Hachiman
Also known as: Yawata
Classification: Kami, Bosatsu

Hachiman the Divine Warrior is the patron, guardian, and defender of Japan. In his past life, he was Emperor Ojin, son of Empress
Jingu. Mother, son, and Ojin's wife, Himegami, are venerated together as a triad at Hachimangu shrines. Hachiman may or may not also
be Bishamon in disguise. Hachiman transcends boundaries: he is venerated at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Originally a shamanic
spirit, he became patron of the Minamoto Clan and was revered by samurai and peasants alike.
Favored people: Soldiers, warriors, archers, the Japanese
Iconography: Hachiman is usually depicted in the guise of a Buddhist monk.
Bird: Dove
Number: 8
Sacred sites: There are thousands of Hachiman shrines (Hachimangu) including:
• Usa Shrine in Usa
• Todaisi Temple in Nara
• Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine in Kamakura
• Iwashimizu Hachiman Shrine in Yawata
• Tomioko Hachiman Shrine in Tokyo
See also: Bishamon; Bosatsu; Jingu, Empress; Kami

Hades

The Wealthy One; The Hospitable One; Receiver of Many Guests
Also known as: Aidoneus, Pluto

Hades is the Greek Lord of Death. Hades is not actually his name: it refers to the extensive realm of death he rules, which is also
known as Hades. His true name is a secret. It's considered safer not to utter or even think it, lest he respond to the call. Hades is the
original He Who Must Not Be Named. He's also the one who must not be seen. Not only did people not articulate his true name,
instead referring to him by euphemisms, they tried to avoid looking at him, too. When addressing Hades or giving him an offering, it's
traditional to avert one's eyes. Eye contact is definitely not recommended.
Hades was traditionally honored during funeral rituals, but, as befitting a deity whose name people were afraid to utter, Hades was
not otherwise often invoked. He is, however, a spirit of justice and was traditionally requested to avenge crimes against the deceased,
especially dishonor or defamation. He can be requested to punish murderers, too. Hades fears no one: all will ultimately bow before
him; thus he is invoked against perpetrators perceived as otherwise above the law (dictators; mob bosses; drug lords). Hades is a spirit

of last resort. He is petitioned by those experiencing maximum rage, despair, or grief—those who don't care whether they live or die
and hence are not afraid to summon the Death Lord.

The most famous myth involving Hades concerns his abduction of Persephone. She is traditionally venerated alongside him
and is considered a mollifying influence on her husband. (If you fear you have offended him, invoke Persephone's aid to calm
him down.)

Hades is also an oracular spirit, lord of necromancy: any sort of divination involving receiving information from the dead, including
séances and ouija boards, is under his domain. Hades, together with Persephone, may be propitiated when seeking consultations or
visitations with the dead. Hades potentially controls dreams sent by the dead:
• If you seek such dreams, he can arrange to have them sent.
• If you suffer such dreams, he can make them stop.
When Circe gave Odysseus directions to the House of Hades in Homer's Odyssey, she wasn't being metaphoric. "House of Hades"
refers to the realm of death but also to a Nekromanteion, a type of oracle house. One has been unearthed near Parga in northwestern
Greece at the confluence of the Acheron and Cocitus Rivers, pretty much where Circe told Odysseus it would be.
Incorporated into a shrine dedicated to Hades and Persephone, priests serving this oracle lived on-site. The shrine also contained
room for travelers to be housed. Pilgrims stayed for days performing rituals of purification and following a strict diet incorporating lupine
seeds and a type of fava bean that can theoretically induce visions. In addition, archaeologists have unearthed large quantities of
decayed hashish.
Pilgrims descended into labyrinthine passageways via an iron-bound door until reaching a portal where conversations with the dead
were allegedly possible. For example, Periander, Tyrant of Corinth, sent a delegation to ask his dead wife where she hid the treasure.
The shrine, which existed at least as early as the seventh century BCE, was destroyed in 167 BCE when the Romans ravaged this
region as reprisal for backing its enemy, Macedonia, during a war. Some fifteen thousand people were sold as slaves. The oracle house
was destroyed. The site was uninhabited for almost two thousand years until the eighteenth-century Monastery of Saint John the Baptist
was built over the site. Archaeological excavation began in 1958 and continues.
M anifestation: A large man with a curly black beard
Attribute: A helmet that confers invisibility
Familiar: Hades is usually depicted together with Cerberus, his three-headed guard dog
Ritual: Invoke Hades by falling to the ground and banging on it. Use an open palm, not your fist. (The goal is to request help, to
demonstrate your desperation, not to injure or insult Gaia.) When you feel you have his attention, speak into the Earth.
Altar: For obvious reasons, Hades is usually not invited into the home. Instead temporary altars are set up outside:
1.
2.
3.

Dig a grave or door-shaped pit.
Pour libations within. Offerings are placed inside, too.
Leave the pit open while incense or candles are burning, but it can be covered once your invocation is complete. Leave
offerings inside.

Plants: Black narcissus, mint, cypress tree, fava beans
Color: Black
M etal: Iron
Animals: Black ram, wolf, bear
Sacred site: He had a shrine on Mount Mentha in Tryphelia, Elis; Hades was also worshipped with Athena at her temple near
Koroneia in Boeotia.

See also: Athena; Charon; Circe; Demeter; Menthe; Olympian Spirits; Persephone; Thanatos

Hafgan
Origin: Wales
Hafgan was the ruler of an Otherworld, a realm of death, which shared his name. He is the rival of Arawn, King of Annwn. Their
legend is retold in the First Branch of the Mabinogi. Hafgan could only be killed by a mortal. Arawn switched identities and places with
Pwyll, Lord of Dyfed (ancient kingdom in what is now southwest Wales). Pwyll killed Hafgan. Arawn then ruled Annwn and Hafgan's
realm as one united kingdom.
See also: Arawn; Rhiannon

Hammu Qaiyu
Also known as: Hammou Ukaiou; Hammu Ukaiou; Ba'al Hammou

Hammu Qaiyu is the male counterpart of Aisha Qandisha. Just as she lures men into danger, so Hammu's pursuit of women traveling
alone at night often has fatal or at least scary consequences. Hammu Qaiyu is not only a nocturnal pest, however. He is a powerful
oracular spirit, summoned during ceremonies to engage in ritual possession. When possessed, his devotees dance with knives, swords,
and daggers.
He is considered Aisha's official husband. Like her, his identity is subject to debate. He may be a powerful Djinn or even an Afarit.
Alternatively he may be Ba'al Hammon whose fortunes have taken a downturn since the days when he was widely venerated in
Carthage. Hammu Qaiyu craves blood, perhaps harking back to the days when he was offered blood sacrifices. He lingers near
slaughterhouses and abattoirs. He has a fondness for menstruating women. He is a dangerous spirit, but if he likes you, he can be an
exceptionally powerful and aggressive guardian.
Favored people: Butchers
Color: Blood red
Offering: Red jawi incense (Styrax benzoin)
See also: Afarit; Aisha Qandisha; Ba'al; Ba'al Hammon; Djinn

Han Hsiang-Tzu
Also known as: Han Xiang-Zi
Origin: China

Han Hsiang-Tzu, one of the Eight Immortals, was the favorite student of another Immortal, Lu Tung-pin, and the nephew of famed
scholar, statesman, and Neo-Confucianist, Han Yu (768–824 CE). Han Yu wanted his nephew to study and strive for a court career.
Han Hsiang-Tzu devoted himself to music and magic instead. He wandered the countryside, Orpheus-style, playing his flute and
charming birds and predatory animals. His flute can make flowers bloom and resurrect the recently dead.
Conflict and reconciliation between nephew and uncle is a large part of Han Hsiang-Tzu's myth. Taoism was then under siege by
Confucianism and Buddhism: Han Hsiang-Tzu vigorously defended the old order. Eventually Han Yu ran afoul of the government and
was exiled for penning a protest against Buddhism: he is often portrayed reading from the scroll containing that protest, standing beside

Han Hsiang-Tzu.
Favored people: Han Hsiang-Tzu is the patron of musicians.
Emblems: Flute, castanets, crucible (because he's an alchemist, too)
See also: Eight Immortals; Lu Tung-pin

Hannya

Origin: Japan
Hannya are Japanese horned female spirits and they are dangerous. The Hannya doesn't need an iron club like her male compatriots,
the Oni. The power of a woman scorned trumps iron weapons. According to folklore, women who die while consumed with rage and
jealousy transform into Hannya, vengeful, powerful spirits. Women who committed suicide because they have been spurned, insulted,
rejected, or scorned by lovers are believed especially likely to become Hannya.
The Hannya lingers on Earth, a malicious, destructive ghost, her anger overriding any residual human emotions or conscience. Hannya
are perceived as negative, dreadful creatures; it is a terrible fate to become a Hannya, and so the implicit message is that women must
avoid, suppress, and sublimate rage, anger, jealousy, and other dangerous emotions lest they, too, become rampaging evil spirits.
The Hannya mask, maybe the best known of Japanese Noh masks, has sharp fangs and horns and bears the name of the spirit it
portrays. Older Hannya masks appear more serpentine than modern ones, where the emphasis is on horns. Hannya who are sometimes
described as "snake demons" may originally have been snake spirits.
M anifestations: The Hannya may sprout actual horns or her hair may form horn shapes.
Animal: Snake
See also: Obake; Oiwa; Okiku; Oni; Yokai

Hanuman
Also known as: Anjaneya
Origin: India

Hanuman, spirit of victory, heroism, and determination, may be a tribal monkey god incorporated into the Hindu pantheon. He is
now an immensely popular and beloved Hindu deity with numerous shrines and temples dedicated to him. There are different versions of
his birth:
• His parents are the King and Queen of Monkeys.
• He is the son of Anjani, an Apsara, and Vayu the Wind.
Hanuman is the divine child in the form of a monkey. Since earliest childhood, he demonstrated extraordinary powers: he is brilliant,
powerful, and a trickster. Once when he was hungry, Hanuman jumped up to catch the sun because it looked like a mango. Hanuman
cannot be harmed by weapons, fire, or water. He is the hero of the Ramayana, the one who engineers the rescue of Sita.
Reciting the hymn Hanuman Chalisa allegedly earns Hanuman's blessings:
• Recite Hanuman Chalisa for forty mornings for blessings of health, wealth, success, happiness, wisdom, valor, and courage.
• Read Hanuman Chalisa 108 times and all obstacles are overcome. (English translations are available.)
Hanuman brings blessings of a clear, focused, unclouded mind. He removes obstacles from the paths of devotees. He protects
against traffic accidents. His image is placed on mountainous or winding roads to provide safety for travelers. It may also be placed
within the vehicle.

Hanuman is renowned as a celibate ascetic and for providing women with blessings of fertility.

Favored people: Kickboxers; wrestlers; bachelors; women seeking to conceive
M anifestation: Hanuman is a monkey.

Iconography: Hanuman is depicted in the guise of a crowned monkey or a crowned monkey's head on a man's body. His
recognizable image appears on many amulets from Bali, India, Myanmar, and Thailand, created for various purposes but especially
victory, fertility, protection, and prosperity.
Attribute: Mace
Sacred animal: Monkeys in general but especially the Hanuman langur, also known as the common, gray and Entellus langur.
Sacred sites: There are many shrines and temples dedicated to Hanuman.
Days: Tuesday, Saturday
Offerings: Traditionally butter or butter carvings; lamps fueled by clarified butter (ghee)
See also: Anjani; Sita

Harionna

Barb Hair Woman
Also known as: Harionago; Hari Onna
Classification: Yokai
Origin: Japan

Harionna roams the streets at night. She looks like a young, attractive woman with seductively long, beautiful, fragrant hair, which
she tosses and twirls to lure young men to her side. Beware: her hair is her weapon. Each individual hair is tipped with iron or thorn-like
barbs. Harionna literally means 'barb hair woman'.
The Harionna is a mysterious, ambivalent spirit: it is crucial not to offend her or touch her hair without her express invitation or
permission lest she attack you. Harionna is most famous for the part she plays in horror stories, but she may be a goddess in disguise:
she allegedly brings those she loves to live with her in her magnificent palace. (A hair demon in the manga/anime series Inuyasha seems
to be inspired by Harionna.)

Iconography: Harionna is sometimes portrayed with red hair, but in Japanese artwork this can be code to identify demons and so
may not be intended as an accurate depiction.
Offerings: Hand mirrors, combs, hair ornaments
See also: Hone-Onna; Kuchisake Onna; Yokai

Hariti

Bringer of Happiness
Also known as: Heli-di (China); Karitei-Mo; Kishimojin (Japan) Yid'prog-ma (Tibet)
Origin: Turkestan

Hariti once ate human babies but has now reformed, becoming their guardian. Rather than stealing children, Hariti now assists
couples having difficulty conceiving. Originally a disease spirit, Hariti's conversion to Buddhism transformed her into a benevolent deity
of health and conception.
Hariti was the mother of five hundred demons whom she fed daily on a diet of human babies. People complained to the Buddha, who
came to their assistance by seizing Hariti's youngest son and hiding him under a begging bowl. In despair, Hariti searched the world for
her child. Advised to inquire of the Buddha, he told her, "You have five hundred sons. Yet you are desolate over the loss of one and
search everywhere for him. Humans often have only one child, yet you take them." Hariti got the message. She instantly converted and
reformed. Her son was returned. Fearing that hunger might make her revert to her old habits, the Buddha promised her that in all
monasteries, part of the monks' food would daily be reserved for her and her children. Buddha encouraged Hariti to bite into
pomegranates, which give the illusion of blood rather than babies. Hariti is invoked for fertility and to heal infertility.
• She is invoked to heal ailing children and protect them from epidemics.

