HEKATE LIMINAL RITES

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 "Then, earth began to bellow, trees to dance
And howling dogs in glimmering light advance
Ere Hecate came."

THE AENEID, VIRGIL, LATE C1ST BCE, TRANS. J. DRYDEN.

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 OTHER BOOKS BY THESE AUTHORS

By Sorita d’Este & David Rankine

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VISIONS OF THE CAILLEACH
THE GUISES OF THE MORRIGAN
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CIRCLE OF FIRE
WICCA MAGICKAL BEGINNINGS

By Sorita d’Este
ARTEMIS – VIRGIN GODDESS OF THE SUN & MOON
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HEKATE KEYS TO THE CROSSROADS (EDITOR)
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BOTH SIDES OF HEAVEN (EDITOR)

By David Rankine
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CLIMBING THE TREE OF LIFE
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Published by Avalonia

BM Avalonia
London
WC1N 3XX
England, UK

www.avaloniabooks.co.uk

HEKATE LIMINAL RITES

Copyright © Sorita and David Rankine 2009

ISBN-10: 1905297238
ISBN-13: 978-1905297238

First Edition, May 2009

Design by Satori

Cover art “Hecate” by Joanna Barnum

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may

be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
microfilm, recording, or by any information storage and
retrieval system, or used in another book, without
written permission from the authors.

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 COVER IMAGE “HECATE” BY JOANNA BARNUM

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS ARTIST, VISIT HER WEBSITE:

WWW.JOANNABARNUM.COM

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 DEDICATED TO ANDREW COLLINS
WHO KNOWS ALL ABOUT LIMINAL RITES!

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 HEKATE
LIMINAL RITES
A STUDY OF THE RITUALS, MAGIC AND SYMBOLS OF THE
TORCH-BEARING TRIPLE GODDESS OF THE CROSSROADS

SORITA D’ESTE AND DAVID RANKINE

PUBLISHED BY AVALONIA 2009

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Acknowledgements

We would like to extend a special thank you to:

Stephen Ronan, for his kind permission to use his
translations of Proclus Hymn to Hekate and Janus and
the Prayer to Selene for Any Operation as previously
published in his own excellent work The Goddess
Hekate.
Zachary Yardley for the use of his previously
unpublished renditions of a number of the ancient
texts reproduced in this volume.
Joanna Barnum, for permission to use the
awesome image of the Goddess Hekate which graces
the cover of this book, available from
www.joannabarnum.com
Vitoria Laurel, for her encouragement and support
in our work.
Alan O’Flynn for permission to use his photograph
of Hekate from the temple at Lagina.
Dave Surber from wildwinds.com for permission to
reproduce the images in the chapter Coins.
To everyone who enjoyed Hekate Keys to the
Crossroads and told us so,
May you all prosper in all that you desire and may
the flame of kinship burn as a beacon forever more.
The Keybearers will always find each other.

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 C ONTENTS

Acknowledgements ......................................................... 8
A Note on Terminology .................................................. 12
A Note on Her Name...................................................... 13

Foreword ............................................................ 14

From the Three-Ways.......................................... 19

Literary Sources ............................................................ 31

In Her Service..................................................... 37
Hesiod ........................................................................... 37
Empedocles ................................................................... 38
Porphyry ....................................................................... 39
Circe .............................................................................. 41
Medea ........................................................................... 42
The Witches of Thessaly ............................................... 44
Lampads ....................................................................... 45
Hekate’s Vegetarian Followers ..................................... 46

Sacred Eleusis .................................................... 48

Images of Hekate ................................................ 58

Voces Magicae .................................................... 65

Charms from the PGM ........................................ 70

List of Charms in the Greek Magical Papyri.................. 71
Symbols from the PGM.................................................. 74
Bear Charm................................................................... 75
Charm of Hekate Ereschigal ......................................... 76

Charms for Love ................................................. 78

Defixiones .......................................................... 84

The Armour of Hekate ........................................ 89

Glimpses of Initiation ......................................... 91

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Herbs & Poisons.................................................. 94
Aconite .......................................................................... 95
Ebony............................................................................ 95
Garlic............................................................................. 96
Mandrake...................................................................... 96
Oak ............................................................................... 97
Saffron .......................................................................... 98
Yew ............................................................................... 98
Unspecified Herbs......................................................... 99
Herb Gathering ........................................................... 100

Sacred Bronze .................................................. 102

Iron Nails & Rings............................................. 105

Hekate & The Angels ........................................ 107

Coins................................................................ 110

From Sleep ....................................................... 114

Oracles of Hekate ............................................. 117

Offerings .......................................................... 120

Hekate Suppers ................................................ 126

Invocation ........................................................ 129

Hymns.............................................................. 132
Proclus Hymn to Hekate and Janus ........................... 132
Prayer to Selene for any operation.............................. 133

Animal Formed ................................................. 137

Cow-Headed/Bull-Headed ......................................... 137
Dog-Headed ................................................................ 139
Dragon-Headed........................................................... 139
Goat-Headed............................................................... 140
Horse-Headed ............................................................. 140
Serpent-Headed .......................................................... 141

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