Hekate Propolos
THE GUIDE
The Goddess as a Guide
Hekate is the goddess of crossroads, with associations to necromancy, liminal spaces, and more. She has ancient roots, with her earliest writings appearing in the Hymn to Demeter. Within this ancient text, we can glean her position with Queen Persephone, perfectly encapsulated in the epithet of Propolos.
This epithet has multiple meanings, with guide and handmaiden being the most accurate, especially in this context. Where the god Hermes can also have the epithet, it will solely be viewed as a guide. This is why a deep breadth of knowledge is pivotal in fully understanding these ancient figures and how they fit into the society that crafted and shaped them.
Of course, while there is no one book on everything about Ancient Greek Religion, we build upon the readily available scholarship from academics and archaeologists. So here is a brief overview of this epithet for the multifaceted goddess Hekate.
What is an epithet?
Ancient site of Lagina, in modern-day Türkiye. The largest cultic center to Hekate in the ancient world.
More often than not, the gods of old are followed by an epithet. Why? Mainly because the gods of ancient Greek Religion often ruled over multiple aspects and shared associations with other gods and goddesses (e.g., Aphrodite and Athena shared Areia, “the warlike”).
So why would you need an epithet here with Hekate? She rules over crossroads and liminal spaces and has ties to torches, but when discussing her role with Persephone, we need to use an epithet to note and highlight the role and aspect of “the guide/ the handmaiden.”
This is also a reminder that in Ancient Greek Religion, as with other polytheistic religions, the gods and goddesses do not rule over everything. One god, like Hekate, for example, does not rule over love, marriage, and more. If you were in the ancient world, you would need to know who’s who in Greek Mythology and petition Aphrodite for love and Hera for marriage.
Propolos in the Hymn to Demeter
Terracotta bell-krater, attributed to the Persephone Painter; ca. 440 BCE. Image courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
In the Hymn to Demeter, we see mythology's earliest textual attestation to Hekate. In the coming-of-age story where Kore becomes Queen of the Underworld, Hekate is one of the only figures to hear Kore scream when her uncle Hades kidnaps her to the world below for marriage.
Using her torches and wit, she found out what occurred and ultimately was able to help reunite mother and child (see image). This bell-krater beautifully captures how she, and even Hermes, plays the role of the guide, acting as a liminal space herself.
Here she will guide her queen between the two realms as the seasons change and for the Eleusinian rites, rituals, mysteries, and more celebrations!
Hekate as the Sole Goddess?
Marble hekataion (statuette of triple-bodied Hekate) and the three Graces, 1st —2nd c. CE, Roman. Image courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
As she is part of Ancient Greek Religion, you may also ask, What if I only worship or devote myself to Hekate?
While we have historical and archaeological evidence supporting “devotion” to one god or goddess, this is usually a reference to being part of a priesthood/priestesshood or, later in the Roman period, belonging to a college of priests. People of the ancient world likely would not have considered themselves solely devoted to one god or goddess. Why? Because Hekate, Zeus, and others have dominion over specific aspects. Say you “devote” yourself to Hekate; she doesn’t rule over health, day-to-day life, fertility, and more, so you wouldn’t go to her for everything. Nay nay, you’d go to Apollo or Asclepius, Zeus, Aphrodite, and more!
“Well, it’s my practice,” you may follow up with. That is true, but she is part of an ancient practice and ancient Greek religion. To take her out solely, like any other god or goddess, would be removing the history, language, society, and cultural frameworks that not only created her but also shaped her as well. Removing her from this basis can also lead down a slippery slope of misinformation, and wrong iconography that not only fetishizes misinformation, but also pushes orientalist iconography.
In short, she is an ancient goddess who belongs to a much larger and older religious framework, and we in the 21st century need to understand and respect that.
Hekate as the Guide
Detail of the shrine of Hekate, Roman, 1st c. BCE.
Here at Styx and Bones, as we look at the feminine archetypes seen through ancient Greek goddesses, we come to the archetype of the guide. Hekate Propolos represents a goddess who guides her queen to and from the Underworld, returning to her mother with the changing of the seasons each and every year. And the role she plays in her sacred day of deipnon is one of a guide as she leads the souls of the restless dead through towns on the night of the darkest moon.
For those wanting more items focused on the Greek Goddess Archetypes and their epithets, you can check them out here.
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This month inside the cult, we’re getting real about Hekate:
You’ve Been Lied to About Hekate — She’s not the “Mother of Witches,” and we’ll show you why.
The Right Iconography — What Hekate actually looked like according to ancient sources (hint: not the goth queen of the underworld).
Is This Book on Necromancy Legit? — We’re reviewing a popular title to see if it holds up to the real deal.
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