A closer look
When Roman armies were overwhelmed, they didn't just call for reinforcements—they supposedly called in a mystic to weaponize a goddess. In 172 CE, the Roman army was surrounded by the Marcomanni and dying of thirst. According to legend, Julian the Theurgist performed a high-stakes esoteric ritual to summon Hekate. Instead of spiritual wisdom, he allegedly extracted a freak, torrential thunderstorm that hydrated the Romans while simultaneously blasting the enemy troops with pinpoint lightning bolts.
