The Many Gods Anthologies, Volume I: Hekate
Edited by Vikki Bramshaw
Avalonia Books 2024, 178 pages. Paperback & Kindle editions are available.
ISBN 978-1-905297-33-7 Cover artwork by Larry Phillips (USA).
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My own connection with Hekate acquired a particular significance when I visited her ancient Sanctuary at Lagina, in southwestern Turkey, in 2005. To stand in a place where the Goddess had once been honoured through public festivals, processions and sacred rites was an experience that connected the ancient world with my own spiritual path.
The visit became the inspiration for my essay, Sacrifices Will Be Made, which was subsequently included in Sorita d ’Este’s Hekate: Her Sacred Fires, published by Avalonia Books in 2010.
Looking back, I find it particularly meaningful that this anthology became much more than a collection of essays. The project gave rise to the first international Rite of Her Sacred Fires in May 2010, followed by the founding of the Covenant of Hekate in November of that year by Sorita
Thus, a book that brought together the experiences, research and devotion of many individuals became the seed of an international community. The annual rite continues to bring people together across borders, languages and spiritual traditions, united by their devotion to Hekate.
This new book, The Many Gods Anthologies, Volume I: Hekate is similar to the earlier book, with new contributors. (See the overview of contents at the end of the review.)
Hekate is a Goddess of many names, many faces and many mysteries. Associated with crossroads, magic, the night and the unseen worlds, she has inspired devotion and fascination from antiquity to the present day. Yet it is all too easy to reduce her to a familiar collection of symbols or to a modern image of the dark Goddess. The Many Gods Anthologies, Volume I: Hekate, edited by Vikki Bramshaw and published by Avalonia Books in 2024, offers a welcome opportunity to explore a much richer and more complex picture.
Bringing together contributions from an international group of writers, researchers and practitioners, this 178-page anthology explores Hekate through mythology, historical research, devotional practice and personal spiritual experience. The result is a many-sided portrait of a Goddess whose presence continues to inspire people across different traditions and cultures.
One of the book’s greatest strengths is its diversity of perspectives. Rather than attempting to define Hekate within a single theological framework, the contributors explore different paths towards understanding and encountering her. The subjects range from household devotion and ancient magical traditions to dreams, oracles, sacred geography, theatre and contemporary Orphic practice. This breadth reflects the richness of modern Paganism itself, where historical sources, personal gnosis and lived spiritual experience can all have a place.
Several contributions particularly demonstrate the value of this approach. Sorita d ‘Este’s exploration of Hekate’s many names and faces, together with her discussion of household devotion, provides an important reminder that this Goddess is not confined to the crossroads or the realm of witchcraft. She can also be understood through protection, domestic devotion and the relationships people establish with the sacred in everyday life.
Other essays broaden the geographical and cultural perspective. Ness Bosch explores Hekate in Iberia, while Francine Derschner takes us to the Brazilian crossroads. These contributions invite us to consider how the Goddess is understood and honoured in different places, and how her presence continues to find expression within contemporary spiritual communities.
The exploration of Medea, hero cult and spiritual ancestry by B. P. Shoop is another intriguing direction. The relationship between mythology, ancestral connections and contemporary devotion opens questions about how ancient stories continue to shape spiritual understanding. Emily Carding’s account of the creation of Hekate Genesis brings theatre and creative expression into the picture, demonstrating that our relationship with the sacred need not be limited to written scholarship or formal ritual.
Dreams and oracles, explored by Carrie Kirkpatrick, offer another perspective on the ways in which devotees may experience the Goddess. Meanwhile, the contributions by Christina Moraiti and Karin Rainbird introduce readers to the Orphic Hymn to Hekate and the living Orphic tradition. These essays provide a valuable connection between ancient religious material and its continuing interpretation within modern Pagan practice.
I particularly appreciate the space this collection gives to the relationship between historical research and personal gnosis. For many Pagans, spirituality is not simply an intellectual study of the past, nor is it exclusively a matter of personal revelation. It is a continuing dialogue between the stories we inherit, the evidence we uncover, the traditions we practise and the experiences that shape our understanding. An anthology that allows these different approaches to sit alongside one another has much to offer.
Of course, an anthology is necessarily a collection of individual voices rather than one continuous argument. Readers will find some contributions more closely aligned with their own interests than others. Those looking for a systematic, academic history of Hekate may also wish to consult more specialised studies. The strength of this volume lies elsewhere: in the breadth of its approaches and the opportunity it provides to discover unfamiliar aspects of the Goddess.
From a broader Pagan perspective, this is an important consideration. Our traditions are not static museum pieces. They are living, evolving expressions of humanity’s relationship with the sacred. Ancient sources deserve careful attention, but contemporary experience also deserves to be heard and examined thoughtfully. Neither needs to exclude the other.
Hekate, as a Goddess associated with thresholds and crossroads, seems particularly suited to such a gathering of different voices. A crossroads is not merely a place where paths meet; it is also a place where choices become possible and new directions emerge. This anthology encourages readers to approach Hekate from more than one direction, without insisting that every path must lead to the same conclusion.
Vikki Bramshaw has brought together a collection that recognises both the enduring significance of an ancient Goddess and the diversity of those who honour her today. The result is not a definitive account of Hekate, but an invitation to explore further, question assumptions and deepen one’s understanding.
In conclusion: The Many Gods Anthologies, Volume I: Hekate is a worthwhile addition to the contemporary Pagan bookshelf. It will be of particular interest to Hekate’s devotees, practitioners of witchcraft, students of ancient religion and mythology, and anyone interested in the continuing relationship between historical traditions and living spirituality.
For those willing to follow more than one path towards understanding this many-named Goddess, the book offers a rewarding journey through her mysteries.
Some crossroads lead us to answers; others invite us to ask better questions. Hekate, it seems, has room for both.
- Table of Contents
Contributor Biographies
Many-Named and Faced Goddess: An Introduction to Hekate and Household Devotion – Sorita d’Este
Mater Deum Magna Idaea: A Force of Heaven and Earth Iberia at the Crossroads – Ness Bosch
Sacred Shakespeare: The Creation of Hekate Genesis – Emily Carding
Entering the Temple of Medea: Hero Cult, Spiritual Ancestry and Hekatean Devotion – B. P. Shoop
Hekate and the Brazilian Crossroads – Francine Derschner
Hecate Dreams and Oracles – Carrie Kirkpatrick
The Lamia: Followers of Hekate – Hazel
Searching for Lamia – Lyza
The Ephesian Letters – Sorita d’Este
The Orphic Hymn to Hekate – Christina Moraiti
Hekate in the Living Orphic Tradition – Karin Rainbird
Kore vs. Crone: History, Transcendence and Respect – Marcel Shrei
Hekate Rexchthon: Raising Up the Goddess
Signs and Numbers of Hekate – Larry Phillips
Index