Iconography: Hariti is depicted carrying a child or surrounded by children; India's Ajanta Caves feature depictions of Hariti. These
monastery caves in the northwest Deccan region were hand-hewn from solid rock. Hariti is featured in Cave 2, dating from the sixth
century CE. Her legend is retold through sculpted friezes. Hariti's image also appears in Cave 7 in Aurangabad, the Buddhist caves
carved out of the Sahyadri range.
Attributes: Pomegranate, flywhisk, cornucopia, the flower of happiness
Consort: Pancika, commander of the Yaksha army (he is sometimes identified with Jambhala)
Animal: Mongoose
Number: 5
Places: Once worshipped throughout a wide swathe of the Buddhist world, Hariti remains actively venerated in Nepal. She has a
shrine near the Monkey Temple in Katmandu, where she is worshipped as the Spirit of Smallpox and Fertility.
Offerings: Cooked rice, water, betel nuts, incense; pomegranates; in China, women seeking children offer Hariti paper shoes.
See also: Bon Spirits; Buddha; Jambhala; Palden Lhamo

Harpokrates
Also known as: Harpocrates

Harpokrates is the Greek name for Horus. (It's a corruption of the Egyptian Har-Pa-Khered.) Harpokrates is a Hellenized vision o
Horus. The Greeks did not approve of animal-human hybrid deities and so Harpokrates has shed his associations with falcons and
instead appears exclusively as the Divine Child.
According to Egyptian myth, Isis was destined to bear a miraculous, magical child with her true love and brother, Osiris. When Osiris
died before she conceived, Isis refused to accept that the prophecy was wrong or moot. Instead, Isis, world's greatest sorceress,
worked her magical skills to revive and restore Osiris long enough to conceive her predestined baby. In Greek versions of this myth,
sometimes Serapis replaces Osiris. Isis, Harpokrates, and Serapis were venerated together in an Alexandrian Mystery tradition.
Harpokrates' birth defied all odds. Harpokrates affirms life against all odds. His image was used to create healing potions. He is the
spirit who removes all obstacles. He is the promise of salvation: the potential savior of the world in the form of a small boy. Veneration

of Harpokrates spread from Egypt to Greece and Rome. He may be the prototype for the various Divine Children now so beloved in
Christianity, for example the Infant of Prague or the Holy Child of Atocha.
Iconography: He is a beautiful, radiant small boy wearing the side lock of youth or a crown. He often has one finger pressed to his
lips as if cautioning silence.
Planet: Sun (Harpokrates is the newborn sun that rises each day.)
See also: Horus; Isis; Osiris; Serapisand the Glossary entry for Mystery

Harpies

The Snatchers
Origin: Greece

The Harpies are winged bird women, similar to spirits like the Sirens, Russian magical bird spirits, and Lilith. Their name has
developed negative connotations. A "harpy" is an unrelenting, nagging, shrewish woman. The Harpies are now frequently classified as
monsters but they are really spirits of vengeance, death, and justice in the employ of Zeus. Known as the Hounds of Zeus, he assigns
them tasks of punishment.
In their most famous myth, the Harpies mercilessly plagued Phineus until Jason's Argonauts rescued him. Phineus, once King of
Thrace and a prophet, prophesied a little too well, aggravating Zeus, who blinded him and sent the Harpies to punish him. Every day just
as Phineus sat down to eat, the Harpies swooped down from the sky, stealing and befouling his food. (Imagine a picnic attacked by
aggressive swarming gulls.)
The Harpies are death goddesses. Those who disappeared at sea were described as snatched by the Harpies. Archaeologist Marija
Gimbutas theorized that their origins lie in Old European/Anatolian vulture goddesses. The number of Harpies is variable. This is the
standard list although there may be more Harpies, too:
• Aello (Aellopus): "wind-foot"
• Okypete (Okypode, Okythoe): "swift-footed"
• Podarge: "fleet-footed"
M anifestation: The Harpies are winged women with birdlike talons rather than fingers. In early depictions, they are beautiful if
fierce. Only later would they be portrayed as consistently monstrous and terrifying.
The Harpy Podarge, raped by Zephyr, gave birth to the immortal horses Balios and Xantho, similar to Medusa, whose
liaison with Poseidon resulted in the winged-horse Pegasus.

Spirit ally: Their sister, Iris
Realm: Allegedly when not flying around, the Harpies live deep beneath Crete.
See also: Erinyes; Iris; Lilith; Medusa; Poseidon; Sirens; Sirin; Zephyr; Zeus

Hathor

The Great One of Many Names; The Golden One; Lady of Malachite, Lady of Turquoise; Lady of the Sycomore; Lady of
the Date Palm; Lady of the West; Lady of the Dead; The Womb of Horns; House of Horns; Lady of the Evening; My House in
the Sky; Lady of the Uterus; Lady of the Vulva; The Womb Above
Origin: Egypt

Hathor is the matron goddess of women; the guardian of females of all species. She is the embodiment of the female principle.
Hathor is the spirit of joy, love, dance, alcohol, and perfume. A primordial spirit, she has dominion over sex, birth, pleasure, intoxication,
magic, music, and death. Hathor has dominion over human reproduction and the fruits of love making.
Hathor is the celestial cow; the Milky Way spills from her breasts. One of the most ancient Egyptian luminaries, her veneration
extended as far as Ethiopia, Somalia, Libya, and Phoenicia. Hathor may or may not be the same spirit as Lady Asherah of the Sea, with
whom she shares dominion of the Sinai Peninsula.
Without Hathor's assistance and protection, the dead cannot reach their next realm nor achieve everlasting life .

Favored people: Women, musicians, dancers, singers, perfumers, aromatherapists, cosmeticians, brewers, vintners, magicians,
fortune-tellers, diviners, and henna artists
M anifestations: Hathor most often manifests as a cow with the solar disk and plumes between her horns or as a woman whose
crown is a solar disk held between a pair of cow horns. However, Hathor is a talented shape-shifter, capable of showing herself in any
form she chooses. She manifests in various forms depending upon her mood. Historically, she has appeared as a cat, falcon, fig tree,
vulture, hippopotamus, and cobra. At her most ferocious, she is a lioness. When in human form, Hathor is consistently kind and
beautiful. She manifested as a snake spirit in Byblos, now modern Lebanon.
Iconography: A tree with a woman's breast, with which she nourishes pharaohs. A jar from Tutankhamun's tomb depicts Hathor
wearing a necklace of water lilies and mandrake fruit.
Attributes: Mirror, frame drum, and sistrum: the sistrum, a percussion instrument, is sometimes decorated with Hathor's image, as
are Egyptian hand mirrors.
Animals: Cow, gazelle, cat
Bird: Goose
Plants: Myrrh tree, date palm, sycomore fig, papyrus, and henna
Stones: Malachite, turquoise
M etal: Gold, copper
Number: 4
Color: Red
Planet: Moon. Hathor also has associations with the Dog Star, Sirius, which the Egyptians called Sothis, the Great Provider, also
known as the Womb of Hathor. She may also have a solar aspect.
Places: Unlike huge temple complexes, which were largely inaccessible to all but the pharaoh and the priestly elite, most Hathor
sanctuaries were places where anyone could offer a petition. Hathor's principal sanctuary was at Dendera, on the edge of the desert
between Luxor and Abydos, where it is believed her cult first began. The present ruins date from a temple completed in the first century
CE. However, according to inscriptions, the site had already been sacred to Hathor for ten thousand years; the original temple was a
mud hut. Dendera was a healing center, the Lourdes of its day. The Egyptians considered it the Navel of the Universe, Earth's spiritual

center.
• Hathor was worshipped in the Deir el-Bahri area since at least the First Intermediate Period (2150–2040 BCE), possibly
originally in a cave shrine.
• Hathor owns the mountain range to the west of the Nile River.
• Marshes are sacred to Hathor.
• She owns the Sinai Peninsula. Many statues of her have been found there as well as in Israel. Some scholars think that the biblica
Golden Calf is Hathor's son. Descriptions of fierce, warlike nomads enslaved by the Egyptians and forced to tend Hathor's
shrines in the Sinai may be the earliest written references to the Hebrew people.

The Seven Hathors
Hathor is a famed shape-shifter. The Seven Hathors may he aspects or avatars of Hathor, hut they may also he her daughters
or attendant spirits. They appear at hirths to pronounce the hahy's destiny. It is unknown whether food offerings were given to
them, although this was customary in Egyptian tradition. They were, however, offered seven red rihhons, one for each Hathor.
The Seven Hathors may he the earliest documented evidence of birth Fairies. They were associated with the Pleiades. See also:
Fairy, Birth.

Time: An annual festival of appeasement was timed to correspond with the rising of Sothis (Sirius) and works out to roughly 20
July by our calendar. Hathor was offered copious amounts of beer and pomegranate juice, shared by celebrating devotees.

Petition: Burn myrrh to summon Hathor. She enjoys a joyful atmosphere, full of music and dance. She plays the frame drum and
will communicate through drumming.

Offerings: A gift of two mirrors is her traditional votive offering. Hathor is the spirit of alcohol and she likes a drink. Beer or wine is
appropriate. Other traditional votive offerings include fabrics, scarabs, and other amulets; images of cats and cows; jewelry; and exvotos (milagros) in the form of eyes or ears to encourage Hathor to see or hear petitioners.
See also: Horus the Elder; Isis; Sekhmet;and the Glossary entry for Milagros

Haumea
Origin: Polynesia

Haumea, sometimes identified as the First Woman, is a goddess of fertility and childbirth. She introduced and explained the birth
process to people, who previously had been cutting women open to extract babies with fatal results. Haumea still presides over
childbirth and may be requested for help and protection. Her own children include Pelé, Hi'iaka, and many other Polynesian deities.
Haumea is also a great sorceress, possessing incredible magic powers. She sometimes works in tandem with Pelé.

M anifestation: Haumea is a shape-shifter who transforms from a youthful, lovely young girl to a desiccated old crone and all
points in between.
Consort: Ku
Sacred creature: Eel
Plants: Morning glories, breadfruit, and all wild, uncultivated plants
See also: Hi'iaka; Hina; Kapo; Ku; Pelé

Hayagriva

The Horse Necked One
Hayagriva is a primordial horse spirit too powerful to fade away:
• Hayagriva was incorporated into the Hindu pantheon as an avatar of Vishnu.
• Buddhism considers him a wrathful manifestation of Avalokitesvara.
• Hayagriva is one of the Eight Dharma Protectors.
Hayagriva is a fierce, protective guardian and healer. He is the guardian of sacred texts. Hayagriva heals all illnesses, especially
ailments that manifest on the skin including the once-dreaded leprosy. He is invoked to banish all evil spirits.
Hayagriva has never lost his powerful association with horses and is especially venerated by Tibetan horse dealers.
M anifestations: There are believed to be 108 forms of Hayagriva. He drives away demons by neighing like a horse.
Iconography: Hayagriva is identified by a small horse's head, which surmounts his primary head (it sometimes resembles a hair
ornament). His image often appears on phurpa daggers as well as on amulets intended to ward off harmful spirits.
Attribute: Phurbu (also known as phurpa), the triangular ritual dagger used to exorcise evil spirits. A true phurpa contains the
essence of Hayagriva.
Animal: Hayagriva is the patron of horses. His mantra requests the protection of all horses.
Consort: Marichi
Offerings: Cooked oats (as for a horse)
See also: Avalokitesvara; Bon Spirits; Eight Dharma Protectors; Marichi

Hebe

Flower of Youth
Origin: Greece
Hebe is the beautiful daughter of Hera and Zeus, sister of childbirth goddess, Eileithyia. Hebe is the goddess of youth and beauty.
She attends her mother and Aphrodite. Hebe was given in marriage to Heracles after he was deified and raised to Mount Olympus.
Hebe served as sacred cupbearer for the spirits of Mount Olympus until replaced by her father's young lover, Ganymede. (It's
unclear if Ganymede took over Hebe's job completely or if he serves Zeus and Hebe still serves everyone else. It's doubtful that Hera
would welcome Ganymede serving her ambrosia.) Hebe is petitioned for blessings of rejuvenation, especially by those feeling older than
their years.
Favored people: Young brides
M anifestation: She allegedly closely resembles her mother, Hera.
Time: Spring
Offerings: Spring flowers, candles, perfumes, cosmetics, and ornaments befitting a young girl
See also: Aphrodite; Eileithyia; Ganymede; Hera; Heracles; Olympic Spirits

Heimdall
Also known as: Rig; Rigr
Origin: Norse

Odin was walking by the sea when he discovered the Nine Wave Sisters, daughters of Aegir and Ran, sleeping on the sand. They
were so beautiful, he fell in love with them all. Somehow, in a miracle of spirit genetics, the Nine Sisters conceived one son, Heimdall,
from their joint romantic encounter with Odin. (Another theory suggests that the Nine Sisters managed to conceive their one son entirely
independently with no male assistance whatsoever.) They nourished their son with the magic of the sea, the wisdom of the Earth, and the
strength of the sun so that he was gifted with second sight,the ability to travel between realms, and amazingly acute vision and hearing.
• He can see to the ends of the world.
• He can hear the grass grow.
• Heimdall is the epitome of vigilance: he requires no sleep.
Heimdall, son of the Nine Daughters of the Sea, is the Divine Watchman. He guards the Rainbow Bridge that connects and divides
the realms of people and spirits. He guards against hostile Frost Giants. Heimdall's own daughters are waves, too. Heimdall is destined
to be the last to fall at Ragnarok, where he and Loki will destroy each other.
M anifestations: Heimdall is a shape-shifter and can take many forms, most famously a man, ram, and bull seal. Heimdall has
shining gold teeth.
Attributes: Horn (to blow a warning, raise an alarm, and announce Ragnarok), sword
M ount: Horse
Hall: Heimdall's hall is called Himinbjorg, Sky Mountain.
Runes: The runes with which Heimdall is associated include Dagaz, Elhaz, Hagalaz, Manaz, and Kaunaz.
Sacred animals: Ram, seal
See also: Aegir; Jotun; Loki; Ranand the Glossary entry for Rune

Hekate

The Most Lovely One; Worker from Afar; Three -Headed Hound of the Moon; Influence from Afar; The One Before the
Gate; Light Bringer
Also known as: Hecate
Origin: Asia Minor

Hekate is Queen of the Night, Goddess of Witchcraft, and among the rulers of Spirit World. She is the Queen of the Crossroads:
Hekate patrols the frontier between life and death. She serves as an intermediary between spirits and humans. She owns the ultimate
skeleton key: the key that unlocks the gates to all realms.
Although now most associated with Greek mythology, her name, meaning "influence from afar" acknowledges Hekate's foreign
origins. She may have originated in what is now Georgia on the Black Sea, home of Medea, her most famous devotee and priestess.
(Hecuba, Queen of Troy, is another well-known devotee.) At one time, Hekate was chief deity of Caria, now in western Turkey. The
Greeks knew her as a Titan's daughter and as the confidante and handmaiden of Persephone, Queen of the Dead.
Hekate is a goddess of life, death, regeneration, and magic. She rules wisdom, choices, expiation, victory, vengeance, and travel. She

is the witness to every crime.
• She is invoked for justice, especially for sexual crimes against women and girls.
• Hekate is invoked when justice is not forthcoming from other channels.
• Hekate has the power to grant or deny any mortal's wish.
• She may be invoked for protection for dogs and from dogs.
• Hekate is petitioned for fertility, especially for female children.
• She brings victory in battle.
• Hekate may be invoked for healing, especially if medical solutions have failed.
• She may be petitioned for swift, painless death.
• Hekate can banish ghosts (or produce a ghost infestation).
Hekate is an exceptionally powerful spirit. The Theogony of Hesiod describes Hekate as honored by Zeus above all others.
According tomyth, Hekate once served as an Angelas, a messenger for the other deities. She stole Hera's beauty salve to give to her
rival, Europa. Hera, enraged, pursued Hekate, who fled first to the bed of a woman in childbirth, then to a funeral procession, and finally
to Lake Acheron in Hades where she was cleansed by the Cabeiri. Hekate emerged more powerful than ever, a goddess of birth,
death, and purification. She rules passages between realms of life and death and is thus invoked by necromancers.

