Divine Justice

The play being staged at the magnificent theater of Ephesus, capital of the Province of Asia, had drawn enormous interest. The Roman residents of Ephesus completely filled the steps of the theater. The movements of the actors on stage, their words, and the joyful songs of the chorus made the audience forget everything else. They watched the comedy with laughter and joined in the songs of the chorus.

Among the spectators was Romus, one of the wealthy men of Ephesus. Everyone knew how poorly Romus, a crude and ruthless man, treated the female slaves in his magnificent villa. He would beat his slaves and force himself upon them whenever he became bored. Although slaves were thought to be the property of their masters because they were bought and sold, Romus's cruelty disturbed everyone.

After a while, Romus grew bored of the play, rose from his stone seat, and began to make his way toward the theater’s exit. As he walked, he felt a shadow pass over his head but did not pay much attention. After all, he had indulged too much in wine again during dinner. Upon leaving the theater and reaching the front of the Library of Celsus, he realized his bladder was full. He was quite desperate, and there was no way he could hold it until he reached the public toilet known as the latrina. Seeing that it was becoming unbearable, he urinated on the lovely stones of the Mithridates Gate beside the Library of Celsus. When he finished his business and found relief, he again sensed a shadow passing overhead. Moreover, there was something strange in the air this time. Suddenly, the surroundings were as bright as daytime. When Romus looked at the sky, he saw the Moon was enormous and shining brightly. What was happening? He had never seen the Moon so close to the Earth before. With the urge to get home quickly, he turned around and noticed a beam of light on the wall beside the Mithridates Gate and was involuntarily drawn toward it. On that wall was a relief of the goddess Hecate, mistress of the Moon, of crossroads, of the underworld, and of the gates of heaven and earth. The source of the light was the relief itself.

As Romus looked at the light emanating from Hecate's relief in horror, the wall split open, and Hecate emerged from the stone and revealed herself in all her glory. The goddess had three heads and three bodies, and the light from the torches she held overshadowed even the brightness of the Moon. Romus was struck dumb, his body rigid as stone. He could not even attempt to flee. Hecate spoke, and Romus heard the goddess's booming voice in his mind.

“You are a disgrace to humanity, Romus. As if your cruelty to women were not enough, now you have fouled the very ground under my nose with your filthy water, have you? You have forgotten there is a penalty for disrespecting the sacred. Women are sacred, the goddess is sacred... Human dignity is sacred, the land is sacred... I am Hecate, the ancient goddess of Anatolia: protector of cities, women, and animals, mistress of the Moon, keeper of the keys that open the gates of the underworld, and I shall soon deliver your punishment.”

Romus wanted to beg Hecate for mercy, but he could not. With his legs as rigid as rocks, there was no chance of fleeing. When Romus was enveloped by the three shadows that emanated from Hecate's three heads, his connection with the world and the moonlight illuminating his surroundings was completely severed. The goddess had trapped him in absolute darkness. No one saw Romus after that night. Despite every search, he was never found, dead or alive. Romus's female slaves, however, gave thanks every day of their lives to the divine justice that had saved them from Romus's violence.

Written for the Ephesus Foundation by author and archaeologist Özlem Ertan.