Who is Hecate? Since the 5th century BCE, the goddess has been linked to the darker parts of life, like death, witchcraft, magic, the Moon, dreams, fierce hounds, and creatures that roam the night. Her friends are the Erinyes, winged creatures that punish bad behaviour, and her children are the Empusae, female demons that like to seduce travellers. Historian Robert Graves notes that the heads could be distinctive of a dog, lion and horse, representing the constellations which cover the calendar year. Hesiod, for example, seemed to hold in in high regard and makes no mention of this darker association. Hecate is the Goddess of witchcraft, magic, crossroads, ghosts and necromancy. If you use any of the content on this page in your own work, please use the code below to cite this page as the source of the content. Moving between the barrier between life and death explains Hecates connection to both ghosts and necromancy. Still, she was in charge of things that put her in the spotlight. As you may already know Hecateis a goddess ofGreek mythologywho was capable of both good and evil. Controlling who moved through the border between the earth and the underworld gave her a unique power to summon spirits and raise the dead. Greek pantheon was once much smaller than we know. Hecate also presided over more mystical boundaries. Modern neopagan and Wiccan religions often include worship of a triple goddess, and of Hecate herself. She is often depicted carrying one or several torches to remind of her connection with the night and insculpturewith three faces, representing her role as the guardian of crossroads. Hecate is petitioned for fertility, especially for female children. MAGE ENERGETICS The most complete course in magick ever released! This is shown by her names and cult titles, such as India (which means on the way), Trodia (which means frequenter of the crossroads), and Propylaia (of the gates). The name Hecate comes from the Greek word "Hekatos," which was thought to be a really distant and obscure epithet associated with Apollo, the Greek god of music . Hecate is remembered best not as a goddess of boundaries, but as a goddess of magic. As an Amazon Associate, Kidadl earns from qualifying purchases. She is described in this capacity as a mighty and formidable divinity, ruling over the souls of the departed; she is the goddess of purifications and expiations, and is accompanied by Stygian dogs.11 By Phorcys she became the mother of Scylla.12, There is another very important feature which arose out of the notion of her being an infernal divinity, namely, she was regarded as a spectral being, who at night sent from the lower world all kinds of demons and terrible phantoms, who taught sorcery and witchcraft, who dwelt at places where two roads crossed each other, on tombs, and near the blood of murdered persons. A: In the play Macbeth by Shakespeare, in Act three, scene five, Hecate was shown to be angry with the witches as they excluded her from their meetings with Macbeth. As a fertility deity she was invoked by women to aid conception and delivery. Another option was a dish of red mullet, which was usually not allowed to be given to other gods. What are interesting facts about Hecate? - WisdomAnswer A goddess of crossroads, magic, poison, and the undead, Hecate was also the daughter of the Titan Perses and the nymph Asteria, according to Hesiod. While Hecates temples in the area are from a later period, she bears a resemblance to a more ancient goddess in Caria. In a few cases, Hecate was said to have shared these powers with her most devoted followers. When her city fell, the queen was taken captive and lept off a cliff to her death. In ancient times the crossroads didnt have our modern symbolism as a place of choices. The conflicting origins of Hecate were only the beginning of what made this goddess so mysterious. The well-known Pergamon Altar (from around the 2nd century BCE) shows Hecate as three different things. Scholars say that this Apolline name connects Hecate to Artemis, another goddess with a similar area of power. Hecate - Students | Britannica Kids | Homework Help The triple Hecate represented three aspects of a single goddess. Hecate doesnt often appear in Greek art and writing until the 5th century BCE. The dog connection may be the fact that dogs were known to eat the dead if left unburied; they also howl at the moon, of course. She is depicted on the altar of Pergamon with one body and three heads (ca. This could mean that the goddess didnt come to Greece from Caria until a relatively late date. Empusa or Empousa (/ m p j u s /; Ancient Greek: ; plural: Empousai) is a shape-shifting female being in Greek mythology, said to possess a single leg of copper, commanded by Hecate, whose precise nature is obscure. She is commonly depicted as a three-headed Goddess, or the Greek version of The Triple Goddess, being the Maiden, Mother, and Crone depending on the season. But Hecate is not the evil hag that popular legend suggests. First 6 Months for 1.99 with Monthly Student and Teacher Plans Dismiss, 2022 Learning Mole. In fact, the earliest depictions of Hecate can only be differentiated from those of Artemis by inscriptions. Tackling Hallucinations: Microsoft's LLM-Augmenter - medium.com Hecate is a Goddess shrouded in mystery, for there is continuing debate about Her name, origin and character. She is the witness to every crime. If you enjoyed this content why not dive into some more historical eras check out these articles: Ancient Rome, Ancient Egyptians The First Woman Pharaoh, Greek Mythology Medusa, Native American History. Hades was pleased with this, and Hecate was allowed to come and go as she pleased from the Underworld. As the Romans developed and constructed superior road systems, we started to see the emergence of choices and nowadays in modern. They were so closely linked that Hecate was referred to as Medeas mother in some later texts, although earlier ones had said she was the child of an Oceanid. Author: Hecate He | Editor: Michael Sarazen. It has been suggested that the idea of magic coming from Hecate was an evolution of the many gifts she was capable of bestowing upon her favorites. Polecats hid in dirty holes and, it was believed by the Greeks, had a grotesque and unnatural way of mating. She is also Queen of the Night, and is highly connected to All Hallow's Eve. Small cakes made of eggs, cheese, bread, and dog meat were lit with tiny torches. Hectate has neither spouse nor children. Hecate - Mythopedia According to them, Hecate is known to support bravery and hence encourage soldiers, warriors, athletes, etc. Each of the Greek gods has a few specialized functions. The goddess was often linked to Demeter, and in some cults, she was seen as the same as Demeter. She was associated with witchcraft, necromancy, and poisons. The first sculpture of Hecate in triple form was the (lost) statue by Alcamenes (fifth century BCE) at the Acropolis. She was also closely associated to the spiritual world, ghosts, and the dead. This could be because she sided with him during the 10-year battle between the Titans and the Olympians. Moon Goddess of Hidden Wisdom, Change and Darkness. Hecate can banishghosts(or produce a ghost infestation). On Greek pottery, she is usually shown as a young woman holding a torch or a key. Hekate assisted Demeter in her search for Persephone, guiding her through the night with flaming torches. Study medicinal and magical herbalism and become one of Hecate's priestesses. Good is she also when men contend at the games, for there too the goddess is with them and profits them and to those whose business is in the grey discomfortable sea, and who pray to Hekate and the loud-crashing Earth-Shaker [Poseidon], easily the glorious goddess gives great catch, and easily she takes it away as soon as seen, if so she will. She is invoked for justice, especially for sexual crimes against women and girls. According to the Greek writer Hesiod*, Hecate was the daughter of the Titan* Perses and the nymph Asteria. EFFECTIVE MAGICK AND ALPHA STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS, Seventh Phoenix MY Amazing STORY,My Journey, REAL LIFE Curses That STUNNED THEIR VICTIMS, HOW THE ALPHA FREQUENCY POWER-CHARGES YOUR MAGICK, Protection Magick Mastery Course #1 Best Rated. It is the story of how the polecat became one of her companions. She is described as of terrible appearance, either with three bodies or three heads, the one of a horse, the second of a dog, and the third of a lion.14 In works of art she was some-times represented as a single being, but sometimes also as a three-headed monster.15, Besides Samothrace and Aegina, we find express mention of her worship at Argos16 and at Athens, where she had a sanctuary under the name of Epipyrgidia (), on the acropolis, not far from the temple of Nike.17 Small statues or symbolical representations of Hecate, called (hekataia), were very numerous, especially at Athens, where they stood before or in houses, and on spots where two roads crossed each other; and it would seem that people consulted such as oracles.18, At the close of every month dishes with food were set out for her and other averters of evil at the points where two roads crossed each other; and this food was consumed by poor people.19 The sacrifices offered to her consisted of dogs, honey, and black female lambs.20. Though perhaps originally an indigenous woodland goddess, Diana early became identified with Artemis. For even now, whenever any human on the earth seeks to regain the favor or goodwill by performing fine sacrifices according to custom, he invokes Hecate; and much honor very easily stays with that man whose prayers the goddess accepts with gladness, and she bestows happiness upon him. I have been in love with all things related to Mythology. Hecate | Sacred Wicca Nyx, the Primordial Goddess of the Night | Ancient Origins As these stories were passed on, though, they often changed. "Hecate: Greece's Dark Goddess of the Crossroads." She was the only child of the Titanes Perses and Asteria from whom she received her power over heaven, earth, and sea. She was the ruler of crossroads, entrances, nighttime, light, magic (witchcraft and sorcery), herbs and plants. The goddess Hecate is one of the lesser-known goddesses of the Greek pantheon.