So, apparently yesterday was the festival of Hekate's night. I've read about this a bit before, but it's something I chose not to incorporate into my practice. Since my personal practice has a mix of modern and ancient holidays, I thought I'd write a little about how I do choose to bring in festivals, using this as an example.
First, I like to look at the details and history of the festival (be it ancient history, or more modern). In this case, Hekate's night does not seem to be an ancient festival, either Greek or Roman. Perhaps it comes from some other culture, but I have found no evidence for that.
I have sometimes seen this festival called Hecatesia, with an alternate date of August 13th or 16th, but again, there doesn't seem to be any real information on this festival. Sometimes the August 13th festival is presented as something different. Since I have seen Artemis mentioned with this one, I wonder if it stems from the Kourotrophos festival? There are also possible Roman origins there, but again, in those cases it would be something other than what is presented on November 16th.
All of this kind of hits on a personal pet peeve of mine, which is modern 'made-up' information being passed of as something with legitimate history behind it... but of course, the history is rarely really there.
So, looking to the modern practices, information is kind of scarce there, as well! Hekate is described as wandering that night with her hounds and other
spirits, and suppers are left out for her, which sounds no different
from the Deipnon - which is a monthly festival I already celebrate. (Actually, a theory I have seen is that the date comes from a misunderstanding. Someone wrote about celebrating the Deipnon on that night, but did not note that it was a moveable lunar festival, and copy and paste, copy and paste... and so Hekate's night was born.) The only additional tidbit I can find is it's apparently a night that witches are initiated into her cult, but again, there never seem to be sources to dig into this deeper. Also, this wouldn't fit in with my particular practice anyway.
Another aspect to celebrating holidays in general is fellowship, knowing you're celebrating something other devotees are, but... well, again, I get that with Hekate's Deipnon each month. Aside from that, I feel more called to the modern Rite of Her Sacred Fires when dealing with that aspect - that's the real fellowship night of the year for me, since a large part of the festival often involves sharing your altar and experiences with others. I did consider that a celebration in November might be an interesting counterpoint to Sacred Fires, which is held in May, but that's basically what Samhain is acting as these days.
One last thing to consider is that the more parties, the better, right? Well... my personal calendar isn't exactly empty, you know? (I should blog the whole list, some day...) That's why I consider which festivals to celebrate a bit more carefully. If it's not adding something different or particular for me, there are other things I could be putting my energy towards. That's how I feel in this case. There's nothing particularly special about this night, it is too similar to other aspects of my practice, and I don't feel I'd get much from it. It doesn't mean that no one should celebrate it, of course, but for me it's a no go.
Showing posts with label hekate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hekate. Show all posts
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Monday, July 25, 2016
UPG relating to Hekate
So, considering my recent post on the whole UPG thing, I figured maybe it would be a good time to actually share some of mine, little things I've discovered that aren't historical in nature. In this case those relating to Hekate, but others will come later in the week...
For offerings I have found Hekate calls for the fat rendered off from cooking beef. I believe the first time this happened I was cooking some ground beef on the night of Hekate's deipnon (a monthly festival dedicated to her, which is from antiquity), and I just had the overwhelming urge to save the fat which I would have otherwise discarded, to add it to my offerings that night. I did, and I have tried to do so whenever I cook beef. Apples are another offering I find she likes, that doesn't seem to have been emphasized historically.
I associate red roses with Hekate, and it seems quite a few people actually do this. Someone once said to me they associate no flowers with Hekate, because she was not a 'flowery' goddess, but that's why I like roses for her. They're beautiful, like she is... but they have thorns, they can draw blood, and they have a reputation as difficult to grow. Yet, those that grow them find the time and effort worth it.
I have also come to associate common sage with her (not white/smudging sage). And for stones, labradorite and lava rock. I find wells to be sacred to her, among other deities - perhaps because they are a liminal space, a link to the underworld. In the Orphic hymn she is called "Hekate of the Roads," and this is something I have come to emphasize in my own practice in many ways.
For symbols I tend to look to her historical ones, but there is also the crescent moon with it's 'horns' pointing downward. I associate this with all chthonic deities, but Hekate especially.
I find she likes frankincense and myrrh, although both would likely have been offered at some point in antiquity. Patchouli is another incense for her, as well as other deep earthy scents, or the scent of heavy night blooming flowers. Thick, sort of sweet, the scent of a hot, humid summer night.
I have come to know her as "queen of the night-singing ones," in other words, those insects and other creatures which call at night. Again, very much the sound of summer.
I suppose my associating her with summer is an odd UPG in itself. Many seem to see her more in the autumn weather, and I do see here there as well, she is present all year, but there is simply something about a summer night that makes me think of her in so many ways. Especially when a storm is brewing in the distance. That charge on the air you don't often get in autumn.
As far as other modern practices go, again, there is the Rite of Her Sacred Fires which I celebrated this year. It's not personal, I didn't create it, and a whole bunch of people participate in it, but it is modern. As, at this point in time, I do still celebrate the wheel of the year, and so I honor Hekate at Samhain. Again, perhaps not that unusual in modern paganism, but it is not an ancient practice, so I'll include it. Samhain reminds me a bit of her monthly deipnon festival, and it is one of the liminal times of year, where everything is moving from life to death. To that end, I also associate her a bit with Beltane, the other half of that time, when things move from death back to life.
For offerings I have found Hekate calls for the fat rendered off from cooking beef. I believe the first time this happened I was cooking some ground beef on the night of Hekate's deipnon (a monthly festival dedicated to her, which is from antiquity), and I just had the overwhelming urge to save the fat which I would have otherwise discarded, to add it to my offerings that night. I did, and I have tried to do so whenever I cook beef. Apples are another offering I find she likes, that doesn't seem to have been emphasized historically.
I associate red roses with Hekate, and it seems quite a few people actually do this. Someone once said to me they associate no flowers with Hekate, because she was not a 'flowery' goddess, but that's why I like roses for her. They're beautiful, like she is... but they have thorns, they can draw blood, and they have a reputation as difficult to grow. Yet, those that grow them find the time and effort worth it.
I have also come to associate common sage with her (not white/smudging sage). And for stones, labradorite and lava rock. I find wells to be sacred to her, among other deities - perhaps because they are a liminal space, a link to the underworld. In the Orphic hymn she is called "Hekate of the Roads," and this is something I have come to emphasize in my own practice in many ways.
