On the Road from Thessaly: The Crossroads of Enodia and Hekate with Dr Paul E. Patton

For online attendance only. If you are interested in purchasing the In-Person General Admission Ticket click HERE

The earliest literary accounts of Hekate present her as a typical goddess with terrestrial, celestial, and oceanic affiliations. Sometime during the fourth and fifth centuries BCE, she becomes associated with chthonic attributes, witchcraft, and the restless dead. Three centuries before this, the Thessalian goddess Enodia was being worshiped in cemeteries located at the crossroads of the city of Pherai in Thessaly, the mythic hinterlands of Greece and possibly where the archetype of the witch originated. This lecture will consider the historical and mythical context under which Hekate takes on many of the attributes of Enodia. Source materials such as the Homeric Hymns, Classical Greek tragedies, and the archaeological record will be reviewed in the course of the lecture.

About the Presenter:

Dr. Paul E. Patton (he/they) holds a PhD from The Ohio State University in Anthropology with a focus on prehistoric populations and paleoethnobotany. He holds a Masters of Science in Environmental Studies and a BA in Classical Civilizations and Anthropology. Patton has conducted fieldwork and research in eastern Africa, Greece, parts of South America, and much of Eastern North America, particularly Appalachia. Patton has numerous publications in regional, national and international journals and books focusing on paleoethnobotany and the domestication of plants. In 2021, Patton co-founded the Temple of Dionysos. His current project is a volume on Orphic reconstructionism and its associated chthonic deities.

Admission Details:

If you are unable to make the live  streaming of this class, don't worry - the recording will be available for you. The class link will be emailed to you in your registration confirmation. The class recording link will be emailed to you within 3-5 business days of the conclusion of the event. If you are attending as an in-person ticket holder, and are unable to attend this event live, you will also receive the class recording. Class doors are closed after the first 5-minutes of the start of the class.

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