Hecate

[FaerySong]

I checked out this book from the library, and it said that Hecate was Queen of the Harpies and served the greek god Hades. I was wondering if this was just a coinkydink (Lol sorry about that one) or if this was another aspect? either way it was still a good read. (Oh and is it pronounced He-kate or heh-cought-ee or what?)

[Mnemosyne]

Hello, FaerySong! I've read that Hecate is sometimes thought to be the Queen of the Harpies also. I think that it is in Evslin's book, Hecate, Monsters of Mythology What book are you reading? (I love to read mythology books.)

Hecate is a goddess who has so many aspects and can be a confusing for some to understand. Remember that she saved Persephone from the underworld. Also, she is a goddess of travel. She's also a goddess of witches. Hey, go to this site. It has really good information on Hecate. http://www.hecate.org.uk/hecate.htm

By the way, I say Hek/a/tee. My bf tells me that it is Hek/a/tay. I should really listen to him, since he's a really good Greek classicist, and my Greek pronunciation was pretty poor. lol.

[FaerySong]

:D yeah it was the Monsters of Mythology. i was compelled to look at it, read it in a day. But thanks for the info. =D

[Theres]

ahhh, Hekate... the Lady of Zerynthos!
perhaps the most misunderstood Goddess.
there are so many myths from so many eras that it is easy to see where all the confusion comes from.

Hekate is a very ancient Goddess who has passed into many cultures. some say She is derived from the pre-dynastic Egyptian Goddess Heket (or Heq).
She is thought to be the daughter of Nyx, the incredibly ancient Goddess of Night.
in the Greek mythos She was descended from the Titans, being the only one that Zeus spared. Hesiod tells us that Zeus honored Her above all others, and gave Her alone the power of granting (or witholding) any wish from mankind, a power shared only with Zeus Himself.
during this time She was seen as the complete embodiment of the Triple Goddess (what little art and statuary of Her that it left to us usually depicts Her as the three-faced Goddess), and NOT just an underworld deity. She ruled over midwives (probably an aspect of Her Egyptian connection), and her association with the dagger is probably symbolic of the cutting of the umbilical cord.
She was also a fertility Goddess, and one ancient custom was to pass a lighted torch (another of Her symbols) over a newly sewn field that She might bless it.
and She shared with Hermes the title of psychopomp, being able to descend the entire underworld and return unchanged. it was in this capacity that She helped to rescue Persephone from Hades.
She is also associated by many with Artemis.

by the Roman era (were Her named is spelled Hecate), she was seen more as a chthonic deity only, and Her worship was less widespread.
and by the later Christian era She had been degraded to the classic Hag-Queen of the Witches that we see in Macbeth. it is probably from this that the Queen of the Harpies evolved.

a very complex and diverse Goddess indeed! Her many aspects can be seen in the variety of names She has been given.
some of Her titles include...

Hekate Propylaia - the guardian of entrances (a Crone/underworld reference)
Hekate Kourotrophos - the nursemaid to men and Gods, or as Homer called Her, the Goddess nurse of the young... certainly a Mother aspect)
Hekate Apotropaios - the averter of evil (contrary to Her later reputation)
Hekate Propolos - guide and companion
Hekate Chthonia - Goddess of the underworld

there are others, but you get the point that She is much more than just the keeper of the hell-hounds.

i don't like the term 'patron deity', but the typical meaning of this term would certainly apply to me.
i have been working with Hekate for more than 6 years now, but this past year has been almost overwhelming! so i decided last Mabon to commit myself to a year-and-a-day of deep study and meditation on Her alone, and work the wheel of the year through Her many different aspects. this has been a very rewarding (and eye-opening!) experience for me so far, but i definitely wouldn't recommend it for everyone!
working with Hekate means going deeply into the depths of your subconscious, and exploring all the shadows that are there.
in Her realm we can find things such as depression, addiction, stagnation, and fear. certainly NOT for the weak of heart!
but in fighting through these shadows the rewards are great. as Hekate Phosphoros (bearer of the torches) She helps us to enlighten these dark places, enabling us to bring peace and healing there ("completion through introspection").

remember, She is also the Goddess of rebirth!

[Raevyn]

Originally posted by Greenman
some say She is derived from the pre-dynastic Egyptian Goddess Heket (or Heq).

http://www.kemet.org/glossary/heqet.html

It's hard to imagine that since Heqet appears to be so different from Hekate. *scratches head* Then again, that Netjer is fairly new to me.


working with Hekate means going deeply into the depths of your subconscious, and exploring all the shadows that are there.
in Her realm we can find things such as depression, addiction, stagnation, and fear. certainly NOT for the weak of heart!


Well said. Don't go into working with Hekate lightly, because she is first and foremost associated with the underworld, crossroads, and shadows, even as those things become your torch as you walk with her. My experiences with here weren't comforting, she wasn't a Goddess who was gentle and loving to me, nor was she one who helped me deal with shadows, just forthright and blunt - not "here let me help you deal with these things" but "here, live this and get through it".

I don't regret it, and wouldn't change the time I worked with her, but it's not something most people are used to.

[Theres]

Raevyn dear, i thought of you as i typed that!

edit;
you know, it really bothers me when i see all of Her other aspects ignored, and all the focus put on Her chthonic aspect alone. but i must admit that this has been the hardest part of HeKate to grasp as i've been working with Her.

(check your PM soon)

[Raevyn]

;)

[Raevyn]

I think of Hekate as like Sekhmet myself - I work with Sekhmet now. Sekhmet is very much about appropriate destruction and conflict - she can be vicious and dangerous, and things can get downright scary, but it's always *appropriate* change.

After all, you have to stand at the crossroads before you can walk a new path.

[Theres]

a few years ago my sister-in-law took us to see the Egyptian exhibit that was in Portland at the time. this was the traveling exhibit from the Cairo Museum. it was a great display, but at one point i enetered a room that was dominated by a 9' statue of Sekhmet! i couldn't draw myself away, i was completely captivated! the sign read (appropriately) 'do not touch', but i just had to! after about twenty minutes of just melding with her, my wife finally dragged me away by the arm. "there's ALOT more to see" she kept saying, but at that moment i felt that i had seen all i had to.
once we left the room though, the 'spell' seemed broken, and i enjoyed all the other artifacts. they really were quite beautiful.
but then...
we entered another room in a different part of the museum, and there was another 9' statue of Sekhmet!
i told the dragonfly to go on without me, that that had to be a sign! but by this point she was agreeing with me, and we spent i don't know how long just staring at Her, shivering and smiling nervously at each other.
i'll NEVER forget that day with Her!