For symbols I tend to look to her historical ones, but there is also the crescent moon with it's 'horns' pointing downward. I associate this with all chthonic deities, but Hekate especially.
I find she likes frankincense and myrrh, although both would likely have been offered at some point in antiquity. Patchouli is another incense for her, as well as other deep earthy scents, or the scent of heavy night blooming flowers. Thick, sort of sweet, the scent of a hot, humid summer night.
I have come to know her as "queen of the night-singing ones," in other words, those insects and other creatures which call at night. Again, very much the sound of summer.
I suppose my associating her with summer is an odd UPG in itself. Many seem to see her more in the autumn weather, and I do see here there as well, she is present all year, but there is simply something about a summer night that makes me think of her in so many ways. Especially when a storm is brewing in the distance. That charge on the air you don't often get in autumn.
As far as other modern practices go, again, there is the Rite of Her Sacred Fires which I celebrated this year. It's not personal, I didn't create it, and a whole bunch of people participate in it, but it is modern. As, at this point in time, I do still celebrate the wheel of the year, and so I honor Hekate at Samhain. Again, perhaps not that unusual in modern paganism, but it is not an ancient practice, so I'll include it. Samhain reminds me a bit of her monthly deipnon festival, and it is one of the liminal times of year, where everything is moving from life to death. To that end, I also associate her a bit with Beltane, the other half of that time, when things move from death back to life.
Saturday, June 25, 2016
Oh boy...
You know what I didn't miss in my break away from the pagan community? People who tried to pass their personal opinions off as historical facts.
For example, someone flat out claiming "(Hekate) is not the goddess of magic." Ummm, okay... Because, I mean, she certainly was, and is. She is a goddess of witchcraft and magic, that's like, one of her major functions. There are bunches of primary sources from antiquity which show her in this light. Since there's some confusion about what that means, a primary source is information that comes directly from ancient Greece. Not archeologist speculation, or someone writing about their thoughts on her in the modern day. It's stuff that comes directly from the ancient Greeks themselves.
Of course that doesn't matter. Because. "Who's says the research you are studying is even the right research????… Who says the Greek were even right???" (Direct quotes folks, because the more question marks the better!)
Yes. Who is to say the ancient Greeks were even right. Those silly ancient Greeks who worshiped her for centuries, who erected countless shrines to her, who (in Athens anyway) celebrated her supper on the last night of every lunar month. What do those crazy people even know? After all, what are a few measly centuries compared to, you know, the few years you've put in...
But hey, it's just her opinion, right? Look, I'm all about the continuing growth of deities, their mythologies, and having personal relationships and understandings with these deities... but when you flat out state a fact like that? That's not an opinion anymore. You can say, hey, you know, I never really connected with that aspect of Hekate, it doesn't fit into my practice, and that would be fine. But to act like it doesn't exist at all? Nope, sorry, that's not how it works. That's no longer an opinion, not a belief, and it is factually wrong. It is not insulting a belief to point out an incorrect fact, because it's not a belief.
To end of this little rant, let me tell you about a book my partner and I have been listening to in the car. It's about aliens coming to take over the earth (and kill all people in the process, it seems), and a group of people who want the aliens to come do this. My partner's kinda caught up on that, why would anyone want aliens to destroy all people? Me. I do. Fling us all into the sun. Go for it. We probably deserve it.
(Okay, okay, not really, I don't really want aliens to fling us all into the sun. Even if sometimes the Internet makes me reconsider.)
((Edit: I also love backpedaling. Now it's just, well, Hekate wasn't only goddess of magic! Of course she wasn't. Also there are about a thousand better ways to say that. And you know, when it's clear someone has misunderstood your (super unclear) statement, the awesome thing to do is... you know... clarify. Not throw a fit and start ranting about sources and ancient Greeks and whatnot.))
For example, someone flat out claiming "(Hekate) is not the goddess of magic." Ummm, okay... Because, I mean, she certainly was, and is. She is a goddess of witchcraft and magic, that's like, one of her major functions. There are bunches of primary sources from antiquity which show her in this light. Since there's some confusion about what that means, a primary source is information that comes directly from ancient Greece. Not archeologist speculation, or someone writing about their thoughts on her in the modern day. It's stuff that comes directly from the ancient Greeks themselves.
Of course that doesn't matter. Because. "Who's says the research you are studying is even the right research????… Who says the Greek were even right???" (Direct quotes folks, because the more question marks the better!)
Yes. Who is to say the ancient Greeks were even right. Those silly ancient Greeks who worshiped her for centuries, who erected countless shrines to her, who (in Athens anyway) celebrated her supper on the last night of every lunar month. What do those crazy people even know? After all, what are a few measly centuries compared to, you know, the few years you've put in...
But hey, it's just her opinion, right? Look, I'm all about the continuing growth of deities, their mythologies, and having personal relationships and understandings with these deities... but when you flat out state a fact like that? That's not an opinion anymore. You can say, hey, you know, I never really connected with that aspect of Hekate, it doesn't fit into my practice, and that would be fine. But to act like it doesn't exist at all? Nope, sorry, that's not how it works. That's no longer an opinion, not a belief, and it is factually wrong. It is not insulting a belief to point out an incorrect fact, because it's not a belief.
To end of this little rant, let me tell you about a book my partner and I have been listening to in the car. It's about aliens coming to take over the earth (and kill all people in the process, it seems), and a group of people who want the aliens to come do this. My partner's kinda caught up on that, why would anyone want aliens to destroy all people? Me. I do. Fling us all into the sun. Go for it. We probably deserve it.
(Okay, okay, not really, I don't really want aliens to fling us all into the sun. Even if sometimes the Internet makes me reconsider.)
((Edit: I also love backpedaling. Now it's just, well, Hekate wasn't only goddess of magic! Of course she wasn't. Also there are about a thousand better ways to say that. And you know, when it's clear someone has misunderstood your (super unclear) statement, the awesome thing to do is... you know... clarify. Not throw a fit and start ranting about sources and ancient Greeks and whatnot.))
Sunday, May 22, 2016
Rite of Her Sacred Fires
Last night I preformed the Rite of Her Sacred Fires, in honor of Hekate. It was very interesting to do a ritual exactly as many people all over the world were doing.
I was surprised how many people, in how many places, actually participated in the ritual.
I used oil lamps for light during the ritual, but the actual 'sacred fire' used was fire I lit in a small cauldron. Part of the rite involves reciting the Ephesian letters, a sort of mantra for Hekate, so to speak. While reciting them, the fire went crazy! That's something I'll have to follow up on, for sure.
