#polypharmakos

In 2025 I spent most of summer very worried about some health issues of my twin brother and my grandmother. I remember going to sleep at late night hours because of praying for the recovery of my beloved ones. At certain moment I thought "you should try doing something more than just asking for help". So I designed a ritual inspired by those of Medea rejuvenating Aeson. When the night came, I had a bubbling cauldron filled with healing herbs, a special incantantion and two woolen effigies with hair of my relatives weaved into them. I showered and purified my body, unbinded my hair, made a libation of wine and other of milk mixed with honey, burnt incense, offered some food and erected an altar to Hekate, Kirke and Medeia. I will not describe every detail of ritual, but my grandma and brother recovered before ending summer. Even when the doctors didn't have a lot of hope in the diagnosis, even when week after week it seemed like neither my grandmother nor my brother improved; She heared my plea and demonstrated her power.

IO HEKATE SOTEIRA IO HEKATE KOUROTROPHOS IO HEKATE PAMMETOR

IO KIRKE POLYPHARMAKOS IO MEDEIA POLYPHARMAKOS

Why Polypharmakos and in greek too? Story mayhaps?

Hi, polyharmakos is an epithet meaning “knowing of many drugs” or “knowing of many remedies” or “knowing of many charms” used in Apollonius' Argonautica for Medea and in the Odyssey for Circe. The reason I gave it to myself is because I am a pharmacy student and I think it is very appropriate and descriptive because, after all, pharmacists are experts in medicines.

It is in Greek because I am simply obsessed with Greek mythology, as you can see 💀. I think my first encounter with the word was in the Odyssey, but it was translated as "she of sovereign wiles" ("la de ardides soberanos"), which is very cool, but it didn't spark my interest in any way. It was based on the fact that I read more and also saw that it was a way of referring to Medea, and I really like Medea because of the whole Argonauts and Ino thing, so one thing led to another.

I'm sure it was also used to refer to other sorcerers such as Aeetes and Pasiphae, but they may have been lost in lost works, although that's a very bold statement.