Hecate Brimo

 Who is Hecate Brimo?

In ancient Greek religion and myth, the epithet Brimo (Ancient Greek: Βριμώ Brimṓ; "angry" or "terrifying") may be applied to any of several goddesses with an inexorable, dreaded and vengeful aspect that is linked to the land of the Dead: Hecate, Persephone, Demeter Erinyes—the angry, bereft Demeter —or Cybele. Brimo is the "furious" aspect of the Furies. In the solemn moment when Medea picks the dire underworld root for Jason, she calls seven times upon Brimo, "she who haunts the night, the Nursing Mother [Kourotrophos]. In black weed and murky gloom she dwells, Queen of the Dead".

Brimo-Hecate was worshipped at Pherae in Thessaly and has connections with Orphic religion, in which Persephone was prominent. The Alexandra of Lycophron makes clear that when Hecuba is to be transformed into one of the hounds of the triple Hecate, Brimo is an epithet of the Thessalian goddess of the Underworld. - wikipedia

（Βριμώ), the angry or the terrifying, occurs as a surname of several divinities, such as Hecate or Persephone (Apollon. 3.861, 1211; Tzetz. ad Lycoph. 1171), Demeter (Arnob. v. p. 170), and Cybele. (Theodoret. Ther. 1.699.) The Scholiast on Apollonius (l.c.) gives a second derivation of Brimo from Βρόμος, so that it would refer to the crackling of the fire, as Hecate was conceived bearing a torch.

We see Brimo referred in rites, and curses. Once such writing is below:

“O mother, O unhappy mother! thy fame, too, shall not be unknown, but the maiden daughter of Perseus, Triform Brimo, shall make thee her attendant, terrifying with thy baying in the night all mortals who worship not with torches the images of the Zerynthian queen of Strymon, appeasing the goddess of Pherae with sacrifice. And the island spur of Pachynus shall hold thine awful cenotaph, piled by the hands of thy master, prompted by dreams when thou hast gotten the rites of death in front of the streams of Helorus. He shall pour on the shore offerings for thee, unhappy one, fearing the anger of the three-necked goddess, for that he shall hurl the first stone at thy stoning and begin the dark sacrifice to Hades.” (1174-1188) -  Lycrophon’s Alexandra.

How do you feel Brimo connects with you? What is your current path and how does it intersect with her?

Feel free to leave your comments here or connect with others who honor Hecate as Brimo in our Facebook group here.

Rev. Renee Sosanna Olson

Keybearer to the Covenant of Hekate

Founder of the Sanctuary of Hecate Brimo