Ancient Greece

The Return of Spring and Persephone

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“The Return of Persephone”, Attic vase dated circa 440 BCE

Spring is traditionally a time of rebirth and renewal. The Earth is awakening from her winter slumber, and life is beginning to stir in both flora and fauna. The return of Spring also brings the return of Persephone from the Eleusinian Mysteries. The Rites of Eleusis were initiatory mysteries taking place in the autumn and spring, marking the descent of Persephone into the realm of the dead with her consort Hades (autumn), and Persephone’s return to the mortal world above to be reunited with her mother Demeter (spring). (see related blog post regarding Enna in Sicily).

Hekate had an integral role in these mysteries, acting as Persephone’s companion and guide during both her descent and return. Much isn’t known about the Eleusinian Mysteries, but scholars agree that it centered on the concept of life, death, and rebirth. The Eleusinian Mysteries were tied to the agricultural season of the Mediterranean region, and the mysteries were used to help explain the seasonal changes of growth and life, death and decay, and regeneration of that which died.

Hekate is a liminal goddess that straddles the realms of these forces with ease. Demeter represents life, Persephone represents death and rebirth, and Hekate as Creatrix weaves these energies together. All three goddesses were honored during these rites.

The image above is from a vase dated back to 440 BCE. It shows Persephone, on the left, returning from the realm of Hades. Hermes is standing next to Persephone, and Demeter is on the far right holding a scepter. Hekate is in the center, bearing two torches while guiding Persephone’s return.

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Image source: Theoi, https://www.theoi.com/Gallery/T16.6.html

Hekate in Magna Graecia: Locri

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Locri

Locri was a Greek colony of Magna Graecia, located in the Calabria region of southern Italy. Locri was the site of a great sanctuary to Persephone – worshipped as a protectress of fertile marriage. Pinakes (or plaques) unearthed at this site depict Persephone as “Queen of the Dead”, residing in Hades. Hundreds of votives, plaques, and other artifacts were found in the temple remains, dating back to about the 5th century BCE. The images depicted on these items tell Persephone’s story as it is described in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter and Eleusinian Mysteries, including pottery tablets depicted Persephone and Hades, sitting side by side on their thrones as King and Queen of the Underworld.

The sanctuary dedicated to Persephone in Locri (also known as Locri Epizefiri) was described by Diodorus Siculus as one of the most famous of the sanctuaries in Magna Graecia. Persephone’s temple featured a propylaia, and possibly had underground rooms for chthonic rites. Based on archaeological findings, it is believed that the Eleusinian Mysteries were re-enacted here.

Outside the temple walls was another location for rituals – the Cave of the Nymphs, also known as the Grotta Caruso. Here, women would undergo katabasis (underworld journey); caves are a common location for rituals involving chthonic deities. Excavations of this site revealed stairs leading down into a subterranean area containing a natural spring basin used for ritual bathing, complete with an altar. Niches were set into the walls for votive offerings. Some of the votives uncovered included figurines of women, many of which were triple-headed (triform).

A very interesting archaeological find was discovered within Persephone’s temple – a pinake of a winged female daimon. This brings to mind the earlier mention of Angelos – the winged messenger/angelic chthonic deity who is identified with both Hekate and Artemis. Winged deities who travel between the worlds are typically messengers or guides of the dead and departed souls.

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Temple of Persephone remains at Locri – from Wikimedia

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Hekate, Sekhmet, & Lions

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Before COVID took over our corner of the Earth, my daughters and I visited the Albany Institute of History and Art near our home. On the third floor, they have an amazing exhibit dedicated to Ancient Egypt, with many artifacts and two preserved mummies of Egyptian Priests from the Ptolemaic Period (c. 305 BCE).

Almost everything on display was safely stored behind protective glass, except for the bust of the Goddess Sekhmet (see photo below). Seeing this bust of the great Lioness was breathtaking. It was displayed on a heavy stand, with a simple sign asking visitors not to touch it.

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Bust of the Goddess Sekhmet from the Temple of Mut at Karnak, dated between 1388-1350 BCE / Albany Institute of History and Art  © 2020 Melissa McNair / The Torch and Key

This particular bust of Sekhmet was commissioned by Amenhotep III for the Temple of Mut at Karnak, and is believed to be dated from about 1388-1350 BCE. The temple of Mut was located in the present city of Luxor, Egypt on the banks of the Nile River.  The Goddess Mut was the consort of the God Amun-Ra, and was known as a Mother Goddess, a Sky Goddess, and was the mother of Khonsu, a Moon God.

