1960, pp. 137-144.

Ankarloo, Bengt and Stuart Clark, eds. Witchcraft and Magic in Europe, Vol. 1: Biblical and Pagan Societies, University of Penn, 2001.

———-. Witchcraft and Magic in Europe, Vol. 2: Ancient Greece and Rome, University of Penn, 1999.

———-. Witchcraft and Magic in Europe, Vol. 3: The Middle Ages, University of Penn, 2002.

———-. Witchcraft and Magic in Europe, Vol. 5: The Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries, University of Penn, 1999.

————–. Witchcraft and Magic in Europe, Vol. 6: The Twentieth Century, University of Penn, 1999.

Ateslier, Suat. “The Archaic Architectural Terracottas from Euromos and Some Cult Signs,” from Labraunda and Karia, edited by Susanne Carlsson and Lars Karlsson (see below). pp. 279-290.

Aydaş, Murat. “New Inscriptions from Stratonikeia and its Territory,” Gephyra, BAND 6, 2009, p. 113-130.

Baur, Christopher and Paul Victor. Eileithyia, University of Missouri, 1902.

Behari, Jerusha. Ambivalent Goddesses in Patriarchies: A comparative study of Hekate in Ancient Greek and Roman Religion and Kali in Contemporary Hinduism, dissertation from pursuit of Ph.D. at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2011.

Berg, William. “Hecate: Greek or ‘Anatolian’?” from Numen, Vol. XXI, Fasc. 2, pp. 128-140.

Bernabe, Alberto. “The Gods in Later Orphism,” in The Gods of Ancient Greece: Identities and Transformations, Vol. 5, edited by Jan Bremmer and Andrew Erskine, Edinburgh University, 2010, pp. 422-442.

———. “The Ephesia Grammata: Genesis of a Magical Formula,” in C. Faraone and D. Obbink, The Getty Hexameters, Oxford, 2013. pp. 71-96.

———. Instructions for the Netherworld: the Orphic Gold Tablets, Brill, 2008.

Betz. Hans Dieter. The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation, including the Demotic Spells, Vol. 1, University of Chicago Press, 1992.

Boardman, John and E.S. Edwards. The Cambridge Ancient History: III part 2, The Assyrian and Babylonian Empires and Other States of the Near East, from the Eighth to the Sixth Centuries B.C., Cambridge, 1991.

           In particular, the chapters on Anatolia pp.622 and 666 and pp 849, and Thrace on p. 591.

Boedeker, Deborah. “Hekate: A Transfunctional Goddess in the Theogony,” Transactions of the American Philological Association, 113, 1983, pp. 79-93.

Boustan, Ra'anan S. and Annette Yoshiko Reed. Heavenly Realms and Earthly Realities in Late Antique Religions, Cambridge, 2004.

Bowden, Hugh. Mystery Cults of the Ancient World, Princeton, 2010.

Bray, C.F.D. Aspects of the Moon in Ancient Egypt, the Near East and Greece, thesis in pursuit of M.A. at University of Otago, 2014.

Bremmer, Jan N. “Divinities in the Orphic Gold Leaves: Eukles, Eubouleus, Brimo, Kybele, Kore and Persephone,” from Zeitschrift fur Papyrologie und Epigraphik 187, 2013, p 35-48.

———. “Preface:  the Materiality of Magic,” The Materiality of Magic, edited by D. Boschung and Jan Bremmer, Wilhelm Fink, 2015. p. 7-19.

British Museum Department of Coins and Medals. A Catalogue of the Greek Coins in the British Museum, Vol. 1-28, reprint. Nabu Press, 2011.

Brown, Christopher G. “Empousa, Dionysus and the Mysteries: Aristophanes, Frogs 285ff.” The Classical Quarterly (New Series), Vol. 41, issue 01, May 1991, pp. 41-50.

Burkert, Walter. Greek Religion, trans. John Raffan,  Wiley-Blackwell, 1991.

Burnett, Andrew et al. Coinage and Identity in the Roman Provinces, Oxford, 2005.

Burns, Dylan. “The Chaldean Oracles of Zoroaster, Hekate’s Couch, and Platonic Orientalism in Psellos and Plethon,” Aries, vol. 6 no.2, Leiden, 2006. p. 158-179.

Bury, J. B. The Ancient Greek Historians, Barnes & Noble, 2006.

Carlsson, Susanne and Lars Karlsson. Labraunda and Karia: Proceedings of the International Symposium Commemorating Sixty Years of Swedish Archaeological Work in Labraunda. Uppsala Universitet, 2008.

Cartledge, Paul et al. Religion in the Ancient Greek City, Cambridge, 1992.

Ceccarelli, P. Ancient Greek Letter Writing, Oxford, 2013. p. 47-58.

Clauss, James and Sarah Iles Johnston, eds. Medea: Essays on Medea in Myth, Literature, Philosophy and Art, Princeton, 1997.

Clay, Jenny Strauss. “The Hecate of the Theogony” GRBS 25 (2984), pp. 27-38.

——–. Hesiod’s Cosmos, Cambridge, 2003.

Cline, Rangar. Ancient Angels: Conceptualizing Angeloi in the Roman Empire (Religions in the Graeco-Roman World), Brill, 2011.

Cole, Susan Guettel. Theoi Megaloi: the Cult of the Great Gods at Samothrace, Volumes 96-97. Brill, 1984.

Collins, D. Magic in the Ancient Greek World, Malden, 2008.

Colvin, Stephen. The Greco-Roman East: Politics, Culture, Society, vol. 31. Cambridge, 2004.

Connelly, Joan Breton. Portrait of a Priestess: Women and Ritual in Ancient Greece, Princeton, 2009.

Damiana, K. Sophia: Exile and Return, UMI, 1998.

Daniel, Robert W. “Hekate’s Peplos,” Zeitschrift fur Papyrologie und Epigraphik, 72, p. 278, 1988.

Dasbacak, C. “Hekate Cult in Anatolia: Rituals and Dedications in Lagina.” from Anodos, 6/7 Trnava, 2006/2007.

Daubner, Frank. “Stratonikeia/Hadrianopolis,” The Encyclopedia of Ancient History, first edition. Edited by Roger S. Bagnall, et al., Blackwell, 2013. p. 6425.

De Angelis, Franco. “Archaeology in Sicily 2006-2010” Archaeological Reports 58, Nov. 2012, pp. 123-195.

Dickie, M.W. Magic and Magicians in the Greco-Roman World, London, 2001.

Dillon, J.M. “Plotinus and the Chaldean Oracles,” Platonism in Late Antiquity, S. Gersh and C. Kannengiesser, eds., 1992, pp. 131-140.

Dodds, E.R. “Theurgy and its Relationship to Neoplatonism,” The Journal of Roman Studies, 37, (1947), pp. 55-69.

Drew-Bear, Thomas. “Local Cults in Graeco-Roman Phrygia,” Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies, Vol. 17, No. 3, 1976. pp. 247-268.

Drury, Nevill. Rosaleen Norton’s Contribution to the Western Esoteric Tradition, dissertation in pursuit of PhD at the University of Newcastle, 2008.

