Why modern witches are making pilgrimages to an ancient Turkish temple

Krdo · May 07, 2026 · 1256 words · By CNN Newssource

Modern Paganism Cultural History Archaeology

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Why modern witches are making pilgrimages to an ancient Turkish temple By Ali Halit Diker, CNN (CNN) — Muğla in southwestern Turkey delivers exactly what travelers expect from this corner of the Mediterranean: sunlit coastlines, rugged mountains and the ruins…

Claims checked 15

Techniques found 1

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

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Center100%

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5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

Yet beyond these well-trodden attractions, it hides something far less familiar — a place that attracts a secretive, devoted stream of visitors for reasons that have little to do with rest and relaxation.

Common ground

About an hour’s drive north of the pretty coastal town of Akyaka sits Lagina, a site that’s home to the largest known temple dedicated to Hekate, a powerful Greek goddess associated with witchcraft, the moon, crossroads and communication with the dead.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Modern Paganism story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that the Romans rewarded the city by investing heavily in the Temple of Hekate, establishing the Hekatesia-Romania festival?
How does this story connect Modern Paganism with Cultural History over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://krdo.com/news/2026/05/07/why-modern-witches-are-making-pilgrimages-to-an…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

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Loaded Language 70% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 15 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 5

help Insufficient Evidence 3

check_circle Corroborated 3

cancel Disputed 1

verified Verified By Reference 1

verified Verified 1

info Single Source 1

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Claim 1: “the Romans rewarded the city by investing heavily in the Temple of Hekate, establishing the Hekatesia-Romania festival”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding the specific 'Hekatesia-Romania festival' or Roman investment specifically as a reward for support.

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Claim 2: “Stratonikeia supported the eventually victorious Romans.”

DISPUTED

The evidence shows a complex relationship: Mithridates VI actually imposed a fine and placed a garrison at Stratonikeia in 88 BCE, suggesting the city was under his control/coercion rather than simply supporting the Romans at that specific moment.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Asia (Ancient Greek: Ἀσία) was a Roman province covering most of western Asia Minor (Anatolia, Turkey), which was created following the Roman Republic's annexation of the Attalid Kingdom in 133 BC. Af…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asia_(Roman_province)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mount Harşena (Turkish: Harşena Dağı), is a mountain located in Amasya, the capital of the Amasya Province of Turkey. It has a height of 272 m (892 ft). Mount Harşena was added to the tentative list i…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Harşena

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Stratonicea (Hittite: 𒀜𒊑𒅀 Atriya, Ancient Greek: Στρατoνικεια or Στρατoνικη; or per Stephanus of Byzantium: Στρατονίκεια) – also transliterated as Stratonikeia, Stratoniceia, Stratoniki, and Stratonik…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratonicea_(Caria)

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “In the 1890s, it was one of the very first excavations conducted by Osman Hamdi Bey”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 4: “a young girl, known as the kleidouchos, or key-bearer, would carry a sacred key between Lagina and Stratonikeia, accompanied by a large choir.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent sources (CNN and a specialized academic source on key-bearers) explicitly describe the ritual of a young girl (kleidouchos) carrying a sacred key between Lagina and Stratonikeia accompanied by a choir.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Hecate ( HEK-ə-tee; Ancient Greek: Ἑκάτη) is a goddess in ancient Greek religion and mythology, most often shown holding a pair of torches, a key, or snakes, or accompanied by dogs, and in later peri…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hecate

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Lagina (Ancient Greek: τὰ Λάγινα) or Laginia (Λαγινία) was a town and religious centre in ancient Caria. It contained an important monumental temple of Hecate, at which great festivals were celebrated…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagina

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “They [the friezes] are housed in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum and the Muğla Museum.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 6: “Lagina grew in importance after around 88 BCE, at the time of a conflict between Rome and Mithridates, who ruled the kingdom of Pontus”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and other historical sources confirm the Mithridatic Wars began around 88 BCE between Rome and Mithridates VI of Pontus, coinciding with the historical timeline of the region's development.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Comana Pontica (Ancient Greek: Κόμανα Ποντική, romanized: Komana Pontika), was an ancient city located in ancient Pontus, on the river Iris, at modern Gümenek near Tokat in Turkey.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comana_Pontica

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ephesus ( EF-uh-suhs; Ancient Greek: Ἔφεσος, romanized: Éphesos; Turkish: Efes; may ultimately derive from Hittite: 𒀀𒉺𒀀𒊭, romanized: Apāša) was an ancient Greek city on the coast of Ionia, in present-…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephesus

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Nusaybin (pronounced [nuˈsajbin], Kurdish: Nisêbîn) is a municipality and district of Mardin Province, Turkey. Its area is 1,079 km2, and its population is 115,586 (2022). The city is populated by Kur…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nusaybin

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 7: “In early ancient texts like the poet Hesiod’s “Theogony,” Hekate is depicted as a deeply revered, supreme goddess”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including Wikipedia and academic guides, confirm that Hesiod's Theogony depicts Hekate as a goddess of great honor and cosmic significance.

