Rewriting the Dark: Hekate in the Age of Comfort | From Blood to Bouquets: Hekate's Image in Modern Witchcraft
Recently, I mentioned a Facebook group post I had come across in which a young “witch” was expressing her concern for her friend using naughty baneful Magick. And so, naturally, she needed to know how to tattle-tale to the great Hekate, in hopes this peaceful Deity would punish her for her wicked ways.
Come the fuck on.
There are many Gods and Goddesses who are systematically being transformed into fluff bunnies. However, poor Hekate seems to be the most utilized victim of this injustice. And she is taking a huge hit in the reputation department to pander to this new wave of “baby witches” who seem to need weighted blankets and someone to hold their hand to simply wake up in the morning. Hekate is not a nature Goddess of safe darkness and theatrical dark romance.
The true history of Hekate is far from the sanitized, benevolent image presented by many in contemporary spiritual circles. She was not a gentle guide or maternal protector, but a formidable and feared deity associated with death, necromancy, night terrors, and the restless spirits of the dead. Originating in Asia Minor and later incorporated into Greek mythology, Hekate held dominion over liminal spaces, especially crossroads, graveyards, and doorways between realms. She was often invoked at night with offerings left at deserted intersections, particularly the dreaded "Hekate’s Suppers" of raw eggs, garlic, and animal blood, which were meant to appease her and keep malevolent spirits at bay. Dogs, especially black ones, were sacrificed to her because they were believed to be sacred and able to sense the supernatural. Her epithets, including “Brimo” (angry one) and “Anassa Eneroi” (Queen of the Dead), reflect her chthonic and wrathful nature. Ancient Athenians feared her enough to erect apotropaic statues at their doorways, not as homage to a helpful deity, but as a ward against her potential fury. She was both a terror and a goddess, and ancient worshippers understood this duality clearly. She was honored out of reverence and fear, not merely love.
Hekate’s role in myth and magic was deeply entangled with death and the darker aspects of witchcraft. She was not simply a goddess of Magick but also a gatekeeper of the underworld, associated with the spirits of the restless dead, vengeful ghosts, and destructive sorcery. In the Homeric Hymns and later classical texts, she is depicted as consorting with Persephone and leading legions of shades. The Argonautica portrays her as the patroness of the witch Medea, who murdered her own brother and children. Acts empowered by Hekate’s dark arts. Her association with Medea is no coincidence; Hekate embodied powerful, blood-soaked enchantment. Roman magical papyri describe her in terrifying forms: triple-headed with serpent hair, howling like hounds, and surrounded by ghouls, all invoked to curse enemies or summon the dead. She was never a gentle crone who guided the lost. She was a force of unflinching, primal power. The modern tendency to portray her as a nurturing “goddess of the crossroads” severely diminishes her true historical significance. Hekate was a goddess of boundaries, a guardian of thresholds best left unopened, and a mistress of poison, blood, and dread.
It makes my heart sad to see the drastic changes of this once feared and respected Goddess. She is not a power to utilize for your flower rituals of love and light. And, to do so is nothing short of an insult. And while, like anyone, she possesses characteristics of both light and dark. Her darkness tilts the scales of balance. If you choose to practice Magick and stay within the light, that is your path to take. But rewriting history, changing entire roles of power within the realm of Gods and Goddesses, isn’t the way. If you need a safe space, find totems or worship and work that align with your purpose. At this point, we might as well just start making up our own new characters in the story of spiritualism. Because this isn’t it.