Hekate is renowned for her expertise with plants and her knowledge of their magical and healing powers. A famed magical
garden was attached to her temple in Colchis on the Black Sea, now in modern Georgia. Some scholars suggest that an ancient
Greek women's guild, under the divine matronage of Hekate, once had responsibility for gathering and storing visionary,
hallucinatory, and poisonous plants. The same word in Greek indicates "pharmacist", "poisoner", and "witch."

Hekate typically responds to petitions via visions and dreams. If lost at a crossroads, literal or metaphoric, invoke her name and then
pay attention to signs from her. She can be a shadowy, oblique goddess: her response may be subtle. Look for her animals: snakes,
dragons, cats, and especially dogs.

Favored people: Midwives, witches, healers, herbalists, dog lovers and rescuers; she is the matron of women in general and
protects those who ride horses.

M anifestations: Hekate, Queen Witch, is a shape-shifter supreme: usual manifestations are as a black dog or mature woman. She
may manifest as a haggard, decrepit crone or a sexy, elegant, seductive woman. She even has an occasional mermaid manifestation. She
may wear snakes in her hair. Every once in a while she appears as a black cat, snake, or dragon.
Iconography: Hekate is portrayed with three bodies, each facing a different direction. Alternatively, she is depicted with a
woman's body but three animal heads: those of a dog, horse, and lion. A statue of Hekate from the eighth century BCE shows her with
wings, carrying a snake.
Attributes: Key, torch, cauldron, knife, broom
Emblem: Star and crescent moon
Spirit allies: Hekate may be venerated alongside Artemis, Persephone, Demeter, and/or Kybele. Hekate dances in the entourage
of Dionysus.

Sacred animals: Snakes, toads, dragons, cats, but most especially dogs: Hekate has an extremely powerful bond with dogs: even
when manifesting in human form, she is usually accompanied by a pair of hounds. If appearing without dogs, Hekate may circle in canine
fashion. Somehow there will be a canine reference.
Bird: Stork
M ount: Dragons pull her chariot.
Color: Black

Number: 3
Celestial bodies: Sirius the Dog Star; the moon, especially the Dark Moon phase
Plants: Garlic, lavender, mandrake, henna
Trees: Pomegranate; black poplar; date palm; yew

Sacred site: Three-way or T-shaped crossroads; Hekate was a goddess with an organized cult. In addition to Caria and Colchis,
she had sanctuaries in Aigina and Lagina and a grove on the Aventine hill. She is the matron goddess and guardian of the city of Istanbul
(previously called Byzantium and Constantinople). Hekate is credited with saving that city from attack by King Philip II of Macedonia in
304 BCE. His forces attempted to attack secretly during a dark moon but Hekate lit a crescent moon, creating enough light for the
Byzantines to apprehend their danger and save themselves. In gratitude, they began using her symbols (star and crescent moon) on their
coins. The image still appears on the Turkish flag. The image predates Islam and was the official emblem of Byzantine Greeks.
Time: Night time is the right time for Hekate: she only accepts offerings and petitions at night. All festivities, rituals, and ceremonies
in her honor are held after dark. The only acceptable illumination is candles or torches.
Sacred dates: The last day of each month is dedicated to Hekate.
• In Italy, Hekate shared a festival with Diana on 13 August.
• A Friday the 13th in August is especially sacred.
• 16 November is Hekate Night for modern Wiccans and Neo-Pagans.

Rituals: Hekate's ancient devotees held dinners in her honor known as Hekate Suppers. Foods associated with her were
prepared. The entrée was usually fish, especially red mullet. Devotees feasted and celebrated. Offerings and leftovers were placed
outside the door or at a crossroads for Hekate and her hounds. Even way back when, cynics scoffed that food placed outside was
actually consumed by feral dogs and homeless people without realizing that this is Hekate's intent: this is one way she accepts offerings.
(The Church was still trying to eradicate this ritual as late as the eleventh century.)
Smaller, private offerings may be left at a crossroads, too:
1.
2.
3.

Place offerings on a plate or flat stone and leave them at a crossroads after dark.
Make your invocation and then walk away without looking back.
Do not return for the plate but consider it part of the offering. (In other words, don't use a plate you wish to keep.)
Encountering or hearing a dog is an indication that your petition has been heard.

Offerings: Eggs, garlic, and honey (especially lavender honey); croissants and crescent shaped breads and pastries; candles;
incense; images of dogs, especially black dogs; actions on behalf of dogs
See also: Artemis; Cabeiri; Cbtbonic Spirits; Demeter; Diana; Dionysus; Europa; Hades; Heket; Helios; Hera; Kybele;
Medea; Pasipbae; Persephone; Titan; Zeus

Heket

Giver of Life; Spirit of the Primordial Waters; Mother of the Spirits
Also known as: Heqet
Origin: Egypt
No, not Hekate: despite the resemblance of their names, these two ancient goddesses are not identical, but they do have much in
common. Both are associated with birth, death resurrection, and subterranean realms.
Some consider Heket to be the eldest of all Egyptian spirits. She is a goddess of birth, death, resurrection, and all points in between.

She helpsplace the child in the womb and is a guardian of the dead. Heket prevents miscarriage and stillbirth. She has dominion over
contraceptives.
Heket and her husband, Khnum, belong to a band of celestial midwives who assist each dawn with the birthing of the sun. Heket is
among the spirits who help Isis temporarily revive Osiris in order to conceive Horus.
M anifestations: Heket manifests as a frog or a woman with a frog's head.
Iconography: Heket's hieroglyphic is a frog.
Animal: Heket is as intensely associated with frogs as Hekate is with dogs.
Elements: Water, earth
Sacred sites: Among the oldest centers of her veneration was near Elephantine Island where the caverns through which the Nile
entered Egypt were situated. She was also venerated at Abydos and Hermopolis.
Offerings: She was traditionally offered faience or carved stone frog statuettes, however any sort of frog imagery may be
appropriate.
See also: Anuket; Hekate; Horus; Isis; Khnum; Osiris: Satis

Hel
Also known as: Hella; Hela
Origin: Norse

Once upon a time, being sent to Hel may have been inevitable, but it wasn't perceived as punishment: Hel, daughter of Angerboda
and Loki, rules the Norse realm of the dead. She is the keeper of the souls of the departed. Those who die at sea or in battle have other
destinations; everyone else goes to Hel, who welcomes them into her home, Helhaim, regardless of whether they were good, bad,
sinful, or saintly while alive.
Hel's realm is not a sulphurous, fiery torture chamber. Rather it is a kind of inn or way station for the dead, although once checked in,
one can never check out. Helhaim is a bleak, gray, damp, misty realm: the concept of heat as punishment was imported from hotter,
southern climes alongside Christianity. Lack of warmth with no hope of Spring was the Norse equivalent of desolation. That said,
some regions of Helhaim are more comfortable than others: Hel judges and decides exactly where each individual soul is directed.
Hel's name may derive from the Old German halja, meaning "covering." She may or may not be the same spirit as Hulda (Holle).
Hel and her brothers, a wolf and a snake, were raised by their mother, the witch Angerboda, in the Iron Wood. Prophecy suggested
that the siblings would someday lead a Host of Destruction against the Aesir, and so Odin had them "brought" to Asgard, where each
was ultimately entrapped. Odin personally seized Hel and flung her as far as he could: she landed in the Realm of Death and became its
Queen. She lives in a great hall, Eliudnir, within Helhaim. She remains destined to lead an uprising of rebellious spirits and ghosts.
Hel manifests in dreams, most famously to Balder, Odin's son. She appeared to him three days before his death, advising him
(accurately) that in three days she would clasp him in her arms. Because her father was instrumental in killing Balder, it's unclear how
much inside information Hel possessed.
M anifestations: Hel is simultaneously half-dead and half-alive. Half of her body (cut vertically) is that of a fair, beautiful woman;
the other half is necrotized flesh. She is half living woman, half corpse.
Attributes: Rake and broom: the Black Plague was especially devastating in Scandinavia. Allegedly Hel roamed the land armed
with her rake and broom. Villages totally wiped out by the Plague were said to have been swept away; where there were survivors, Hel
had raked instead.
Spirit allies: Hel's staff includes servants named "Delay" (male) and "Slowness" (female).

Colors: Black and white
Rune: Hagalaz
M ount: Hel rides a black mare.
Animals: She has a pack of dogs, the original Hell Hounds, as well as horses and wolves.

Places: Mount Hekla, an active volcano in southern Iceland, was allegedly among the entrances to Hel's realm. A nearby town is
named Hella. Some have suggested that the mountain shares its name with the goddess, although others protest that Hekla means "slab"
or "covering," which would still make it cognate with Hel as that is what her name means, too. It's also theorized that the Belgian city of
Hal may be named in her honor.
See also: Angerboda; Balder; Black Madonna of Hal; Hulda; Loki; Modgud; Odin

Helen of Troy

The Face That Launched One Thousand Ships
Origin: Greece

Helen of Troy is described as the most beautiful woman in the world, but she was never entirely mortal. In the most famous version
of her origin, Helen is the daughter of Zeus, who transformed into a swan to rape her mother, Leda, a mortal queen. Leda
simultaneously conceived two children by Zeus and two by her mortal husband. Two of the resulting four children were mortal; the other
two immortal. Helen was the immortal sister, as opposed to her mortal twin, Clytemnestra.
Helen possessed supernatural beauty and allure, which brought her little if any joy. When she was a little girl, the hero Theseus saw
her dancing for Artemis; he abducted and raped the child. Helen's twin brothers, the Dioscuri, rescued and returned her. Helen's beauty
later made her the prize in the Judgment of Paris. Trojan prince and shepherd Paris was forced to decide which of three goddesses
deserved a golden apple labeled "for the fairest." Not one of the goddesses had supreme confidence in her own merits. Each offered
Paris a sizable bribe. Aphrodite promised Paris the world's most beautiful woman. When Paris picked her, she gave him Helen, her
devotee.
In a more obscure version of Helen's mythic origins, she is fully immortal. Zeus pursued the resisting Nemesis, who
transformed into a fish to escape him. He ploughed up Earth's waters to catch her. In a desperate game of hide-and-seek,
Nemesis kept changing shapes, finally transforming into a goose. Zeus, in the guise of a swan, raped her. She laid, then
abandoned an egg the color of blue hyacinths. The egg ended up with Leda, who hid it until Helen hatched from it.

Helen is blamed as the cause of the Trojan War, ostensibly fought to return Helen to her husband, Menelaus, King of Sparta. In one
version of her myth, Helen was never in Troy. Growing bored with Paris even as they eloped, she jumped ship in Egypt, where a
pharaoh kept her safe and hidden.
Helen is the original sex goddess, the lady of irresistible allure. This isn't meant only metaphorically: she was worshipped as a goddess
with various shrines throughout Greece. She had a shrine near Sparta, which may have contained the original egg from which she
hatched or a replica. She may have been worshipped in Memphis, Egypt, where she had allegedly entertained the pharaoh.
She was venerated on the island of Rhodes as a tree goddess. Legend has it that after the death of Menelaus, with whom she
reconciled after the Trojan War, Helen's step-son banished her from Sparta. She went to visit an old friend, Polyxo, Queen of Rhodes.
Or at least Helen imagined her to be a friend: in truth, Polyxo secretly hated Helen, blaming her for the death of her husband during the
Trojan War. Once she had Helen alone, Polyxo dressed servants up as Erinyes. They stripped Helen naked, scourged her, and hung
her from a tree, killing her. Some understand this as a lynching; others interpret "hanging from a tree" to mean crucifixion. Perhaps to
atone or to appease Helen's ghost, veneration of Helen was then instituted on Rhodes.

Helen is an erotic goddess petitioned for romantic and domestic happiness. She is also invoked for fertility and to assist conception.
Themes of sexual violence permeate her myths. Helen may be invoked to protect and avenge those who have been sold into sexual
slavery or otherwise exploited and abused. Helen knows the secret formula for nepenthe, the potion that banishes grief and suffering
and provides healing oblivion.
Jewish folklore identifies Helen of Troy as an avatar of Lilith. Simon Magus allegedly discovered Helen of Troy (either her immortal
self or her reincarnation) laboring in a brothel in Tyre, now in modern Lebanon. He rescued her, proclaiming her his Sophia (Shekhina,
Ennoia); the two were eventually venerated together. Vestiges of Helen may survive under the mask of Saint Helena who is profoundly
associated with romance and love magic in Christian folk traditions.
M anifestation: Hers is the face that launched a thousand ships. Helen is allegedly awe-inspiringly beautiful, seductive, and sexy.
Spirit allies: Helen was venerated alongside her brothers, the Dioscuri, and Aphrodite.
Attribute: Egg
Element: Water; Helen is associated with healing springs.
Offerings: Painted eggs; china, crystal, or otherwise precious eggs
See also: Achilles; Aphrodite; Artemis; Dioscuri; Erinyes; Eris; Lilith; Shekhina; Sophia; Thetis; Zeus

Hekios

The Watcher; The Untiring Eye;
The All Seeing, Ever Watching
Classification: Titan
Origin: Greece

Helios is the sun as well as the original spirit of the sun worshipped in Greece. He was eventually superseded by Apollo. Very little
information now survives regarding his actual veneration, but Helios was not a remote deity. Scholars consider that he was an extremely
important pre-Hellenic deity. He was actively venerated and possessed many shrines.
Oaths were taken in Helios' name. Helios sees all and knows all, at least if it occurs during daytime. He is the witness to all crimes
committed in daylight hours. Hekate witnesses all crimes committed at night. The relationship between the two deities is mysterious.
Helios' wife is named Perse, sometimes a title for Hekate. Hekate may also be his cousin or descendent. When Persephone cannot be
found, Hekate leads Demeter to Helios, who ultimately reveals Persephone's fate.
Helios is the illuminator, both literally and metaphorically. According to Greek mythology, when the sun sets at night, Helios is visiting
his other realm—either a realm of spirits or the realm where he lives with his mother, wife, and kids. His children with Perse include
Circe; Phaeton; Aietes, the father of Medea and Pasiphae, the mother of Ariadne and the Minotaur. He had other children, too, born of
mortals and goddesses.
Favored people: Helios' children can be detected by the golden glint in their eyes.
M anifestation: A radiantly handsome man crowned with the sun drives a flaming chariot drawn by fire-breathing horses (or
incendiary oxen) across the sky.
Animals: Helios owns cattle, one for every day of the solar year.
Spirit allies: His sisters, Eos and Selene

Sacred sites: Many of his shrines, located on mountaintops, were rededicated to Saint Elijah, who also drives a fiery chariot.
Helios owns Rhodes, given to him by Zeus. He married Rhodos, who may be the indigenous goddess of the island or Poseidon's
daughter. Together they have seven sons, the Heliadae.
Offerings: Gymnastic competitions were held in his honor.
See also: Apollo; Ariadne; Circe; Demeter; Eos; Hekate; Pasipbae; Persephone; Poseidon; Selene; Zeus

