Talk:Hecate

Pronunciation

Currently the lead has a note on how to pronounce her name. This is a very poor choice, imho. Her name's pronunciation is not self-evident. The pronunciation SHOULD BE EXPLICITLY GIVEN - as is usual for most uncommon words, especially those with a pronunciation that isn't what the average English language speaker would expect. (I was surprised it wasn't Hek ate or He ka tee.) Put the pronunciation in the lead, not in a note.98.21.213.85 (talk) 19:44, 16 January 2024 (UTC)

Adjusted in version 1256680015 - BrimoTrimorphos ^(🗨) 03:28, 11 November 2024 (UTC)

The pronunciation needs revised. Since her name has some significant dialectic variability through history, I would argue that the primary pronunciation, which is currently cited from the OED, is not ideal to present as the primary one. Since she is primarily considered an ancient goddess, the pronunciation listed as primary should be an ancient one, and should be the one listed in note a. describing pronunciations of Ἑκάτη.

That said, this note is currently unsourced. A cursory glance at the IPA guide for Ancient Greek on wiktionary would suggest the pronunciations listed in this note as Attic or Doric dialects of Ancient Greek would probably be preferable, but I am not going to change it without good sourcing.

The upshot I think is that the OED pronunciation, while a worthwhile source for modern British pronunciation is not what you'd hear in most Classics departments (and in fact was drummed out of students by my professors in my mythology classes) and wasn't even how I've heard it pronounced by most Hellenic reconstruction practitioners when I used to interact with them regularly.

The pronunciation reflected by the Wiktionary guide to Ancient Greek for η as being pronounced as /-tɛː/ a long open-mid front unrounded vowel.

TL:DR - If we can find a good source, this should be represented as /'hekátɛː/ or hek-AH-teh since that's generally considered a more "correct" pronunciation in scholarly circles. 169.197.72.250 (talk) 04:45, 23 July 2025 (UTC)

Hekate etymology

ekás in greek for far, distant. Examples like in ACAdemy, HEKAton hekanton number 100 dialectical transformation of the k to h and the t to d HUndred, HECtares, the k to c CEntury, perCEnt, CEntimeters.... ~2025-32329-45 (talk) 19:15, 21 November 2025 (UTC)

Question about the epithet “Erototokos”

The epithet Erototokos (Ἐρωτοτόκος) is listed here as an epithet of Hecate. However, I have not been able to find an ancient source in which this epithet is applied specifically to Hecate.

The attested ancient usage that I have found refers instead to Aphrodite. In particular, Proclus uses ἐρωτοτόκος in Hymn to Aphrodite (2.13) in reference to Aphrodite.

Is there a primary source or a reliable secondary source that attests Erototokos as an epithet of Hecate? If not, I think it should be removed from the list or its attribution should be corrected. ~2026-46732-32 (talk) 02:44, 27 August 2026 (UTC)

The cited usage in the Greek Magical Papyri is in the context of the turbo-syncretized Hecate of many of the texts collected there (being, of course, vernacular magic from turbo-syncretized late antiquity rather than high classical usage), and a quick glance at the specific passage there shows that Aphrodite is name-checked there too. Good catch. Musiceasel (talk) 05:22, 27 August 2026 (UTC)

Peculiar term. Erototokos (similar to Theotokos) seems to mean "bearer"/Mother of the Erotes, the winged gods of love and sexual intercourse. In iconography, this small group of gods is typically associated with Aphrodite, not Hecate. Dimadick (talk) 04:43, 28 August 2026 (UTC)

(edit conflict) @~2026-46732-32: Thanks for pointing this out. As yourself and Musiceasel say, line 13 of Proclus's Hymn to Aphrodite and line 2557 of PGM IV. 2441–2621 both use the term in reference to Aphrodite. I'm unable to find attestation of the word elsewhere, so I've removed the epithet from the article. Also, its application to Hecate would imply that there's a genealogy in which she's the mother of Eros or the Erotes, and I'm unaware of such a version. – Michael Aurel (talk) 13:00, 28 August 2026 (UTC)