Edmonds, Radcliffe G. The 'Orphic’ Gold Tablets and Greek Religion: Further Along the Path, Cambridge, 2011.

Edmunds, Lowell. Approaches to Greek Myth, Johns Hopkins, 1989.

Edwards, Charles M. “The Running Maiden from Eleusis and the Early Classical Image of Hekate,” from American Journal of Archaeology, vol. 90, no. 3, (Jul., 1986), pp. 307-318.

Edwards, Mark. Neoplatonic Saints: the Lives of Plotinus and Proclus by their Students, Liverpool University, 2000.

Ekroth, Gunnel. “Inventing Iphigeneia? On Euripides and the Cultic Construction of Brauron,” Kernos 16, 2003, pp. 59-118.

Errington, Robert Malcolm. A History of Macedonia, University of California, 1990.

Fairbanks, Arthur. “The Chthonic Gods of Greek Religion,” The American Journal of Philology, vol. 21, no. 3, 1900, pp. 241-259.

Faraone, Christopher. Various Acts on Ancient Greek Amulets: from Oral Performance to Visual Design, London, 2012.

Faraone, Christopher and Dirk Obbink. Magika Hiera: Ancient Greek Magic and Religion, Oxford, 1997.

Farnell, Lewis Richard. The Cults of the Greek States, Vol. II, Clarendon Press, 1896.

Feather, Jacqueline M. Hekate’s Hordes: Memoir’s Voice, dissertation submitted in pursuit of PhD. at Pacifica Graduate Institute, 2009.

Feingold, Lawrence. “Fuseli, Another Nightmare: The Night-Hag Visiting Lapland Witches,” Metropolitan Museum Journal 17, 1984, p. 49-62.

Fischer-Hansen, Tobias and Birte Poulsen. From Artemis to Diana: The Goddess of Man and Beast, Museum Tusculanum Press, 2009.

Fontenrose, Joseph. Didyma: Apollo’s Oracle, Cult and Companions, University of California, 1988.

———. Python: A Study of Delphic Myth and Its Origins, Biblo & Tannen Publishers, 1974.

———. Ritual Theory of Myth, University of California, 1971.

Fox, Robin. Brill’s Companion to Ancient Macedon: Studies in the Archaeology and History of Macedon, 650 BC - 300 AD, Brill, 2011.

Friedman, Leah. Hestia, Hekate, and Hermes: An archetypal trinity of constancy, complexity, and change, Ph.D. dissertation from Pacifica Graduate Institute, 2002.

Frothingham, A. L. “Medusa, Apollo, and the Great Mother,” American Journal of Archaeology, Vol. 15, No. 3, Jul-Sep. 1911, pp. 349-377.

Fullerton, Mark D. The Archaistic Style in Roman Statuary, Bryn Mawr, 1982.

Gager, J. G. Curse Tablets and Binding Spells from the Ancient World, Oxford, 1992.

Graf, Fritz. Magic in the Ancient World (Revealing Antiquity 10), trans. Franklin Philip. Harvard, 1999.

Graf, Fritz and Sarah Iles Johnston. Ritual Texts for the Afterlife: Orpheus and the Bacchic Gold Tablets, Routledge,  2013.

Graninger, Denver. “Apollo, Ennodia, And Fourth-century Thessaly,” from Kernos 22, 2009, p. 109-124.

Green, C.M.C. Roman Religion and the Cult of Diana at Aricia, Cambridge, 2006.

Griffiths, E. Medea, Routledge, 2006.

Gülbay, Onur. “A Group of Marble Statuettes in the Ödemiş Museum,” SDU Faculty of Arts and Sciences Journal of Social Sciences, no. 32, August 2014. p. 177-196.

Harrison, Jane E. “Helios-Hades” The Classical Review, vol. 22, issue 1, March 1972, pp. 12-16.

———. Themis: A Study in the Social Origins of Greek Religion, Cambridge, 2010.

Harvey, W.J. Reflections of the Enigmatic Goddess: The Origins of Hekate and the Development of her Character to the End of the Fifth Century B.C., thesis in pursuit of M.A. at University of Otago, 2014.

Heller, Katrina Marie. Iconography of the Gorgons on Temple Decoration in Sicily and Western Greece, dissertation in pursuit of Ph.D at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, 210.

Henry, Oliver. “Karia, Karians and Labraunda,” in Mylasa/Labraunda, 2005. p. 69-105.

Herring, Amanda Elaine, Structure, Sculpture and Scholarship: Understanding the Sanctuary of Hekate at Lagina, dissertation in pursuit of Ph.D at University of California, 2011.

Hinnells, John R. A Handbook of Ancient Religions, Cambridge, 1992.

Holmes, William Gordon. The Age of Justinian and Theodora, 1912.

Hutton, Ronald. Witches, Druids and King Arthur, A&C Black, 2006.

Ireland, S. “Dramatic Structure in the Persae and Prometheus of Aeschylus,” Greece and Rome, vol. 20, issue 2, Oct. 1973, pp. 162-168.

Jim, Theodora Suk Fong. “Naming a Gift: the Vocabulary and Purposes of Greek Religious Offerings,” Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies 52, 2012, pp. 310-337.

Johnston, Sarah Iles. “Animating Statues: A Case Study in Ritual,” Arethusa 41, 2008. pp. 445-477.

———–. “Crossroads” Zeitschrift fur Papyrologie und Epigraphik, 1991, pp. 217-224.

———-. “Demeter, Myths, and the Polyvalence of Festivals,” History of Religions, Vol. 52, No. 4, May 2013, editor Wendy Doniger, University of Chicago, 2013.

———-.“The Development of Hekate’s Archaic and Classical Roles in the Chaldean Oracles,” dissertation in pursuit of PhD. at Cornell, 1987.

———-. “Hekate, Leto’s Daughter, in OF 317,” Tracing Orpheus: Studies of Orphic Fragments, edited by Miguel Herrero de Jauregui, et al., de Gruyter, 2011.

———. Hekate Soteira: A study of Hekate’s Roles in the Chaldean Oracles and Related Literature, American Classical Studies, 1990.

——–. Mantike: Studies in Ancient Divination (Religions in the Graeco-Roman World), Brill, 2005.

——–. Religions of the Ancient World, Harvard, 2004.

——–. Restless Dead: Encounters between the Living and the Dead in Ancient Greece.  Univ. of California, 2013.

———. “Whose Gods are These? A Classicist Looks at Neopaganism,” Dans le laboratoire de historien des religions, edited by Francesca Prescendi, et al, Labor et Fides, 2011. p. 123-133.

Johnston, Sarah Iles and Timothy J. McNiven. “Dionysos and the Underworld in Toledo,” Museum Helveticum 53, 1996. pp. 25-36

Kerenyi, Karl. Dionysos: Archetypal Image of Indestructible Life, trans. Ralph Manheim, Princeton, 1996.

———. Eleusis: Archetypal Image of Mother and Daughter, trans. Ralph Manheim, Princeton, 1991.