Henwen

Ancient White One
Origin: Wales

Henwen is a goddess of fertility, abundance, and prosperity venerated in the form of a great white sow, tended by Coll ab Collfrewi,
one of Britain's three great swineherds. He pastured her in a valley in Cornwall. All was well until Henwen conceived. A prophecy
foretold that Henwen's progeny would harm Britain, and so King Arthur attempted to capture and kill her. (An alternative version
suggests that Henwen was specifically a threat to him.)
Arthur assembled a host of knights against this one big pig but she escaped, tunneling through Earth until she reached the sea. An
ocean may stop a regular pig but not a goddess. Henwen plunged into the depths with Coll hanging on to her bristles the whole time.
(It's unclear if he's just hanging on or if he was instrumental in trying to save her.) Periodically emerging, wherever she touched Earth,
Henwen brought forth from her own body incredibly fine wheat and barley, plus bees that produce the best honey in Britain. She gives
birth to an eaglet, a wolf, and a ferocious cat. (No domestic cats existed in Britain at this time, only wildcats.) Exactly what happened to
Henwen is unclear. She was not captured and so is presumably still free and roaming.
A hidden goddess lurks beneath this legendary pig, possibly similar to that other great white sow, Cerridwen. Henwen was an
oracular sow. Letter sticks formed from rods made of ash and carved with runic symbols were stuck into the ground. Henwen, when
asked a question, would point her nose at different sticks in turn, spelling out an answer. Her oracular powers were only invoked in
times of emergency. Invokeher for fertility, abundance, and adventure as well as prophetic answers.
Offerings: Ale, mead, barley wine
See also: Cerridwen; Ogma

Hephaestus
Origin: Greece

Hephaestus is the divine smith, Lord of Subterranean Fire. He may be the son of Zeus and Hera or the son of Hera alone. One
legend suggests that, following Athena's birth, Hera was so enraged that Zeus had appropriated women's sacred right to give birth that
she decided to give birth alone, too. Hephaestus was the result.
Of course, the problem with this myth is that Hephaestus, fully grown and an operational smith, is also the divine midwife who freed
Athena from Zeus' head with his moon-shaped axe. Myths of Athena and Hephaestus are intertwined and contradictory. They are alter
egos, two halves of a whole. Both were apprenticed to smiths in childhood. Both their myths touch on traditional gender roles:
• Athena spent her girlhood hammering spears for male warriors.
• Hephaestus spent his boyhood crafting women's jewelry.
Once upon a time, Athena and Hephaestus were a matched pair; in early legends they were wed. As Athena evolved and increasing
emphasis was placed on her literal virginity, their myths became increasingly contradictory. Her past relationship with Hephaestus is
among Athena's deep secrets. However, the two continued to share shrines and may still be venerated together (although one may
anticipate some fireworks).

Hephaestus is lame and misshapen, not the stereotypical gorgeous "Greek god" like Apollo or Adonis. Exactly what happened to
Hephaestus, how he became crippled and misshapen, is the subject of various, contradictory myths:
• Zeus or Hera (reports differ) threw him from the Heavens because he was born misshapen.
• He was crippled when Zeus threw him from Olympus for daring to intervene when Zeus abused Hera.
He landed in the ocean, where he was raised by Thetis and mermaids. They gave him an underwater cave and a child-sized forge,
where he began crafting exquisite jewelry and ornaments for them. When Hera and the other goddesses saw his handiwork, Hephaestus
was invited to rejoin them in Olympus. He spent most of his time in his smithies in volcanoes and on his sacred island of Lemnos.
Hephaestus was such an incredible visionary craftsman that his creations could breathe and move. He is credited with crafting the first
woman (Pandora) in his forge from Earth and water. He fashioned living golden female robots to help him walk: the first femme-bots.
A little-known myth suggests that Hephaestus never fell from the sky at all. Hera, his mother, fearing that Zeus would
harm her son, spirited him away to Lemnos, apprenticing him to her ally, Kedalion the Master Smith. Allegedly the first piece
Hephaestus ever crafted was a pair of prosthetic legs for himself.

Hephaestus is a shamanic spirit presiding over a Mystery tradition. He is a guardian and healer. He is also a stubborn deity with
sensitive emotions who will hold a grudge if offended.
Only Dionysus can propitiate him and lighten his mood (via copious quantities of wine).
Favored people: Smiths, metalworkers, jewelers, potters, ceramicists, shamans, diviners

M anifestations: Hephaestus is portrayed as a vigorous, powerful bearded man and also as a man whose body is bent and twisted.
He moves like a crab, his mother's emblem.
Attributes: Hammer; crescent-moon ax; cane
Consorts: Athena; Aphrodite; Aglaia the Glorious; Charis; Cabeiro and possibly Aetna
Color: Red, black
M ineral: Lemnian Earth ( Lemnia sphragis): clay dug from a cavern in Hephaestia on Lemnos allegedly possessed miraculous
healing powers. It was considered an antidote against snakebite and plague.
Animals: Crab, snake
Number: 9
Sacred sites: Lemnos and volcanic islands like Hiera, Imbros, Lipari, and Sicily. He and Athena shared a shrine in Athens, the
Hephaesteum, which remains as the most complete surviving example of Doric temple architecture, as befitting the crafts deities it
honors.
Offerings: Greek and Italian wine; smith's tools; seashells; decorate his altar with snakes and the mermaids he adores.
See also: Achilles; Adonis; Adrano; Aetna; Aphrodite; Apollo; Athena; Cabeiri; Cabeiro; Dionysus; Erichtonios; Hera;
Kedalion; Mermaid; Pandora; Prometheus; Thetis; Zeusand the Glossary entry for Mystery

Hera

The Mistress
Origin: Greece

Hera is the Queen of Greece. In classical Greek myth, Hera is Zeus' older sister. He tricked her into marriage by taking the form of
her sacred bird, a cuckoo caught in a rainstorm. She pitied the little wet, bedraggled bird and held it close to her bosom, at which point
the bird transformed back into Zeus.
Their marriage was initially very happy. Their honeymoon night lasted three hundred years: sex was that good. Hera was assigned the
functions of goddess of women and marriage. Sexual fidelity, however, was not in Zeus' vocabulary. He had liaisons with goddesses
and mortal women alike. His children with other mothers became deities and heroes. Hera is frequently portrayed as a bitter shrew: she
pursues Zeus' lovers, punishing them fiercely and keeping a vigilant eye on Zeus so that he is obliged to be extra-sneaky when
conducting his affairs.
Mythologists in tandem with archaeologists suggest that there's more to this story: Hera was one of the most significant pre-Olympian
indigenous Greek goddesses. She is Greece's primordial sacred cow and Great Mother Goddess of matriarchal pre-Hellenic culture.
Hera was initially worshipped as a Lady of the Beasts, a goddess of abundance and fertility. In approximately 600 BCE, she made a
major transformation. Emphasis was placed on her roles as wife and mother rather than her original functions.
Dorian invaders married her to Zeus to confer legitimacy on his rule. Many myths emphasize her subjugation by Zeus. Much of what
is portrayed as shrewish may be desperate attempts to retain her autonomy and power and to protect her own children's birthright as
Zeus' multitudes of otherchildren by other wives gained power. Hera, together with Poseidon, also an indigenous spirit incorporated into
the Olympians, led an unsuccessful rebellion against Zeus. Zeus punished Hera by hanging her from the clouds with anvils tied to her
feet. Depressed, Hera wrapped herself in deepest darkness and wanders Earth in the form of a frail, decrepit old woman. She always
returns to Zeus.
Hera was struck in the right breast by one of Heracles' arrows, inflicting a wound that never heals. She may be the
precursor of the image of Our Lady of Sorrows, the beautiful, wounded Madonna.

Hera's name may be interpreted as "lady" or as the feminine form of "hero." Alternatively, her name is not Indo-European and has
yet to be translated. Hera seems to have first emerged as a primordial snake goddess in the Greek city, Argos. Each spring, she bathes
in the sacred spring of Kanathos near Argos, emerging fresh and youthful like a snake with freshly shed skin. Hera is described as
"renewing her virginity." This ritual may be in preparation for performing the Great Rite. Hera may be invoked in cleansing rituals
intended to heal spousal and sexual abuse as well as any past bad history.
She is an oracular spirit who has the power to fulfill virtually any petition. Hera punishes by striking those who displease her with
sudden madness.
Favored people: Women in general; people born under the zodiac sign Cancer
M anifestation: Hera is a radiantly beautiful woman, shining like the sun; however she is also a shape-shifter with many forms. She
notoriously disguises herself as a humble, old beggar woman but still expects to be treated like a queen. Woe to those who fail to treat
even the humblest with respect. Hera has a fast temper and is quick to administer justice.
Iconography: Hera is depicted wearing a diadem and veil.
Attribute: Pomegranate
Colors: Yellow, gold
Birds: Cuckoo, dove, peacock, carrion-crow
Animals: Cow, snake, dragon, crab, snail, and other shelled creatures
M ount: Peacocks pull Hera's chariot.
Plants: Vitex agnus-castus, lilies, poppies

Sacred site: Her sanctuary at Argos, a seventh-century BCE temple built over an earlier shrine, is among the oldest Greek temples
Her temple at Olympia was older than Zeus' and always distinct. Ancient Greek altars were originally open to the air: Hera's temples

may have been the first to be roofed.
Offerings: Honey, flowers, incense, perfume, pomegranates

See also: Amphitrite; Apollo; Artemis; Asteria; Callisto; Dakini; Dione; Dionysus; Dioscuri; Europa; Ezili Freda Dahomey
Ganymede; Hebe; Hekate; Helen of Troy; Hephaestus; Heracles; Hermes; Hesperides; Horai; Hybla; Hydra; Io; Iris; Kedalion
Ladon; Lady of the Beasts; Leto; Maia; Olympian Spirits; Poseidon; Prometheus; Scylla; Semele; Siren; Themis; Typhon; Zeu

Heracles
Also known as: Herakles; Hercules (Roman)

Origin: Greece
Heracles' origins are mysterious. His name means "Hera's Glory" but until his deification, she is his mortal enemy. Alternative myth
suggests she mayreally have been his mother, but classical Greek mythology identifies him as the son of Zeus and Alkmene, a mortal
princess. Hera does all she can to prevent the birth; later sending snakes to assassinate the baby. Heracles, already incomparably
strong, even in the cradle, strangles the snakes instead. Hera periodically strikes Heracles with violent madness so that he harms
innocent people and those he loves. (Or at least Hera is blamed.) Heracles' saga is a cycle of heroic acts and acts of expiation for the
most terrible crimes.
Heracles is a hero, the strongest man on Earth, capable of holding the entire Earth on his shoulders, the subject of numerous legends
and entertainments. That's one way of looking at him. He is also a ruthless killer and assassin; champion of the Olympian order; a
contract killer whose assorted labors involve eliminating sacred beings of earlier or alternative pantheons. Scholars have interpreted his
labors as indicating the victory of terrestrial spirits over an older, more aquatic pantheon.
Heracles is an ancestral spirit. Many royal lineages traced their descent from him. (He once lay with a king's fifty daughters, all in one
night, impregnating each one.) Although Heracles was mortal, after his death, Zeus deified him and brought him to Olympus, where he
reconciled with Hera and married her daughter, Hebe.
Heracles was venerated differently in different places and by different spiritual traditions:
• In Greece, he was venerated alongside Zeus and the Nymphs, invoked for prosperity, victory, healing, and good health. Heracles
was associated with healing springs and thermal spas. During life, he was a fan of hot springs and thermal baths. As a spirit, he
presides over them. The Greek term Herculean baths indicated naturally hot or artificially heated waters.
• Heracles evolved into Hercules, men's deity in Rome venerated by merchants, traders, travelers, soldiers, and military personnel.
He provides protection, success, and good fortune; offering blessings of vigor, good health, stamina, physical strength, and
endurance. Hercules was the male counterpart of the Bona Dea, who refused to accept males into her presence. Hercules
similarly rejected female devotees.
• The Romans carried his veneration or at least his name throughout Europe. In Celtic regions, Hercules evolved into a spirit of
healing. Some theorize that Celtic Hercules is really a Roman name for Celtic deities like the Dagda, Ogmios, and Borvo. Little
bronze statues identifiable as Hercules were offered at Borvo's shrine at Aix-les-Bains. It's theorized that heroic Hercules was
considered a fighter against disease or disease demons.
• In Phoenician-ruled areas, Hercules is likely to be Melkart, whom the Greeks called Tyrian Heracles.
M anifestation: A huge, muscled bearded man draped in a lion's pelt (and usually nothing else)
Attributes: Club, lyre. (Chiron taught him how to play; he clunked another music tutor over the head with it, killing him.)
Consort: Hebe, Hera's daughter, whom he marries after his death and deification; while alive, he had several wives and countless
lovers, male and female.

Sacred dates:
• 30 June, dedication day of the Roman temple of Hercules and the Muses in 179 BCE
• 12 August, men offer sacrifices to Hercules Invictus ("Invincible Hercules") at the great altar near the Circus Maximus. (Women
are excluded.)

Sacred sites: He had shrines along the entire Mediterranean coast. Among the most significant were those in Cadiz (now Spain)
and the ancient Phoenician city of Lixus (now Larache,
Morocco), allegedly the site of the Garden of the Hesperides. He also had a mountain shrine atop Mount Oite in Greece, scene of his
death and funeral pyre.
The Via Herculea, or Herculean Way, is the ancient road that ran from Rome to Cadizhr, now in southwestern Spain .

Offerings: Heracles likes to drink. (He once lost a drinking contest with Dionysus. As payment, he spent time dancing in Dionysus'
processions.) He prefers wine but will not rebuff anything stronger. He likes extreme drinks such as over-proof liquors, if only because
of his excessive machismo, but be careful not to serve him too much. Even as a spirit, he's not a good drunk: too much liquor and he
becomes unreliable.
According to Roman tradition, Hercules accepts any food or drink offerings but only from men. True devotees usually tithe or offer
him a percentage. Merchants offer percentages of proceeds earned. Soldiers of all ranks offered a percentage of booty won. Money
may be spent on public feasts in Hercules' honor. Animal sacrifices to Hercules had to be shared and eaten in their entirety. Lavish
dinners were typically held in his honor with food shared by all attendees.
The High Priest of his Roman temple used to gamble with Hercules. If the priest won, Hercules granted him favors. If
Hercules won, the priest procured courtesans for the deity .