Another interesting thing was how alive the woods around me became. There was movement all around the clearing I was in, unlike anything I've ever experienced before. The night before I'd held a small ritual for Selene in the same spot, not much later in the evening, and the woods were quite still and tranquil.
I was also out there much longer than I realized. The whole rite only takes some five minutes to complete, without the meditation bit, and I stayed out there for almost an hour without really realizing it. It was a very nice night.
I used oil lamps for light during the ritual, but the actual 'sacred fire' used was fire I lit in a small cauldron. Part of the rite involves reciting the Ephesian letters, a sort of mantra for Hekate, so to speak. While reciting them, the fire went crazy! That's something I'll have to follow up on, for sure.
Another interesting thing was how alive the woods around me became. There was movement all around the clearing I was in, unlike anything I've ever experienced before. The night before I'd held a small ritual for Selene in the same spot, not much later in the evening, and the woods were quite still and tranquil.
I was also out there much longer than I realized. The whole rite only takes some five minutes to complete, without the meditation bit, and I stayed out there for almost an hour without really realizing it. It was a very nice night.
Friday, May 13, 2016
Home Again
Well, things have settled down a bit, and I'm back in my apartment, for a few days at least. My grandfather is finally up and about after his knee replacement, doing very well.
While at my grandparents' I was not only helping out with the household needs, but I was also swamped in work, and I came down with a head cold, so not too much time for other activities. But, I did manage to get the altar built!
It's not quite what I had in mind, but I figure I can always add to it as needed. It was quite the undertaking to haul the larger stones out to this spot. (It perhaps looks a bit taller than it is? It's meant to be knelt at.) There was a lot of sweat, some blood, and... well not tears, but germs, from coughing all over them. So, that's great.
I only finished assembling it last night, despite the stones sitting around for what, a week? But with it being the sixth of the lunar month, Artemis' day, and the Thargelia festival, I figured I must get it done.
Thargelia is a festival dedicated to Artemis and Apollon. In antiquity is was a festival to celebrate the new shoots of the spouting harvest, and a time to drive away all bad things, purify, and welcome in good things. The agricultural aspect of the festival doesn't fit in very well with life in New Hampshire, as farming wise, there's not going to be any planting for another week or two. But foraging, there are thing starting to come up, like fiddle-heads.
The purification aspect worked well with finally getting the altar built. I went out a bit after sunset, with the moon already high in the sky, and washed the altar down with blessed water. Next I took barley, and sprinkled it on the altar and the space around it. Finally, I burned a mixture of patchouli, mugwort, and rosemary and carried it around the ritual space, and fanned the smoke to the altar.
I dedicated the spot generally to all the Gods who bring good things, and then more specifically to Artemis, Hekate, and Selene, who will be seeing the majority of worship here. In fact, as I mentioned earlier, I'm only in my apartment for a short while, as I plan to go back to my grandparents' next weekend for the full moon, which brings the Rite of Her Sacred Fires for Hekate. (http://hekatecovenant.com/rite-of-her-sacred-fires/) I am not a member of the covenant, and have not done this rite in years past, but this year it seemed appropriate. There's just something about many people, from many traditions, coming together at the same time, to do the same ritual in honor of a deity they all feel called to.
While at my grandparents' I was not only helping out with the household needs, but I was also swamped in work, and I came down with a head cold, so not too much time for other activities. But, I did manage to get the altar built!
I only finished assembling it last night, despite the stones sitting around for what, a week? But with it being the sixth of the lunar month, Artemis' day, and the Thargelia festival, I figured I must get it done.
Thargelia is a festival dedicated to Artemis and Apollon. In antiquity is was a festival to celebrate the new shoots of the spouting harvest, and a time to drive away all bad things, purify, and welcome in good things. The agricultural aspect of the festival doesn't fit in very well with life in New Hampshire, as farming wise, there's not going to be any planting for another week or two. But foraging, there are thing starting to come up, like fiddle-heads.
The purification aspect worked well with finally getting the altar built. I went out a bit after sunset, with the moon already high in the sky, and washed the altar down with blessed water. Next I took barley, and sprinkled it on the altar and the space around it. Finally, I burned a mixture of patchouli, mugwort, and rosemary and carried it around the ritual space, and fanned the smoke to the altar.
I dedicated the spot generally to all the Gods who bring good things, and then more specifically to Artemis, Hekate, and Selene, who will be seeing the majority of worship here. In fact, as I mentioned earlier, I'm only in my apartment for a short while, as I plan to go back to my grandparents' next weekend for the full moon, which brings the Rite of Her Sacred Fires for Hekate. (http://hekatecovenant.com/rite-of-her-sacred-fires/) I am not a member of the covenant, and have not done this rite in years past, but this year it seemed appropriate. There's just something about many people, from many traditions, coming together at the same time, to do the same ritual in honor of a deity they all feel called to.
Sunday, April 3, 2016
Crossroads
My usual daily walk takes me over this bridge. I cannot tell you how many times I have walked by this path, looked out over this same view, and never been hit with the realization of what I saw today.
It is easy to see one crossroad in this picture, right in the middle. (It's even more obvious in the summer, when the paths cut through bunches of wildflowers.) It's your standard dirt crossroads, right?
But, the trail leading off the bottom of the picture? That leads under a bridge I took this picture from. A crossroads of upper and lower, the bridge crossroads mentioned earlier. And the trail leading away, into the woods there? A small foot bridge over a stream, forming a 'crossroads' over water.
Three different sorts of crossroad areas, all in a row. I mean, from under the bridge through the middle over the far bridge... it's not even a five minute walk, it's nothing. It's no wonder I keep feeling pulled back to this area, over and over again. Even though none of these are the triple split crossroads that are more closely associated to Hekate, three in a row like this can't be overlooked. Definitely going to go out tomorrow and begin forming the shrine - which will probably not be more than a pile of large rocks from the area, but it makes a definitive space to return to each month.
Friday, April 1, 2016
Month of blogging goal...
So back in Feb I decided to challenge myself to blog every day in March, with a focus on my day to day practices. I didn't quite hit every day, but I'm proud that I made an effort, and that I'm writing again. I do forget how beneficial it is to write when I'm not doing it. Even if some of what I'm writing get scrapped, or set aside for later, it's really nice to be able to work through my thoughts on various issues.