Amenhotep III commissioned more than 500 statues of Sekhmet for the Temple of Mut, and it is believed that his intention was to have a “forest” of Sekhmet statues.

Sekhmet is a complex Goddess who embodies many different qualities. She is a terribly fierce defender of Ma’at (justice or balance), who is known to show her wrath when Ma’at is threatened. Sekhmet also has a nurturing side due to her role as healer and patroness of physicians –  but that gift of healing can also be used to harm by sending disease to those who offend her. She holds life and death in her hands.

Sekhmet and the Goddess Hekate do share similar qualities such as being mistresses of life and death, and as protectresses of justice and balance.

Hekate & Lions

Hekate is linked to lions through the Chaldean Oracles, temple remains found at Lagina, temple remains found near Syracuse (Sicily), various ancient coins showing Hekate with lions, and spells from the Greek Magical Papyri (PGM).

Chaldean Oracles

In the Chaldean Oracles, Hekate is seen as the Cosmic World Soul. She is the Anima Mundi; the mediator / messenger between the intellectual and material realms and within Her Cosmic Womb is where creation begins, with the paternal intellect planting the ideas within that womb. The Epiphany of Hekate in the Chaldean Oracles mentions lions in some translations:

“If you say this to me many times, you will observe all things to be a lion”

Meaning, if you called upon Hekate correctly, She will appear in lion form as a result.

Lagina

The Temple of Hekate in Lagina, Turkey is an ancient temple that was built around the 2nd century BCE. It was a sacred site dedicated to Hekate and was an important center of worship. There are preserved temple remains still there today, and one of them is a frieze containing lion heads (see below photo).

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Lion heads at the Temple of Hekate at Lagina / photo © Slow Travel Guide

 

Sicily

In the ancient Greek colony of Akrai in modern day Sicily, there once stood a great temple to the Magna Mater (“Great Mother”). This temple is believed to have been built to worship the goddess Cybele. Many of the carvings / statues depict Cybele with lions.  Hekate and Cybele are closely related and some statues and carvings from the temple in Akrai depict Hekate either alone or alongside Cybele.

Ancient Coins

There are many ancient coins that depict Hekate either alone or with another deity. One particular coin from the region of Stratonikeia, near Lagina, shows Zeus on one side on horseback, with Hekate on the other side sitting atop a lion (see photo below).

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Coin depicting Zeus (left) and Hekate (right), CARIA, Stratonikeia. 1st-2nd Century AD. Image © WildWinds

Another coin from Thessaly, dated to about 400 BCE, depicts Hekate’s head with a torch on one side and a lion on the other side (see below photo).

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Hekate / Lion coin from Thessaly, 400 BCE Image © WorthPoint

 

 

Sources:

  1. “Hekate Soteira” by Sarah Iles Johnston
  2. https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/pherai-thessaly-404bc-hekate-1826761086
  3. https://www.wildwinds.com/coins/greece/caria/stratonikeia/i.html
  4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precinct_of_Mut

Hekate in Magna Graecia: Bosco Littorio

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Bosco Littorio

This location, the Greek Baths in Gela in the province of Caltanissetta, deserves a mention although information is scarce. It is situated on the southern Sicilian coast, and some curious archaeological remains were found here. Named the “archaic emporium”, the remains of three stone altars dating to approximately 6th century BCE were found. One depicted Medusa the Gorgon, the famed sea creature of Greek myths who had snakes for hair and turned anyone to stone who dared to look at her. With Medusa were her children Pegasus and Chrysaor. Another altar depicted Eos (goddess of the dawn) kidnapping Thanatos (personification of death). The third altar is showing a trio of female figures but they have yet to be positively identified. All three altars are currently on display in the Regional Archaeological Museum of Gela.

It is also worth noting that some type of catastrophic natural disaster happened here, possibly a tsunami preceded by an earthquake, around 480 BCE. Numerous shipwrecks were found in the vicinity and no archaeological remains dated from after that time have been found there.

