“PLUTARCH AND THE ANCIENT RELIGIOUS LANDSCAPE: PAGANISM, CHRISTIANITY, GNOSIS, AND MYSTERY CULTS” HECATE IN PLUTARCH: THE CONCEPTION OF A GODDESS THROUGH THE EPITHETS European Plutarch Network Congress Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies of Groningen 27-29th September 2017 This paper aims to study the conception of Hecate in Plutarch’s time and works by gathering and commenting the presence of the goddess within the passages of the Chaeronean, considering the epithets attributed to her by the author, the divinities related and associated to her and the contexts in which she appears. Hecate is identified with Selene and compared with Anubis in religious and astral contexts; the goddess is assimilated to Ártemis, Genita Mana and Ilithyia on earth, where public and private cults and rituals took place in her honour, and also Hecate is related with Athena and Persephone in what concerns to magic and Mystery religion. Such relations and associations reveal the goddess’ complex personality which came from the threefold power, in the earth, the sea and the sky, which Hesiod attributed to her (cf. Th., 413-414). Plutarch’s conception of astral Hecate implies a change of perspective if compared to Hesiod’s account in the Theogony1and it contributes to develop the Chaldean image of the goddess following Neoplatonic conceptions. Although Plutarch is one the first literary sources for the association of Hecate and the moon (from a philosophic point of view), the Second Idyll of Theocritus is probably the oldest text (III B.C.) for such association in a magic context: Simaetha invokes Hecate α as supportive deity2 under the influence of the moon-Selene (cf. Id. II 12 ff.). Also Medea calls upon Hecate ί (cf. E., Med. 394 ff.) as we can see on a brief quotation from Plutarch: ’ π , · (cf. Bruta animalia ratione uti 986a). Later on, Hecate appears with the same magic attributions in the PGM3 (ss. III-IV A.D.) specially in eroticὐ ὕ spells,ἁ for ex.ῶ PGMὰ ὴ IVἙ 2714-27834 in which infernal Hecate is associated with Selene, Artemis 1 Cf. Hes., Th. 411-452. Studies on the figure of Hecate in the Theogony, cf. Strauss, 2003; Serafini, 2011 and idem, 2015: 51-92. 2 For Hecate as Mistress of Magic and her association with Medea and Circe, cf. Serafini, 2015: 197-258 and 223-227, respectively. 3 Cf. PGM IV 1390-1495, 2522-2567, 2618-2650; VII 686-702, etc. For Hecate in Greek Magical Papyri, cf. Serafini, 2015: 240-252. 4 Edition, translation and commentary of the text in Calvo Martínez, 2013: 207-220 and Herrero Valdés, 2016: 568-591. 1 and Persephone, or curses like PGM 2242-23475 in which Selene is characterized with typical features of Hecate-Artemis. Furthermore, two passages from Moralia (De facie 944c and De defectu oraculorum 416e) refer to the elements in the heavenly geography and allow us for identifying Hecate and Selene. In the first one (De facie 944c) the greatest crater of the moon is called “Hecate’s Recess”6 ( υ), that is, the space which daimones need to go through before arriving to moon’s surface and make amends for the faults committed while theyὸ wereὲ alive. InἙ the second text (De defectu oraculorum 416e), the moon is the (domain of Hecate). It hall be noticed that, in the first case, Hecate’s name refers to a geographical accident of the moon, while in the other example the moonῆ isἙ aά part of a space in the cosmos or a portion of a superior divinity which takes the name of Hecate. In both passages the moon is conceived as having a “mixed” ( ) composition as well as the daimones have: that is why it is considered an “earth-like star” ( ), a “star-like ό earth” ( υπ α ) and “domain of Hecate” who belongs both to the earth and the ἄ ῶ heavens ( α α α α ). Such a fact may explain the cosmologicalὀ functionί ῆ of Hecate-Selene as a liminal deity in the way that the souls must follow from theί earthὁ toῦ the ὶheavenlyὐ ί region.ῆ Ἑ ά Anubis, for his part, is a chthonian and heavenly7 deity too ( α π) so he is also intermediary and guide of the souls. According to Plutarch, ό ὤ ὁ ῦ ὶ Ὁ Anubis constitutes the contact circle ( ) between the earthly and heavenly regionsύ and he looks like a dog8 because he can see the same during the day and night. Due to the similar functions of Anubisὁ andί Hecateύ and to the fact that the dog is one of Hecate’s totemic animals9, Plutarch considers that both deities are analogue (cf. De Iside et Osiride 368e). Thus, the dog is an important iconographical element both for Anubis and Hecate10: under the three-headed appearance Hecate has one head of a dog11, she often appears 5 Edition, translation and commentary of the text in Herrero Valdés, 2016:460-496. 