——–. Gods of the Greeks, Thames & Hudson, 1980.

——–. The Religion of the Greeks and Romans, Thames and Hudson, 1962.

Kitchell, Jr.,  Kenneth F.  "Man’s best friend? The changing role of the dog in Greek society,“ in PECUS. Man and Animal in Antiquity, Sept. 2002, pp. 177-182.

Kotansky, Roy and Jeffrey Spier. "The 'Horned Hunter’ on a Lost Gnostic Gem,” HTR 88, 3, 1995. pp. 315-37.

Kraemer, Ross Shepard. Women’s Religions in the Greco-Roman World: A Sourcebook, Oxford, 2004.

Laale, Hans Willer. Ephesus (Ephesos): An Abbreviated History from Androclus to Constantine XI, West Bow Press, 2011.

Larson, Jennifer. Ancient Greek Cults: A Guide, Routledge, 2007.

Latura, George. “The Cross Torch of Eleusis: Symbol of Salvation in the Ancient World,” from a proposal to Coin News, 2014.

———.  "Plato’s X & Hekate’s Crossroads: Astronomical Links to the Mysteries of Eleusis,“ from Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry, Vol. 14, No.3, 2014, pp. 37-44.

Leonard, Miriam. "Tragedy and the Seductions of Philosophy,” The Cambridge Classical Journal, vol. 58, Dec. 2012, pp. 145-164.

Lesser, Rachel. “The Nature of Artemis Ephesia,” Hirundo: The McGill Journal of Classical Studies, Vol. IV, 2005/2006, pp. 43-54.

Liapis, Vayos J. “Zeus, Rhesus, and the Mysteries,” The Classical Quarterly, vol. 57.02, Dec. 2007, pp. 381-411.

Lima, R. Stages of Evil: Occultism in Western Theater and Drama, University of Kentucky, 2005. (particularly pp. 225 chapter titled The Cave and the Magician.)

Limberis, Vasiliki. Divine Heiress: The Virgin Mary and the Creation of Christian Constantinople, Routledge, 1994.

Lo Monaco, Annalisa. “Feast and Games of the Paides in the Peloponnese of the Imperial Period,” Roman Peloponnese III: Society, Economy and Culture under the Roman Empire: Continuity and Innovation, edited by C.E. Lepenioti and A.D. Rizakis, MΕΛΕΤΗΜΑΤΑ 63 for the Research Institute for Greek and Roman Antiquity of the National Hellenic Research Foundation, Athens, 2010. pp. 309- 327.

Luck, Georg. Arcana Mundi: Magic and the Occult in the Greek and Roman Worlds: A Collection of Ancient Texts, Johns Hopkins, 2006.

Magliocco, Sabina. “Aradia in Sardinia: The Archaeology of a Folk Character,” Ten Years of Triumph of the Moon, Hidden Pub, 2009. pp. 40-61.

———–. Witching Culture: Folklore and Neopaganism in America, University of Penn, 2004.

Majercik, Ruth. The Chaldean Oracles: Text, Translation and Commentary, Prometheus Trust, 2013.

———-. “Chaldean Triads in Neoplatonic Exegesis: Some Reconsiderations,” from The Classical Quarterly, New Series, vol. 51, No. 1 (2001), pp. 265-296.

Mander, Pietro. “Hekate’s Roots in the Sumerian-Babylonian Pantheon according to the Chaldean Oracles,” Religion in the History of European Culture: Proceedings of the 9th EASR Annual Conference and IAHR Special Conference 14-17 September 2009, Messina, edited by Giulia Sfameni Gasparro, Augusto Cosentino and Mariangela Monaca. Officina di studi Medievali, 2013, pp. 115-132.

Marquardt, Patricia A. “A Portrait of Hecate,” The American Journal of Philology, vol. 102, no. 3 (Autumn, 1981), pp. 243-260.

Mayor, Adrienne. “Grecian Weasels” The Athenian, Feb. 1989. pp. 22-24.

McClure, Laura K. (ed.), Sexuality and Gender in the Classical World: Readings and Sources, Blackwell Pub, 2002.

Meadows, A. R. “Stratonikeia in Caria: the Hellenistic City and its Coinage,” The Numismatic Chronicle, Vol. 162, 2002, pp. 79-134.

Meister, Michael W. “Multiplicity on the Frontier: Imagining the Warrior Goddess.” Pakistan Heritage 2, 2010, pp. 87-98.

Meyer, Marvin W. The Ancient Mysteries: A sourcebook, University Penn, 1999.

Mikalson, Jon. D. Ancient Greek Religion, Wiley-Blackwell, 2009.

———. Athenian Popular Religion, UNC, 1987.

Mitchell, Stephen and Peter Van Nuffelen. One God: Pagan Monotheism in the Roman Empire, Cambridge, 2010.

Mitropoluos, Elpis. Triple Hekate mainly on votive reliefs, coins, gems, and amulets. Atenas, 1978.

Mooney, Carol M. Hekate: Her Role and Character in Greek Literature from before the Fifth Century B.C., dissertation in pursuit of a Ph.D. at McMaster University, 1971.

Murray, Alexander Stuart. A History of Greek Sculpture down to the age of Pheidias (and his successors), vol. 2, Oxford, 1883.

Mylonos, G. E. “Eleusis and the Eleusinian Mysteries,” from The Classical Journal 43(3), 1947. p. 130-146.

Newton, Charles Thomas and R. Popplewell Pullan. A History of discoveries at Halicarnassus, Cnidus and Branchidae, Vol. II, Austrian National Library, 1862.

Nixon, Shelly M. Hekate: Bringer of Light, California Institute of Integral Studies, 2013.

Ogden, Daniel. Magic, Witchcraft and Ghosts in the Greek and Roman Worlds: A Sourcebook, Oxford, 2009.

—————-. Night’s Black Agents: Witches, Wizards and the Dead in the Ancient World, Bloomsbury, 2008 (special thanks to @hekateanwitchcraft )

Ogle, M. B. “The House-Door in Greek and Roman Religion and Folklore,” The American Journal of Philology, vol. 32, no. 3, (1911), pp. 251-271.

Oikonomides, Al. N. “Records of 'The Commandments of the Seven Wise Men,’ in the 3rd c. B.C.: the Revered 'Greek Reading-book,’ of the Hellenistic World.” Classical Bulletin, 63, 1987, pp. 67-76.

Otto, Walter F. Dionysus: Myth and Cult, trans. Robert Palmer,  Indiana University, 1995.

Palinkas, Jennifer Lynne. Eleusinian Gateways: Entrances to the Sanctuary of Demeter and Kore at Eleusis and the City Eleusinion in Athens, dissertation in pursuit of PhD at Emory, 2008.

Parker, Robert. “Greek Religion,” The Oxfrod History of Greece and the Hellenistic World, edited J. Boardman et al., Oxford, 1991. pp. 306-329.

———. Miasma: Pollution and Purification in Early Greek Religion, Oxford, 1990.

Platt, Verity. Facing the Gods: Epiphany and Representation in Graeco-Roman Art, Literature and Religion, Cambridge, 2011.

