source ⟩ hypertext ⟩ public ⟩ hymns ⟩ hecate ⟩ en.pug

//- meta
	slug: "hymns/hecate"
	lang: en
	title: "Orphic Hymn to Hecate"
	pageCreated: "2026-04-17"

extends ../../../views/hymns/hymnsheet.pug

block navbar
	ul
		li.nav-arrow.nav-arrow-left: a(href="/hymns/proem") #[span.dingbat ☙] #[b(lang="grc") Προοιμιον] #[i Proem]
		li.nav-current Αʹ · I
		li: a(href="/hymns/prothyraea") #[i To Prothyræa] #[b(lang="grc") Προθυραιας] #[span.dingbat ❧]

block ancient-pic
	img(src="/hymns/thumbnails/hecate-ancient.jpg" alt="Ancient pottery of Hecate")

block modern-pic
	img(src="/hymns/thumbnails/hecate-modern.jpg" alt="Modern illustration of Hecate")

block greek
	h1 Εἰς Ἑκάτην
	p.hymn-greek
		:format-hymn
			Εἰνοδίαν Ἑκάτην κλῄζω, τριοδῖτιν, ἐρεμνήν,
			οὐρανίην χθονίην τε καὶ εἰναλίην, κροκόπεπλον,
			τυμβιδίην, ψυχαῖς νεκύων μέτα βακχεύουσαν,
			Περσείαν, φιλέρημον, ἀγαλλομένην ἐλάφοισι,
			νυκτερίαν, σκυλακῖτιν, ἀμαιμάκετον βασίλειαν,
			θηρόβρομον, ἄζωστον, ἀπρόσμαχον εἶδος ἔχουσαν,
			ταυροπόλον, παντὸς κόσμου κλῃδοῦχον ἄνασσαν,
			ἡγεμόνην, νύμφην, κουροτρόφον, οὐρεσιφοῖτιν,
			λισσόμενος κούρην τελεταῖς ὁσίαισι παρεῖναι
			βουκόλῳ εὐμενέουσαν ἀεὶ κεχαρηότι θυμῷ.

block english
	h1 To Hecate#[+sn(1)]
	p.hymn-english I call Einodian Hecate, lovely dame,#[br]of earthly, wat’ry, and celestial frame,#[br]sepulchral, in a saffron veil array’d,#[br]pleas’d with dark ghosts that wander thro’ the shade;#[br]Persian, unconquerable huntress hail!#[+sn(2)]#[br]The world’s key-bearer never doom’d to fail#[br]on the rough rock to wander Thee delights,#[br]leader and nurse be present to our rites;#[br]propitious grant our just desires success,#[br]accept our homage, and the incense bless.
	+sn(1)
		p In surviving manuscripts, this hymn continues directly from the prologue, with no heading or given incense; modern editions tend to list it separately. #[i —Ed.]
	+sn(2)
		p Diodorus informs us that #[span.theonym(greek="Artemis") Diana], who is to be understood by this epithet, was very much worshipped by the Persians, and that this Goddess was called Persæa in his Time. See more concerning this epithet in #[abbr.cite(title="Gyraldus, Syntagma de musis, book two, page 361") Gyrald. Syntag. ii. p. 361.]