Hekate & the Masculine Gods

The Goddess Hekate is a Virgin Goddess. She is not alone in this within the Hellenic pantheon of Gods, nor in that of the nearby regions and cultures where She may have originated or at least were influenced by. Virgnity within this context represents the power, independence and incorruptible nature of the Goddess.

However, Hekate was frequently linked to male divinities too, albeit not in an obviously "romantic" context. Why is this important and why am I even writing about this?

Hekate (centre) with Hermes (left with winged helmet) and Persephone (left) and Demeter (right) in a scene from the Eleusian Mysteries. Image and item in the Met Museum.

Firstly, not all female divinities are matched to masculine divinities (or visa versa, for that matter!). The idea of "God & Goddess" is an ideal promoted by the early teachers of initiatory Wicca, where both the male and the female were given a place on the altar and in the symbolism of the ceremonies. When we look at ancient pantheons of deities, this is simply not always that straightforward as we are dealing with multiple deities, within a polytheistic worldview and many different cultures, regions and historic periods. So things changed and continue to change - while maintaining symbolism and the natural order represented by the Gods and Goddesses.

Secondly, Hekate was not worshipped in a vacuum! She is part of a patheon of deities - and other spirits - depending on the worldview and culture of the devotee. It is natural that male deities would have fulfilled some roles for ancient devotees, as they continue to do today.

Thirdly, its not all about sex. Strange - but true! While there are many stories about the Gods and Goddesses fadoodling with one another and with mortals, the practices of most devotees in the home, at sancturies and temples, would have focussed on every day needs too. For Hekate, we know She was frequently petitioned for agricultural and protection purposes - as well as for an array of magical and spiritual outcomes.

Which Gods - or male spirits - were linked to Hekate?

I have made a very long list, and some of the names on the list might surprise you - here are just some of the names on my list (alphabetical, so not in order of importance):

· Abrasax

· Achelous

· Aeolus

· Aion

· Anubis

· Apollo

· Aristaeus

· Asclepius

· Baal

· Dionysos

· Gabriel (Archangel)

· Hadad

· Hades

· Hecatoncheires

· Helios

· Herakles (Hercules)

· Hermes

· Janus

· Klytios

· Koios

· Krios

· Kronos

· Mēn

· Michael (Archangel)

· Oceanus

· Pan

· Perseus

· Pontus

· Poseidon

· Sabazius

· Thanatos

· Trophonius

· Uranus

· Zeus

It is worth exploring some of these connections, by doing so you will learn a lot more about this fascinating Goddess along the way. If you are interested, the December Meeting in the Circle class will focus entirely on this topic. A two hour presentation, with plenty of discussion - as well as a Q&A.

More details Aristée, dieu des jardins (Aristaeus, god of the gardens). Wikipedia Commons.