Rabinowitz, Jacob. Rotting Goddess: The Origins of the Witch in Classical Antiquity. Autonomedia, 1998.

Richter, Gisela M. A. “A Bronze Relief of Medusa,” from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, Vol. 14, No. 3, (Mar., 1919), pp. 59-60.

Ricl, Marijana. “Phrygian Votive Steles,” Epigraphica Anatolica, HEFT 33, 2001, pp. 195-198.

Rigsby, Kent J. “Chrysogone’s Mother,” Museum Helveticum 60, 2003, pp. 60-64.

Ronan, Stephen. The Goddess Hekate, Chthonios, 1992.

Rüpke , Jörg. The Individual in Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean, Oxford, 2013.

Rose, H. J. “Orientation of the Dead in Greece and Italy,” The Classical Review, vol. 34.7, Nov. 1920, pp. 141-146.

Sanchez Natalias, C. “The Bologna Defixio(nes) Revisited,” Zeitschrift fur Papyrologie und Epigraphik 179, 2011. pp. 201-217.

Scott, Michael. Space and Society in the Greek and Roman Worlds, Cambridge, 2012.

Scullion, Scott. “Euripides and Macedon, or the Silence of the Frogs,” The Classical Quarterly, vol. 53, issue 2, Dec. 2003, pp. 389-400.

Serfontein, Susun M. Medusa: From Beast to Beauty in Archaic and Classical Illustrations from Greece and South Italy, thesis presented in pursuit of a Masters at Hunter College of the City University of New York, 1991.

Sergis, Manolis G. “Dog Sacrifice in Ancient and Modern Greece: From the Sacrifice Ritual to Dog Torture (kynomartyrion),” Folklore, 2010, pp. 61-88.

Seznec, J. The Survival of the Pagan Gods, trans. Barbara Sessions, Princeton 1953.

Sgambati, Lynne. Hekate: Faces and Phases of the Transformation Goddess, dissertation in pursuit of a PhD. at Pacifica Graduate Institute, 1995.

Siapkas, Johannes. “Karian Theories,” LABRYS, Uppsala, 2013.

Simms, Robert. “Agra and Agrai,” Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies 43, 2002/3, pp. 219-229.

Skinner-La Porte, Melissa. “Snakes on a Mane: Medusa, the Body and Serpentine Monstrosity,” paper presented at the Monsters and the Monstrous Conference at Oxford, 2010 on behalf of the University of Guelph.

Söğüt, B. “Naiskoi from the Sacred Precinct of Lagina Hekate Augustus and Sarapis,” from Anados 6/7, 2006/2007, p. 421-431.

——–. “Stratonikeia,” Turkey through the Eyes of Classical Archaeologists: 10th Anniversary of Cooperation between Trnava University and Turkish Universities, Trnava, 2014. pp. 27-37.

Stallsmith, Allaire B. “The Name of Demeter Thesmophoros,” Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies 48, 2008, pp. 115-131.

Suarez, Rasiel. ERIC: The Encyclopedia of Roman Imperial Coins, Dirty Old Coins, 2005.

——–. ERIC II: The Encyclopedia of Roman Imperial Coins, Dirty Old Coins, 2010.

Tarn, W.W. The Greeks in Bactria and India, Cambridge, 1938.

Taylor, Thomas. The Eleusinian and Bacchic Mysteries, Amazon reprint, 1891.

Thaniel, George. Themes of Death in Roman Religion and Poetry, thesis in pursuit of M.A. at McMaster University, 1971.

Tirpan, Ahmet A.  "The Temple of Hekate at Lagina,“ from Dipteros und Pseudodipteros. Bauhistorische und archaologische Forschungen. (BYZAS, Vol. 12), Phoibos Verlag, 2012.

Trombley, Frank R. Hellenic Religion and Christianization, C. 370-529, Brill, 1993.

Turkilsen, Debbie and Joost Blasweiler,  "Medea, Cytissorus, Hekate, They all Came from Aea,” Arnhem, 2014.

Turner, John D. “The Figure of Hecate and Dynamic Emanationism in the Chaldean Oracles, Sethian Gnosticism and Neoplatonism,” The Second Century Journal 7;4 . 1991. pp. 221-232.

Van Bremen, Riet. “The Demes and Phylai of Stratonikeia in Karia,” Chiron Bd. 30, C.H. Beck, 2000. pp. 389-401.

Von Rudloff, Ilmo Robert. Hekate in Ancient Greek Religion, Horned Owl Pub, 1999.

Warr, George C. W. “The Hesiodic Hekate,” The Classical Review, vol. 9.08, Nov. 1895, pp. 390-393.

West, David Reid. Some Cults of Greek Goddesses and Female Daemons of Oriental Origin: especially in relation to the mythology of goddesses and daemons in the Semitic world, dissertation in pursuit of a Ph.D. at University of Glasgow, 1990.

Wilkinson, T. Persephone Returns: Victims, Heroes and the Journey from the Underworld, Pagemill Press, 1996.

Williamson, Christina. “City and Sanctuary in Hellenistic Asia Minor: Sacred and Ideological Landscapes,” from Bolletino di Archeologia On Line, volume speciale for the Roma 2008 - International Congress of Classical Archaeology, in Callaborazione con AIAC (Associazione Internazionale di Archeologia Classica, Rome, 2010.

———. “Civic Producers at Stratonikeia: the Priesthoods of Hekate at Lagina and Zeus at Panamara,” Cities and Priests: Cult personnel in Asia Minor and the Aegean islands from the Hellenistic to the Imperial Period, edited by Marietta Horster and Anja Klockner, De Gruyter, 2013. pp. 209-246.

———. “Karian, Greek or Roman? The layered identities of Stratonikeia at the sanctuary of Hekate at Lagina,” from TMA 50, 2013. p. 1-6.

———. “Light in Dark Places: changes in the application of natural light in sacred Greek architecture,” from Pharos, vol. 1, 1993.

———. “The Miracle of Zeus at Panamara: myth, mimesis and memory in the civic ideology of Stratonikeia,” KNIR, 2011, University of Groningen, powerpoint.

——–. “Panamara: The (mis)fortunes of a Karian Sanctuary,” from Historische Erfgoed, Groniek, 2009. pp. 211-218.

———. “Putting women in their place in Pergamon,” TMA 16, 1996, pp. 4-14.

———. “Sanctuaries as turning points in territorial formation: Lagina, Panamara and the development of Stratonikeia,” Manifestationene von macht und hierchien in stadtraum und landschaft, edited by Felix Pirson, BYZAS 13, 2012. pp. 113-150.

———. “Shining Saviors: The role of the cults of Hekate at Lagina and Zeus at Panamara in building the regional identity of Stratonikeia,” Oud Historici Dag, Amsterdam, 2012.

Wilson, Lillian M. “Contributions of Greek Art to the Medusa Myth,” from American Journal of Archaeology, Vol. 24, No. 3 (Jul-Sep, 1920), pp. 232-240.