I also wanted to write more on my day to day practices, but about half way through that had to take a bit of a back seat, because I started working on something that I don't know that I should be writing about - at least not yet. When it's done, maybe. For the record, there's only been one other working that I absolutely refuse to write about at this point in time, because it was a very private issue involving someone else. So it's not like there are many things I will not write about - which, you know, of course it would be something that happens during the month I'm trying to write about my practices, heh.
On a somewhat different topic, I keep having interesting dreams involving snakes, and being bitten by snakes. The snake bites are never painful. This morning I woke up from such a dream, and still half asleep I had the thought that, oh, Hekate's trying to get my attention. I have been feeling her presence more and more lately. (The project I can't write about yet, it also involves her.) I have worshiped Hekate for a few years now, but I have never done any truly deep work with her, and I am very interested (and a little nervous) in seeing where this all might go.
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Hekate's Deipnon
Tonight is the night of Hekate's supper. Shortly after sunset, while there was still a little light in the sky, I went back out into the woods, under the bridge. I spent a bit of time cleaning some of the litter from the area. Then I made offerings to Hekate and her wandering dead, and made private prayer to Hekate.
On the way home things felt very right, and I think this is a call to make a permanent shrine in that area, but again, I'll have to think more on that to be sure. There is another area that I was considering, a triple crossroads in the woods, sees much less traffic I think. But... there's something about that bridge I just can't get over.
After the ritual, I also got the feeling that I should be sprinkling barley over the offerings when I leave them, something I usually do not do for the deipnon, but will start doing.
On the way home things felt very right, and I think this is a call to make a permanent shrine in that area, but again, I'll have to think more on that to be sure. There is another area that I was considering, a triple crossroads in the woods, sees much less traffic I think. But... there's something about that bridge I just can't get over.
After the ritual, I also got the feeling that I should be sprinkling barley over the offerings when I leave them, something I usually do not do for the deipnon, but will start doing.
Sunday, March 6, 2016
Back into the woods...
Today was my first trip back down into the woods near my apartment since winter started, as the paths are inaccessible then.
There is a path that leads under a bridge, and this space always reminds me of Hekate. While not Her traditional triple crossroads, the crossroads of the upper road running one way, and the lower forest path going the other way under it really resonates as a strong liminal space. I keep feeling myself pulled back to this place, and I am considering building a small, discreet shrine in the area. I would like to return tomorrow and do some meditating on the subject there, perhaps leave an offering, and see where things go.
There is a path that leads under a bridge, and this space always reminds me of Hekate. While not Her traditional triple crossroads, the crossroads of the upper road running one way, and the lower forest path going the other way under it really resonates as a strong liminal space. I keep feeling myself pulled back to this place, and I am considering building a small, discreet shrine in the area. I would like to return tomorrow and do some meditating on the subject there, perhaps leave an offering, and see where things go.
Friday, March 4, 2016
Prayer Beads for Hekate
I made these prayer beads for Hekate several months ago, and while they've been adorning her shrine, I had not yet ever used them in ritual/prayer.
However, as I was walking my dog tonight, enjoying the light snow coming down, I felt Hekate's presence, and I knew it was well past time to finally sit down and find/write prayers for these beads.
This is what I came up with...
(Medallion prayer.)
Hekate of the roads and of the crossroads, I honor you.
In heaven, on earth, in the sea, saffron-cloaked,
pleased with dark ghosts that wander through the shade,
haunting deserted places, I honor you.
Night-wandering, dog-loving, key-bearer,
unconquerable queen, I honor you.
Hekate, hear my prayers to you, with ever joyous heart.
(Prayer for the lava rock beads.)Hekate, you who roam the moonless night, who walks
in the dark with certainty, torch-bearing goddess,
keeper of the keys, I follow where you lead.
(Prayer for the labradorite beads.)
Hekate, you who see things hidden, whose torches light the dark;
you who dwells on the threshold,
who receives due offering wherever three roads meet;
To you, Hekate, are the mysteries known.
To you do the lost ever turn for protection.
To you do those who work magic pray for wisdom.
Hekate, ancient one, I praise you.[First prayer based off the Ophric hymn to Hekate, second and third prayer altered from the prayers found on this website.]
However, as I was walking my dog tonight, enjoying the light snow coming down, I felt Hekate's presence, and I knew it was well past time to finally sit down and find/write prayers for these beads.
This is what I came up with...
(Medallion prayer.)
Hekate of the roads and of the crossroads, I honor you.
In heaven, on earth, in the sea, saffron-cloaked,
pleased with dark ghosts that wander through the shade,
haunting deserted places, I honor you.
Night-wandering, dog-loving, key-bearer,
unconquerable queen, I honor you.
Hekate, hear my prayers to you, with ever joyous heart.
(Prayer for the lava rock beads.)Hekate, you who roam the moonless night, who walks
in the dark with certainty, torch-bearing goddess,
keeper of the keys, I follow where you lead.
(Prayer for the labradorite beads.)
Hekate, you who see things hidden, whose torches light the dark;
you who dwells on the threshold,
who receives due offering wherever three roads meet;
To you, Hekate, are the mysteries known.
To you do the lost ever turn for protection.
To you do those who work magic pray for wisdom.
Hekate, ancient one, I praise you.[First prayer based off the Ophric hymn to Hekate, second and third prayer altered from the prayers found on this website.]
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Barking Dogs
Tonight is the first night in a very long while that I've celebrated Hekate's Deipnon. It is the first time since creating a permanent shrine for her in my home. It wasn't perfect. I forgot to offer any of the eggs I bought. I stumbled a bit during prayer. I couldn't leave the offerings where I wanted to, because the apartment complex was strangely busy for 11:30 at night. Couldn't burn the incense with the offerings.
But I left the offerings in a patch of mugwort by a small swampy area. I walked away and circled back around from the area, and suddenly there was a dog barking from the area where I'd left the offerings, despite the fact that there had certainly been no dog there just a minute ago. A baking dog (or dogs) is a traditional sign of Hekate's presence. As soon as I heard the baking a very strange feeling washed over me - some mix of reverence, joy, and a bit of fear.
Maybe it was just a coincidence, it's certainly possible, but perhaps it was also a sign that imperfect worship is still better than no worship.
But I left the offerings in a patch of mugwort by a small swampy area. I walked away and circled back around from the area, and suddenly there was a dog barking from the area where I'd left the offerings, despite the fact that there had certainly been no dog there just a minute ago. A baking dog (or dogs) is a traditional sign of Hekate's presence. As soon as I heard the baking a very strange feeling washed over me - some mix of reverence, joy, and a bit of fear.