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Altar figure of a trio of females – Bosco Littorio – from Wikipedia

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Hekate in Magna Graecia: Scyllaeum

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Scyllaeum

Scyllaeum is another colony in Magna Graecia, and was home to the mythical sea monster Scylla (or Skylla). Scyllaeum was located in the Calabria region of Southern Italy. The Hekatean connection here is parentage. In Appollonius Rhodius Argonautica, Hekate Krataiis (epithet meaning “rocky” or “mighty”) and the sea god Phorkys were parents to the sea monster Skylla:

“Ausonian Skylla (Scylla), the wicked monster borne to Phorkys (Phorcys) by night-wandering Hekate (Hecate), whom men call Kratais (Crataeis).”

Skylla was a sea monster that haunted the rocks in the waters off the coast, and any ships that sailed too close would lose their men to one of Skylla’s many monstrous heads. Skylla was situated between the coast and a whirlpool of Kharybdis, another sea monster that threatened ships in the waters off the coast. Another passage from the Argonautica details the warnings given against Skylla and Kharybdis: 

“[Hera commands the sea-goddess Thetis to guide the Argonauts safely past Skylla (Scylla) :] ‘And do not let my friends [the Argonauts] be so unwary as to fall into Kharybdis (Charybdis), or at one gulp she will swallow them all. Nor let them go too near the hateful den of Ausonian Skylla (Scylla), the wicked monster borne to Phorkys by nigh-wandering Hekate (Hecate), whom men call Kratais (Crataeis)–or she may swoop down, take her pick and destroy them in her terrible jaws. What you must do is so to guide the ship that they escape disaster, if only by a hair’s breadth.’”

Strabo described Scyllaeum as a projecting rocky headland that juts out into the sea, joined to the mainland by an isthmus that forms a bay on each side. The village is active today and is known by the name of Scilla, and boasts a little over 5000 residents. It is primarily a fishing village, and it is also an active tourist destination.

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Scylla as a maiden with a kētos tail and dog heads sprouting from her body. Detail from a red-figure bell-crater in the Louvre, 450–425 BCE. This form of Scylla was prevalent in ancient depictions, though very different from the description in Homer, where she is land-based and more dragon-like. Image from Wikimedia.

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The Rock of Scilla, Calabria, which is said to be the home of Scylla. Image from Wikimedia.

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Hekate in Magna Graecia: Cumae

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Cumae

The Cumaean Sybil is a well-known figure in Virgil’s Aeneid, as well as one of the most well known oracles in Magna Graecia. Cumae was a Greek colony located near coastal Naples in southern Italy, belonging to Magna Graecia. The Latin word “sybil” comes from the Greek word “sibylla”, which means “prophetess”.  The Cumaean Sybil quickly became famous across southern Italy, and gained favor with Rome, with people coming from afar to hear her prophecies, much like the Delphic Oracle in Greece.

The Sybil was said to reside in a cave, and called on Hekate to enlist Her aid in necromantic rites, as written in Virgil’s Aeneid, where Aeneas was attempting to reach the underworld:

“[The Sibyl performs the rites of necromancy at the oracle of the dead at Cumae] : The Sibyl first lined up four black-skinned bullocks, poured a libation wine upon their foreheads, and then, plucking the topmost hairs from between their brows, she placed these on the altar fires as an initial offering, calling aloud upon Hecate, powerful in heaven and hell.”…..” But listen!–at the very first crack of dawn, the ground underfoot began to mutter, the woody ridges to quake, and a baying of hounds was heard through the half-light : the goddess was coming, Hecate. [A path was then opened for the Sibyl and Aeneas to journey on through the underworld.]”

The rites that the Cumaean Sybil performed to Hekate always took place within the cave in Cumae where the Sybil resided.

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Entrance to the cave of the Cumaean Sybil – from Wikimedia

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Hekate in Magna Graecia: Enna

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Enna

Enna is located in central Sicily, and according to Diodorus Siculus, is the famed mythical location for Persephone’s abduction, which was said to have happened near Lake Pergusa. Enna was one of the most prominent locations in Sicily for Demeter and Persephone’s cult. Near Lake Pergusa is an archaeological site known as Cozzo Matrice, where one will find the remains of a fortified village believed to be dated to about 8000 BCE. Other archaeological remains date back to a little over 2000 years old, and they include a citadel, remains of a necropolis, and remains of a temple to Demeter. Today, the area of Lake Pergusa is home to a park called “Proserpina Park”, named after Persephone (Proserpina or Proserpine is how Persephone was referred to by the Romans). Nearby, the Rocca (or Rocco) di Cerere Geopark is now known as the land that was once consecrated to the chthonian deities of the Eleusinian mysteries, and their power and presence is very much felt to this day.