Winkle, J. Daemons, Demiurges, and Dualism: Apuleius’ 'Metamorphoses’ and the Mysticism of Late Antiquity, UMI, 2002.

Practitioner’s Sources:

Bebout, Tinnekke. Dance of the Mystai, Pagan Writer’s Press, 2013.

Bebout, Tinnekke and Hope Ezerins. The Hekate Tarot, self-published, 2015.

Carlson, K. Life’s Daughter/Death’s Bride: Inner Transformations through the Goddess Demeter/Persephone, Shambhala, 1997.

Conner, Randy P. “Come, Hekate, I Call You to My Sacred Chants,” published only on Academia.edu.

Crowfoot, Greg. Crossroads, Aventine Press, 2005.

Crowley, Aleister. Moonchild, Weiser, 1970.

D'Este, Sorita. Artemis: Virgin Goddess of the Sun & Moon: a Comprehensive Guide to the Greek goddess of the Hunt, Her Myths, Powers and Mysteries, Avalonia, 2005.

——-. Hekate Liminal Rites: A study of the rituals, magic and symbols of the torch-bearing Triple Goddess of the Crossroads, Avalonia, 2009.

——-. Hekate: Her Sacred Fires, Avalonia, 2010.

——-. Hekate: Keys to the Crossroads: A collection of personal essays, invocations, rituals, recipes and artworks, Avalonia, 2006.

——-. Horns of Power: Manifestations of the Horned God: An Anthology of Essays exploring the Horned Gods of Myth and Folklore, Ancient History through to ModernTimes, Avalonia, 2011.

Domenic, H. “Who is Hecate?” The Beltane Papers 47, Winter 2009/2010. pp. 9-12, 17-18.

Ford, Michael. Book of the Witch Moon: Chaos, Vampiric & Luciferan Sorcery, Succubus, 2006.

——. Magick of the Ancient Gods: Chthonic Paganism and the Left Hand Path, Succubus, 2009.

George, Demetra. Mysteries of the Dark Moon: The Healing Power of the Dark Goddess, Harper Collins, 1992.

Grimassi, Raven. The Witches’ Craft: The Roots of Witchcraft, Llewellyn, 2002.

Jade Sol Luna. Hecate I: Death, Transition and Spiritual Mastery,  2008.

——-. Hecate II: The Awakening of Hydra, 2009.

Keller, M.L. Greek Goddess Traditions and the Eleusinian Mysteries: Spiritual Resources for Today, 2012, In Press.

Marx, E. Junkyard of the Classics, Invisible Books, 2006. (Ellipsis Marx is an alias for Rabinowitz.)

Mishev, Georgi. Thracian Magic: Past and Present, Avalonia, 2012.

Oates, Shani. A Paean for Hekate, Lulu, 2012.

Panopoulos, Christos Pandion, et al. Hellenic Polytheism: Household Worship, Vol. 1, Labrys, 2014.

Payne, Kenn. Askei Kataskei: the Official Covenant of Hekate ezine,  vols. 1-6, Covenant of Hekate, Lulu, 2013-2014.

Perdue, Jason. Hecate’s Womb (and other Essays), Lulu, 2011.

Rabinowitz, J. The Rotting Goddess: The Origin of the Witch in Classical Antiquity, Autonomedia, 1998.

Reynolds, Tara. Hekate: Goddess Connections Workbook, Kindle, 2013. (17 pages).

Ruickbie, Leo. Witchcraft Out of the Shadows: A Complete History, Hale, 2004.

Sanchez, Tara. The Temple of Hekate: Exploring the Goddess Hekate through Ritual, Meditation and Divination, Avalonia, 2011.

Sannion. Bearing Torches: a Devotional Anthology for Hekate, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, 2009.

Smith, Mark Alan. Queen of Hell, Ixaxaar, 2010.

——-. The Red King, Ixaxaar, 2011.

Spretnak, Charlene. Lost Goddesses of Early Greece: A Collection of Pre-Hellenic Myths, Beacon, 1992.

Tate, Karen. Sacred Places of Goddess: 108 Destinations. CCC Pub, 2006.

Taylor-Perry, Rosemarie. The God who Comes: Dionysian Mysteries Revisited, Algora, 2003.

Varner, Gary R. Hekate: The Witches’ Goddess, Lulu, 2011.

Winter, Sarah Kate Istra. Kharis: Hellenic Polytheism Explored, 2008.

 For Public Consumption:

Evslin, Bernard. Hecate (Monsters of Mythology), Chelsea House Pub, 1988.

Jonson, Ben. Sad Shepherd, Forgotten, 2012.

Keats, John. “On the Sea,” published online at: http://www.bartleby.com/333/509.html

Marlowe, Christopher. Doctor Faustus, Dover, 1994. Act III, Scene 2.

Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Folger Shakespeare Library), Simon & Schuster, 2004. Act V, Scene 1.

———. Hamlet, Simon & Schuster, 2003. Act III, Scene 2.

———. Henry IV, Part 1, Simon & Schuster, 2005. Act III, Scene 2.

———. King Lear, Simon & Schuster, 2005. Act I, Scene 1.

-Hekate is the keeper of keys, so add a Hekate charm to your key ring

-Hekate is the torch-bearer/fire-bearer, so pray to Hekate every time you light a candle and light small candles on Her shrine as offerings (I like to do this at least once a day)

-Go on walks to your local crossroads and maybe leave Her some gifts there

-If you have a dog, give your dog some treats in Hekate’s name

-Leaving offerings by your doorways to thank Hekate for protecting your home

-Hekate has a lot of epithets, so spend some time during your day researching one and how it relates to Her worship

-If you have a garden, grow plants that are sacred to Hekate; watering them can then serve as a devotional act

-Pray to Hekate every time you pass a new threshold

-Cook with garlic, almonds, cinnamon, or saffron, some plants holy to Her

-Donate to charities you care about in Hekate’s name, just as the Deipnon was seen to become a kind of charity

This is a post specifically on Hekate Brimo, for Brimo as a general epithet and goddess, please read @nehetisingsforhekate’s post on Brimo.

The Name:

Brimo (Βριμὼ) is an epithet Hekate is sometimes referred to in Her chthonic manifestations, and this name means ‘angry’ or ’terrifying’. Hekate is also called by different names of a similar nature. She is called “δασπλῆτις” (Dasplêtis), meaning frightful or horrid, in Theocrates’ Pharmakeutria. She is also named “θεά δεινός” or “δεινὴ θεὸς” (Thea Deinos/Deini Theos), meaning dread goddess, or frightening goddess. This phrase is used in the Argonautica, referring to Hekate named as Brimo.