Maybe it was just a coincidence, it's certainly possible, but perhaps it was also a sign that imperfect worship is still better than no worship.
Friday, July 25, 2014
Rearranging the Shrines
I've spent the past few weeks (yeah, weeks, it's been a slow process) trying to bring a bit of new life to my shrines. Either they'd grown a bit stagnant, were no longer relevant, or were just in bad locations which meant they weren't getting the proper attention. I've found that often shrines and altars grow and change on their own with use, but sometimes they just need a total overhaul.
This was all originally prompted by the changes I wrote about in my last post, About halfway through that whole process my hearth shrine just started to feel off. I decided to move it to a different place in the kitchen, and I tried a lot of different arrangements, worked with different materials and styles, and nothing was clicking for me. Eventually I realized what needed to be done, and it's coming along... okay. I'm having a hard time deciding exactly in which spot it would work best.
I've decided to move Artemis' shrine into the kitchen where most of the others are. Right now I'm looking at other statues of Artemis, and considering maybe using a framed picture instead, since the statue I have right now doesn't fit the space well. I'm also debating which of two spaces would make for a better hearth shrine and which a better shrine for Artemis. Unfortunately I only have one "large" spot, so I need to decide which requires more room.
I also felt it was time to establish a proper shrine to Hekate, rather than just setting up a temporary one when needed. That's coming along rather well, as it was really just a matter of clearing off a spot that wasn't really being used for anything, and putting the 'temporary' items up. Again the issue is that I only have one large spot, and I'm not sure the small shelf where I've decided to put Hekate's shrine into will be big enough for what I generally use it for... I may have to continue using part of the hearth altar for some of Hekate's festivals. For day to day use, though, the small area works well.
Last, but not least, I took away the pillar candles from my Hathor shine and added in some new tea light holders. Oh, and I bought a beautiful new offering dish! Still in the mail, but I'm excited to add it in. Hathor's shrine is by far always the easiest shrine to maintain, perhaps in part due to location, perhaps because out of the deities I currently honor regularly, Hathor has been around the longest. I've had many years to experiment and discover what is appreciated.
This was all originally prompted by the changes I wrote about in my last post, About halfway through that whole process my hearth shrine just started to feel off. I decided to move it to a different place in the kitchen, and I tried a lot of different arrangements, worked with different materials and styles, and nothing was clicking for me. Eventually I realized what needed to be done, and it's coming along... okay. I'm having a hard time deciding exactly in which spot it would work best.
I've decided to move Artemis' shrine into the kitchen where most of the others are. Right now I'm looking at other statues of Artemis, and considering maybe using a framed picture instead, since the statue I have right now doesn't fit the space well. I'm also debating which of two spaces would make for a better hearth shrine and which a better shrine for Artemis. Unfortunately I only have one "large" spot, so I need to decide which requires more room.
I also felt it was time to establish a proper shrine to Hekate, rather than just setting up a temporary one when needed. That's coming along rather well, as it was really just a matter of clearing off a spot that wasn't really being used for anything, and putting the 'temporary' items up. Again the issue is that I only have one large spot, and I'm not sure the small shelf where I've decided to put Hekate's shrine into will be big enough for what I generally use it for... I may have to continue using part of the hearth altar for some of Hekate's festivals. For day to day use, though, the small area works well.
Last, but not least, I took away the pillar candles from my Hathor shine and added in some new tea light holders. Oh, and I bought a beautiful new offering dish! Still in the mail, but I'm excited to add it in. Hathor's shrine is by far always the easiest shrine to maintain, perhaps in part due to location, perhaps because out of the deities I currently honor regularly, Hathor has been around the longest. I've had many years to experiment and discover what is appreciated.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Hekate
“Asteria of happy name, whom Perses once led to his great house to be
called his dear wife. And she conceived and bare Hekate whom Zeus the
son of Kronos honoured above all. He gave her splendid gifts, to have a
share of the earth and the unfruitful sea. She received honour also in
starry heaven, and is honoured exceedingly by the deathless gods. For to
this day, whenever any one of men on earth offers rich sacrifices and
prays for favour according to custom, he calls upon Hekate. Great honour
comes full easily to him whose prayers the goddess receives favourably,
and she bestows wealth upon him; for the power surely is with her.”
Hesiodic Hymn to Hekate
"Out of Erebos and Chaos she called Nox (Night) and the Di Nocti (Gods of Night) and poured a prayer with long-drawn wailing cries to Hecate ... a groan came from the ground, the bushes blanched, the spattered sward was soaked with gouts of blood, stones brayed and bellowed, dogs began to bark, black snakes swarmed on the soil and ghostly shapes of silent spirits floated through the air."
Ovid, Metamorphoses 10.403
Hekate is the Greek goddess of crossroads and thresholds, witchcraft and magic, the night, and of ghosts and necromancy. She is said to have power over the sky, the earth, and the sea, and also has strong ties to the underworld (which the Greeks called Hades).
Hekate’s origins are unclear. Some suggest she originates from Heket, the Egyptian goddess of childbirth, but there is very little evidence to support this. It is perhaps more likely that she has Thracian origins, but there are also other theories. Despite the debate surrounding her exact origins, she does appear to be a fairly ancient goddess of pre-Olympian origins. It is believed that when the Olympian pantheon displaced the Titans, Hekate is one of the few Titans who was allowed to keep what was hers (dominion over land, sea, sky, and underworld), as Zeus respected her power.
Although Hekate is a Greek deity, she is not an Olympian, but instead she is often regarded as a chthonic deity – that is, a deity relating to the underworld. Even so, as a goddess of thresholds, she did not fit neatly into that category at all times.
The meaning of Hekate’s name is not entirely clear, it seems most likely that it means something like ‘worker from afar’ (Hekatos). Hekate is a more accurate Greek spelling, where Hecate is the Latin spelling, either spelling is acceptable.
The earliest depictions of Hekate show her as a young woman holding either twin torches, or a key. Frequently she is dressed in a short tunic, similar to Artemis. In later periods, Hekate was often shown in triple form, but she does not really fit neatly into the modern Maiden-Mother-Crone archetype. In Greek thought, she was shown in triplicate form to symbolize the wide range of her rule, her mystical nature, her ability to see into the past, present and future, and her link to the triple crossroads. When depicted in triplicate, she is often still holding her twin torches, a key, and a knife.
