Hedryhe
Goddess of the hearth, of gardens, and of the household's inward warmth.
Mythology
Hedryhe holds the flame at the centre of the house. In Circassian tradition the hearth chain hanging over the fire was the most sacred object a family owned; oaths sworn on it were unbreakable, and a bride was led three times around it to be joined to her new household.
She is not dramatic. Her domain is the small continuous warmth that makes a building into a home: the fire kept alive overnight, the garden by the door, the guest given the seat nearest the flame.
Sacred Correspondences
- ·Hearth and fire
- ·The hearth chain
- ·Kitchen gardens and herbs
- ·Marriage and joining a household
- ·Hospitality
- ·The kitchen and hearth
- ·The garden by the door
- ·The inside of the house at night
- ·A pinch of salt cast into the fire
- ·The first spoonful of a cooked meal
- ·Herbs from your own garden
- ·Keeping a flame lit through a cold night
- ·Ember orange
- ·Terracotta
- ·Herb green
- ·Three (the circuits of the hearth)
- ·One (the single flame)
- ·Never let the household fire go out through neglect.
- ·Do not quarrel, curse, or spit at the hearth.
- ·Do not turn away a guest who comes to your door in need.
- ·Do not swear falsely at the fire.
Establishing a Relationship
Hedryhe is met through housekeeping done attentively. Cook from scratch. Keep a candle, stove, or lamp as the fixed "hearth" of your home and treat that spot as an altar.
Grow something edible, however small, by your door. Invite people to eat at your table often; she is present in the meal offered, not the one eaten alone.
A Ritual
- 1Choose the fixed fire-place of your home: stove, fireplace, or a permanent candle.
- 2Clean the surface around it thoroughly before beginning.
- 3Light the flame from a single match and let it settle.
- 4Cast a pinch of salt into it and say: "Hedryhe, the fire is kept."
- 5Cook a simple meal at that flame. Set aside the first spoonful in a small dish beside it.
- 6Walk three slow circuits around the room, naming everyone who lives there.
- 7Share the meal with at least one other person. Put the offering dish outside at the end of the night.
Rituals presented here are respectful reconstructions drawn from ethnographic description and contemporary Khabze practice, compiled by an outsider for educational purposes. Practice varies by family, village, and diaspora community.