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Part 2.4 about Hera

Hecate is a multifaceted goddess, one of whose essential functions is linked to the cult of the hearth in ancient Greece. Unlike the domestic divinities more directly associated with the protection of marriage and family, Hecate occupies a singular place as guardian of borders, crossroads, and especially of the house. She is considered the protector of domestic spaces, but also of the secrets and mysteries that unfold there.

In the worship of the hearth, Hecate intervenes as a tutelary goddess who watches over the security and integrity of the home. Her role is twofold: on the one hand, she protects the home against negative influences and dark forces that could threaten family peace; on the other hand, she embodies the liminal powers, those who control the passages between the visible and invisible world, between the known and the unknown. This function makes her a guardian of domestic life, where light and shadow, life and death mingle.

Hecate is often invoked during nocturnal rites, particularly those conducted by torchlight at crossroads located near dwellings. These symbolic places then become points of contact between the divine and human spheres, where Hecate ensures the protection of the home. Her presence ensures that the family sanctuary remains a safe place, protected from evil intrusions.

She's also associated with the fertility and prosperity of the household, although its domain is less explicitly linked to conjugal fecundity than that of Hera. Nevertheless, through her control of thresholds and passages, Hecate ensures the continuity of the house, the transmission of goods and traditions within the family.

The cult of Hecate in the home also manifests itself through specific offerings, such as honey, milk, or small statues placed at the entrances to the house, in order to attract her benevolence. These practices reflect a confidence in her ability to balance forces, to protect the family not only from visible dangers, but also from those in the shadows.

Finally, the figure of Hecate highlights the importance of mystery and occult knowledge in Greek domestic life. She embodies the secret part of the home, which does not show itself, which stands apart, but is essential for the balance and protection of the house. In this way, Hecate reminds us that home worship is not only a matter of social and material order, but also a space where the visible and the invisible, light and night are intertwined.

It was the last post about the gods of the hearth, the next one will be about the worship of the ancestors !

Hello there! Yes I do! Very exciting that you want to start worshipping her.

Circle for Hekate - Volume I: History & Mythology by Sorita d’Este is my number one suggestion because you will learn so much - as the subtitle says - history and myth about Hekate. It will directly combat some misinformation around her (MMC archetype) and also help you understand more complex elements (conflated or syncretised deities).

While this book doesn't tell you how to worship her exactly, information based in cultural and religious context is always helpful in the actual doing of your practice!

I also recommend reading the Orphic Hymn to Hekate and her section in Hesiod's Theogony to understand her more.

Theoi.com is a common place to start with the gods, but I do want to say that Hekate's entry in this database is one I'd consider incomplete or inaccurate. Her domains are listed as Witchcraft, magic, ghosts which is akin to her 5th century onwards depiction, but not true to a lot of her history and the breadth of her domains as a goddess.

Books that talk about how to work with Hekate can be hit or miss. A lot of them have elements of Wicca or are based in Wicca which doesn't necessarily acknowledge her history and can play into misinformation about her. If you're looking for a hellenic polytheist approach, you can do this without a specific guidebook by researching as you are and then applying these learnings to your practice overall.

If you're over 16 years old, you can also join the Sanctuary of the Crossroads, a devotional community dedicated to Hekate. You can ask questions here, learn more, and chat with others! Invite: https://discord.gg/dW8pTY7zTR

Also my good friend and fellow Dadouchos at the Sanctuary of the Crossroads @elthealchemist is working on a recommended reading list for Hekate and a Starter Guide. We're currently proofreading but they will be available via sanctuaryofthecrossroads.org when they're ready.

Let me know if you have anymore questions!

This prayer was written by me, and is part of a series of prayers to recite when going through rough times. Everyone is going through the ringer right now, given the state of everything, so hopefully this can help you get through some tough things too. Enjoy!

Dark-eyed, world-wandering Hekate,

I pray to you now in my time of need.

Guide me through this darkness with your bright torches,

Help me find the key to escape my suffering,

And speak to me your words of wisdom when I need them the most.

For you are the deep-hearted goddess, the walker of many roads,

You who guides the suffering, the powerless and the despairing back into the light,

At the threshold you stand, immovable, barring all evil from entering,

And at the crossroads you inhabit, the in-between where nothing is certain and nothing is safe.

In all worlds you hold a share, and I plead with you my lady of sorcery,

Help me to see and follow the light, and to never lose hope even when things seem bleak.

Gracious goddess Hekate, I ask that you stand by my side when I need you,

O three-formed maiden of the lands below.