The Greek Magical Papyri, a series of writings from Graeco-Roman Egypt, often describe Hekate as having one or three animal heads, or as having the head of a maiden (sometimes horned), and two animal heads. The animal heads could be that of a dog, cow, bull, goat, horse, or serpent. It is likely that in addition to having specific links to these animals, she is shown with animal heads to symbolize her link to the wilderness, and to the wild and primal.
Hekate rules over the crossroads. We usually think of a crossroads as two roads coming together to form a cross, but it is actually a triple crossroads (three roads forming a T or Y sort of shape, for example) which is most closely associated with her. It is said that her triple form faces three directions so she can guard the triple crossroads. It was common to find wayshrines dedicated to her erected at the crossroads.
Hekate was also associated with borders and thresholds of various sorts, such as the city walls, doorways, and so on – the crossroads also fit into this pattern. As a liminal goddess, she also stands between the two worlds (upper and lower, or those of the living and the dead), as well as serving as a mediator between the Olympians and the titans, or the Olympians and the Chthonic deities. Hekate was thought to guard such thresholds, and was said to be able to protect them (be it by not allowing evil to cross the doorway into a house, or by not allowing the dead to wander the world of the living), and as such this also meant she could refuse to protect someone against these things, and even send them against people should she wish to do so.
Her threshold associations can be seen in the myth of Persephone (among other myths), where she was a witness to Hades’ abduction of Persephone from her cave – a threshold to the underworld.
Hekate is also a goddess of witchcraft and magic – which also includes the creation of potions, tinctures, poisons, salves, and so on, and the knowledge of herbs required to do such things. The witch Medea is said to have gotten her power from Hekate (and she was also a priestess at Hekate’s temple), and Medea practiced magic that is frequently described as nocturnal in nature, or necromantic. Hekate is also said to have given Medea incredible knowledge of, and skill with, all the herbs that grow on land, and all the herbs of the water.
Hekate is a goddess of the night. She has some lunar ties, especially when she becomes more identified with Selene, but it might be more accurate to say that she is the goddess of moonless nights – especially moonless nights where the stars are fully visible.
Hekate is also a goddess of the dead, and of the underworld. She rules over necromancy, allowing the living to contact the dead for information or aid. She is said to lead the ghosts of the dead around the world of the living during the night, and that howling dogs is a symbol that she is passing by. In addition to leading the earthbound ghosts, she is also sometimes said to lead the spirits of the dead to the underworld. Being that she has the power to let the dead loose, she is also sometimes invoked to keep the dead from wandering.
Hekate was also related to the keres, female death-spirits who were daughters of the goddess Nyx, which include the Moirai (the fates), among other figures.
Hekate was not only associated with the dead, but also had some ties to childbirth as well. Additionally, she also had some associations with purification.
Animals sacred to Hekate include the dog, who have ties to the underworld in Greek mythology (and indeed, often in Indo-european myth in general), as well as having ties to the living (as companions/guardians of humans). Additionally, dogs were thought of as being threshold guardians – be it in guarding human homes, or Kerberos, who guarded the entrance of the underworld. Hekate was often accompanied by dogs, and there are a few myths where a human woman was turned into a dog (for various reasons), and became one of Hekate’s.
The polecat (a sort of weasel) was also one of her sacred animals. Again, in some myths she is accompanied by a polecat that was once a person, but was either turned into polecat by Hekate, or was turned into weasel by another, and Hekate took pity on them
The red mullet, a type of fish, also carried some loose associations to Hekate. As did serpents, cows and bulls, and horses, all to some extent.
Plants sacred to Hekate include aconite, mandrake belladonna, saffron, garlic, dittany, yew, cypress, and oak. Ebony was also said to be sacred to Hekate, as was bronze.
Some of Hekate’s titles include:
Hekate had a few public temples, but household shrines were often erected in her name, often in hopes to ward off witchcraft, or otherwise to protect the house from all manner of evils and ills.. A Hekataion was a little shrine placed at the front door, which was dedicated to Hekate, and were very common in Athens.
Offerings to Hekate were said to often be made to during the night, and at the crossroads. As a Chthonic deity, offerings to her might have also been burned whole, or buried in the ground (unlike offerings to the Olympians, which were often communal meals).
In one epic, a man named Jason placates Hecate in a ritual given to him by the witch Medea. He was told to bathe at midnight in flowing water, and to dress in clean, darkly colored robes. He was then to dig a pit, and to erect a pyre next to the pit, so that an ewe could be sacrificed within the pit, which should then be burned whole on the pyre with an offering of honey. He is then instructed to leave the offering site without looking back, even if he hears the sound of people, footsteps, or barking dogs – which would all indicate the presence of Hekate. The elements of this particular ritual are all very chthonic in nature. However, not all of Hekate’s traditional offerings were done in this manner.
A common sacrifice to Hekate would be that of dogs (or puppies). When dog meat was offered, it would usually be offered at a crossroads, and it would often be shared in a communal meal with those present.
In some locations, notably Athens, the end of each lunar month brought a festival dedicated to Hekate called the Deipnon - or sometimes Deipna Hekates (Deipnon is the Greek word for the largest meal of the day, Deipna is the plural of Deipnon).
This festival contained two parts. The first was to fumigate and cleanse the home. The home and household shrines were cleaned out, and the cleanings were gathered up to become part of the offering (the cleanings often contained dropped food, leftover offerings, waste blood, dirt/dust, ashes from sacrifices or incense ashes, and so on), and the home was purified. This ensured a fresh start for the beginning of the month.
The second part of the festival was to offer a meal to Hekate, which could include cakes, eggs, garlic, leeks or onions, fish, and cheese. At the end of the evening, the cleanings and the meal were usually left at the end of the path connecting the house and the main road, which of course formed a triple crossroads. The offering was placed there, and it was not to be looked at as one went back into the house. It’s not sure what was done with these offerings the next day, but often the food would be taken away by the poor in the night.
"Ask Hekate whether it is better to be rich or starving; she will tell you that the rich send her a meal every month [i.e. food placed inside her door-front shrines] and that the poor make it disappear before it is even served."
Aristophanes, Plutus 410 ff (trans. O'Neill) Greek comedy C5th to 4th B.C
Hekate is often said to be one of the virgin goddesses, much like Artemis and Athena. Many myths say she is unmarried, and she is often said to be without children, but occasionally myths say she is mother to the sea monster Scylla.