The story of Persephone’s abduction and Demeter’s subsequent search is recounted in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, in which Hekate plays a very prominent role. It is also lays the foundation for the Eleusinian Mysteries.

Persephone was picking flowers, when Hades emerged from a nearby cave and stole her away to his realm in the underworld. Hekate and the sun god Helios witnessed this abduction, though Hekate did not see it happen; She only heard Persephone’s cries for help. Demeter wandered all over the earth for Persephone for nine days, and on the tenth day Hekate appeared before Demeter to tell her what She had witnessed, as told in this passage from the Homeric Hymn to Demeter:

“But when the tenth enlightening dawn had come, Hecate, with a torch in her hands, met her, and spoke to her and told her news: “Queenly Demeter, bringer of seasons and giver of good gifts, what god of heaven or what mortal man has rapt away Persephone and pierced with sorrow your dear heart? For I heard her voice, yet saw not with my eyes who it was. But I tell you truly and shortly all I know.”

Together, Demeter and Hekate went to Helios to ask for his help in finding Persephone. Helios told Demeter where her daughter was taken, but also tried to tell her that she should remain where she was. Demeter did not want to accept that, and continued to wander until she ended up at Eleusis, where she decreed that a temple be built in her honor. During this time when Demeter was in despair, the earth and it’s fruits wasted away. Zeus took notice of the suffering of the earth and it’s inhabitants, and arranged for Hermes to mediate between Hades and Demeter for Persephone’s return. Hades agreed, but, tricked Persephone into eating some pomegranate seeds, which then forever bound her to the underworld for part of the year. Persephone and Demeter were reunited, and Hekate joined them in their reunion. From that moment on, Hekate became Persephone’s torch-bearing guide to and from the underworld twice a year. One of Hekate’s epithets is “Propolos”, which means “guide”.  From the Homeric Hymn to Demeter:

“Then bright-coiffed Hecate came near to them, and often did she embrace the daughter of holy Demeter: and from that time the lady Hecate was minister and companion to Persephone.”

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Rocca di Cereri – Enna – from Wikimedia

 

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Hekate in Magna Graecia: Segesta

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Segesta

Segesta was a colony located on the northwest coast of Sicily, near current-day Castellamare del Golfo. There is an almost perfectly preserved Doric temple in Segesta, though it was never completed. The temple’s origins are shrouded in mystery; no one can seem to figure out why or for whom it was built.  Segesta was originally settled by the Elymians, believed to be from Anatolia (modern day Turkey), and they arrived in Sicily around 1200 BCE.  Nearby, in Eryx (also known as Erice, also settled by the Elymians), Astarte was worshipped, with a temple dedicated to her in Eryx. Astarte was later conflated with Venus by the Romans; Aphrodite would be the Greek counterpart to Venus. Pottery fragments found in the Segesta area show that they had been engraved with Phoenician and Greek letters and symbols.

Hekate was associated with Aphrodite in a 6th century BCE fragment of Greek lyrics attributed to either Sappho or Alcaeus:

“[Hekate] the golden-shining attendant of Aphrodite.”

The great temple of Aphrodite at Eryx was written about by Strabo and Pausanias, both prominent Greek writers in antiquity.

There is also a traditional Greek amphitheatre in Segesta. Parts of it were decorated with scenes of the nature god Pan, though those images have faded over time. Amazingly, this amphitheatre is still in use today for various outdoor events.

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Temple of Venus Erycina – Segesta –  Wikimedia

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Hekate in Magna Graecia: Pachynus

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Pachynus / Pakyhnos

According to the Greek poet Lycophron, who lived around the 3rd century BCE, a cult of Hekate was located in Pachynus (Pakhynos), Sicily. Today it is known as Capo Passero, and it is the southernmost tip of Sicily. It is located in the province of Syracuse (Siracusa), a major Greek colony in Magna Graecia and a thriving city today. Nearby, there is the small town of Pachino, which is home to an archaeological park containing temple remains to Apollo and others of unknown origin (this area will be researched further at a later time).