Heracles is not quite so exclusively associated with men in the other regions where he was worshipped, although they were his
primary devotees.
See also: Acca Larentia; Ares; Bona Dea; Chiron; Dagda, the; Dionysus; Hera; Hesperides; Hydra; Ladon; Melkart;
Nymph; Ogma; Zeus

Hermes
Origin: Greece
Before Hermes was the winged messenger of Mount Olympus, he was a virile, rustic, pastoral spirit, presiding over the fertility of
women and livestock. Hermes was among the best-loved of all Olympian spirits. He is the lord of animal husbandry as well as language,
communication, trade, travel, and divination.
Hermes' specialty is cleromancy, originally divination using small pebbles, which eventually evolved into dice. He is the trickster lord
of the crossroads, spirit of luck and patron of gamblers, especially those who play with dice. Hermes protects thieves and also protects
against them. He may be invoked for the gift of gab, business success, and true omens. He is the lord of cunning and mother-wit.
Hermes is a shaman: he travels between realms, hence his eventual role as Zeus' messenger. He is a psychopomp who conveys the
souls of the dead to Hades. Sacrifices were made to Hermes on the final day of Greek festivals of the dead to ensure that he would
escort the dead souls back to Hades. If a ghost refuses to vacate your premises, Hermes may be asked to escort them to a more
appropriate place. Just be careful: Hermes is not violent or particularly aggressive, but he does enjoy playing tricks and the periodic
practical joke. He will be a troublesome spirit for those lacking humor and humility.
Hermes killed Hera's guardian Argus by boring him to death. After he had put him to sleep, Hermes touched the guard with his staff
to kill him. He is sometimes considered the patron ofeuthanasia: the gentle death.
Hermes prowls around at night, bringing dreams. You can request that he deliver prophetic dreams or that he provide relief from
nightmares.

Hermes as Divine Child wears sandals and carries a staff: his image closely resembles that of the Holy Child of Atocha.
Post-Christianity, many of Hermes' functions were assigned to Michael Archangel.

Hermes was born in a cave to the goddess, Maia. Zeus is his father. He makes his home in Mekone, "Poppy town." Hermes is
associated with birth, death, and sex. Although now often portrayed as androgynous, Hermes was originally a very virile phallic deity.
His sexual partners include Aphrodite and countless Nymphs. The Greek-born Italian goddess Carmenta may be his official wife.
Hermes is credited with many inventions, including the musical scale, the alphabet, boxing, gymnastics, weights, measures, and olive
culture. (Athena may have brought the olive tree, but Hermes taught people how to process the fruit and oil.)
Favored people: Merchants; gamblers; travelers; thieves (but only if they're not violent: he likes clever, tricky thieves, not thugs or
muggers); those who live by their wits; boxers
M anifestation: Hermes traditionally wears a traveler's broad-brimmed hat and sandals.
Iconography: Hermes has been through many transitions:
• His most ancient images portray him in the form of an erect phallus.
• He is represented by a cairn of stones.
• Statues called "Herms" were used to portray him: tall rectangular pillars displaying his head on top and his erect penis sticking
out. Herms were placed at crossroads. Women seeking fertility would petition Hermes at a herm, placing flower garlands
around his neck or elsewhere.
• Hermes was then envisioned as a robust man carrying a lamb around his shoulders.
• Finally he was portrayed in the form most familiar today: a winged, sandaled, androgynous messenger.
Attribute: Caduceus: a staff entwined by two snakes, the emblem of the modern medical profession. He can use the staff to induce
sleep.
Spirit allies: His mother, Maia; Pan; Nymphs
Sacred sites: Hermes is an extremely unpretentious spirit. He is among the Greek spirits least often honored with formal temples.
Instead he is present at crossroads and in wild nature. Invoke his presence or summon him by erecting a herm or cairn of stones,
especially at a four-way crossroads (X-shaped).
Sacred animals: Dog, tortoise, snake
Tree: Palm
Number: 4
Offerings: Cakes; honey; olives; goat or sheep's cheese; wine; water; incense
See also: Aphrodite; Asklepios; Athena; Calypso; Carmenta; Circe; Dionysus; Eshu Elegbara; Hades; Hekate; Hera;
Maia; Mercury; Nymph; Pan; Psychopomp; Shiva; Zeus

Herodias
Also known as: Hérodiade
Herodias the witch-goddess leads the Wild Hunt. Popularly venerated during Europe's witch-hunt era, Herodias the goddess may
or may not derive from the historical Herodias, granddaughter of Herod the Great and wife of King Herod Antipas of Judea. Herod
Antipas was her second husband; her first was Philip, his brother, with whom she had a daughter named Salome. Herodias herself
descended from royal Hasmonean (Macabeen) lineage. Marriage to her may have helped legitimize her husband's rule.

Herod Antipas and Herodias fell in love while on a trip to Rome. She abandoned his brother. He divorced his wife and they married.
Due to technicalities of Jewish law, this could be construed as incest. Herod, Rome's puppet ruler, was already widely unpopular
among the masses and so the marriage was a public scandal, earning the vocal condemnation of the prophet, John the Baptist.
Herodias did not take his criticism lying down. According to the New Testament, she instigated John the Baptist's murder, instructing
her dancing daughter, Salome, to request the prophet's head served to her on a plate as a reward following her performance of the
Dance of the Seven Veils. In 39 CE, Roman Emperor Caligula banished Herod to Gaul. Herodias voluntarily accompanied him and
died there, circa 47, in what is now France. (Salome accompanied them, too.)
To early Christians, Herodias epitomized the wicked woman; she emerged as the New Testament's primary female villain and was
popularly reputed to be a demon. Herodias is to the New Testament as Jezebel is to the Old. Her name was used to defame Pagan
goddesses but at some point she evolved into one herself. It is unclear whether Herodias herself emerged as a witch-goddess or
whether her name serves as a mask for another. Herodias may be any of the following:
• The biblical Herodias, reemerged as a spirit
• A Pagan spirit also named Herodias or perhaps renamed after the biblical queen
• The Semitic demon-witch-goddess Lilith, in disguise
Although also venerated elsewhere in Europe, Herodias was especially beloved in Italy. She and Diana are the goddesses most
frequently mentioned in Italian witch-trial transcripts and were apparently worshipped together. (The two will share an altar.) Together
they lead the Wild Hunt and night parades of witches.
Ratherius, Bishop of Verona (circa 887—April 25, 974), complained that Herodias was perceived as a queen, even a
goddess, as though, he remarked, this was her reward for killing John the Baptist. In 936 CE, a movement, outlawed by
Ratherius, arose claiming that Herodias ruled one-third of the world and was thus due devotion and petitions.

Iconography: Herodias is usually envisioned as a beautiful and seductive woman. Among the artists inspired to create portraits of
her are Aubrey Beardsley, Paul Delaroche and John Reinhard Weguelin. Herodias is frequently portrayed in the company of her
daughter Salome and sometimes with John the Baptist's severed head.
See also: Aradia; Diana; Herta; Irodeas; Jezebel; Lilith; Wild Hunt

Herta
Also known as: Hertha; Erda; Eartha; Nerthus
Origin: Teutonic

Herta, mysterious Germanic goddess, was eventually demonized as a Queen of Witches, a leader of the Wild Hunt. Although little
information regarding Herta survives, her name remains sacred and familiar, as it is the one given our planet, Earth. Tacitus called Herta
Mater Terra: "Mother Earth." Archaeological evidence suggests that Denmark was the epicenter of her worship. Herta possessed a
sanctuary amid groves on Rügen Island, in the Baltic Sea, now modern Germany, but once ruled by Danes. Rügen's highest point is still
called Hertaburg. Ruins of Hertha Castle near Herta Lake on Rügen Island are believed to be remnants of her shrine.
Herta has apparently not left home. According to local lore, a beautiful woman emerges from the woods on full-moon
nights to bathe in Herta Lake accompanied by female attendants. Once in the water, they may become invisible but are heard
splashing. They eventually reappear to disappear back into the woods. These spectral bathers do not welcome company. It is
considered dangerous to witness them. Allegedly observers feel magically compelled to enter the deep lake where they drown.
Local rumor says that at least one person drowns annually, suggesting that Herta may be collecting human sacrifices.

According to Roman reports, the statue of Herta was ritually removed from her shrine and bathed in the lake several times a year.
Herta's rites were secret and little else is known. (Whether they were always secret or whether secrecy increased under Roman threat is
also unknown.) Allegedly most ritual attendants were drowned following fulfillment of their tasks, although whether as sacrifices to Herta
or whether to maintain secrecy (to make sure they'll never reveal her secrets) is also now unknown.
She appears in Norse mythology as Nerthus (Earth), sister-wife of Njord (Sea). The Vanir practice marriage between siblings similar
to the ancient Egyptians (Isis and Osiris; Set and Nephthys). Njord and his children, Freya and Freyr, went to live in Asgard as Vanir
representatives/hostages. Nerthus is his first wife and their mother, but because the Aesir disapprove of marriage between siblings, she
remained behind on her island sanctuary. (Alternatively she just didn't want to go.) Eventually, Odin, that inveterate traveler, came
calling: the result was the Valkyries, daughters of Nerthus and Odin, representing the true union of Aesir and Vanir.
M anifestation: In her later guise as witch-goddess, Herta rides a deer crowned with hops. She uses a stalk of valerian as a riding
crop. (Both plants are profound sedatives and sleep-inducers.)
Sacred date: One of her ancient festivals coincided with the vernal equinox.

Sacred site: Rügen Island in the Baltic Sea: a deep black lake on the island was once surrounded by beech forests. Herta's sacred
grove was allegedly beside this lake.
See also: Aesir; Arsinoe; Freya; Freyr; Gaia; Isis; Nephthys; Njord; Odin; Osiris; Set; Valkyrie; Vanir; Wild Hunt

Hesperides

The Sunset Ladies; The Western Women
The Hesperides, beautiful goddesses of the sunset, preside over romance and conjugal pleasures, especially the honeymoon night.
They are entrusted to be the keepers of the sacred, priceless treasures belonging to the Olympian spirits.
The Hesperides are most famous as the Nymphs who tend a fragrant paradise garden where they guard Hera's apple tree that bears
the golden apples of joy (in contrast to the apple of discord wielded by Greek goddess Eris). Among the hopeless labors assigned to
Heracles was to steal apples from this tree, guarded by a hundred-headed dragon as well as the Hesperides. (Allegedly, Hera assigned
Ladon the dragon to this task as she does not entirely trust the Hesperides who, rumor has it, sometimes snack on her apples.)
There may be three Hesperides or as many as nine. Depending on the source, the spirits named as Hesperides include Aegle,
Arethusa, Asterope, Chrysothemis, Erythea, Hespera, Hesperia, Hesperethusa, and Lipara.
The parentage of these sister spirits is subject to dispute:
• They may be the daughters of Hesperus, Lord of the Evening and an unnamed (or no) mother.
• They may be the daughters of Atlas and the goddess Hesperis, Lady of the West
• Alternatively they are the children of Eos and Astraios
• Nyx may be their sole parent or she may have conceived them with Erebus
• Their parents may be Keto and Phorkys or Themis and Zeus
Although the Hesperides are usually described as caretakers, the paradise grove in which they dwell is called the Garden of
the Hesperides: they may he its owners and rulers. Depending on his parentage and theirs, Ladon, the garden's resident dragon
may he their brother.

The name "Hesperides" derives from a root word indicating "west", the direction of the sun set and the location of their paradise
grove. Some perceive the Garden of the Hesperides as a spirit realm. Others, however, identify it as being earthly and located in what is
now southern Spain or in Morocco, near the cities of Tangier and Larache, regions that would both be considered extremely westerly
by the ancient Greeks.
The Hesperides are snake goddesses of erotic delights. Invoke their help in matters of seduction, true love, and lasting romantic

happiness. The sunset that they rule may be understood literally or metaphorically. The Hesperides may be goddesses of people in the
"sunset of their lives." The Garden over which the Hesperides preside may or may not be an afterlife realm of eternal youth comparable
to Celtic Avalon, the island of the apples.
Favored people: Brides, bridal consultants, gardeners, perfumers, snake charmers
M anifestation: The Hesperides are described as being very beautiful. They are said to have enchanting, soothing voices and
allegedly take great pleasure in singing.
Iconography: The Hesperides are virtually always depicted with a tree and a snake or dragon. They appear on ancient coins and
on Greek vase paintings. Among the more recent artists inspired to paint their portraits are Edward Burne-Jones (1833–1898) and
Frederic Lord Leighton (1830–1896).
Animal: Snakes and dragons
Constellation: Seven Hesperides sisters are associated with the constellation now more familiar as Ursa Minor, the Little Bear.
(Ursa Major, the Great Bear, was associated with Hera's apple tree.) The Hesperides are also associated with the wing of the
constellation Draco, which is identified with Ladon, the dragon.
Offerings: Images of snakes and apples
See also: Astraios; Atlas; Callisto; Eos; Eris; Hera; Heracles; Idun; Keto; Ladon; Nymph; Nyx; Phorkys; Themis; Zeus

Hestia
Origin: Greece

Hestia is the goddess of hearth fire and the presiding spirit of the home. (Although typically described as a goddess of the hearth,
Hestia is technically the goddess of the fire in the hearth: contained, controlled, ritual fire.) She was worshipped at home but every town
and city also had its own official sacred hearth where she was tended and venerated.
Hestia is consistently the first of the Olympian spirits invoked. The first part of every sacrifice was offered to her. She bears a
reputation as the kindest of all Olympian spirits. She protects the inhabitants of homes, enforces hospitality, and may be invoked for fire
safety. She is a benevolent deity, quiet, humble, and modest, but exceptionally powerful. She figures in few myths. Both Apollo and
Poseidon sought to marry or at least romance her, but she turned both down, vowing to remain solitary and autonomous. Hestia is so
powerful that both these notorious rapists graciously took "no" for an answer.
Hestia is considered both the eldest and youngest of Rhea and Kronos' children. As the firstborn, she was the first to be
swallowed by Kronos and thus the last to be disgorged or reborn .

Hestia is venerated beside the hearth, stove, or other major source of fire. There were only twelve thrones on Olympus, so when
Dionysus was incorporated into the pantheon, there was no seat for him. No game of musical chairs, argument, or jockeying was
necessary: Hestia automatically rose and sat beside the hearth, where she is happiest, giving her throne to Dionysus. Hestia's fire is
never permitted to go out except in ritual. It must then be ritually relit. Offerings may be respectfully placed directly into her flames.
Comic book superheroine Wonder Woman wields a weapon called the Golden Lasso that radiates a magic aura, the Fires
of Hestia, which compels those caught within it to be truthful.

Iconography: A gracious, regal, modestly dressed mature woman wearing a veil
Attribute: Kettle
Element: Fire
Plant: Vitex agnus-castus
See also: Agni; Amphitrite; Apollo; Dionysus; Gabija; Kronos; Olympian Spirits; Poseidon; Vesta

Hiiaka

Origin: Polynesia
Hi'iaka is best known as volcano goddess Pelé's little sister but she is a powerful goddess in her own right. Hi'iaka is a brilliant
magician capable of detecting and deflecting virtually all magical tricks, surprises, and dangers. She is a benevolent spirit who helps
people, offering warnings in times of danger. Devotees seek her protection against all forms of harm. Hi'iaka is a healer and botanist
with such profound knowledge of plants that she was allegedly able to use them to return the dead to life. She is invoked for miracle
cures.