6 Cf. Cherniss and Helmbold, 1967: 209. 7 According to Plutarch, that is because Anubis is the son of Nephthys who rules over the netherworld and the invisible, and also because he was adopted and reared by Isis, who governs over everything which is above the Earth and is visible (cf. De Iside et Osiride, 368e). 8 As well as in PGM XVIIA 4-5: Ἄοβι, θὲ ἐί[ι αὶ ὑόι αὶ οὐάι, ύο, ύο, ύο. 9 For the association of Hecate and Anubis with the dog and the analogy of their functions (key-holders, guardians of Hades’s Doors, etc.), see Colomo, 2014. 10 Cerbero appears with Hecate in the iconography, cf. LIMC IV Hekate: 26-30. 11 Cf. Orph., A. 979: Hecate, the daughter of Tartarus (Τααόαις) and three-headed (ισσοέφαος), from her left shoulder raises a long mane horse (ἵος χαιήις) and from her right shoulder a female- dog with furious look (σσῶις σάη). Seeing in dreams three-headed Hecate standing over a pedestal means transfers and travels (cf. Artem., Onirocriticon II, 37). See dog-headed Hecate in PGM IV 2112-2116 and 2876-2880 and Hecate horse-dog-headed (ἰούω) in PGM IV 2610. Hecate’s statues with dog head, cf. Paus.Gr., alpha 7, 4; Hsch., alpha 252, 2, épsilon 1265-6 (=Eur., fr. 968; Ar., fr. 594a). About Hecate dog-headed, see Carboni, 2014: 42. The epithet ούη in PGM VII, 885 is also engraved on an amulet consecrated to triple Hecate which Colomo and Bonner relate with the guide/protector of dogs, on the same sense, Hecate-Artemis is σαάια (cf. PGM IV, 2722-2723). 2 accompanied by one or more dogs12 that address to the moon with their barking (that is, another common element between Hecate-Selene). Plutarch, talking on the animals that the Egyptians consecrate to their gods, attributes the dog to Artemis and identifies her with Hecate by quoting a verse from Euripides in which a statue of Hecate stands beside a dog and holding torches in her hands: …α α , π (fr. 968)· ‘ αα φφυ ’· (De Iside et Osiride 379d). The identification Hecate-Artemis is old and well ὶknownὸ 13, theseῆ Ἀgoddess representὡ ὐ phases of the moon:Ἑ Seleneἄ being the full moon, Artemisἔ ῃ is the waxing moon and Hecate the waning to new moon. The epithet φφ 14, proper of Hecate15, is used by Plutarch referring to the moon “bearer of light”16, to Persephone “ruler on the “heavenly Beyond”17 (“the moon of Persephone” as a regionό of the moon) and especially to planet Venus18. Hecate and Venus-Aphrodite share the epithet α α too. Nevertheless, according to Pirenne- Delforge, if Aphrodite α α19 belongs to a former tradition, Hesiod justifies the use ὐ ί of such epithet considering that Aphrodite is Uranus’ daughter, but Uranus as ὐ ί Late representation of Diana three-dog headed (cf. Cartari, 1556) has been identified with three-headed Hecate’s (cf. Seznec, 1987: 207). 12 Cf. Theoc., 2, 1-64; A.R., 3.1216-1217; Hor., Sat. 1, 8, 33-36. It is frequent in iconography, cf. LIMC IV Hekate: 994-995 so in gems, cf. BdN, 2003: 346. 13 When Hecate was introduced in the Greek pantheon, she was first identified with Artemis as they are cousins (Asteria is Leto’s sister). Such a relationship comes back to Aeschylus (Supp. 676) and some authors confuse their names, cf. Pausanias schol. Hes., fr. 23a (Artemis turns Iphigenia into Hecate), Stesich., PMGF frag. 215 Davies or E., Ph. 110. According to Sarian, Hecate’s name substitutes that of Artemis in Stat., Ach. 1, 447 and Stat., Theb. 12, 125-129 (cf. LIMC IV Hekate: 986). Also in Latin authors, cf. Val. Flac., 5, 335 and Verg., Aen. 6, 13. Epigraphic testimonies, cf. IG 12. 8. 359 in Tasos ca. 450 a.C.; IG 42. 499 in Epidauro, imperial period; IG 13. 383. 125-7 in Athens from 429/8 B.C. Both goddess share epithets like όια θηῶ and οοόφος (cf. Orph., h. 1, 8), for ex. SEG 21.541, col. 2, 10-13 (Sacrificial Calendar from Erchia, ca. 375-350 B.C.). About the name of Hecate used as an epithet of Artemis, see Freyburger and Pernot, 2005: 157, 223, 225, 485, 534, 540. 14 Cf. h.Cer. 52; B., fr. 1B, 1 Snell/Maehler; Call., fr. 466 Pf.; E., Hel. 569; Ar., Th. 858. 15 Cf. ., Tr. 968 Nauck, Hel. 569 Diggle; Ar., Th. fr. 594 Kock, 858 Coulon, van Daele; Steph., Ethnica (epitome) 178 Meineke; Eust., in D.P. 142.59 Müller; Anthologiae Graecae Appendix, Epigrammata dedicatoria en Epigrammatum anthologia Palatina cum Planudeis et appendice nova, vol.