Ways of Worship: Ate

The Greek Goddess of mischief, ruin, mad impulsion, rashness, delusion, infatuation, blind folly, and reckless impulse. In some lore she was the personification of these things but in other lore she was the personification of fatal blindness, folly, and recklessness that produces crime and was the goddess of the divine punishment that followed said crime. She’s a true chaotic evil as she could lead men and Gods to do evil and to the path of ruin. Ate was often described as a trickster who encouraged and enjoyed watching people self-destruct in rash and inconsiderate ways.

Depending on what lore you’re reading she’s either the eldest daughter of Zeus and Hera or Eris. Her siblings include Horcus, Ponos, Algea, the Hysminai, the Makhai, the Phonoi, the Androktasiai, the Neikea, the Pseudologoi, the Amphilogiai, Dysnomia, Limos, Litae, and Lethe. They were all (except the Litae) personifications of wrong doings or negative situations, such as pain, fights, murder, lies, and forgetfulness. She has one child, Peitho, the goddess or personification of seduction, persuasion, and charming speech. Her Roman name was Nefas or Error.

She was considered very fast mentally and physically. She was able to outrun her sisters the Litae or prayers who chased her in an attempt to undo some of her misdeeds or stop mortals from committing them.

Her only significant lore what her involvement in Hera's plot against Hercules. In this lore, Hera convinced Ate to make Zeus swear an oath that whatever mortal born that day with Zeus as the father would become a great ruler. Hera then delayed Hercules's birth and caused the premature birth of Eurystheus. Zeus was enraged and banished Ate from Mount Olympus, telling her to never return, and left Ate to wander among the mortals of Earth causing problems and ruin. She is also depicted as residing in Erebus, the deep hollows of darkness in the earth.

The Bibliotheca depicted her fall from Olympus. According to this lore she landed upon a peak of the Phrygia called by her name after she was cast out by Zeus. Later on that same spot Ilus founded Ilion, otherwise known as Troy.

In another myth Ate was convinced by Hera to persuade Ampelus to impress Dionysus by riding on a bull. He did, despite Dionysus being passionately in love with Ampelus already. Ampelus fell from the bull and broke his neck, dying instantly.

Despite her seeming unpopularity Ate has been depicted in a few classically known and modern stories. For instance, she was known as Ata and repeatedly mentioned by Homer and Aeschylus in the Iliad and the Theogony of Hesiod. Ate was also mentioned in Shakespeare's plays Julius Caesar and Much Ado About Nothing as a spirit of impending doom. She was also depicted as a punk-rock anarchist in the 2005 cartoon Class of the Titans as a villain, set to cause ruin to the heroes.

Symbols

General Symbol: Wind, wings, dagger, masks, knots, webs, silks

Food: Apple, wheat, olives, bread, wine, mulled ciders

Animals: Corvids but especially ravens, swan, falcons, fox, blue jay

Color: Purple, black, gold, white, grey, dark orange, red

Scents: Fall apples, winter wind, citrus, pine

Gemstones: Opal

Prayers

Things to Pray For: revenge against someone, to make someone infatuated with you, assistance in making a little trickery or mischief against someone, driving someone to recklessness/madness/ruin

There are no prayers that I could find to Ate, as most people don't want to attract her attention. Typically when I pray to a deity and can't find a prayer or don't have the opportunity to look for one I use their aspects to call to them. For instance, I might start a prayer to Ate by saying "Goddess of ruin, Goddess of crime, I beseech thee, come to cause strife" and go from there to ask for what I want. I also typically say things like "I call to you" if I want to draw their presence. I try to keep a tempo to my prayers but that's more of a personal preference then an actual rule.