Attributes

Love

Beauty

Sexual love and desire

War

Fertility

Pleasure

The Sea

Seafaring

Grace

Star of Venus

Symbols

Scallop

Mirror

Shell

Sea chariot

The Dove

The Turtle

Geese

Conch shell

Myrtle tree

Golden Apple

Red Anemone (Adonis)

Offerings

Shells

Myrrh

Roses

Apples

Jewelry

Makeup

Pearls

Fish

Red or pink items

Dove feathers or imagery

Turtles

Anything that can symbolize love or passion

Sea salt

Love poetry or songs

Anything from Cyprus or linking to Cyprus

Tarot (just my personal interpretation feel free to change or use or discard it whatever you want to do with this information).

The Lovers

Empress

The Star

Queen of Cups

Queen of Wands

General Information: Before Ancient Greece

Aphrodite has been a very diverse goddess within her aspects but also her cultural impact. Aphrodite along with her counterpart Adonis are not native to Greece. Rather she is Phoenician origins when the Mycenaean Greeks colonized Cyprus they found a unique goddess that was worshipped by the Cypriot Phoenicans it was Aphrodite or her original name Astrate who was also known as Inanna and Ishtar from their respective cultures of Babylon and Sumerian. Adonis came from a god named Adon. But more on Adonis later. Like Astrate, Aphrodite was not just the goddess of love and beauty but also war and fertility. When the Greeks came to Cyprus they adopted Aphrodite into their pantheon though they kept her war aspect she wasn’t seen as a primary war deity unlike her Phoenician counterpart.

Astrate and her role on Cyprus

Astrate has links outside of Phoenicia, like I said Sumerian and Babylonian she also had a sister named Anath of love and war as well. But Astrate was a extremely popular and important goddess to the Phoenicians also another name for the Canaanites. Their well known for their maritime history and biblical more common and their war history against Rome famously Hannibal of Carathage and his campaign against Rome.

Astrate to the Canaanites was the Queen of Heaven and matron deity of Tyre a very important seaport and city which is now in Lebanon, one of her names was Asherar-yam (Our lady of the sea) and seen as a mother goddess not just linked with Aphrodite but also Hathor, Isis, Hera, and Artemis. Though she has a sister named Anath it may be suspected that they were one in the same. When monotheism came to be and demonized the old Canaanite gods Astrate came to be known as Astoreth in the Goetia which at times seen as a male.

It’s a short summary but Phoenician mythology and history is very underrated to me and I highly recommend researching but talking about Aphrodite we need to talk about Astrate first, which they do share very strong similarities not just war and love and sexuality but also the planet Venus, Aphrodite is associated with the sea and born from it which demonstrates a clear link with Astrate’s relationship with sea as well. Also Aphrodite has heavenly aspects.

Cyprus is a very interesting island country historically and culturally. Greek and Turkish culture thrive on the island for centuries with a lot of violence and colonization from ancient to modern it was until 1960, Cyprus gain independence from Great Britain. Cyprus comes from Ancient Greek Kypros but meaning is unclear it may come from ‘copper’ due to Cyprus having many copper deposits and one of the big sources of copper. Human habitants on the island dates back to hunter and gatherers and Neolithic farmers around 10,000 years ago. One evidence is of a gravesite dating back before the civilization of Egypt where human remains was buried with a cat in the Neolithic village of Khirokita around 6,800 BC. At the end of Bronze Age it was then colonized by the Mycenaean Greeks around 1400 BC and after the collapse of the Mycenaeans a large portion of Greek settlers migrated to Cyprus (1100-1050 BC) There was Phoenician presence like trading and merchants but their major colonies on Cyprus came much later around 850-800 BC like Kition (Larnaca). Evidence shows before the ancient Greeks arrival Ancient Cypriots had religious cults of a mother goddess and bull cults that may have been derived from Anatolian influences but also Syrian and Mesopotamian. This mother goddess was called “Lady of Cyprus” syncretize with Phoenician and Ancient Greek religion. But when these colonists and native inhabitants come together beliefs tend to merge and syncretize into a unique form of those said beliefs.

Aphrodite and Cyprus

With the context of what Cyprus and Astrate, it’s time to talk about Aphrodite and the Greek perspective of the goddess. Aphrodite in the myths was born from the sea, some myths say it was from Uranus who when was castrated by his son Kronos his genitalia was thrown into the sea thus Aphrodite is born or she is the daughter of Zeus and Dione a Titianess who was his oracle, according to Hesiod Dione was a Oceanid daughter of Oceanus and Tethys or Apollodorus account which Dione is the daughter of Gaia and Uranus. If we’re taking Hesiod’s account it still links Aphrodite strongly with the ocean. Whether the case may be, Aphrodite is born out of the sea form and wash to the shores of Cyprus. Here she is known as “Kyprogenia” or “Cyprus-Born”, Aphrodite’s main cult is in Cyprus and patroness of the island along with Adonis, she had many festivals and celebrations like Adonis death and rebirth. Her main cult center was in Paphos, Cyprus. According to Sappho the poet called her the “Cyprian”. Petra tou Romiou (Aphrodite's Rock) is where her birthplace said to be where Paphos meets the sea people would celebrate on this rock as the anniversary of her birth.

