When I was in 6th grade I got my first
electives. I was able to choose which
extra classes I wanted to take. I chose
to work as a library assistant. I spent
45 minutes every school day helping my school mates check in and books. I shelved books and had access to what the
head Librarian called the “Closed Stacks”.
This is where the reference books and the material that was ‘special’
was kept. This was where our mythology
was kept. Being in a rural area, deep in
the heart of Jesusland, stories of Gods and Goddesses were considered out of
reach for the average 6th grader.
We had about seven books on ancient Greek Gods.
I sat in the closed stacks and devoured the tails of Medusa
and Zeus. I poured through Athena and
learned of Minotaur and Hades. After my
time as a library assistant I moved on to other stories. Each of the old slowly slipping away from my
memory. I looked back at the myths I
read and for the life me I cannot recall Hecate.
One of my favorite myths was the story of Demeter would be
sad as her daughter Persephone was away from her in Hades for part of the
year. She would be so sad that the earth
would freeze and all the life would stop until her return. I won't giveaway the story here, but highly recommend reading.
As an adult I read of the role that Hecate played in her
return. How she used her torches to light
the way to Hades. How she stayed with
her and guided her back to her mother in the spring. To me this myth reinforces her role as a
guide to the thresholds.
Now when I look at the myths, stories related to Zeus or to the Titans, I’m very interested in the lack of reference to Hecate. I spend a great deal of time now looking for information both historic and mythical related to her. I’m looking forward to going through this project and exploring her mysteries.
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