Persis and Asteria, two Titans from the generation of deities prior to the Olympians, are the legendary parents of Hecate. This is especially ironic since, after this, she seems to have become more associated with the underworld, not less. If you are interested in effective unique protection magickCLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE! Another story said that Hecate herself had cursed a witch named Gale to be a polecat for disgusting her with incontinence and abnormal desires. The Greek name of Hecate may derive from an earlier Egyptian frog-headed goddess called Heqet, who ruled over magic and fertility and was a favorite of women. And when men arm themselves for the battle that destroys men, then the goddess is at hand to give victory and grant glory readily to whom she will. The Greeks, too, had many different theories about Hecates origins. Carole Raddato/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 2.0. Hecate is the daughter of Perses and Asteria. Local sun goddesses from before the Greek era have many of the same attributes as those later associated with Hecate. And all these views if we go back in time can also be found in the Greco-Roman world. The duration ofa dark moonvaries between 1.5 and 3.5 days) to the crossroads. On the Pergamon Altar of Zeus, from the 2nd century BCE, a three-headed Hecate and a dog attack a snake-like giant. She's ill at ease in cities and civilization. Scholars say that this Apolline name connects Hecate to Artemis, another goddess with a similar area of power. Thus, pillars called Hecataea stood at crossroads and doorways, perhaps to keep away evil spirits. Her group included the Lampades, the nymphs of the Underworld, and ghosts. Major temple shrines to Hecate were in the regions of Phrygia and Caria. Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Hecate was the chief goddess presiding over magic and spells. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. 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. According to the most genuine traditions, she appears to have been an ancient Thracian divinity, and a Titan, who, from the time of the Titans, ruled in heaven, on the earth, and in the sea, who bestowed on mortals wealth, victory, wisdom, good luck to sailors and hunters, and prosperity to youth and to the flocks of cattle; but all these blessings might at the same time be withheld by her, if mortals did not deserve them. Mythical Facts about Hecate Fact 1: Shrines to the goddess were placed at the doorways of homes and as protection from the dead and evil spirits. In 1929, an expert in religious cults noted that the Blackburn Cult or The Cult of the Great Eleven that was formed in the '20s was connected with Hecate worship and rituals. She is the witness to every crime. Moon Goddess of Hidden Wisdom, Change and Darkness. Hecate. The goddess was often linked to Demeter, and in some cults, she was seen as the same as Demeter. Throughout history however, her sphere of influence also included the moon, night, crossroads, boundaries, ghosts and necromancy.Although Hecate was once considered to be a powerful Greek goddess of witchcraft, Hecate was not a major deity when compared, for instance, to the . Her symbols were two torches, the crossroads, and black dogs. The most commonly repeated story of her birth was that Hecate was the daughter of Perses and Asteria, two second-generation Titans. 2 Beds. The Moirai, or Fates, were one such trio of goddesses. Q: How do the three witches make Hecate angry? Thus, pillars called Hecataea stood at crossroads and doorways, perhaps to keep away evil spirits. This made her one of the few deities to have the power to move freely between the world of the living and the underworld. But by the end of the ancient world, this image had changed into a single goddess with three heads. Some say that Hecate is the daughter of Erebus and Nyx, ageless Goddess of the night, while others believe that She is one of the Furies or the last surviving Titan except for Zeus. The Greeks likewise borrowed many deities and legends from their eastern neighbors. Some scholars of ancient Greek religion have noted that Apollo was occasionally given the name Hecatos, which they interpret to mean one who reaches far. These academics believe that Hecate, therefore, may have once been another name for Apollos twin sister, Artemis. She may be invoked for protection for dogs and from dogs. Hecate was represented as single-formed, clad in a long robe, holding burning torches; in later representations she was triple-formed, with three bodies standing back-to-back, probably so that she could look in all directions at once from the crossroads. These three goddesses are also linked in the Mystery cults. The one in Lagina stood out the most. Hecate was variously associated with crossroads, entrance-ways, dogs, light, the moon, magic, witchcraft, knowledge of herbs and poisonous plants, ghosts, necromancy, and sorcery. Many Anatolian gods had their roots in the Greek pantheon. What Were the Hamadryads in Greek Mythology? Not only could she move between the realms, but she had power to control the passage of others. Although much of her power appeared generally dark or menacing, Hecate could also be a merciful goddess. She was the daughter of the Titan Perses and the nymph Asteria. Several modern devotees already adapted the tradition of giving food offerings to Hekate- these are sacred meals, that are bought on the dark moon ( This is the last visible crescent of a waningMoon. Earlier, though, there may have been fewer gods with more complex functions. She has also been associated with the dark side of human beings, which is death. From the Greek word for to turn away, apotropaic magic is that which defends by turning away evil or harm. . In ancient times the crossroads didnt have our modern symbolism as a place of choices. She was connected to occult practices such as witchcraft and magic, the Moon, gateways, and nocturnal beasts such as hellhounds and ghosts. All Rights Reserved, Ancient Egyptians The First Woman Pharaoh, A Crunchy Pistachios Tale: 13 Interesting Facts About These Salty Munchies. The goddess told Demeter everything she had heard, but Demeter didnt know who had taken her daughter. Hecate: Greece's Dark Goddess of the Crossroads. 