#hekate epithets

My Favorite Hekate Epithets

Phôtoplêx ‘Who smites with light’

Eidôlios ‘Fantasmal’, ‘Ghostly’

Drakaina ‘Dragoness’, ‘Serpentess’

Kunolygmatos ‘Doglike Howler’, ‘Who howls doglike'

Pyripnoos ‘Fire-breather'

Pyriphoitos ‘Fire-walker'

Êrigeneia ‘Daughter of morning’

Aimopotis ‘Blood-drinker'

Astrodia ‘Star-walker'

Opheôplokamos ‘Coiled with Snakes’

Once again, this is not a complete list and is not intended to be. It is a curated list of the epithets of the deity I find the most interesting and/or useful to my practice.

TW: Many of the epithets of hekate are very dark, disturbing, and contain some rather gory imagery. She has many contradictory epithets, which has always made her an interesting goddess to me. I truly believe she is a goddess that does not hold back in bringing catastrophe upon those who deserve it. It is upg, but she is truly not a goddess to call upon for revenge or being saved from something/someone/a situation unless you are willing to accept the possibility of that person being hurt, maimed, or killed as being a part of it. She is not the goddess to call upon for "Simply keep this person away from me" protection unless you are very specific about no harm coming to them, and even then - the gods do not obey mortals. They listen, but have their own free will at the end of the day. Again, that is all upg, but if someone has done something abominable to you, and you call upon her regarding it, I truly believe that person WILL be hurt. If you do not agree with that level of vengeance, use extreme caution. I say this because her popular depiction as a goddess of witchcraft often seens very sanitized to me. Anyway, epithets:

Abronoe: Gracious minded, providing grace.

Adamantaea: Unconquerable

Agriope: Wild eyed, fierce faced. This one I feel goes particularly well with the common conception of hecate as a 3 faced deity (Or at least, her common depiction as looking out over all directions of a crossroad.)

Agrotera: Huntress.

Adonaia: of the underworld

Aimopotis: Blood drinker. Murderer. This is a very interesting one to me as I have always felt a motherly, guiding presence from Hekate, but I believe this refers to the darker side which she very much has, particularly towards harmers of women and children.

Amaimaketos: Unapproachable. Invincible. Unconquerable. Raging.

Antaian Theou: "She who meets"

Anassa Eneroi: Queen of the dead

Androphonos: Killer of men

Apanchomene: The hanged one

Aregos: Helper

Arkuia: Spinner of webs. Entrapper.

Autophyes: Self generating. Self begotten. I do not know the myth of the birth of Hekate but anybody know if this is shown in mythology?

Boopis: Cow eyed. In addition to being interesting...I see it sort of as alluding to the way a cow and other herbivores have eyes on the side of their head to see predators more easily...it is extremely fun to say.

Borborophora: Eater of filth.

Brimo: Angry one. Terrifying.

Charopos: Fierce. Grim. Flashing. Bright. Having blue-grey eyes. Of the Sea.

Dadophoros: Torch bearer

Damnodamia: Subduer of subduers.

Deichteira: Teacher. Revealer.

Enodia: Of the crossroads

Epigeioi: Of the earth

Episkopos: Guardian. One who watches over. Overseer.

Eukoline: Good tempered (Hekate has so many seemingly contradictory epithets). This next one is out of alphabetical order for contrast purposes:

Kardiodaitos: Feasting on Men’s Hearts.

Gigaessa: Giant

Hersechtonia: Speaking from below

Kthonia: Of the underworld

Kynegetis: Leader of dogs

Limenoskopos: Of the threshhold. Of the harbor.

Lochias: Protector of birth. Goddess of childbearing.

Meisoponeros: Vice hating.

Nyktiboos: Night shouter. Night crier.

Oistrophaneia: Manifester of madness

Oksyboe: Shrill screamer. Shrieker.

Oriplanos: Mountain roaming.

Pege Psychon: Source of souls.

Phileremos: Lover of solitude

Philoskylax: Lover of dogs

Phroune: Toad. She toad. That's it. Just toad. First time I have ever read this one.

Polyodynos: Full of pain. One who suffers much.

Psychopompe: Soul guide

Pyriboulos: Of fiery counsel. I feel this alludes to her bluntness. Upg, but hekate is an extremely blunt goddess. Praying to her for a solution has always gotten me something I did not ask for but that I needed, swiftly. She will remove things from your life that are harming you, but that thing may well end up being harmed in the process. Be careful to ask for no harm to come to whatever you are praying for peace or rescue from, if you do not want to see them harmed.

Reksipyle: Gate breaker

Sarkophagos: Flesh eater. I think this mostly alludes to her role as a goddess related to death, in the same way as the earth itself could be seen as "Eating" those who are decomposing.

Terpsimbrotos: One who delights mortals

Thanategos: One who brings death.

Tlete: Patient

Tymborychos: Gravedigger, or maybe grave robber.

May the fire from your breath light my way in battle, and guide me into victory against our oppressors

May your claws and horns protect me from harm, and may your eye see all and judge all. I honor the Dragon's Eye. 🐉👁️🔥

Mother of Dragons, hear my voice and know that my heart is true.

I honor you in every step I take and every situation I prevail in

The Great Goddess has many faces; animals being a frequent apparition of them. Here's a few of Her animal-related epithets that I felt like deserve attention;

boopis; cow-eyed

booporos; ox-herder

drakaina; serpent, dragon

elaphebolos; deer-hunter, shooter of deer

ellophonos; fawn-slayer

eurippa; horse-finder

gorgo; the gorgon

hippoprosopos; horse-faced

(h)ippokyon; mare-dog, half dog, half horse

keratopis; horned, horned-faced

kunolygmatos; doglike-howler, who howls doglike

kynegetis; leader of dogs

kynokephalos; dog-faced

kyon; bitch (dog)

kyon melaina; black bitch (dog)

leaina; the lioness

leontoukhos; holding a lion

lykaina; she-wolf

phroune; toad, frog, she-toad

potnia theron; mistress of animals, lady of the wild beasts

skylakageia; dog-leader

speirodrakontozonos; girted with serpent coils

taurodrakaina; bull-dragon

taurokarenos; bull-headed

taurapis; bull-faced

tauropolos; bull-herder

tauropos; bull-aspected

therobromon; roaring like a wild beast, of the city of beasts

theroktomos; beast-slayer

Thank you so much!!! Of course, much obliged, Lady Hekate is so important to me and she's much more tender and loving than some people make her out to be. It reminds me of the saying "the Hekate you get is the Hekate you deserve."

abronoê: gracious-minded

aglaos: radiant

arêgos: helper

astrodia: star-walker

atala: tender

deichteira: teacher

episkopos: guardian/overseer

eranne: lovely

êrigeneia: daughter of morning

erôtotokeia: bearer of love

eukoline: good-tempered

makairapos: blessed one

medeousa: protector

melinoe: soothing one

ourania: celestial/heavenly

paggennêteira: mother of all

paiônios: healer

pandôteira: one who gives everything

pantrophos: all-nurturing

phaesimbrotos: bringer of light to mortals

psychopompe: soul-guide

rhododaktylos: rosy-fingered

sôteira: savior

tletos: patient