"The whiskey you bought me, I was afraid to unscrew it, the Gypsy woman told me it was embalming fluid. You got a Black Cat Bone and a Buzzard Feather, a John the Conquer Root and they're all tied together" --CONJURED by Wynnonie Harris.

Friday, March 25, 2011

The Pronunciation of Hekate's Name

The Shrine of Hekate Triformis
The Pronunciation of Hekate's Name


In Egyptian, Heka means "magical speech" while Hekate in Greek means "influence from afar". The latter attribution was given due to her ability to use magick upon a person from a great distance, above the earth and below the earth. Hence the references "Far Darter" and "The Distant One" were given as references to Hekate. Hekate is also spelled Hecate in Latin, and you will often see it this way in print. In Greek her name would appear as: 'Εκατη'.

There are numerous modern pronunciations of Hekate's name, all of which are identifiable (explicitly, most people will understand who you are talking about.) But returning back to the ancient Greek articulations (all which DO have variations of vocal dialect who argue over the names correct elocution and the spelling of the words themselves changes according to their placement/purpose in a sentence of that dialect)....

Greek vowels have a "characteristic” of being brief or withdrawn (long), which refers to (in Classical pronunciation) how long the vowel is held for, similar to that of a sung key or harmonic libretto mantra. Epsilon is always short; alpha can be either short or long. However much is considered musical, out of devotion and love, not just merely spoken.


In Greek words, the accent falls on one of the last three syllables; in the Greek spelling of Hekate, the accent mark falls on the central alpha ‘Ka’.So, Hekate is pronounced Heah-KAH-tae or Heh-KAH-tay not He-cah-tay (languid) . However in some 'older' spheres and circles of Hekate worship it is considered disrespectful to utter her name outside of ritual/dedication/prayer or ceremony.