arrhetos-koura:

The strophalos, or Hekate’s wheel, is an ancient Greek symbol and emblem of the goddess Hekate in her triple aspect.

This symbol is viewed as a connection to arcane knowledge or the soul’s journey through life as represented by a serpentine maze, with three main flanges whose fiery center appears to be rotating, drawing the psyche forward. The strophalos may also be considered a center of manifestation, “the life-producing bosom of Hekate, that Living Flame which clothes itself in Matter to manifest Existence.” When rotated and concentrated upon, the disc can alter one’s consciousness, allowing entry into the liminal state where Hekate dwells.

Another interpretation describes the strophalos as a labyrinthine serpent (symbolizing rebirth) surrounding a spiral, symbolic of the Iynges—“whirlings”—or emanations of divine thought. This represents the labyrinth of Hekate’s three-fold path and the goddess herself, who stands at the center where three roads cross. Traditionally, a Hekate-style labyrinth has a Y in the middle, rather than the typical X shape found at the center of most labyrinths.

The strophalos was also referred to as an iynx. It was used as a charm to attract lovers, spun as a devotional wheel and as a divinatory device. The iynx was the name of a bird: the wryneck, which was sacred to Hekate’s rites, given the task of transporting the magick into and out of manifestation. The word “jinx” is related to this Greek word. It was possibly used at some point as a thaumatrope, with the image of her labyrinth on one side and a bird or serpent on the other, then spun to merge the two images.

Another source describes the strophalos as a torus, often of jade, to which was attached a cord of sinew. When the strophalos was whirled over the heads of devotees, predators such as wolves would be spooked into the shadows. At the same time, its whirling produced a whistling hum that induced an altered state of awareness in worshipers.

Today, the strophalos is generally used by practitioners of Hellenic Recon or Dianic traditions of Wicca as an emblem of religious identification.

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