Hi'iaka, daughter of Haumea and Kane, was conceived in Polynesia. Pelé transported her to Hawaii, carrying Hi'iaka carefully in
the form of an egg. Her full name is Hi iaka-i-ka-poli-o-Pele, "Hi'iaka Cradled in Pelé's Bosom." Hi'iaka was Pelé's favorite sister.
(An alternative myth suggests that Hi'iaka is really Pelé's secret child.)
Pelé treated Hi'iaka as her most trusted servant, but eventually Hi'iaka asserted her independence. Hi'iaka is the presiding goddess
of the Hawaiian Islands and among the spirits presiding over hula.
M anifestation: A beautiful, graceful dancer
Color: Red
Sacred plants: 'Ohi'a lehua tree (Metrosideros macropus ); pala'a or lace fern (Sphenomeria chinensis)
See also: Haumea; Kane; Kapo; Laka; Pelé

Hidden Company
Hidden Company is the name given the discarnate spirits of witches and occult masters serving as spirit guides. They are not
dissimilar in function from the Ascended Masters of Theosophy but their orientation and origins are different. The Hidden Company
guides and protects those who pursue visionary and magical paths. They are fonts of spiritual and occult wisdom. Members of the
Hidden Company may be channeled by mediums or contacted via divination. They also appear in dreams and visions. Because
occultists were persecuted and exterminated for millennia, the membership of the Hidden Company is legion. Masters of their field,
many can reveal information regarding suppressed or destroyed spiritual traditions and magical arts.
See also: Ascended Masters; Caboclos; Great White Brotherhood

Hidden Masters of Wisdom
See: Ascended Masters

Hina
Origin: Polynesia

Hina is the moon. She has countless aspects, but her lunar connection remains consistent. Allegedly when the moon is full and
shining, you can see Hina sitting on its surface making tapa cloth from the branches of the lunar banyan tree. Hina rules the procreative
powers of women.
Hina is the subject of complex, mythic cycles. There are multiple Hinas or aspects of Hina who may or may not all be one. Hina is the
first woman. She is the guardian of the land of the dead. Hina dispenses both life and death.
The different aspects of Hina include:
• Hina-Hau-One: "The Earth-Formed Girl," the very first woman, created by Kane from red beach sand
• Hina-Titama: "Dawn Maiden," first child of Hina-Hau-One and Kane
• Hina-Nui-Te-Po: "Great Goddess of Darkness
• Hina of the Scented Herbs, who is invoked by firewalkers during fertility rituals
• Hina Lau Limu Mala:mermaid Hina, most gorgeous of all mermaids, who lives on the sea floor
• Hina-the-Canoe-Pilot: who sailed off around the world with her brother; once, during a full moon, she visited the moon and
liked it so much that she stayed, evolving into:
• Hina the Watchwoman: guardian of travelers
Favored people: Hina is the matron of all artisans, especially those who create crafts traditionally associated with women; she is
the matron of women in childbirth and guardian of the dead. Hina is also the matron of traditional healers (kahuna) who specialize in
medicines derived from the sea.
M anifestations: Woman, mermaid, coral reef
Spirit ally: Ku
Trees: Banyan, breadfruit tree
Plant: Sweet potato
Creature: Anae (mullet), dogs
Bird: Mud hen
Tree: 'Ohi'a lehua (Metrosideros macropus )
Offerings: Lei made from 'ohi'a lehua flowers.
See also: Haumea; Kane; Ku

Ho Hsien-Ko

Ho, the Fairy Lady
Also known as: Ho Sin-Ko; Hosinko
Ho Hsien-Ko, one of the Eight Immortals, was a seventh-century CE shopkeeper's daughter from Hunan. She was born with six
golden hairs marking her as a unique and blessed child. When she was a little girl, she met what is described as "an eccentric" who gave
her a magical peach. She ate it and was never hungry again, nor did she require food. Furthermore, she developed clairvoyant powers
and was able to reveal people's fortunes. A shrine was built for her, and Ho Hsien-Ko was worshipped as a living goddess.

When she was about fourteen years old, a Fairy appeared in her dream and showed her how to eat Cloud Mother Powder, made of
moonbeams and powdered mother-of-pearl, a diet alleged to produce immortality. The dream was so vivid that Ho Hsien-Ko followed
the Fairy's directions. She discovered that she could fly. She wandered the hills alone, flying up into the mountains to gather fruits,
mushrooms, and other treats for her parents. Once she got lost in the woods where she was threatened by a demon, but Lu Tung-pin
arrived with his magical sword to rescue her. Her parents loathed her wandering ways and strange behavior. A marriage was arranged
for her, but on her wedding night, only a poem and her shoes could be found. Ho Hsien-Ko had disappeared.
Eventually a Taoist monk came to her parent's house requesting her shoes, and her parents learned that she was in residence in a
monastery. She had stopped eating entirely and spoke so profoundly no one could understand her. News of this strange young adept
traveled to the royal court. Ho Hsien-Ko was summoned to the court of Empress Wu (625–705 CE). She began the journey with the
palace guards sent to escort her (to ensure her arrival), but Ho Hsien-Ko disappeared en route, vanishing from the middle of the road,
right before their eyes.
She reemerged as one of the Eight Immortals and has periodically been encountered in different times and places, sometimes in
company with the goddess Ma Gu.
• Ho Hsien-Ko is invoked to assist with domestic issues.
• She is the matron of those who sometimes long to disappear.
Attributes: Lotus, fly whisk, basket filled with herbs and wild fruits, large bamboo ladle containing peaches and mushrooms of
immortality
See also: Bao Gu; Eight Immortals; Lu Tungpin; Ma Gu

Hokhma
Also known as: Hochma; Chochma

Origin: Jewish
Hokhma, which literally means "wisdom," names a sephira (rung) on the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. It is also the name of a sacred
being who may be a goddess or the feminine aspect of the
Creator who encompasses male and female. In some contexts she is regarded as God's wife, although whether this is meant literally
or in an abstract, esoteric sense is subject to debate.
Various biblical references to "wisdom" may be interpreted as the abstract concept of wisdom or may be a feminine name. Thus, "the
Lord by Wisdom founded the Earth" (Proverbs 3:19) and especially Proverbs 8, "Wisdom's Call," may indicate the existence of a
sacred being named Wisdom ( Hokhma in Hebrew; Sophia in Greek). A huge philosophical argument erupted regarding whether
Hokhma was an independent being or an aspect of God.
Hokhma, an independent being, plays a significant role in Jewish Gnosticism: she is a partner in Creation. In one version, God and
Hokhma together created the seven archons out of chaos. The Archons formed people who crawled about Earth like worms until
Hokhma endowed them with souls and wisdom. When things went badly on Earth, it was Hokhma who sent the flood. In attempts to
serve (and save) humanity, Hokhma sent seven prophets beginning with Moses and ending with Ezra.
Hokhma may or may not be the same spirit as the Shekhina, Asherah, or Anat-Yaho. Biblical references to Hokhma are consistently
female. However, the Kabbalists identify Hokhma as a male sephira on the Tree of Life. Even though Hebrew has masculine and
feminine forms of words and Hokhma is clearly feminine, this sephira is conventionally classified as a male sphere of power. (Conspiracy
theorists perceive this as deliberate obfuscation.)
Favored people: Adepts, sages, scholars, pursuers of truth and wisdom
Number: 7
See also: Anat-Yaho; Asherah of the Sea, Lady; Shekhina; Sophia

Holler

Holder of the Oath Ring; The Silent One
Also known as: Oiler; Ull; Uller; Ullr; Vuldor
Origin: Norse
Holler is the Lord of Frost and King of Winter. He is a particularly primordial Norse deity, a mysterious, shadowy spirit. It's unclear
exactly where he sits on the Aesir/Vanir spectrum. Holler may be the son of Sif, the Golden-Tressed One. His father, if any, is
unknown, although some suggest that he is of Frost Giant descent. Holler's name may be related to "glory." He seems to have been
venerated throughout Scandinavia, the Germanic lands, and the British Isles. According to some myths, when Odin goes wandering, he
leaves Holler in charge of Asgard.
Holler is a master archer and hunter and a brilliant skier. Holler skis through the heavens, leaving stars in his wake. He controls the
Aurora Borealis. Holler is the lord of justice and dueling. Allegedly invoking his name before a duel brings good luck. When he's not
zipping over the snow on his skis, Holler travels in a ship made from bone.
Holler the Hunter has associations with death. His sacred tree, the yew, is a funerary tree, found in graveyards, not least because of
its poisonous berries. Holler may have hunted with poisoned arrows. He may be married to Hulda, weather goddess of birth and death.
Like her, he is now associated with the Wild Hunt. Post-Christianity, many of his functions seem to have been transferred to Saint
Hubert.
Favored people: Holler likes the ladies. Skiers love Holler, and he seems to love them right back.
Rune: Ihwaz
Tree: Yew. (Holler's home is Ydalir, Yew Tree Valley.)
See also: Aesir; Hulda; Jotun; Odin; Sif; Vanir; Wild Hunt

Hone-Onna

Bone Woman; Skeleton Woman
Classification: Yokai; Obake; Vampire
Origin: Japan
Men see a beautiful, alluringly dressed woman provocatively walking the streets and assume that she is a streetwalker. In fact, she is
not averse to a sexual relationship and may even initiate the tryst. She doesn't want money, though. What Hone-Onna seeks are lives.
She is, in fact, not a prostitute nor is her beauty real. It is an illusion, a magical glamour that she is able to cast in order to veil her true
identity. Hone-Onna is really an animated skeleton dressed in sexy clothes. She is a vampire but not the blood-sucking kind. HoneOnna drains men of their vital life essence during sex, leaving them desperately weakened, ill or even dead.
Maintaining the illusion of herself as a flesh-covered beauty may tire her. Once the man has been entrapped or after sex is over,
Hone-Onna usually abandons the illusion, allowing her true skeletal form to show.
Hone-Onna is a creature of the Yin world, the world of ghosts. She craves yang energy, absorbed via sexual intercourse with men.
She is not otherwise aggressive, although she can be scary. Hone-Onna may chase away those who do not serve her purposes such as
women or men already in a weakened state by allowing her true form to be seen. Generally, people freak out and flee, allowing HoneOnna to hunt for more desirable victims.
Once engaged in sex with her, there is little one can do to protect oneself. The best course is avoidance. (Hone-Onna solicits and
seduces but she does not rape. Her victims are initially willing.) Stories of Hone-Onna are used as cautionary tales to encourage young
men to avoid prostitutes or at least unfamiliar ones.
Hone-Onna is among the Yokai portrayed by 18 th century artist Toriyama Sekien. She is a major and sympathetic character in the

21st century Japanese anime Hell Girl, which creates a mythos for her. Originally an abused, exploited, and finally murdered woman,
Hell Girl's Hone-Onna becomes a vampiric Yokai en route to becoming a sometimes compassionate spirit of justice and vengeance.

M anifestations: Hone-Onna may temporarily appear as a beautiful woman but eventually reveals herself as a skeleton instead.
Alternatively, parts of her body may retain the guise of living flesh while other parts appear cadaverous with visible bones and rotting
flesh.

See also : Aisba Qandisba; Diablesse; Harionna; Hel; Hsi Wang Mu; Huli-Jing; Kuchisuke-Onna; Obake; Vampire;
Wanyudo; Yokai; Yuki Onna

Horae

The Hours

Also known as: Horai
The Horae are the joyous goddesses of the seasons. Daughters of Zeus and Themis, they are spirits of abundance. The Horae
organized the seasons and devised the earliest calendar, establishing the length of months, weeks, days, minutes, and hours. They are the
goddesses of the correct moment, spirits of perfect timing.
They are the truthful ones who guard the gates of Olympus. Although described as the daughters of Zeus, legends suggest that they
were the ones who raised Hera. (It's been theorized that they were originally only Themis' possibly parthogenic daughters. Later, when
paternity became significant, Zeus was incorporated into the myth.)
In their earliest manifestations, there were only two or three Horae. (Some regions recognized two; others three.) Eventually,
however, more joined them until there were twelve Horae. They are closely allied with Hera, Aphrodite, and Dionysus:
• The Horae open the gates of the sky for Hera.
• Hera can allegedly be contacted via the Horae. Contact them first and request that they intercede.
• The Horae are among those who greeted and clothed Aphrodite when she rose from the sea.
• They dance in the entourage of Dionysus.
• The Horae are Dionysus' partners in viniculture, responsible for the ripening of grapes.
The blessings of the Horae are invoked on brides, weddings, and children.
M anifestation: The Horae are beautiful, flower-bedecked, youthful dancing women.
See also: Aphrodite; Dionysus; Hera; Olympian Spirits; Persephone; Polyboea; Themis; Zeus

Horus

The Enchanted One
Also known as: Haroeris; Haru-Er
Origin: Egypt
Horus, son of Isis and Osiris, embodies multiple archetypes:
• He is the prophesied savior.
• He is the Divine Child, whose safety must be ensured at all cost.
• He is the crowned, conquering child hero.
• He is the heroic warrior who battles for his birthright.
• He is the wise, just ruler.

By the Fifth Dynasty, if not before, Egyptians were producing white and red wines known as the Left and Right Eyes of
Horus, respectively.

Horus is a solar spirit from the Nile Delta worshipped in the form of a falcon. The sun and moon are his eyes. His name derives from
a root word indicating "shiny-faced": he is a warrior spirit of light. Horus serves as intermediary between people and spirits. He leads
souls into the presence of his father, Osiris, Lord of Death. Although Horus has wives, he rules alongside his mother, Isis. Horus may be
invoked to intercede with his mother or vice versa.
The image of Horus in his mother's arms or nursing from her breast may be the prototype for the beloved image of
Madonna and Child. Horus is of en depicted dominating or killing serpents, crocodiles, and hippopotami, animals sacred to his
rival and nemesis, Set. An image of Horus on horseback spearing Set may be the prototype for the image of Saint George and
the dragon.

That's the myth. Scholars have other theories. Horus may be a primordial deity who, alongside Hathor, Thoth, and Ammon, ranks
among the eldest of Egyptian deities, older than his "parents," Osiris and Isis. Vestiges of ancient myths suggest that he was self-created.
The name "Horus" hasalso become a general term for Egypt's many falcon deities. They have become so intermingled that it's difficult
to disentangle their myths leading to further confusion regarding the "true" Horus.
Iconography: Horus is depicted in many forms:
• A falcon
• A child wearing the sidelock of youth
• A baby in Isis' arms
• A virile, falcon-headed man
Tree: Acacia
Birds: Falcon, hawk

Offerings: Famed Egyptologist Omm Sety is described as leaving raw meat for hawks and falcons as a method of making offerings
to Horus.
See also: Ammon; Harpokrates; Hatbor; Isis; Osiris; Set; Thoth
The image of the Eye of Horus is worn, carried, or tattooed as a protective amulet against danger.