Historical Usage:

Brimo is most notably used to refer to Hekate in the Argonautica. She is called Brimo three times, specifically in the rituals of magic that are performed. This shows a trend of calling on Underworld deities specifically by their epithets when worshipping their chthonic manifestations, as well as the trend of magic’s association with chthonic powers. These passages are reproduced below:

“Medea, clothed in black, in the gloom of night, had drawn off this juice in a Caspian shell after bathing in seven perennial steams and calling seven times on Brimo, nurse of youth, Brimo, night-wanderer of the underworld, Queen of the dead. The dark earth shook and rumbled underneath the Titan root when it was cut, and Prometheus himself groaned in the anguish of his soul.” (132)

“Then he dug a pit a cubit deep, piled up the billets, and laid he sheep on top of them after cutting its throat. He kindled the wood from underneath and poured mingled libations onto the sacrifice, calling on Hecate Brimo to help him in the coming test. This done, he withdrew; and the dread goddess, hearing his words from the abyss, came up to accept the offering of Aeson’s son. She was garlanded by fearsome snakes that could themselves round twigs of oak; the twinkle of a thousand torches lit the scene; and hounds of the underworld barked shrilly all around her. The whole meadow trembled under her feet, and the nymphs of the marsh and river…cried out in fear.” (141)

These passages indicate that Brimo was a particularly frightening manifestation of Hekate. One which shook the earth as She emerged, and was attended by fearsome creatures. She even frightened the nymphs who resided in the place where She manifested. 

Brimo is also used as the name for Hekate in Lycrophon’s Alexandra. The passage has been reproduced below:

“O mother, O unhappy mother! thy fame, too, shall not be unknown, but the maiden daughter of Perseus, Triform Brimo, shall make thee her attendant, terrifying with thy baying in the night all mortals who worship not with torches the images of the Zerynthian queen of Strymon, appeasing the goddess of Pherae with sacrifice. And the island spur of Pachynus shall hold thine awful cenotaph, piled by the hands of thy master, prompted by dreams when thou hast gotten the rites of death in front of the streams of Helorus. He shall pour on the shore offerings for thee, unhappy one, fearing the anger of the three-necked goddess, for that he shall hurl the first stone at thy stoning and begin the dark sacrifice to Hades.” (1174-1188)

Here Hekate is called Triform, or three-formed, Brimo. This description of Hekate is also far from one of a peaceful and friendly goddess. Here She is described as angry, and being attended by frightening baying hounds. Thus, Brimo is used to indicate Hekate’s more horrifying manifestations in its historical usage.

Hekate Brimo in My Practice:

In my practice, Brimo is ‘the lowest manifestation of Hekate.” To me, this indicates that Hekate Brimo is the most fearsome, Underwordly version of Hekate. She is a terrifying goddess, crowned with venomous snakes and oak branches. She carries daggers and torches, and sometimes has snakes instead of legs. Her skin is grey and Her eyes are like flames. In Her wake, the ground shakes, and out of Her steps grow the most noxious flowers and roots.

Brimo is the name I give to any of the more dreadful manifestations of Hekate. She is called on for petitions for justice and revenge, and is the goddess invoked in harmful magic. Hekate Brimo is the version of Hekate I associate with the Restless Dead, and who I view as roaming the roadsides on the night of the dark moon. This Hekate is also what I equate with Her role as the Queen of Witches, but not necessarily as the goddess of magic more generally. Her association with magic lies within curses, spells for justice and punishment, spells involving the dead, and rituals which invoke the inhuman daimons of the Underworld, over which She has dominion.

Hekate Brimo is also closely associated with the Erinyes, or Furies, in my veneration of Her. These Underworld goddesses of punishment and justice are frequently associated with Hekate in the PGM, as well as other literature. In Statius’ Thebaid, they are invoked and propitiated together (along with Hermes). These goddesses also mirror Hekate Brimo’s appearance, with snakes in their hair and carrying flaming torches of yew. 

Hekate Brimo is honored with chthonic offerings: libations of milk, honey, and wine. She was also historically offered black sheep. These are burned in a pit, and once these offerings and rituals are completed, one must turn away and not look back. Hekate Brimo is also attended with the hounds of the Underworld, and dogs on earth are in tune with Her presence. Whenever I have done a ritual invoking Hekate as Brimo, I have heard dogs barking before, during, and after. She may also send snakes to you. Plants I associate with this goddess are oak, yew, and various poisons, mainly aconite and mandrake.

Brimo is the face of Hekate which most often captivates audiences, and is the one that should be feared and is the representation of Hekate who is given offerings in hopes of averting Her. This is not an epithet of Hekate to be called on lightly, and these invocations must be done with the utmost care and reverence. She is one of the most frightening goddesses in the Ancient Greek pantheon, and is the stuff of nightmares.

Sources:

https://www.theoi.com/Text/ApolloniusRhodius3.html

https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0227%3Abook%3D3%3Acard%3D1190

https://www.theoi.com/Text/LycophronAlexandra.html

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2008.01.0450%3Asection%3D22

https://www.theoi.com/Text/StatiusThebaid4.html

Books on Hekate:

-Hekate Soteira by Sarah Iles Johnston:

A must read for any Hekate devotee or follower. Discusses Her earlier roles as well as Her position as Cosmic World Soul in the Chaldean Oracles.

-Restless Dead by Sarah Iles Johnston:

Discusses the Ancient Greek views of the dead, which includes a lot of useful information about Hekate.

-Hekate: Liminal Rites by Sorita d’Este and David Rankine:

A great overview of Hekate’s history and many different aspects. An easy, but well informed read.

-Circle for Hekate vol. 1 by Sorita d’Este:

A much more in depth investigation of Hekate’s hostory, highly recommend. There’s a lot of little known info in this book.

-The Argonautica by Apollonius of Rhodes:

This is a classical epic and it follows the journey of Jason. It also, however, discusses Medea and Her worship of Hekate very frequently. Excellent historical viewpoints.

-Theogony by Hesiod:

Contains the Hymn to Hekate which is one of the first literary mentions of Hekate. Outlines Her early, ouranic roles.

-The Goddess Hekate edited by Stephen Ronan:

A difficult to locate text, but an absolutely great study on many different aspects of Hekate’s history.

Books on Ancient Greek Magic and Witchcraft:

-Arcana Mundi by Georg Luck:

Discusses real, historical practices, as well as the texts we have that relate to them. Also discusses many ancient beliefs about magic.

-The Greek Magical Papyri:

An important historical document which illustrates the way much of magic was performed in Ancient Greece and Rome.

-Magic, Witchcraft, and Ghosts in the Greek and Roman Worlds by Daniel Ogden

A great sourcebook which contains excerpts from historical documents on the subject of magic and witchcraft, as well as discussion and analysis of these passages. An essential.

-Magika Hiera edited by Chris A. Faraone and Dirk Obbink:

Discusses a range of different magical practices in Ancient Greece, as well as their relation to theology. Discusses binding tablets, amulets, herbal magic, and more.

-Curse Tablets and Binding Spells from the Ancient World by John G. Gager:

This book has a more narrow focus but is really great and a lot of the information has been useful in reconstructing these practices.

-Greek and Roman Necromancy by Daniel Ogden:

A favorite author of mine and a great study of ancient necromancy, which was a huge component of magic in the ancient world.

-Night’s Black Agents by Daniel Ogden:

Has a great section which discusses Kirke and Medea as the first witches in western mythology and literature.

