Hekate in Ancient Greek Religion [Paperback]

Ilmo Robert Von Rudloff (Author), Robert Von Rudloff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1999 | ISBN-10: 0969606680 | ISBN-13: 978-0969606680

The book covers both how much and how little is known about the goddess Hekate, drawing from both the archeological record and from literature. The author also covers the cultures in which Hekate is independent and those in which she appears to be combined or confused with another deity.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Horned Owl Pub (July 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0969606680
• ISBN-13: 978-0969606680
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,365,353 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best Supporting Goddess, May 5, 2005

By 

Jana C. Hollingsworth (Seattle) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hekate in Ancient Greek Religion (Paperback)

Hekate is known among Neo-pagans and among scholars almost exclusively as a goddess of dark and terrifying magic, but this image of Hekate is a late one, derived entirely from Hellenistic and Roman literature. In this study, Robert Von Rudloff focuses on the earlier worship of Hekate, from 800 to 400 BCE. He pulls together evidence that shows a complex and often conflicting picture of the origins and nature of this ambiguous goddess. As a conscientious scholar, he is careful not to draw too-solid conclusions when his evidence is skimpy and uncertain, as it often is. Von Rudloff's lack of certainty shows him to be a scholar worthy of our attention, not a Neo-pagan hack claiming to know everything. For the sake of briefness and clarity, in the summary the follows I assume a confident tone and make nice, neat interconnections in a way that Von Rudloff would not dream of doing. Be warned: objects in the mirror are much fuzzier than they appear.

The most anomalous depiction of Hekate is the earliest: Hesiod's Theogony contains a hymn to Hekate that praises her as second only to Zeus in divine importance. Was this strange exaltation of a minor goddess based on Hesiod's personal religious practices? Was it a poetic device? An interpolation by a member of some unknown Hekate sect? No one knows.

In the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, Hekate plays an important supporting role in the search for Korë, and afterward becomes the personal servant and intimate companion to Persephone, helping Hermes to guide the Maiden up from the Underworld each spring. Hekate's connection with spirits of the dead and thus with dangerous magic is derived from her role as guide and protector of Persephone. The protector of Demeter's daughter can protect mortals from the same dangers. But, as with all Greek deities, the protector against an evil can also send it; a mortal who neglects Hekate is left open to ghostly attack.

Von Rudloff sees Hekate as a companion goddess: to the Great Mother Kebele, to Artemis, and even to Apollo; she also shares tasks with Hermes and with Eileithyia, goddess of childbirth. Her usual role seems to be Best Supporting Actress. She takes the role of maiden in the Eleusinian triad of maid-bride-mother (Hekate-Persephone-Demeter), and the role of daughter in the Anatolian Great Mother triad of Kybele-Hermes-Hekate (a version of Leto-Apollo-Artemis). In art one identifies Hekate first by her twin torches, and second by her young and lively appearance. The image of Hekate as crone is entirely a product of modern Neo-paganism. To old Greeks and Romans even the evil Hekate of dangerous witchcraft was a beautiful and active young woman.

By the mid-5th century BCE Hekate--always a second-string goddess--began to lose her beneficial functions to her more famous partners, particularly to Artemis, thus making her dark side relatively more prominent. The great Athenian dramatists appear to have played a crucial part in this transformation, largely through Hekate's association with the witch Medeia. The ancients were fascinated by Medeia; she was boffo at the box office, and no play featuring her was complete without a dramatic invocation of Hekate, Queen of Witches. Outside the theatre, however, Hekate's protective side was not entirely forgotten. Names such as Hekataios and Hekatomnos continued to show up; as Von Rudloff points out, parents do not name their children after bogies. A father who names his child for Hekate will expect the goddess to provide benevolent protection.

According to Von Rudloff, the thread that unites Hekate's many divine functions is her role as Goddess of Transitions. Her shrines and altars were frequently found at gateways; her statues like herms stood before doors of houses; she assisted Eileithyia with birth and Hermes with death. Hesiod claims her principal title is kourotrophos (nurse) and his unique vision makes her an intermediary between Zeus and mankind.

If we set aside Hesiod's strange vision of universality, Hekate remains a minor goddess. Her late transformation into the Queen of Dangerous Witches is the closest approach this Best Supporting Goddess ever made to stardom. She has been type-cast as a villainess in wild wig and painted wrinkles, but the fragments of her earlier roles show her to be a goddess of versatile talent. Like many a former ingenue she has made a come-back as a character actress in her old age, and her modern devotees know--and care--little of her long-ago triumphs as the Running Maiden and the Light-bearer. But given her cue, I'm sure she could still step lightly across the stage, torches in hand, guiding La Proserpina safely home from the depths of the Underworld. Dim the house lights, raise the curtain, and cue Offenbach!

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Starts out boring but the second half is wonderful, July 2, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Hekate in Ancient Greek Religion (Paperback)

Chapters one and two are very tedious and difficult to get through. the first chapter "archaic literary evidence" puts forth a lot of theories then proceeds to argue against each one. the author's inability to prevent solid evidence quickly becomes annoying.chapter two "major sites of Hekate worship" is nothing more than a list of places in greece where there is possible evidence for Her worship. it too is pretty boring. but with chapter three "relationships between Hekate and other dieties" turns it all around. the most interesting of these is the relationship with Artemis, which is partially based on young women who die before there time . it is a really interesting reading.the fourth and final chapter "the roles of Hekate in early greek religion" was really amazing. while reading it i wished that the book would never end. it discuses posibles aspects of Hekate such as a goddess of the crossroads, a protector of doorways, a guide to the dead, a goddess of transitions, a goddess of birth life and death, and goddess of magic. this chapter makes a brilliant connection between Hekate, Artemis and Medusa. Also it makes the case for Hekate being worshiped by woman in household rituals--which should be interesting to solitary pagans.also interesting to neo-pagans is a dispelling of the myth of Artemis, Selene, and Hekate being triple goddess of the moon--at least they weren't in ancient greece. there is no evidence of Artemis or Hekate being associated with the moon before roman times. and Hekate is no crone rather she is the earliest of maiden goddesses.another reviewer complains that the book makes no mentionof neo-paganism. but the author states early on in the book that it focuses on Hekate in greek times and it does not even venture into roman times. so modern paganism would be way out of the scope of this book.i found this book really interesting once i got passed the first half. in fact the authors constant presentation of all possiblities and the downfalls of each becomes a refeshing oppurtunity to decide for myself--a big difference from a lot of psuedo history on goddesses that is out there--i think it is a must read for those interested in Hekate.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The premiere book on the Queen., August 8, 2007

By 

Fr_E - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hekate in Ancient Greek Religion (Paperback)

This book is filled with interesting and objective information. It conveys intellectual credibility and has a great retinue of documented sources. This book unlike the other book by Crowfoot on Hecate is well researched, eloquent and engrossing. No personal stories of vampire brides or sleeping in coffins which makes it worlds above the competitors. Also what I like is that it does not proselytize, it is thorough and does not try to make Hekate all things to all people but dissect each aspect and give us the facts.