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. Kos, Erythrai,Samothrace, Thessaly, and Miletos also worshipped the. outlandish in her infernal aspects, she is more at home on the fringes than in the centre ofGreekpolytheism. Her attributes, besides the torch, are the snake, whip, dagger, and sword. Hecate is remembered best not as a goddess of boundaries, but as a goddess of magic. 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. Hecate was sometimes seen as a Titan, like her parents, and in the battle between the Titans and the Greek gods led by Zeus, she helped Zeus and so was not banished to the underworld with the rest of them. In the 6th century BCE, a circular altar was built in Miletos to honour the goddess (the earliest archaeological evidence of her worship). In the Greek religion, strange rituals were done to honour the goddess. I am the owner and chief researcher at this site. Hecate was an only child and was worshiped in households of Athens where families hoped to receive protection, prosperity and daily blessings. Moreover, the fact that Hecate had a Greek name does not necessarily mean that her cult originated in Greece (she more likely emerged from Caria in Asia Minor). Of course, as with many stories of Hecate there was also a darker version. Her considerable power over nature ensured her continued popularity, but she's never fitted in with the crowd. On her head she sometimes wears a kalathos, a tall wicker basket, or a moon sickle. A mysterious goddess of sorcery, necromancy, and ghosts, Greek Goddess Hecate is undoubtedly one of the most intriguing characters in all of Greek mythology! 170 BCE). Look for her animals: snakes, dragons, cats, and especially dogs. This could mean that the goddess didnt come to Greece from Caria until a relatively late date. Hesiod, for example, seemed to hold in in high regard and makes no mention of this darker association. She was the ruler of crossroads, entrances, nighttime, light, magic (witchcraft and sorcery), herbs and plants. This myth led to goddess Hecate being depicted with torches in her hand. Hecate is usually depicted with a burning torch in her hand and with a dog laying at her feet, its head raised. Most likely, the cults of Thessalian Pherai (Pherae) and Eleusis saw Hekate as Chthonian (Underworld) Hermes's wife. Medeas magic was often described as having to do with necromancy, sleep, and the night. In fact, Hecate might have been another goddess altogether! Euripides, on the other hand, mentions her mother isLeto. HEKATE (Hecate) was the goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, moon, ghosts and necromancy. Her origins and powers were unexplained and changeable. (2021, December 6). Lagina was one of the most important Carian sanctuaries.Hecate also has a strong connection with Georgia as well as throughout Italy. Latin Spelling. SOLD JUN 15, 2022. Authors from the past, like Ovid and Pausanias, say that dogs, especially black dogs, were given to the goddess as sacrifices. Even in descriptions of Medeas witchcraft, it is difficult to distinguish magical rituals from more standard worship and rites. At doorways and crossroads, pillars of the goddess Hecate, who held a torch, stood. Hecate is known to rule over the sky, the earth, and the sea. She was connected to occult practices such as witchcraft and magic, the Moon, gateways, and nocturnal beasts such as hellhounds and ghosts. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/greek-mythology-hecate-1526205. As worshippers began to focus on one aspect of a god more than others, that gods secondary purposes were separated into another deity altogether. Mike Greenberg, PhD. Hecate is a goddess in Greek mythology often associated with darkness and witchcraft. She was also called the Goddess of the threshold or the Goddess of the house. She is helping a dog attack a giant who looks like a snake. The well-known Pergamon Altar (from around the 2nd century BCE) shows Hecate as three different things. Sources say there was a sacred garden dedicated to Hecate at her temple in Colchis (modern day Georgia). Learning Mole focuses on educating children of all ages in key skills of Maths, English and learning through crafts. Is Hecate a jealous goddess? The Orphic Mysteries said that Hestia was the daughter of Demeter instead. The iconography had not yet come to include her usual attributes, such as her keys and torches or her three aspects. Hecate was also linked to a lot of other goddesses from other pantheons. They are passionate about turning your everyday moments into memories and bringing you inspiring ideas to have fun with your family. A lot of the same things were said about all of the goddesses. The Hades and Persephone Story. The Greek goddess Hecate, or Hekate, is Greece's dark goddess of the crossroads. My work has also been published on Buzzfeed and most recently in Time magazine. In literature, there is a clear link between her, Demeter, and Persephone. Hecate acted as a veil between the world of the mortals and the supernatural. The moon goddess and the huntress were often linked, and it is believed by some that as Greeks focused worship on the more protective aspects of Artemis they shifted her darker characteristics to Hecate.