Hècate al drama àtic: invocacions i culte en tragèdia i comèdia

Abstract

The worship of chthonic or infernal deities is a very particular aspect of classical Greek religion where Hecate stands out. The infernal goddess is mentioned in Attic drama on various occasions, sometimes associated with the magical and the underworldly, sometimes with the more positive aspects of rites of passage and household protection. Through the analysis of primary sources —classical-era tragedy and comedy—, we will attempt, first of all, to systematize the allusions to Hecate in drama and to verify to what extent her real cult is represented, as well as her relationship with other chthonic gods. Second, we discuss the most significant passages in accordance to their context, in order to dillucidate the dramatic function of Hecate’s cult. Thirdly, with these data we will examine the similarities and differences detected in the corpus, both amongst dramatic subgenres and amongst authors, and thus discern how the characterization of the goddess evolves