Epithets: Erannos
Lovely
Lovely Hekate of the roads and of the crossroads I invoke. In heaven, on earth, then in the sea, saffron-cloaked tomb spirit reveling in the souls of the dead, daughter of Perses, haunting deserted places, delighting in deer, nocturnal, dog-loving, monstrous queen, devouring wild beasts, ungirt and repulsive. Herder of bulls, queen and mistress of the whole world, leader, nymph, mountain-roaming nurturer of youths, maiden, I beseech you to come to these holy rites, ever with joyous heart, ever favoring the oxherd. -Athanassakis, The Orphic Hymns: to Hekate.
Hekate of the Path, I invoke thee, Lovely Lady of the Triple Crossroads, Celestial, Chthonian, and Marine One, Lady of the Saffron Robe. Sepulchral One, celebrating the Bakchic Mysteries among the Souls of the Dead, Daughter of Perses, Lover of Solitude, rejoicing in deer. Nocturnal One, Lady of the Dogs, invincible Queen. She of the Cry of the Beast, Ungirt One, having an irresistible Form. Bullherder, Keeper of the Keys of All the Universe, Mistress, Guide, Bride, Nurturer of Youths, Mountain Wanderer. I pray thee, Maiden, to be present at our hallowed rites of initiation, Always bestowing Thy graciousness upon the Boukolos. - Forrest version of the Orphic Hymn to Hekate.
Most translations of the Orphic Hymn to Hekate vary a good bit in tone and cadence, so I have elected to share one academic understanding and one spiritualist. The Orphic Hymns were mostly written in the Roman era, and this is the clearest description of Hekate as Erannos. As a descriptor, it simply suggests that she is attractive. It seems to carry no other import, nor does it suggest Her other attributes.
At times, scholars have assumed that spirits and Gods like Hekate, particularly those who are understood to be monstrous or “dark” or associated with Death, were sometimes described as lovely, good, and kind, as a means of placating them. In this theory, the praxis was one of flattery to convince the deity to stay their wrath.
In Hekate’s case, I waver as to whether that is the case. My experiences with Her lead me to think that rather than flattery, Hekate truly is lovely when She wills it, heart-breakingly beautiful. She can also appear fearsome, but my intuition is that She is sublime and overwhelming and as lovely as the flame. Even in the forms that people describe as monstrous, I find something beautiful in Her. And in Her, I have learned to see loveliness in many things that are also “dark” or terrible.
Sources:
Athanassakis, Apostolos N. The Orphic Hymns, Johns Hopkins, 2013.
Forrest, Adam. “The Orphic Hymn to Hekate,” on the Hermetic Fellowship website: https://www.hermeticfellowship.org/OrphicHymnHekate.html
West, David R. Some cults of Greek goddesses and female daemons of Oriental origin, Butzon & Bercker, 1995.
Images:
Hogarth, William. “The Analysis of Beauty, plate 1,” etching and engraving, 1753, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Via wikicommons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Analysis_of_Beauty_Plate_1_by_William_Hogarth.jpg