-Witchcraft and Magic in Europe Volume 2: Ancient Greece and Rome edited by Bengt Ankarloo and Stuart Clark:

When you’ve got a ghost or something else that’s haunting you pretty bad, sometimes you need to take a more active approach than cleansing or praying. This is what that is for. For this ritual you will need:

-Three black candles, preferably seven day candles or 9 inch taper/pillar candles

-A banishing or cleansing oil, and a blessing oil or Hekate oil

-Wormwood, angelica root, agrimony, rue, Rosemary, frankincense, and salt

-An icon or image of the Goddess Hekate

-Two sticks of incense, or two charcoal disks with frankincense

-A bowl or a cauldron to light a flame in

-Florida water or rubbing alcohol

Begin the ritual by saying the Prayer to Hekate to Avert Evil Spirits over each ingredient. Then, light one of the incenses and carry it through each room in your home, repeating the same prayer in each room. Return to your working space and light the second incense, place it before the image, and offer it to Hekate. Sprinkle a bit of each herb into the bowl or cauldron. Pour the Florida water over the mixture and light it on fire. Then say:

“Goddess Hekate, I light this fire in your name! Drive away all that is evil and profane. Queen of Spirits, bring your light, and vanquish every soldier of night. Cleansing fire do your task, aid me in this spell I cast.”

Dress the three black candles in the banishing/cleansing oil, and sprinkle the herbs onto them as well. Light the first one with the flame you have lit in the cauldron. Then say:

“With this candle, this sacred flame, I light now in Hekate’s name, cleanse this space of evil unwanted, all malignant spirits dispelled and confronted.”

Light the second candle with the flame in the cauldron and say:

“With this candle, this sacred flame, I light now in Hekate’s name, this space be cleansed of all energies that remain from evil spirits, ill, and bane.”

Light the final candle with the flame in the cauldron and say:

“With this candle, this sacred flame, I light now in Hekate’s name, my home protected from any spirits of evil incline, and with these words this spell I bind.”

Anoint the image or statue of Hekate with the blessing of Hekate oil and say:

“This statue I annoint, this icon I bless, to stand strong in protection of this fortress. May no devil or shade prosper within these walls, for the Goddess Hekate defends these halls.”

Continue:

“In this circle these flames I light, to banish every force of night. Every specter I banish with this rite, malignant spirits now take flight.”

Leave the image and burning candles near the entrance to your home and let the candles burn completely. Leave offerings to the image by the setup to earn the favor of the Goddess Hekate.

This spell is similar to a road opening spell, but uses different herbs than usual and is geared towards Hekate devotees. It calls upon Hekate as Goddess of the Crossroads, the Torch Bearer, and the Keeper of Keys. It is designed for Her to cleanse your pathways, show you the road to take to success, unlock opportunities, and guide you through life. This spell uses herbs and items sacred to Her in order to call upon Her aid.

Decorate your sacred space with keys and other symbols of Hekate. Dress three orange candles with a Hekate oil and arrange them in an inverted triangle. Dress the candles with a mixture of sage, lavender, mayapple/American mandrake, cinnamon, frankincense, dandelion root, and dragon’s blood. These herbs are chosen to bring cleansing, success, and guidance to the witch and are also sacred to Hekate. I also highly recommend adding dirt from a crossroads to the mixture if you can get it, as it is not only traditional in these kinds of workings, but also sacred to Hekate. Sprinkle the mixture of herbs in a line from each candle to the point where the three lines intersect in between the candles. Place a key at this central intersection.

Make an offering to Hekate, this usually can consist of making a libation and an offering of incense. Either one on its own will do, so can candles, food, art, and gifts. Whatever you can afford is perfect. Then pray to Hekate and ask Her to aid you in your working.

Light the first candle and say:

“Hekate Enodia, Goddess of the Crossroads, I beseech thee. Open my roads and cleanse them of blockages, strife, and misfortune. She who guards the many ways, set me on the right path.”

Light the second candle and say

“Hekate Dadophoros, Torch-Bearer, shine your ever-burning lights upon the path to prosperity. Lead me away from evil and misguided roads. She whose flames burn eternal, illuminate the road to victory.”

Light the final candle and say:

“Hekate Kleidoukhos, Keeper of the Keys, open up the doors to opportunity and victory. Grant me luck and good fortune and grant me the key to success. She who is found in every threshold, may no door be closed to me.”

Continue, saying:

“Hekate, Three-Formed Goddess of Witchcraft, hear my prayers. As I light these three flames, whose orange color is bright like the fire of your torches, lend your aid to me. Cleanse my pathways, show me the way, and unlock every opportunity. Goddess Hekate, Bright One, I beg of you, work my spell with all your divine magics.”

Let each candle burn all the way down and carry the key from the spell as a charm. Dispose of any wax or remnants of any kind at a crossroads. When things begin to improve, I recommend making another offering to Hekate to thank Her.

I now call upon the Sun and Moon, great celestial powers, Goddess of Magic and Father of Witches, hear my prayers

Helios, Lord of the Sun, hear me!

You who are the Lord of the greatest family of witches, whose divine blood gave them strength, I call upon you now

As you attend with your chariot and steeds, bring with you all the powers of the sun to fuel my witchcraft

I supplicate you with offerings and chants in your name, I beg of you, look upon me with favor and work my magic

Just as your offspring, Kirke, Pasiphae, and Medea did call on you for all their workings, be here with me now and lend to me your aid!

Goddess Hekate, Night-Wandering Maiden, hear me!

Mother of Witches, whose priestesses and followers worked their will through your art, attend to my rites

Come upon me now, carrying your twin torches, crowned with Selene! Accept these offerings I place before you and grant your favor to my workings!

Grant my herbs your blessings, my flames your power, and my words your strength!

Just as Medea prayed to you in your temple by day and by howling at the sky by night, I call upon you now, lend me your aid!

Queen of Night and King of Day, Mother and Father of Witches, be here with me now and grant your power to my spells!

Hekate Chthonia, Goddess of the Dead, I call upon you now!

Gate-Keeper, She who holds the Infernal Key, I ask that you unlock the doors of the Underworld

Call forth the dead from their resting place so that they may commune with me

I ask for your blessings and protection in these rites which I am about to perform

Shielding me from harm and impostrous spirits

Great Hekate, the link between the land of the living and the land of the dead, lend to me your aid

May the dead wake and attend my rites, to aid me in my work and recieve these offerings which I place before them

And may you, Hekate, Queen of those Below be a guide and mediator upon this night, so that the dead return to the Underworld and do not follow me home

Many have asked me how to devote oneself to the goddess Hekate, so I figured I’d post this dedication ritual. This ritual can also be performed as a re-dedication. A note of caution: do not perform this ritual if you are not sure of your devotion to Hekate. While this is not an oath-bound devotion ritual, it is still a serious commitment. It is not to be taken lightly. This ritual is meant to be performed on a full moon, and if possible at a crossroads. For this ritual you will need:

-Three female figural candles, one of red, one of yellow (or white if yellow is unobtainable), and one of black, as well as a tray to hold them

-A Hekate oil (my recipe can be found here)

-Khernips

-A knife or implement to draw blood

-Hair trimmings and nail clippings

-Three charcoal disks with frankincense or three incense sticks

-A cauldron or bowl to light a fire in

-A mixture of Hekate’s sacred herbs (I use frankincense, mayapple, lavender, mugwort, saffron, cinnamon, and garlic)

-Also any candles, statues, bones, or other adornments for the space 

Just before midnight, gather your materials and go to your working space. Before anything, be sure to cleanse yourself with the khernips. It may also be helpful to cast a circle for this ritual, so feel free to do so. Once the space is prepared, light a flame in the cauldron or other receptacle. Cast into it the mixture of herbs and invoke Hekate with the following:

“Goddess Hekate, Torch-Bearer, Goddess of the Crossroads, and Mistress of the Dead, hear my prayers. Please be here in this space as I prepare to devote myself to you. I call on you, with your hounds and serpents, to come to me and watch over this rite which I perform in your name. Three-Formed Goddess, Night-Wanderer, be present with me!”