There in Paphos they celebrated her primary festival called Aphrodisia where her most ancient temple presided, offerings of fire, incense, and flowers. Even some modern day festivals like Kataklysmos (Festival of the Flood) and Anthestiria (Festival of Flowers) has roots to the ancient worship and celebration of Aphrodite.

Aphrodite and Adonis

When we’re talking about Aphrodite’s early history on Cyprus we can’t ignore one of her important and underrated lover which is Adonis. Adonis like Aphrodite has roots in Phoenician mythology he is known as Adon, and yes Adonai another word for the Abrahamic God isn’t a coincidence. Adonis means, “Lord” but also known as Eshmun, he was beloved by Astrate. Adonis was a fertility god, handsome and youthful and loved the sport of hunting.

The myth of their love goes like this, King Cinyras of Cyprus (Also known as Theias) bragged that his daughter Myrrha was so beautiful than Aphrodite herself. Aphrodite angered by this cursed the King and Myrrha to have a incestous relationship with him and tricking him into the act. The story has different versions but it ends much the same her father enrage what happened wants to kill her, Myrrha regretful and ashamed of what transpired pleads for the gods for protection from her father, which they granted. They turned Myrrha into a Myrr tree, after nine months one of her branches broke off birthing Adonis who had the beauty of his mother.

Aphrodite found Adonis and instantly fell in love with him but scared that other goddesses would also fall in love with him so she entrusted the infant to Persephone as he grew older Persephone also fell in love with him. Did not want to return Adonis to Aphrodite, it arose a conflict between them that Zeus stepped in declaring Adonis to be shared between the two goddesses, four months in the underworld with Persephone and four months with Aphrodite, then the last four months is his own time to spend. It’s said he loved Aphrodite so much he spent his last four months of freedom with Aphrodite.

Death and Resurrection of Adonis

The stories differ of how this came to be, Adonis was fond of hunting and Aphrodite had a premonition that Adonis would die from hunting. He often hunted in Afqa Forest in Byblos, he ignored her pleas and went hunting anyway that’s when a wild boar (It’s said that the boar was Ares who was jealous of Adonis) attacked him, fatally wounded him. His cries were heard by Aphrodite who rushed to him in her sea chariot to be by his side. She applied magical nectar trying to heal his wounds but to no avail he ended up dying, the nectar and his blood soaked into the soil creating a flower resembling his blood which is the Anemone flower. His blood reached a river in Afqa forest turning the waters red calling it Adonis River. Zeus who sympathized about what happened decided to let Adonis spend time in the underworld for only half a year similar to Persephone’s story. This is the Greek version of Adonis’s death and revival but his story was seen in Canaanite mythology and worship, death and revival is a common motif in middle eastern mythology and culture with Egyptians, Babylonians, Phygrians, etc.

This story, since Adonis represents agriculture and vegetation it may have been used to explain plant decay and transition into the winter months. Again similar how Persephone story was seen as both were important in agricultural beliefs. To the Canaanites winter is depression and full of sadness almost like grief of life. Which that’s how they honored Adonis in Cyprus.

The Adonia which is a festival around July or the Midsummer (still not sure the date but most scholars have confidence it was at least midsummer) that was popular by women, women who mourn the death of Adonis by wailing and creating “gardens of Adonis” which they will create with healthy plant life like lettuce and fennel in small pots and broken pots, these seeds will sprout but quickly die representing Adonis’s brief life and quick death. Women would set up images of Adonis on their flat rooftops played loud and dramatic music as they mourned.

This was common Athens but it was also extremely common and popular with the Phoenicians, Adonis had two popular temples one in Paphos and the other in Byblos which is in Lebanon. His festival in Byblos here may have been celebrated in the spring as Adonis River changed color by the soil from the mountains turning the water into a red hue it was common sighting from travelers to witness the event at springtime believe to be Adonis’s blood. The Anemone flower also a sign that at least one of his festivals was held in spring. His death was annually mourned with dramatic music but unlike the Greeks which his death was was more grieved by women as his Greek cult was women centered, in Phoenician tradition it was both men and women who grieved but still women had a more important role in these events, they sang hymns of mourning over a idol of the deceased god which was washed over with pure water, anointed with oil, and clad in a red robe. Women fast what ground in a mill. His images resembled corpses and carried to burial and then thrown into the sea or springs. It was said his death be taken around midsummer of Tammuz (July) which was named after him. And some places the following day was his rebirth and celebrated his return to life , The Red Anemone symbolizing his revival. The akin to him with plants that quickly die or have a short lifespan:

"A tamarisk that in the garden has drunk no water,

‘Whose crown in the field has brought forth no blossom.