Hekate is usually regarded as the daughter of Asteria (“Starry One”) and Perses (a deity of destruction and war), who were both Greek Titans. However, a few sources say she is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. Sometimes said to be a daughter of Leto (a Titan who was sister to Asteria, and the mother of Artemis and Apollo), perhaps because of her association with Artemis.
Hekate assisted Demeter in her search for Persephone, and became Persephone’s companion during her time in Hades. Due to this, she became a key part of the Eleusinian Mysteries, and served as a guide to the initiate of the mysteries, as well as perhaps serving other roles (little is recorded of the mysteries).
Hekate, in later times, was often heavily identified with Artemis and Selene. Eventually these three formed a triad deity, Hekate-Artemis-Selene, who was fairly popular in the poetry of Roman era Greece. Sometimes she would be linked to just one or the other, forming Artemis-Hekate, and Hekate-Selene.
Hekate was also identified with the Thracian goddess Bendis, who was a goddess of the moon, hunting, and witchcraft. Bendis was also associated with Selene and Artemis, and indeed the Greeks essentially saw her as a combination of those three deities. It is likely that this is the source of Hekate becoming linked to closely to both Artemis and Selene.
The Romans equated Hekate with their goddess Trivia.
"Hekate Einodia, Trioditis [Trivia], lovely dame, of earthly, watery, and celestial frame, sepulchral, in a saffron veil arrayed, pleased with dark ghosts that wander through the shade; Perseis, solitary goddess, hail! The world’s key-bearer, never doomed to fail; in stags rejoicing, huntress, nightly seen, and drawn by bulls, unconquerable queen; Leader, Nymphe, nurse, on mountains wandering, hear the suppliants who with holy rites thy power revere, and to the herdsman with a favouring mind draw near."
Orphic Hymn 1 to Hecate
Additional Sources:
Hekate on Theoi.com
Hekate Liminal Rites, by Sorita d'Este and David Rankine
Bearing Torches: A Devotional Anthology for Hekate, by the Bibliotheca Alexandrina
Hesiodic Hymn to Hekate
"Out of Erebos and Chaos she called Nox (Night) and the Di Nocti (Gods of Night) and poured a prayer with long-drawn wailing cries to Hecate ... a groan came from the ground, the bushes blanched, the spattered sward was soaked with gouts of blood, stones brayed and bellowed, dogs began to bark, black snakes swarmed on the soil and ghostly shapes of silent spirits floated through the air."
Ovid, Metamorphoses 10.403
Hekate is the Greek goddess of crossroads and thresholds, witchcraft and magic, the night, and of ghosts and necromancy. She is said to have power over the sky, the earth, and the sea, and also has strong ties to the underworld (which the Greeks called Hades).
Hekate’s origins are unclear. Some suggest she originates from Heket, the Egyptian goddess of childbirth, but there is very little evidence to support this. It is perhaps more likely that she has Thracian origins, but there are also other theories. Despite the debate surrounding her exact origins, she does appear to be a fairly ancient goddess of pre-Olympian origins. It is believed that when the Olympian pantheon displaced the Titans, Hekate is one of the few Titans who was allowed to keep what was hers (dominion over land, sea, sky, and underworld), as Zeus respected her power.
Although Hekate is a Greek deity, she is not an Olympian, but instead she is often regarded as a chthonic deity – that is, a deity relating to the underworld. Even so, as a goddess of thresholds, she did not fit neatly into that category at all times.
The meaning of Hekate’s name is not entirely clear, it seems most likely that it means something like ‘worker from afar’ (Hekatos). Hekate is a more accurate Greek spelling, where Hecate is the Latin spelling, either spelling is acceptable.
The earliest depictions of Hekate show her as a young woman holding either twin torches, or a key. Frequently she is dressed in a short tunic, similar to Artemis. In later periods, Hekate was often shown in triple form, but she does not really fit neatly into the modern Maiden-Mother-Crone archetype. In Greek thought, she was shown in triplicate form to symbolize the wide range of her rule, her mystical nature, her ability to see into the past, present and future, and her link to the triple crossroads. When depicted in triplicate, she is often still holding her twin torches, a key, and a knife.
The Greek Magical Papyri, a series of writings from Graeco-Roman Egypt, often describe Hekate as having one or three animal heads, or as having the head of a maiden (sometimes horned), and two animal heads. The animal heads could be that of a dog, cow, bull, goat, horse, or serpent. It is likely that in addition to having specific links to these animals, she is shown with animal heads to symbolize her link to the wilderness, and to the wild and primal.
Hekate rules over the crossroads. We usually think of a crossroads as two roads coming together to form a cross, but it is actually a triple crossroads (three roads forming a T or Y sort of shape, for example) which is most closely associated with her. It is said that her triple form faces three directions so she can guard the triple crossroads. It was common to find wayshrines dedicated to her erected at the crossroads.
Hekate was also associated with borders and thresholds of various sorts, such as the city walls, doorways, and so on – the crossroads also fit into this pattern. As a liminal goddess, she also stands between the two worlds (upper and lower, or those of the living and the dead), as well as serving as a mediator between the Olympians and the titans, or the Olympians and the Chthonic deities. Hekate was thought to guard such thresholds, and was said to be able to protect them (be it by not allowing evil to cross the doorway into a house, or by not allowing the dead to wander the world of the living), and as such this also meant she could refuse to protect someone against these things, and even send them against people should she wish to do so.
Her threshold associations can be seen in the myth of Persephone (among other myths), where she was a witness to Hades’ abduction of Persephone from her cave – a threshold to the underworld.
Hekate is also a goddess of witchcraft and magic – which also includes the creation of potions, tinctures, poisons, salves, and so on, and the knowledge of herbs required to do such things. The witch Medea is said to have gotten her power from Hekate (and she was also a priestess at Hekate’s temple), and Medea practiced magic that is frequently described as nocturnal in nature, or necromantic. Hekate is also said to have given Medea incredible knowledge of, and skill with, all the herbs that grow on land, and all the herbs of the water.
Hekate is a goddess of the night. She has some lunar ties, especially when she becomes more identified with Selene, but it might be more accurate to say that she is the goddess of moonless nights – especially moonless nights where the stars are fully visible.
Hekate is also a goddess of the dead, and of the underworld. She rules over necromancy, allowing the living to contact the dead for information or aid. She is said to lead the ghosts of the dead around the world of the living during the night, and that howling dogs is a symbol that she is passing by. In addition to leading the earthbound ghosts, she is also sometimes said to lead the spirits of the dead to the underworld. Being that she has the power to let the dead loose, she is also sometimes invoked to keep the dead from wandering.
Hekate was also related to the keres, female death-spirits who were daughters of the goddess Nyx, which include the Moirai (the fates), among other figures.
Hekate was not only associated with the dead, but also had some ties to childbirth as well. Additionally, she also had some associations with purification.
Animals sacred to Hekate include the dog, who have ties to the underworld in Greek mythology (and indeed, often in Indo-european myth in general), as well as having ties to the living (as companions/guardians of humans). Additionally, dogs were thought of as being threshold guardians – be it in guarding human homes, or Kerberos, who guarded the entrance of the underworld. Hekate was often accompanied by dogs, and there are a few myths where a human woman was turned into a dog (for various reasons), and became one of Hekate’s.
The polecat (a sort of weasel) was also one of her sacred animals. Again, in some myths she is accompanied by a polecat that was once a person, but was either turned into polecat by Hekate, or was turned into weasel by another, and Hekate took pity on them
The red mullet, a type of fish, also carried some loose associations to Hekate. As did serpents, cows and bulls, and horses, all to some extent.
Plants sacred to Hekate include aconite, mandrake belladonna, saffron, garlic, dittany, yew, cypress, and oak. Ebony was also said to be sacred to Hekate, as was bronze.
Some of Hekate’s titles include:
- Night Wandering
- Lady of the Underworld
- Queen of the Dead (or Queen of those Below)
- Angry/terrible One
- Tender/delicate (hearted) One
- Of the Crossroads
- Of the Wayside
- Nurse of the Young
- Leader of Dogs
- One That Turns Away/protects
- Holding the Keys
- Before the Gate
- Savior
- Light Bringer
Hekate had a few public temples, but household shrines were often erected in her name, often in hopes to ward off witchcraft, or otherwise to protect the house from all manner of evils and ills.. A Hekataion was a little shrine placed at the front door, which was dedicated to Hekate, and were very common in Athens.
Offerings to Hekate were said to often be made to during the night, and at the crossroads. As a Chthonic deity, offerings to her might have also been burned whole, or buried in the ground (unlike offerings to the Olympians, which were often communal meals).
In one epic, a man named Jason placates Hecate in a ritual given to him by the witch Medea. He was told to bathe at midnight in flowing water, and to dress in clean, darkly colored robes. He was then to dig a pit, and to erect a pyre next to the pit, so that an ewe could be sacrificed within the pit, which should then be burned whole on the pyre with an offering of honey. He is then instructed to leave the offering site without looking back, even if he hears the sound of people, footsteps, or barking dogs – which would all indicate the presence of Hekate. The elements of this particular ritual are all very chthonic in nature. However, not all of Hekate’s traditional offerings were done in this manner.
A common sacrifice to Hekate would be that of dogs (or puppies). When dog meat was offered, it would usually be offered at a crossroads, and it would often be shared in a communal meal with those present.
In some locations, notably Athens, the end of each lunar month brought a festival dedicated to Hekate called the Deipnon - or sometimes Deipna Hekates (Deipnon is the Greek word for the largest meal of the day, Deipna is the plural of Deipnon).
This festival contained two parts. The first was to fumigate and cleanse the home. The home and household shrines were cleaned out, and the cleanings were gathered up to become part of the offering (the cleanings often contained dropped food, leftover offerings, waste blood, dirt/dust, ashes from sacrifices or incense ashes, and so on), and the home was purified. This ensured a fresh start for the beginning of the month.
The second part of the festival was to offer a meal to Hekate, which could include cakes, eggs, garlic, leeks or onions, fish, and cheese. At the end of the evening, the cleanings and the meal were usually left at the end of the path connecting the house and the main road, which of course formed a triple crossroads. The offering was placed there, and it was not to be looked at as one went back into the house. It’s not sure what was done with these offerings the next day, but often the food would be taken away by the poor in the night.
"Ask Hekate whether it is better to be rich or starving; she will tell you that the rich send her a meal every month [i.e. food placed inside her door-front shrines] and that the poor make it disappear before it is even served."
Aristophanes, Plutus 410 ff (trans. O'Neill) Greek comedy C5th to 4th B.C
Hekate is often said to be one of the virgin goddesses, much like Artemis and Athena. Many myths say she is unmarried, and she is often said to be without children, but occasionally myths say she is mother to the sea monster Scylla.
Hekate is usually regarded as the daughter of Asteria (“Starry One”) and Perses (a deity of destruction and war), who were both Greek Titans. However, a few sources say she is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. Sometimes said to be a daughter of Leto (a Titan who was sister to Asteria, and the mother of Artemis and Apollo), perhaps because of her association with Artemis.
Hekate assisted Demeter in her search for Persephone, and became Persephone’s companion during her time in Hades. Due to this, she became a key part of the Eleusinian Mysteries, and served as a guide to the initiate of the mysteries, as well as perhaps serving other roles (little is recorded of the mysteries).
Hekate, in later times, was often heavily identified with Artemis and Selene. Eventually these three formed a triad deity, Hekate-Artemis-Selene, who was fairly popular in the poetry of Roman era Greece. Sometimes she would be linked to just one or the other, forming Artemis-Hekate, and Hekate-Selene.
Hekate was also identified with the Thracian goddess Bendis, who was a goddess of the moon, hunting, and witchcraft. Bendis was also associated with Selene and Artemis, and indeed the Greeks essentially saw her as a combination of those three deities. It is likely that this is the source of Hekate becoming linked to closely to both Artemis and Selene.
The Romans equated Hekate with their goddess Trivia.
"Hekate Einodia, Trioditis [Trivia], lovely dame, of earthly, watery, and celestial frame, sepulchral, in a saffron veil arrayed, pleased with dark ghosts that wander through the shade; Perseis, solitary goddess, hail! The world’s key-bearer, never doomed to fail; in stags rejoicing, huntress, nightly seen, and drawn by bulls, unconquerable queen; Leader, Nymphe, nurse, on mountains wandering, hear the suppliants who with holy rites thy power revere, and to the herdsman with a favouring mind draw near."
Orphic Hymn 1 to Hecate
Additional Sources:
Hekate on Theoi.com
Hekate Liminal Rites, by Sorita d'Este and David Rankine
Bearing Torches: A Devotional Anthology for Hekate, by the Bibliotheca Alexandrina
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