Although they combined her with Diana and Artemis, the Romans also worshipped this deity, referred to her as Trivia, which means three ways. She was the daughter of Perses and Asteria. Originally she seems to have been an extremely powerful and benevolent goddess, identified with three other goddessesSelene (in heaven), Artemis (on earth), and Persephone (in the underworld). As a protector of the Oikos (home), like Zeus, Hestia, Hermes, and Apollo, the goddess is usually shown holding a set of keys or torches, which she is said to have used to help or stop people from entering cities and homes. Because of this, some people would make sacrifices of dogs, especially puppies, to her. Another story said that Hecate herself had cursed a witch named Gale to be a polecat for disgusting her with incontinence and abnormal desires. In the post-Christian writings of the Chaldean Oracles ( 2nd-3rd century AD ), she was regarded with some rulership over earth, sea, and sky, as well as a more . Hecate took pity on her, though, and brought her back to life as a dog to be her companion. A lot of the same things were said about all of the goddesses. Classical scholars have differing views about where the worship of Hecate in Ancient Greece came from. She has long been associated with witchcraft and the occult, even necromancy. One can view the doors between the worlds as being very thin during this time therefore it is a golden opportunity to show her your respect. 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 . 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. Hecates name comes from the Greek word hekatos, which means worker from afar.. Regula, deTraci. This makes her the granddaughter of Phoebe and Coeus, both Titans. Archaeologists have found essential offerings to the goddess at Lagina in Caria and Phrygia. Hecate is closely associated with several other goddesses in the Greek pantheon, with symbolism and function seeming to overlap. She was also bound to other goddesses in a closely-linked trio. When the marriage of Persephone was finalized and she became the queen of the underworld, the bond between the three goddesses was strengthened. Her tasks went beyond the heavens, the earth, the seas, and the Underworld. The goddess was also worshipped in Kos, Erythrai, Samothrace, Thessaly, and Miletos. Scholars think that the goddess arrived in Greece during the Archaic period. During the Romans, many of her traits belonged to the world of the dead. It is the story of how the polecat became one of her companions. The most commonly repeated story of her birth was that Hecate was the daughter of Perses and Asteria, two second-generation Titans. The chief Greek god, Zeus, was very fond of this Goddess and gave her a share of the earth and sea. Hecate is a goddess in Greek mythology often associated with darkness and witchcraft. Study medicinal and magical herbalism and become one of Hecate's priestesses. Hecate was considered an ancient Thracian divinity and she was also a titan; the titans ruled the heavens, the earth and the sea. While some scholars attribute these displays as holding a dark side to Hecate, most myths associate her with a protective nature toward humans. As the goddess of the night, witchcraft and sorcery, Hecate was very important to ancient Greeks, particularly to the famed author and scholar Hesiod. According to the Greek writer Hesiod*, Hecate was the daughter of the Titan* Perses and the nymph Asteria. As such, she was greatly honored by Zeus, who allowed her to operate on Earth, as well as the sky and the Underworld. Intrinsically ambivalent and polymorphous, she straddles conventional boundaries and eludes definition. Selenite, tiger's eye, obsidian, rhodochrosite, jet, jasper, agate, and amber are the most suited crystals for Hecate. She's ill at ease in cities and civilization. But Hecate is not the evil hag that popular legend suggests. The Matres While little is known of their exact function, over 1,000 images of the three goddesses have been found in Northwestern Europe. She is also known as Soteria (Savior), the Mother of Angels, and the Cosmic World. Was the Griffin a Bird from Greek Mythology? Hecate was the principal goddess who had jurisdiction over enchantments and spells. Her halos are usually made of moonbeams. Hades was pleased with this, and Hecate was allowed to come and go as she pleased from the Underworld. The Twelve Olympian Gods and Goddesses of Greek Mythology, Fast Facts on Helios - Greek God of the Sun, 10 Fast Facts on Athena and Her Parthenon, The Story of Nike, the Greek Goddess of Victory, The Greek God Hades, Lord of the Underworld, Fascinating Stories About the Greek God Cronos, Marzanna, Slavic Goddess of Death and Winter, The Greek Mythology of Clash of the Titans. Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress, A Recommended Book on Hekate Liminal Rites, Planetary MAGICK -7 Facts you should know, Magickal Protection-The BEST 10 SOLUTIONS. Hecate the goddess of Greek mythology has been primarily remembered for her associations with magic and witchcraft. As she is said to be the guardian of the crossroads, she is most often depicted with three faces and carrying torches or a key. Quite often each face is different, one of a dog, one of a horse and one of a goddess. 