Hekate – Recommended Reading List

Introduction

We’re often asked, “How do I learn more about Hekate?” This reading list includes texts for beginners and advanced practitioners to learn more about the Goddess of the Crossroads. 

Reading Experience Rating System

The sources in this list are rated using a Theory-Praxis spectrum rather than “beginner” or “advanced” labels. The system is meant to describe how a text approaches its subject, not who it is “for.” One end of the spectrum is for praxis-focused works: devotional practice-based materials grounded in personal engagement and lived experiences. On the other end are theory-focused works: analytical, textual, and academic sources that prioritize interpretation, history, and primary texts. This spectrum is intended to help readers choose materials that match their current energy and learning style, and to set clear expectations about the kind of engagement a text invites! 

  • Devotional: Emphasis on lived experience and reflection. 
  • Applied Practice: How one’s practice is built upon their lived experiences and what they have learned from their research over the years. 
  • Theoretical / Textual: Heavy on analysis, philosophy, or symbolism. Assumes comfort with the abstract. Less “how to,” and more “what does this mean?” 
  • Academic / Primary: Scholarly tone with denser language, citations, and fragmentary sources. 

Books

  • Circle for Hekate – Volume I: History & Mythology by Sorita d’Este
    • Reading Experience: Academic / Primary
    • Description: This book serves as a comprehensive introduction to Hekate’s history and mythology, highlighting the multifaceted nature of this extraordinary goddess.
  • The Orphic Hymns trans. Apostolos Athanassakis
    • Reading Experience: Academic / Primary
    • Description: The Hymn to Hekate gives us a glimpse into her domains, associations, and her role in ritual.  
  • Hekate Her Sacred Fires edited by Sorita d’Este
    • Reading Experience: Applied Practice
    • Description: Hekate Her Sacred Fires brings together essays, prose, and artwork from more than fifty contributors from all around the world. Their visions and determination in exploring the mysteries are inspirational, and their enthusiasm for the Goddess of the Crossroads is truly remarkable!
  • The Goddess Hekate edited by Stephen Ronan
    • Reading Experience: Theoretical / Textual
    • Description: Ronan’s The Goddess Hekate weaves together the works of several scholars and authors to paint a vivid picture of Hekate’s evolving presence over the centuries. “Although she is often thought of today as the archetypal triple lunar deity, a glance at her history reveals a Goddess who is much more complex, and one with a broader and deeper range of symbolism.”
  • The Many Gods Anthology Volume I: Hekate edited by Vikki Bramshaw
    • Reading Experience: Applied Practice
    • Description: This collection of essays draws on Hekate’s fascinating and complex history, while acknowledging the diversity of beliefs and practices among modern-day devotees. Contributors from Europe to South America cover a wide range of themes from theatre to dreamwork, from hero worship to household devotion, from Orphic tradition to the modern adoption of Hekate in foreign lands.
  • The Restless Dead by Sarah Iles Johnston
    • Reading Experience: Academic / Primary
    • Description: During the archaic and classical periods, Greek ideas about the dead evolved in response to changing social and cultural conditions―most notably changes associated with the development of the polis, such as funerary legislation, and changes due to increased contacts with cultures of the ancient Near East. Helpful information about Hekate is found in this text.

Articles

  • The Liminal and the Universal: Changing Interpretations of Hekate by Adrienne Ou
    • Reading Experience: Academic / Primary
    • Description: This paper examines how Hekate’s role in the Greek pantheon has changed over time, and with what figures she has been syncretized or associated with to bring about such changes. In doing so, three images of the same goddess emerge: Hekate the universal life-bringing deity, Hekate the liminal goddess of the crossroads, and Hekate the chthonic overseer of witchcraft and angry spirits
  • Hekate’s Profanation: Why Hekate is not a Crone by Sorita d’Este
    • Reading Experience: Theoretical / Textual
    • Description: “This is my ultimate guide for seekers who are confused about Hekate’s attribution as a “Crone” in the modern Maiden, Mother, and Crone construct, which remains popular in some Goddess and Wiccan circles. I would like to say this is everything you ever need to know on the topic – naturally, new information will always come to light, and those of you who know my work will know I always err on the side that there is more to learn – so it is the nearly everything you need to know guide!”- Sorita d’Este
  • Hekate of Lagina: A Goddess Performing Her Civic Duty by Amanda Herring
    • Reading Experience: Academic / Primary
    • Description: Through an analysis of inscriptions, representations of the goddess in sculpture and coins, and the ritual use of the complex, this article concludes that Hekate of Lagina was a syncretic and singular figure who did not exist outside of Stratonikeia, and that her function at Lagina was primarily political, as a civic patron. As a goddess who oversaw life’s transitions and acted as a saviour of her people, she was uniquely suited to the role. The goddess and her sanctuary were used by the local population to create community identities and to negotiate their relationships with the wider world, particularly their imperial rulers.
  • A Portrait of Hecate by Patricia A. Marquardt
    • Reading Experience: Academic / Primary
    • Description: This paper is an analysis of Hekate’s depiction in her earliest literary source, Hesiod’s Theogony. Through this, you can learn about her many earlier roles and characteristics, and of the origin for some of her aspects that are emphasised in modern worship (such as her domain over the realms). Included is an archaeological review, examining the literature against archaeological evidence.

Websites

  • Covenant of Hekate – Sorita d’Este and Various Contributors
    • Reading Experience: Applied Practice
    • Description: The Covenant of Hekate is a community of people who are united through our passion for the Goddess Hekate, by her many names, in her many forms, and by her many faces. We are not a spiritual, religious, or magical tradition; instead, we are a collaborative network through which information about both her historical and contemporary worship is shared.
  • The Theoi Project
    • Reading Experience: Devotional
    • Disclaimer: The entries on Hekate found on the Theoi Project website are incomplete and at times, incorrect. We recommend using the other sources listed in this Reading List to supplement and cross-reference what is found on this website.
    • Description: The Theoi Project is a site exploring Greek mythology and the gods in classical literature and art. The project aims to provide a comprehensive, free reference guide to the gods (theoi), spirits (daimones), fabulous creatures (theres), and heroes of ancient Greek mythology and religion.

More Resources

  • Masterlist of Hekate Epithets
    • Format: Website
    • Description: A spreadsheet of Hekate’s epithets from a variety of sources.
  • Masterlist of Devotional Acts for Hekate
    • Format: Website
    • Description: A spreadsheet of devotional acts for Hekate, which you can take inspiration from or add to!
  • r/Hecate
    • Format: Website
    • Description: A place for the study and worship of Hekate
  • Living Hellenic Religion
    • Format: YouTube Videos
    • Description: A series of lectures by Hiereis and Hiereis-in-training of the Theoi about ‘Living Hellenic Religion’. This includes academic lectures, workshops, or reflective/personal presentations.
  • Coffee & Cauldrons
    • Format: Podcast
    • Description: Robyn (Santa Muerte devotee) and Maria (Hekate devotee) discuss tarot, lunar phases, and general witchcraft, plus lots of fun special guests.

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