A willow that rejoiced not by the watercourse,

A willow whose roots were torn up.

A herb that in the garden had drunk no water.’ - A Lament Hymn for Adonis

Aphrodite and Venus

The Romans adopted Aphrodite within their own religion and customs. Venus was an extremely popular figure and she was indigenous to Italy as a spring and flower goddess and a goddess of nature. Aphrodite has aspects like Venus of course but the Romans did not see her as a primarily love goddess before her syncretization. Venus means “love or charm” from the proto-italic word “wenos” meaning “desire” where the word veneration comes from. Venus is said to be the ancestor and mother of Rome, as she was proclaimed the ancestor of Julius Caesar as Venus Genetrix “Venus the Mother” in contrast to Mars as the Father of Rome. Venus was the mother to Aeneas a famous Trojan warrior who sailed to Italy after the events of the Iliad after Troy fell he and his son sail to Italy settle there, his descendants Romulus and Remus sons of Mars who laid the foundations of Rome.

Lovers of Aphrodite

Many lovers Aphrodite had and not surprising since she is the goddess of love and beauty. Adonis is not talked about enough in my opinion but I’ll mention in short the most known lovers.

Ares: The God of War, now everyone pretty much knows these couple lol and it’s a great duality of two deities. Aphrodite has a war aspect but primarily to the Greeks was a love goddess contrast to a brutal war God it’s a healthy balance between love and destruction, life and death, hope and despair, etc. it shows the cycle of destruction or creation, life, love, peace follows after destruction and death and war. It’s a perfect match between them. From their affair had quite a few children Harmonia, Eros (some sources others say Eros was the son of Chaos), and Phobo and Demios.

Hephaestus: The God of Smithing and Fire, he was the husband of Aphrodite, who tricked Aphrodite and Ares by catching their affair by the gods catching them on the act this made him divorce Aphrodite and demanded to give his wedding gifts back then married Aglaia one of the graces or Charis. The story shows when infidelity occurs divorces may have been possible or at least very frowned upon, Helios the All-Seeing God caught the affair and told Hephaestus, Helios watched over oaths and made sure people were truthful in their promises like marriage. To break it was a very bad thing in Ancient Greece. But again there is different mythological accounts that is unclear more than the others.

Hermes: God of Messengers and Travelers, he seduced Aphrodite and bore him Hermaphroditos a child born of two genders male and female. This probably extends from Aphrodite’s unique depiction of Aphroditus by Aristophanes, where Aphrodite is depicted as a male with a beard found in Cyprus where it’s said the oldest cult of Hermaphroditios was. According to Philochorus in Atthis men and women after their offerings to the god would scarifice their garments to the moon. Some considered that he may have represented marriage in some way as husband and wife become equally into one.

Epithets/Titles of Aphrodite:

Kyprogenia - Cyprus-Born

Paphia - Of Paphos (Cyprus)

Antheia - The Friend of Flowers

Ourania - Heavenly

Pandêmos - Common to All People (Love)

Episteophia - She Who Turns People to Love

Apostrophia - Averter of Unlawful Desires

Kataskopia - Spying, Peeping

Melania - Black (of the night)

Aeria - Of Ares, Warlike

Nikèphoros - Bringer of Victory

Pontia - Of The Sea

Nymphia. - Bridal

Hêrê - Of Hera (Marriage)

Dôritis - Bountiful

Kêpois - Of The Gardens

Anadyomene - Risen from the sea

Our Lady of The Sea

Roman

Venus Acidalia “arrow” or “Love’s Arrows”

Venus Caelestis “Heavenly Venus”

Venus Cloacina “Venus the Purifier”

Venus Felix “Lucky Venus”

Venus Libertina “Venus the Freedwoman”

Venus Libitina - this is a very interesting one Libitina is a goddess of funerals and undertakers and personified death and this name links with Venus with death and funerals. It can be because Venus association with growth of nature but also her dark aspect of decay in all things in life.

Venus Genetrix “Venus The Great Mother.”

Conclusion

This was a great post for me to write, because I am part Cypriot Greek American and connecting to Aphrodite is been a very big part in my deity worship but also ancestral. So writing this is paying homage to that.

In my opinion you can worship Aphrodite as Venus or Astrate but remember it’s the culture that is different. You can certainly use titles from Venus for Aphrodite. Same goes with Astrate as well since it was her original form. But I would put their respected names like Venus Genetrix not as Aphrodite Genetrix because the cultural names are different even if the goddesses are merged together.

Sources

Aphrodite Philommeidís, laughter-loving queen, bless me and my friends with your jovial presence. Let us bask in your joy and smile. Aphrodite, of all forms of love, may we feel your divine touch as we talk and your reassuring hand as we laugh. Aphrodite Philommeidís, join us in our merriment and may the sounds of our hollering be heard as praise to you, lovely queen.