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web search NEUTRAL — She is variously associated with crossroads, night, light, magic, witchcraft, and the Moon.[1][2][5] Her earliest appearance in literature was in Hesiod's Theogony in the 8th century BCE[6] as a godde…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hecate

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web search NEUTRAL — Hekate in Hesiod’s Theogony: Origins, Role, and Parentage.Hesiod preserves an image of Hekate as a goddess of immense scope, benevolent power, and cosmic significance. Her Thracian origins and role as…
https://www.hekatecovenant.com/post/hekate-in-hesiod-s-theog…

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web search NEUTRAL — Hesiod’s Theogony (c. 700 BCE) – The earliest literary source mentioning Hekate. Hesiod describes her parentage (daughter of Titans Perses and Asteria, or in some versions, daughter of Zeus) and exten…
https://magickalspot.com/hekate/

verified

Claim 8: “About an hour’s drive north of the pretty coastal town of Akyaka sits Lagina, a site that’s home to the largest known temple dedicated to Hekate”

VERIFIED

Web search results explicitly state that Lagina is home to the sanctuary of Hekate, which is the largest ever built for the goddess.

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web search NEUTRAL — A round stone altar dedicated to the goddess was found in the Delphinion (a temple dedicated to Apollo) at Miletus.The Athenian Greeks honoured Hecate during the Deipnon. In Greek, deipnon means the e…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hecate

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web search NEUTRAL — Lagina is home to the sanctuary of Hekate, the Greek goddess of witchcraft, magic and ghosts, the largest ever built for the goddess. Thanks to this cult sanctuary, Lagina was once the religious cente…
https://www.dailysabah.com/arts/excavations-reveal-history-o…

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web search NEUTRAL — Hekate, the goddess to whom it is dedicated, is not a goddess related to the well-known Olympian deities. Hekate is thought to be an Anatolian Goddess, who rules over the moon, night and darkness. She…
https://privatetourturkey.com/en/sanctuary-of-hekate-goddess…

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Claim 9: “His old mansion in the nearby village of Turgut is now a museum open to visitors.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 10: “Built primarily in the 1st century BCE over an older, smaller sacred site, the monumental temple featured an unusual blend of Ionic and Corinthian styles.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 11: “It is the only temple of this scale in the world built exclusively for the goddess Hekate”

SINGLE SOURCE

While sources confirm the temple at Lagina is the largest and very important, there is no specific evidence in the provided results confirming it is the 'only' temple of its scale built 'exclusively' for Hekate.

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web search NEUTRAL — Lagina or Laginia was a town and religious centre in ancient Caria. It contained an important monumental temple of Hecate, at which great festivals were celebrated every year.The Roman period saw the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagina

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web search NEUTRAL — The temple excavated in the city is located on an upper terrace to the south of the theater. Experts believe the building and its surroundings were also once part of the theater complex. The temple wa…
https://www.dailysabah.com/arts/excavations-reveal-history-o…

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web search NEUTRAL — The temple originally had eight columns on its shorter sides and 11 on the longer sides, contributing to its grandeur and symmetry. Lagina stood as one of the most important Carian sanctuaries, emphas…
https://greekcitytimes.com/2024/12/08/restoring-the-hekate-t…

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Claim 12: “the Covenant of Hekate, founded by d’Este, claims to have a global community of hundreds of members.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding the Covenant of Hekate or Sorita d'Este.

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Claim 13: “The two sites [Lagina and Stratonikeia] were once connected by the Sacred Way, a stone-paved road stretching just over eight kilometers, or five miles.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm the proximity of Lagina and Stratonikeia (approx 8.5km) and their religious connection, although the specific name 'Sacred Way' is a common descriptor for such ritual paths, the distance and connection are verified.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Aizanoi (Ancient Greek: Αἰζανοί), Latinized as Aezani, was an Ancient Greek city in western Anatolia. It was located at the site of the modern village of Çavdarhisar, near Kütahya, on both sides of th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aizanoi

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Greek temples (Ancient Greek: ναός, romanized: nāós, lit. 'dwelling', semantically distinct from Latin templum, "temple") were structures built to house deity statues within Greek sanctuaries in ancie…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Greek_temple

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 14: “Osman Hamdi Bey’s swift intervention prevented magnificent friezes found at the temple — which unusually depicted Amazon warriors in a state of peace rather than war — from being smuggled out to Austria.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 15: “Greek playwright Euripides, in his tragedy “Medea,” in which he portrays Hekate as a patron of dark magic and witchcraft.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided in the search results regarding Euripides' 'Medea' and its portrayal of Hekate.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.