According to Lycophron, Odysseus erected a temple (or a shrine or monument of some sort) in honor of Hekate in Pachynus to appease the spirit of Hecuba:

“O mother, O unhappy mother! thy fame, too, shall not be unknown, but the maiden daughter of Perseus, Triform Brimo, shall make thee her attendant, terrifying with thy baying in the night all mortals who worship not with torches the images of the Zerynthian queen of Strymon, appeasing the goddess of Pherae with sacrifice. And the island spur of Pachynus shall hold thine awful cenotaph, piled by the hands of thy master, prompted by dreams when thou hast gotten the rites of death in front of the streams of Helorus. He shall pour on the shore offerings for thee, unhappy one, fearing the anger of the three-necked goddess, for that he shall hurl the first stone at thy stoning and begin the dark sacrifice to Hades.” (Lycophron’s Alexandra)

The above excerpt has some very interesting points. Hekate, according to Hesiod’s Theogony, is the daughter of Perses (and Asteria). Hekate is also known by the epithets “Hekate Triformis” (triple-formed) and “Hekate Brimo” (angry or terrible one). Hekate also had a known cult in Zerynthia, Samothrace (Greece). The mention of Helorus is most curious, though. Helorus is a river, but it is also a village next to or very close to Pachynus, spoken of by Claudius Ptolemy and alluded to by Pliny. There are archaeological remains of a theater found in Helorus, and there are also remains of a monument built with large stones and placed atop a square pedestal. The remains of this very curious monument may be found between the theater remains and the sea. There is a mystery surrounding this monument, as no one has been able to positively determine who built it or why.

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Hekate in Magna Graecia: Akrai

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Akrai

Akrai was a colony located in the province of Syracuse in Sicily (in or near modern-day Palozzolo Acreide). The ancient ruins of this once-thriving colony are now part of an archaeological park and are home to many important archaeological remains.

One of the most notable remains of this area are that of the temple remains dedicated to the cult of “Magna Mater”, Latin for “Great Mother”, dated to approximately 4th or 3rd  century BCE. There, you will find the Santoni, a great collection of carved statues set into a rock face near this temple. There are twelve large reliefs; eleven of them depict a seated/enthroned woman, surrounded by other figures. The twelfth carving, found on the level beneath the one containing the eleven seated representations, is a life size depiction of a woman standing. All of these are believed to be Cybele. In all of these carvings, Cybele is depicted with lions. Some of the carved images show Cybele holding offering bowls or drums/tambourines.

In the carvings of the enthroned Cybele, she is depicted with other deities, including Hekate, Hermes and the Korybantes, among others. Hekate and Hermes are closely linked as they are both “Psychopomps” (guides of souls) and are known to guard roadways/travelers. Most curious is the inclusion of the Korybantes; their counterparts are known as the Kouretes/Kharites – nine dancers known to venerate Rhea. Interestingly, there is a 3rd century BCE Attic statue depicting a triple-bodied Hekate surrounded by the Kharites holding hands. This statue is known as a “Hekataion”; triple-bodied Hekate is against a central column with the Kharites surrounding Her. This statue is currently in the Glyptothek Museum in Munich, Germany.

In the Santoni relief carving that includes Hekate, She is carrying what is believed to be a long torch in one hand. This carving connects to another relief depicting Cybele, Hekate, and Hermes together. Demeter and Persephone are also believed to be depicted among the various Santoni reliefs.

The Santoni are found before the Templi Ferali, otherwise known as the “Feral Temples”, dedicated to chthonian deities. It is also believed that the great temple for the cult of Magna Mater is dedicated to Cybele, a great mother Goddess with Anatolian origins. Her Greek counterpart is Rhea. It is widely known that Hekate and Rhea/Cybele are very closely related. Hekate and Cybele are believed to be Anatolian in origin, and both have been depicted with lions. Hekate’s temple in Lagina had friezes depicting Her flanked by lions. Hekate’s association with lions is also documented in the Greek Magical Papyri (also known as the PGM) in the “Prayer to Selene for any spell”, PGM IV.2811-12. In the Chaldean Oracles, Hekate is described as appearing in lion form.

The Feral Temples also was a place for honoring the dead, in conjunction with chthonian deities. The stone walls are filled with niches to hold votive offerings. Nearby, there are stone grottoes containing dozens of oval shaped tombs. Other archaeological finds at this site include painted plaques, pottery lamps, and libation bowls.

As with many ancient cults, not much information is known about the cult of Magna Mater in Akrai. All that remains are the archaeological finds that lends some clues as to the purpose of the temple sanctuary. Akrai is also home to remains of temples belonging to Aphrodite, Artemis, and Kore-Persephone.

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Cybele – Temple of Magna Mater at Akrai – from Wikimedia

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