Then dress the candles with the Hekate oil and place them back to back to mirror Hekate’s triplicate form. Surround them with the herb mixture and light the three incenses, placing one before each of the candles. Say:

“Hekate, I place before you this incense, please accept this offering and favor me”

Toss the nail clippings and hair into the fire. Spill your blood into the flames and say:

“Goddess Hekate, I offer up these parts of myself to you, and with this sacrifice, I give to you my body and essence as a sign of my dedication.”

Spill your blood onto the yellow/white candle, light it, and say:

“Hekate Soteira, Savior of Mankind, to your heavenly aspects I devote myself”

Spill your blood onto the red candle, light it, and say:

“Hekate Dadophoros, Torch-Bearing Queen, to your Holy Fire upon the Earth I devote myself”

Spill your blood onto the black candle, light it, and say:

“Hekate Chthonia, Mistress of the Dead, to your Underworldly form I devote myself”

Sit back before the altar, and continue:

“Goddess Hekate, I bestow upon you these offerings of my flesh and of these flames. Please accept them as signs of my dedication. I hereby devote myself to you upon this night, beneath the moon, in your sacred space. Take me into your eternal embrace, purify me, make me anew, and grant to me your guidance and favor as I promise my unwavering devotion unto you.” 

After the ritual is finished, dispose of any remnants at a crossroads.

As the Deipnon is coming up, I figured I should finally post my Deipnon and Dark Moon ritual!

Deipnon Ritual:

Since the dark moon is a day of cleansing, during the day I recommend cleansing your home with incense and your shrine to Hekate if you have one. Keep the ashes from this cleansing because you’ll be leaving them at the crossroads during the Deipnon. Before the ritual starts collect the offerings you are going to leave at the crossroads. I recommend using paper plates and cups for the ritual because the items used for the Deipnon are not supposed to return  to the home. Offerings can include wine, honey, garlic, meat, eggs, fruit, and pastries. Feel free to also include things like flowers, candles, and incense if you feel so inclined. 

Just before sunset, gather your things and go to a crossroads. If you do not have a crossroad, you can leave your offerings before the threshold of your home or at the end of the driveway if you have one. Once you arrive at the crossroads, place your offerings on the ground and say:

“Hekate Anassa Eneroi, you who roam tonight with the Restless Dead, please accept these offerings which I place before you. I ask that you protect my home on this night, and that you cleanse me of all miasma from this past month. Please look upon your devoted follower with favor and may I be renewed in your name!”

Leave your offerings at the crossroads, pouring any libations you may have directly onto the ground and leaving your ashes at the crossroads. Turn around to walk back into your home, bringing nothing, and do not look back.

Once inside, cleanse yourself with either smoke or with khernips. 

Dark Moon Ritual:

After the Deipnon, I like to also do a cleansing ritual and a devotional to Hekate. For this you will need two red candles, motherwort, mayapple, rosemary, rue, lavender, cinnamon, lemongrass, and a Hekate oil. Dress both candles in the oil, sprinkling the motherwort, rosemary, rue, and lemongrass on one, and the mayapple, lavender, and cinnamon on the other. Begin the ritual by lighting all the candles on your Hekate shrine, altar, or whatever sacred space you have. Light some incense as an offering to Hekate. Then, light the first candle and say:

“Hekate Apotropaia, I offer this flame to you. Please cleanse me of all negativity and miasma, and clear my paths of all obstacles. Protector, savior, grant to me your favor so that I may go into the new lunar cycle with safety, prosperity, and good fortune.”

Light the second candle and say:

“Hekate Nyktipolos, I offer this flame to you. May this candle offering show my devotion to you. Please grant to me your blessings as this lunar cycle ends and the next one begins. I offer my dedication and worship and ask that you guide me and guard me into the next month.”

Once both candles are lit, say:

“Goddess Hekate, as these two candles are lit just as your ever-burning torches brighten the night, please accept my offerings and prayers unto you. On this night that is most sacred to you, I honor you and give to you my full devotion. Hekate, Bright One, who lights up the darkest night of the month, may your torches shine upon me and bless me.”

Leave the candles to burn on the shrine and the ritual is done. 

Many rituals may require casting a circle to bless the space and protect it from harmful entities. This is particularly apt for rituals that contain sensitive materials or energies. This version of casting a circle is for Hekatean witches and magicians, so that the space may be used for communing with Hekate and working rituals with Her aid. 

To begin, place a candle at each cardinal direction point to outline your circle. Place three other candles in the circle to represent Hekate. Light one of the candles and some incense; frankincense, myrrh, or dragon’s blood works best.

Walk around the circle four times, once with a wand or stick, once with incense, once with the lit candle, and once sprinkling khernips. Each time around, say

“Hekate Apotropaia, averter of evil, I trace this circle and call upon thee. Protect this space and those inside it from ill and bane and harmful magic.”

Then, face the north, light the northern candle and say:

“Hekate Chthonia, Underworld Goddess and Mistress of the Dead, She who was given a share of the earth, be with me here in this circle, strong and firm like the ground below.”

Face the east, light the eastern candle, and say:

“Hekate Ourania, Heavenly One, She who was given a share of the skies, be with me here in this circle, bringing transformative and shifting power like the air around me.”

Face the south, light the southern candle, and say:

“Hekate Pyrphoros, Holy Fire and Bringer of Light, She who carries the twin torches, be with me here in this circle, powerful and generative like the fires I light in your name.”

Face the west, light the western candle, and say:

“Hekate Einalia, watery goddess, She who was given a share of the ocean, be with me here in this circle, nourishing and endless like the seas”

Face the north again and light another of the Hekate candles, then say:

“I call on Hekate Tetraoditis, She who looks four ways, Mistress of the Crossroads, I ask that you protect this space with your four-fold protection and make this circle a crossroads, a space of transformation and power.”

Light the last Hekate candle and say:

“I call on Hekate Pharmakeia, Queen of Witches, Mistress of all things magical, please bless this space so that magic may be worked within it. I ask that you grant your aid to all the spells and rites that I perform here.”

Continue: