More properly, Hekate is Ariste Chthonia, the Best of the Earthly Gods, a title shared by Demeter and Artemis. The root of ariste means excellence or prowess, and is the root of the English word Aristocracy.
There is decidedly little in the resources pertaining to this title, outside of a footnote in Cook’s opus on Zeus. But the Greeks talked a lot about the quality of excellence itself, and how it applied to both the Gods and humanity.
One Hesiodic text mentioned by Pindar says that “The Gods have placed sweat before excellence.” Meaning one must work to attain our best. (p. 120) In spite of the fact that the Ancient Greeks limited excellence to something for the aristocratic men to pursue (113), we are not beholden to such prejudices, and can believe that everyone is capable of working towards their personal best. This is not an interpretation that Plato, nor any other ancient Greek, would be comfortable espousing, but it is one that I believe strives closer to the Good than their own.
We need not be enslaved to every aspect of the old world in our reconstructions. Indeed, one can argue that being thus enamored of the past means embracing a lot of activities and beliefs that are frankly anathema to us today.
Aristotle in his Ethics expounds extensively on what it is to be excellent, and how to strive towards it. He believes that each skill and person has its unique excellence, which should be attained if at all possible. Further that excellence is a necessity for the good of the human soul. Thankfully, he admits that different situations call for different measures of excellence. One cannot assume that what is excellent for a child beginning school is the same as what it would be for an adult in their chosen field. Further, one’s actions, in order to be aimed at excellence, must follow the right reasons.
Some personal thoughts on excellence: As mortals we often struggle to attain excellence. Recent events have shown just how far we can fall away from our best. To be our best requires work. Hard, sweaty, sometimes boring work. It can hurt to get there. All of that is perfectly okay. We will fall short. We will fuck it all up. The important part is what we do with those shortcomings. Do we retreat and abuse ourselves for it? Or do we use those moments as stepping stones across the difficulties? Mistakes are part of life, and a necessary part of being our best. We needs must pick ourselves up, do what we can to make amends if necessary, and always strive to be better. Not better than others, better than our prior selves. This is a huge part of the Work, and it will span multiple lifetimes, but we can do it.
Sources:
Lsj.translatum.gr
Anton, John Peter, George L. Kustas, Anthony Preus, eds. Essays in Ancient Greek Philosophy IV: Aristotle’s Ethics, SUNY, 1971.
Cook, A.B. Zeus: A Study in Ancient Religion, Vol. 2, Part 2, Cambridge, 2010.
Stamatopoulou, Zoe. Hesiod and Classical Greek Poetry: Reception and Transformation in the Fifth Century BCE, Cambridge, 2017.
The Carving Witch 