Horus the Elder
Also known as: Haroeris; Haru-Er
Origin: Egypt
Horus the Elder may or may not be the same spirit as Horus, son of Isis. He may be the oldest form of Horus. This Horus is
described as the brother of Osiris, Set, Nephthys, and Isis, the fifth wheel among those two married couples. Horus the Elder is the
husband of Hathor (and sometimes her son, too). He was the patron deity of Upper Egypt (southern Egypt). He is the archetypal king.
The sun and moon are his eyes.

See also: Hatbor; Horus; Isis; Nephthys; Osiris; Set

Hosogami
Origin: Japan
Classification: Kami
Hosogami are smallpox spirits. ( Hoso is smallpox in Japanese.) For safe recovery to health, the Hosogami must be soothed,
propitiated, and sent on their way. Hosogami are pleased to see the color red. Physicians were glad to see the color red, too:
• Purple smallpox rashes indicate the illness is in a dangerous stage.
• If and when rashes turn red, the patient is expected to recover.
The person suffering from smallpox and those caring for him dressed in red to appease the Hosogami. In addition, "red prints" or
hoso-e prints, paper wall amulets were posted at the first hint of smallpox to propitiate, avoid, and/or banish the illness. They're called
"red" because that's the primary color of these prints. If no print is available, red banners may suffice. Following the patient's recovery,
these prints were traditionally ritually burned or floated down rivers to signal the departure of the spirit. Extremely few survive and these
are now extremely valuable collector's items.
Daruma and Shoki possess the power to expel Hosogami and are among the spirits portrayed on red smallpox talismans.

Color: Red
Offerings: Rice with red adzuki beans
See also: Daruma; Kami; Shoki

Hotei
Also known as: Ho Tei; Hoteison

Hotei is one of the Shichi Fukujin, Japan's Seven Spirits of Good Luck. Hotei is the spirit of wealth, joy, and contentment.
(Sometimes he is the spirit of being content with what you have; other times he is the distributor of extra luck and wealth.) People love
him because he has the reputation of being an exceptionally generous provider, but Hotei represents more than just material wealth: he is
the spirit of the joy of life; the many treasures that can't be counted or quantified.
Hotei epitomizes the phrase "fat and happy." His joy is infectious. Hotei is envisioned as a Chinese Buddhist priest and may be based
on an actual historic Zen master who lived in China sometime between the sixth and tenth centuries CE. After death, he was venerated
as the Lord of Good Fortune. A laughing, fat, bald man, his images are often mistaken for those of Buddha. References to the "Laughing
Buddha" may actually indicate Hotei.
Favored people: Fortune-tellers, diviners, bartenders
M anifestations: Hotei is a merry, laughing fat man with a big belly carrying an equally big bag of rice. He has very long ears: the
better to hear your petitions with but also indicative of his wealth. Heavy valuable earrings have stretched out his lobes. Hotei is
surrounded by lots of happy, laughing children. (He's a fertility deity, too.)
Iconography: Rub the fat belly of Hotei's statue for good luck, prosperity, and wealth.
Attributes: He holds a fan in one hand and a big, full bag in the other.

M ount: Hotei rides in a cart pulled by happy, healthy, rambunctious children. (Pulling his cart is not a chore: they're having fun and
so is he.)
See also: Buddha; Buddha, Laughing; Shichi Fukujin

Hsi Wang Mu

Queen Mother of the West; The Western Mother; Golden Mother of the Shining Lake; The Tiger Lady; The Amah of
Tortoise Mountain; Queen of the Western Paradise

Also known as: Xi Wang Mu; Seiobo (Japan)
Hsi Wang Mu, the Western Mother, may be the most ancient surviving Chinese goddess. The reference to her as "Mother" indicates
her stature, not necessarily her nature. Hsi Wang Mu is not particularly maternal. She is not a "mother goddess," nor is she a sex or love
goddess but a spirit of supreme female authority. Hsi Wang Mu epitomizes Yin. She is Ultimate Yin: the very essence of female power.
Her associations with the West are no coincidence: in China, west, the wild frontier, is the direction of Paradise, mysticism, mystery,
and danger. Hsi Wang Mu is a goddess of alchemy, shamanism, magic, and esoteric, hard-won wisdom. The creatures with which she
is closely associated (tigers, magpies, crows, foxes) all have profound associations with magic and sorcery.
Like the alchemist that she is, Hsi Wang Mu has experienced numerous permutations. The earliest documented description of her
appears in the book The Classic of the Mountains and the Seas , variously dated from the fourth to second centuries BCE: she is a
fierce tiger-woman with tiger's teeth, a leopard's tail, and a woman's wild, tangled hair, described as presiding over Catastrophes from
the Sky and the Five Destructive Forces.
However, veneration of Hsi Wang Mu may date back at least as far as 1400 BCE. She may originally have been the deified tribal
ancestress and shamanic leader of a northwestern tribal people perceived by the Chinese as exceedingly ferocious (that tiger). Evolving
into an extremely important shamanic goddess and extending her terrain, the Tiger Lady was adopted into the early Taoist pantheon.
(An Eastern Mother once existed, too.)
Shamanism was once extremely prominent in China. However, in response to Confucianism, deities associated with
shamanism either transformed or were marginalized, essentially left out in the cold .

Exceedingly prominent during the early stages of Taoism, especially in northeastern China where she was credited with ending a huge
drought in the third century BCE, by the third century CE, Hsi Wang Mu underwent a profound transformation at least partially in
response to the rise of Confucianism, which actively ridiculed and attacked shamanism. Her tigress characteristics were shed; Hsi Wang
Mu emerged as an elegant, regal queen.
Despite her transformation, she was too strongly associated with shamanism to ever be completely accepted by the new order. Hsi
Wang Mu presides over her own paradise in the West, where she is the keeper of the peaches of immortality, fruit that ripens only every
three thousand years. She throws a huge party in conjunction with the harvest: all the deities are invited. If they wish to renew their
immortality, they must attend.
Hsi Wang Mu remained the highest ranking female deity through the Tang Dynasty (618–917 CE), venerated by men as well as
women, but she would eventually be completely eclipsed by Kwan Yin. She remains the highest ranking Taoist female spirit, a role
model for Taoist adepts and priestesses. Hsi Wang Mu presides over sacred arts: meditation, visualization, Tantric sexual techniques,
alchemy, elixirs, and breathing exercises. Her epithet "Mother of the Golden Tortoise" indicates her associations with ancient
tortoiseshell divination. She is a goddess of life, death, rebirth, and eternal life.
Hsi Wang Mu's paradise is on Mount Kunlun, which Taoism perceives as the world axis (
axis mundi ): the crossroads between
Earth and the celestial zones. In her wild tigress days, she lived in a cave but now presides over a magical Fairy court in a palace
constructed entirely of jade beside a Turquoise Pond. Her Western Paradise is also an afterlife realm where dead souls reside. "To go
attend Hsi Wang Mu" was once a euphemism for death. Funeral banners still read "See you again at Turquoise Pond!"
No need to wait for those peaches to ripen. Hsi Wang Mu is a supreme alchemist: she knows the formals for the elixir of immortality.
She maintains a registry of everyone who has attained immortality.

• Hsi Wang Mu controls and bestows immortality.
• Hsi Wang Mu mediates between people, spirits, and ghosts.
• She arranges sacred marriages between Taoist priestesses and adepts.
Hsi Wang Mu appears in visions and dreams. The Jade Maidens may convey messages for her.
Favored people: Alchemists and jade carvers; Hsi Wang Mu is also a matron of women, but especially those who live outside
standard family boundaries: adepts, priestesses, fortunetellers, nuns, novices, "singing girls," courtesans, prostitutes, sexual entertainers,
and deadwomen. Although Taoist tradition encourages transmission of wisdom between genders (from male to female to male and so
forth), Hsi Wang Mu personally instructs female adepts.
M anifestations: A regal, beautiful, powerful queen, Hsi Wang Mu wears yellow damask (in China, the color yellow was once
reserved for the highest royalty only) and a diamond seal around her waist. She is described as having a strong voice that resounds
when she shouts. She also whistles. She may also manifest as a white tiger or ride one. Hsi Wang Mu often appears accompanied by
packs of tigers and leopards.
Attributes: Peaches and mushrooms of immortality; whip; diamond seal worn around her waist; double-bladed sword
M ount: Hsi Wang Mu rides a carriage of purple clouds drawn by nine-colored dappled Chilin, the mythical animal sometimes
described as the Chinese unicorn
Spirit allies: Her servants include the Jade Maidens and the moon rabbit; her court is home to a host of beautiful Fairies.
Animal: White tiger; leopard; fox, especially nine-tailed fox
Birds: Red phoenix; white crane; three bluebirds serve as her messengers and servants; crows; magpies
Colors: White, yellow
Direction: West

Sacred site: Hsi Wang Mu has a small temple on Pu To Shan, Kwan Yin's sacred island. (Pu To Shan was sacred Taoist territory
before Kwan Yin's arrival.)
• Since 1980, the turquoise pond before the Taoist temple on sacred Mount T'ai has been called the "Queen Mother's Pond."

See also: Abka Hebe; Bau Gu; Chang'O, Lady; Eight Immortals; Fairy; Fox Spirits; Green Jade Mother; Hone-Onna;
Huli-Jing; Jade Maidens; Kumiho; Kwan Yin; Ma Gu; Primal Woman of the Nine Heavens; T'ai Shan, Lady; T'ai Shan, Lord;
Tzu Ku

Huehecoyotl

Old, Old Coyote
Origin: Aztec
Huehuecoyotl is a trickster spirit, Aztec lord of dance, music, and carnal delight. He can be a generous patron and is invoked for
rescue by those who have incurred the wrath of other spirits. He protects his devotees during battle and other dangers. He can reverse
or ameliorate a sad destiny or unfavorable horoscope. However, he is a prankster with a low threshold of boredom. Sometimes he stirs
up (serious) trouble just to keep himself entertained.
Huehuecoyotl loves a good party and has been known to throw some himself. Throw a party in his honor with lots of music and
dancing to get into his good graces. He may be a trickster, but he's a divine one who also possesses tremendous esoteric knowledge.
He signals his displeasure by causing wasting ailments, especially of the genitalia. He may be invoked to heal these ailments, too.
Favored people: Artisans; artists; feather workers; dancers; musicians; courtesans; harlots; sex workers; story tellers; women who

work fine embroidery and needlework; those people who can keep him consistently entertained
M anifestation: Huehuecoyotl has a coyote head atop a man's body.
Emblem: Drum
Number: 4 (He is the guardian spirit of the fourth day of the month in the Aztec calendar.)
Huitzilopochtli

Origin: Aztec
Huitzilopochtli, Lord of War, Spirit of the Sun, and supreme deity of the Aztecs, was the divine child conceived when Coatlique,
discovering a beautiful ball of feathers, tucked them into her apron. According to legend, her older children—moon goddess,
Coyolxauhqui, and the four hundred Star Brothers ( Centzon Huitznahua)—emblematic of an earlier pantheon, plotted to kill their
mother and her forthcoming child. That's the rationale given for why Huitzilopochtli's very first act at the moment of birth was to
decapitate Coyolxauhqui and dismember her.
Huitzilopochtli means "hummingbird from the left," the direction of the realm of spirits in Aztec cosmology. Hummingbirds,
although small, were perceived as fearless messengers, little warrior birds, who traveled between different realms .
When the Aztecs conquered Tenochtitlan, they inherited many deities from their predecessors in the region. Huitzilopochtli, however,
was their own special deity. According to legend, back when they were still ragged nomads, the Aztecs rested beneath a large tree.
Suddenly the tree cracked open and Huitzilopochtli emerged with directions for the Aztecs to set out on their own. He bestowed the
named Mexica on them, derived from Mexi, one of Huitzilopochtli's secret titles. ( Aztec derives from Aztlan, their mysterious point of
origin.) It is a pivotal moment of national identity: the emergence of a nation. The other tribes with whom they had shared their migrations
were left behind with Huitzilopochtli's sister, Malinalxochitl.
Huitzilopochtli vowed to lead the Mexica to a promised land. He led them to Coatepec Mountain near Tula, ancient capital of the
Toltecs, where he was miraculously born to Coatlique. The Aztecs celebrated a New Fire Ceremony there in 1163, approximately the
time Toltecs mysteriously abandoned the site approximately forty miles northwest of modern Mexico City. Scholars speculate that the
presence of the Mexica may have contributed to that abandonment.
Huitzilopochtli is the lord of literal warfare but also metaphork: he is the patron of those who fight personal and emotional
battles, too.

The Mexica spent the twelfth and thirteenth centuries wandering until, in 1345, Huitzilopochtli led them to Tenochtitlan, now known
as Mexico City. The need to provide Huitzilopochtli with human sacrifices fueled the Aztec propensity for warfare. As many as twenty
thousand were sacrificed when the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan was dedicated to Huitzilopochtli. Human sacrifices were flung down
the steps of his pyramid-temple, each one replicating the fall of his sister, Coyolxauhqui. (An image of her decapitated, dismembered
body lay at the base of the pyramid.)