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. During the Hellenistic and Roman times, people still worshipped Hecate. Subscribe to our popular newsletter Synced Global AI Weekly to get weekly AI updates. The first sculpture of Hecate in triple form was the (lost) statue by Alcamenes (fifth century BCE) at the Acropolis. She was not portrayed as being loving towards children but as someone who took revenge against anyone that harmed children. Hecate typically responds to petitions via visions and dreams. Hecate was the goddess of borders, barriers, and boundaries. Of course, as with many stories of Hecate there was also a darker version. People often put pictures of the triple goddess on city walls, especially at city gates, the entrances to sacred sites, and the doorways of private homes. Moon Goddess of Hidden Wisdom, Change and Darkness. She witnessed the abduction of Demeter's daughter Persephone to the underworld and, torch in hand, assisted in the search for her. Scholars say that this Apolline name connects Hecate to Artemis, another goddess with a similar area of power. Hecate has the power to grant or deny any mortals wish. But because these Anatolian cult sites were built later, other classicists say that the goddess could not have come from Anatolia. In other Indo-European cultures, the three-part goddesses included: The archetype of the triple goddess is so common that its considered one of the fundamental aspects of Indo-European religion. Hesiod goes on to say that the goddess supports warriors, athletes, hunters, horsemen, herdsmen, shepherds, fishermen, and children. The first example of the triple-Hecate form, called hekataia, was made by the sculptor Alcamenes in the 5th century BCE. My work has also been published on Buzzfeed and most recently in Time magazine. By her very nature Hecate was a goddess that existed on the edges of the Greek pantheon, yet she was also a household goddess who watched over every door in Greece. IT WAS A COMMON PRACTICE TO PLACE IMAGES OF HECATE ATCITYGATES & THE DOORWAYS OF PRIVATE HOMES AS SHE COULD WARD OFF EVIL SPIRITS. My name is Mike and for as long as I can remember (too long!) Writings throughout the centuries have woven different tales about Hecate and her role as a goddess. 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. Hecate was the daughter of Perses and "gold-wreathed" Astraea (the starry night), and her sway extended over earth, heaven, and hell, for which reason she is represented in works of art as a triple divinity, having three female bodies, all young and beautiful, and united together. According toHesiodin hisTheogony, Hecate is the daughter of Perses and Asteria, making her the granddaughter of the Titans Phoebe and Coeus. Numerous smaller sculptures of Hecate remain in which the goddess appears as three separate women, wearing chitons, with the backs pressed against a pillar. This was all about Hecate, a goddess in ancient Greek religion. However. She also assisted the gods in their war with the Gigantes, and slew Clytius.5, This extensive power possessed by Hecate was probably the reason that subsequently she was confounded and identified with several other divinities, and at length became a mystic goddess, to whom mysteries were celebrated in Samothrace6 and in Aegina.7 For being as it were the queen of all nature, we find her identified with Demeter, Rhea (Cybele or Brimo); being a huntress and the protector of youth, she is the same as Artemis (Curotrophos); and as a goddess of the moon, she is regarded as the mystic Persephone.8 She was further connected with the worship of other mystic divinities, such as the Cabeiri and Curetes,9 and also with Apollo and the Muses.10, The ground-work of the above-mentioned confusions and identifications, especially with Demeter and Persephone, is contained in the Homeric hymn to Demeter; for, according to this hymn, she was, besides Helios, the only divinity who, from her cave, observed the abduction of Persephone. One of these was the boundary between life and death. 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. Hectate has neither spouse nor children. She was accepted at an early date into Greek religion, but she probably was originally a goddess of the Carians in southwestern Asia Minor. Hecate doesnt often appear in Greek art and writing until the 5th century BCE. The dog was so closely tied to her than in many ancient stories people could hear the howling and barking of her sacred animal when her magic was used nearby. The Greeks, too, had many different theories about Hecates origins. Regula, deTraci. It is unclear why this change took place. Sorceresses ask the goddess for help with their magic and spells, and she is shown on curse tablets that have survived. And during these times Hecate was also very much connected to other portals- such as doors, entrances, thresholds and eventually the crossroads. Hecate was often shown as a single person wearing a long robe and holding burning torches. The chief Greek god, Zeus, was very fond of this Goddess and gave her a share of the earth and sea. They are associated with certain ideas, occupations, or stages of life. Since the fifth century BCE, Hecate has been associated with magic, witchcraft, the moon, and other dark influences. She is invoked for justice, especially for sexual crimes against women and girls. The blessings she gave them were eventually seen as magic, while prayers were seen as incantations. Those who failed to win the goddesss favor could expect her to invite evil and misfortune into their lives. She was connected to occult practices such as witchcraft and magic, the Moon, gateways, and nocturnal beasts such as hellhounds and ghosts.