M anifestation: Huitzilopochtli wears a helmet shaped like a giant blue-green hummingbird. He wears a belt of golden snakes.
There is a black mask dotted with stars around his eyes, and blue and yellow stripes painted onto his face. Huitzilopochtli was born with
a lame, withered left leg or possibly with the left leg in the form of a serpent. Aztec warriors were trained to advance with the right foot
and retreat with the left, and so Huitzilopochtli is incapable of retreat.
Iconography: Images of Huitzilopochtli were traditionally rendered in wood, not stone. Very few survive. His primary votive image
was smuggled out of Tenochtitlan and hidden in 1519 by Montezuma's son along with images of Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca.
Devotees consumed images of Huitzilopochtli formed from ground amaranth and honey. The ritual reminded the Spanish of the
Christian sacrament, and so cultivation of amaranth, an extremely nutritious grain, was forbidden for centuries.
Attributes: Dart, shield, fire serpent
Planet: Sun
M etal: Gold

Realm: Huitzilopochtli presides over Tonatiuhcan, House of the Sun, a realm of light, warmth, and love, home to souls of warriors
who died in battle. They accompany the sun across the sky from dawn until noon.
Sacred day: The Winter Solstice, his birthday
Colors: Turquoise blue, black
Birds: Hummingbird, quail
Animal: Snake
Flowers: Amaranth, nagvioli flowers
Offerings: Serpent dances were performed for him.
See also: Cbantico; Coatlique; Coyolxauhqui; Guadalupe; Malinalxochitl; Quetzalcoatl; Tezcatlipoca

Hulda
Also known as: Mother Holle; Frau Holle; Hulde

Origin: Teutonic
Hulda, a great and ancient goddess of birth and death, presides over a transit station for human souls, a crossroads between life and
death. Hulda receives the souls of the newly dead into her realm and releases newborns to live new lives on Earth. Hulda bathes at
midday in a fountain from which babies emerge, a well of life.
She was no unknown spirit but a prominent Northern European goddess. Holland is her namesake. Her name may be related to
"holy." Hulda lives in mountain caves and among elder trees, portals to her realm. Her realm may also be accessed via wells. She is
sometimes witnessed walking alongside rivers or mountain paths, alone or accompanied by an entourage of rabbits and Fairies. She may
be the Queen of the Elves.
Hulda is a weather spirit. When she shakes her feather bed, it snows on Earth. Rain falls from her laundry rinse water. Fog hovering
over a mountain may be smoke from Hulda's fire. She guards and nurtures all the growing things of the forest. She was a culturegoddess, too, credited with introducing flax to Europe and teaching the art of making linen.
Banished after official conversion to Christianity, people were forbidden to venerate or contact Hulda. (Those maintaining that
practice were branded witches.) Hulda was reclassified as a demon witch-goddess who attacked and harmed children.
She retains dominion over Pagan babies. People were urged to baptize their babies lest they end up in Hulda's realm. Mother Holle,
once so benevolent, was transformed into a monster. People warned their children that if they weren't obedient, Hulda would "get"
them.
Vestiges of rituals invoking Hulda's blessings on baby girls were retained by Ashkenazi Jews (the Hollekreisch), whether because
Pagan women found discreet safety in that community rather than convert to Christianity or because Jews perceived Hulda's
resemblance to Lilith. (Although the rituals survive, many would beshocked and horrified to realize that they invoke a Pagan goddess.)
Like Lilith, Hulda is not always so benevolent these days. She is a proud and resolutely Pagan spirit with little patience for hypocrites.
Hulda can bestow fertility but she can take it away, too. She has power over storms, raising them as well as soothing them. She can be
ambivalent toward people as demonstrated by Mother Holle, the Brothers Grimm fairy tale in which she stars. The theme involves
young girls who wander into Hulda's domain, either inadvertently or deliberately in anticipation of a reward. She rewards the girl who
respects her and follows her commands with effort and devotion but causes excrement to rain down upon the lazy, disrespectful girl.
M anifestations: A radiantly beautiful blond woman or a fierce old crone. In her guise as Queen of Witches, she has disheveled
hair and a wild look. She may also manifest as a woman when seen from the front but a tree from behind. She may be accompanied by
an entourage of torch-bearing rabbits who light her way.
Realms: The sky, underground, mountains, wells

Constellation: The Milky Way is the street she travels.
Spirit ally: Odin with whom she sometimes leads the Wild Hunt
Elements: Earth, air, water
Plants: Holly, elder, juniper, mugwort, flax; Sorcerer's Violet (Vinca major), sometimes called Frau Holle
Sacred animals: Wolves, rabbits
Color: White, blue
Time: The Winter Solstice is Hulda's feast day. The twelve days between 25 December and 6 January are sacred to her.
Offerings: She loves music and dancing.
See also: Befana; Bercbta; Elf; Freyr; Herta; Holler; Hulden; Lilith; Odin; Waldmichen

Hulden
Origin: Teutonic
The Hulden are German hill Fairies led by Hulda and serving as her entourage. Their fortunes have risen and fallen with hers. Once
upon a time, they were considered beautiful, volatile, but potentially generous dancing spirits. Post-Christianity they were reclassified as
malevolent female demons, the proverbial wicked Fairies. This may be propaganda intended to discourage contact and veneration.
Hulden should always be addressed respectfully. They can be helpful and friendly but have a tendency to be temperamental. They can
be punitive spirits, as well.
See also: Demon; Fairy; Hulda; Vila

Huli Jing
Origin: China
Huli Jing are Chinese fox Fairies. The term literally means "exquisite fox": they transform into beautiful, seductive young women and
engage in relationships with men. They are sexy spirits and may just be out for some fun, but once upon a time, Huli Jing engaged in
sacred marriages with Taoist adepts. Sex and occult knowledge were inseparably intertwined. During China's shamanic era and the
earliest days of Taoism, this was understood as a path to esoteric wisdom; however, as society became more conservative, and
especially in response to Confucianism, Fox Fairies received ever-worsening press.
Huli Jing are perceived as vampiric spirits. They're not bloodsuckers; instead they sap a man's life-force—his essence and aura—
through sex and orgasm. The relationship begins ecstatically but the man eventually wastes away, his energy totally depleted while the
energized Fox Fairy seeks more lovers to vampirize.This may be propaganda intended to discourage men from sacred spirit marriages.
Alternatively, the Huli Jing resent their bad press and have decided to live up to it.
Fox Fairies are shape-shifting spirits, supreme transformation artists. They can take on the form of a dead person familiar to their
target and thus ingratiate themselves or cause severe emotional trauma. They demonstrate anger and displeasure by causing insanity,
especially mental illness that manifests over generations in one family.
The Huli Jing are independent spirits, brilliant adepts. Sometimes they serve as karmic avengers. When not wandering Earth looking
for fun or mischief, many make their home in Hsi Wang Mu's Western Paradise. They do not become sorcerer's servants like their
Japanese compatriots. In modern Chinese, occult associations have been shed:Huli Jing may be translated as "gold-digger" or "slut."
See also: Fox Spirits; Hone-Onna; Hsi Wang Mu; Jade Maidens; Kumiho; Lady White; Neko Mata

Hutash

Origin: Chumash
Hutash, powerful deity, lived alone on Limuw Island, off the coast of California, now Santa Cruz Island. She was lonely; her husband
the Sky Snake, lived in the sky and so she decided to create people in her own image, forming them from magic seeds. Hutash took
good care of her people, the Chumash, teaching them skills and providing for them. They flourished, multiplied, and eventually Limuw
became crowded and noisy, so noisy that Hutash couldn't sleep and was irritated. She decided that some of the people must move to
the California mainland. Hutash created a very high, very long rainbow bridge on which the Chumash could walk from the tallest point
on Limuw to a tall mountain near what is now Carpinteria. Some made the journey with ease, but others, looking down, became
disoriented and dizzy and fell. Hutash did not want them to drown. She felt responsible: she had advised the journey and provided the
bridge, and so she transformed those who fell into dolphins.
The Rainbow Bridge by Audrey Wood (Voyager Books, 1995) is a lavishly illustrated retelling of this Chumash creation myth .
Sacred time: An almost week-long annual festival honoring Hutash is scheduled after the autumn harvest.
Sacred animal: Dolphin
Origin: Tibet
Classification: Arhat
Hvashang is one of the two Tibetan additions to the traditional list of sixteen Arhats. He is usually considered the eighteenth Arhat.
(Dharmatala is number seventeen.)
Hvashang serves and supports the sixteen Arhats. Unlike them, he was a layperson, not a Buddhist monk. Hvashang is a rotund,
cheerful, good-natured spirit often depicted surroundedwith children. His image is among those mistaken for the Laughing Buddha.
See also: Arbat; Buddha; Dbarmatala; Hotei

Hyacinth
Origin: Greece
Hyacinth is divine patron of gay lovers. Hyacinth is described as the youngest and most beautiful son of a Spartan king. Both Apollo
and Zephyr fell in love with him, but Hyacinth chose Apollo. (The Muse Erato lusted and competed for Hyacinth, too.) Zephyr came
upon the two playing a game of discus and in a blindingly jealous rage killed Hyacinth. Grief-stricken Apollo caused a plant to spring
from Hyacinth's spilled blood. This plant may or may not be the modern flower known as hyacinth, although it was called "hyacinthos."
Hyacinth was arrested at an eternally youthful stage. He is a spirit of joy, vigor, Earth's agricultural abundance, and musical skill.
The hyacinthos plant was used to delay male puberty, prolonging adolescence. It was a favorite of Greek slave traders, as
adolescent hoys were particularly valuable and brought a high price .

In life, Apollo tutored Hyacinth in sports, divination, and music. In death, Hyacinth transmitted this wisdom to people. He is the
conduit to Apollo's knowledge. A large statue of Apollo stood before Hyacinth's tomb. The two deities are venerated together. At the
annual Hyacinthus festival honoring Hyacinth as a deity, he naturally received the first offerings. The next offerings were made to Apollo.
His festival was not exclusively male: girls and women also played significant roles. Hyacinth is also venerated alongside his sister,
Polyboea.
Favored people: Gay lovers seeking happy romance, musicians
Attribute: A musical instrument: lyre or cithara

Offerings: Fruits, vegetables, flowers, cooked pork, and fava beans
See also: Apollo; Harpies; Muse; Polyboea; Zephyr

Hybla
Also known as: Ibla

Origin: Sicily
Hybla is an indigenous Sicilian spirit, a primordial goddess of the Siculi, the people for whom Sicily is named. She is a goddess of
abundance and fertility associated with mud volcanoes and mineral springs. Earthquakes and volcanic activity were understood to
indicate Earth's fertility: her contractions and labor pains. Hybla's shrines were centers of divination and dream interpretation. Her
priests were considered especially skilled dream interpreters. Sicilian women's mourning societies, banned by early Christians, are
believed to have derived from Hybla's rites. Greek colonists identified Hybla with Hera. The Sicilian city of Ragusa was once called
Hybla Heraia. Lower Ragusa is still known as Ragusa Ibla.
Iconography: Hybla's image, often veiled, appears on many Sicilian coins.
Sacred plant: Thyme
Sacred creature: Bee
Sacred sites: Various sites in Sicily were named for Hybla: Hybla Major, Hybla Minor,
Hybla Gereatis on the slopes of Mount Etna, and Hybla Heraia.
• Hybla's temple on Mount Etna reputedly contained a portal to the Underworld.
• The Hyblaean Mountains of southern Sicily are named in her honor.
Offerings: Honey, thermal mud, mineral water
See also: Aetna; Gaia; Hera

Hydra

The Gate Keeper

Origin: Greece
Hydra was the daughter of Echidna and Typhon and Hera's beloved foster child. She lived at the sevenfold source of the River
Amymone and haunts the neighboring swamps of Lerna. It was Hydra's job to guard the gates to Hades accessed through the waters of
Lerna.
Hydra has the torso of a canine with nine or more heads resembling snakes. One head is immortal. Her blood is poison. Heracles'
second labor was to kill Hydra. It's unclear exactly why Hydra was a target, but Hera, perceiving her as vulnerable, had posted a crab
to guard the gate guardian.
When Heracles knocked off one of Hydra's heads with his club, two more appeared in its place. The crab attempted to save Hydra
by attacking Heracles' foot but Heracles stomped on it, crushing the crab. Heracles needed help to destroy Hydra: he had his assistant
—his nephew, Iolaus—burn the necks of each head as Heracles lopped them off. The immortal head was buried far from her body.
Heracles dipped his arrows in Hydra's poison blood so that any wounds they caused would be fatal.
Hera placed the crab in the sky as the constellation Cancer. Hydra was placed in the sky as a constellation, too. With her body in the
sky and her immortal head secretly hidden in Earth, she survives. Her guardian powers can still be accessed.

The Whore of Babylon in the Book of Revelation is envisioned riding a seven-headed beast. Although the number of heads
doesn't exactly correspond, Hydra became associated with the Whore and hence the Anti-Christ and the Apocalypse.

Spirit ally: Hydra may be venerated alongside Hera.

Offerings: Once upon a time, lambs intended for Hydra were cast into the waters of Lerna by those seeking to pass through the
gates to Hades. Don't bother replicating the sacrifice: the gates at Lerna were not considered metaphoric. There was an actual, literal
opening to the Underworld. The sacred lake was drained and has vanished, as has the portal. However, images of lambs offered on an
altar may suffice to contact, propitiate, and reward her.
See also: Amymone; Echidna; Hades; Hera; Heracles

Hygeia

Hygeia is the goddess of good health and healing. She protects against all potential dangers to health. The word
hygiene derives
from her name. She is the daughter of divine healer Asklepios and may be venerated alongside her father. A theory exists that
Asklepios' family is cobbled together of various independent healing deities, who were then worshipped together as a mini- pantheon.
Although Hygeia is worshipped alongside her father, she is not particularly subordinate. (The Orphics claimed she was his wife.) She is a
goddess in her own right who works with Asklepios. She may also be venerated independently. First venerated at least as early as the
seventh century BCE, Hygeia's primary shrines included those at Epidaurus, Cos, Corinth, and Pergamon.
Iconography: Her statues were created by the most renowned sculptors of the time. Statues depict her standing alone, with her
father or her whole family (mother and siblings, too). Hygeia is traditionally envisioned as a beautiful young woman feeding a large snake
entwined around her, often from a vessel held in her hand.
Sacred animal: Snake
Offerings: People traditionally offered their hair to Hygeia in her shrines, attaching it to her statues. Clothing or fabric was
apparently attached, too.
See also: Asklepios; Fauna; Sara la-Kali; Telesforos

Hyotoko

The Fire Man; The Whistler
Also known as: Hiotoko, Usoboki
Origin: Japan

Classification: Kami
Hyotoko is the name of a spirit and the mask used to represent him. The very recognizable mask depicts a man with a contorted face.
His mouth may be pursed as if whistling or permanently grimacing on one side of his face.
Hyotoko is a kami of the hearth and oven. His grimacing face is caught in the act of blowing on coals to start or encourage a fire.
Someone in the world always needs a fire and so Hyotoko is always blowing. He is a human bellows. Hyotoko's companion is Okame.
Together, they protect homes and domestic happiness. Hang his mask near the stove or hearth for protection, fire safety, and good luck.

The ritual dance incorporating Hyotoko's mask has been performed for at least nine hundred years.

M anifestation: Hyotoko appears as a man of humble, plain appearance with furrowed brow, puffy cheeks, and bulgy eyes. His
mouth is pursed or contorted to one side or both. He is often in the company of Okame.
Attribute: The bamboo tube through which he blows to ignite or stimulate fire
See also: Kami; Okame

Origin: Greek
Hypnos, Lord of Sleep, is among the children of Nyx, Goddess of Night. He causes sleep by touching someone with his magic wand
or fanning them with his wings. Hypnos lives an insomniac's dream: a dark cave where the sun doesn't shine and the light can't waken
him. Beautiful opium poppies grow by the cave's entrance. He sleeps in an exceedingly comfortable feather bed surrounded by black
curtains to further block the light. His son/brother/servant, Morpheus, Lord of Dreams, makes sure that no one and no noise disturbs
Hypnos' slumber.
Hypnos lives with his twin brother and close companion, Thanatos, Lord of Death. The two often work together. Hypnos is
perceived asthe more tender-hearted, sympathetic of the brothers. One may appeal to Thanatos through him. Hypnos is served by the
Oneiroi, his sons and/or brothers, Spirits of Dreams.
Insomniacs—those who wish to sleep but cannot—can invoke Hypnos' aid.
M anifestation: A dark-winged man or a night bird

Iconography: He is usually envisioned as a naked, youthful man. Images of Hypnos were once popular cemetery monuments and
gravestone motifs.

Altar: Anything that disturbs sleep disturbs Hypnos: bright light, noise, and so forth. Keep his altar in a dark, quiet, restful place: a
closet, if need be.
Sacred plant: Opium poppies (Papaver somniferum)
Offers: Sleep-inducing incense, flowers, warm milk, anything that evokes sleep
See also: Morpheus; Nyx; Oneiroi; Somnus; Thanatos