She is the witness to every crime. Instead, some believe that the goddess originated in Asia Minor. 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. She is also Queen of the Night, and is highly connected to All Hallow's Eve. Over time, some of the Olympians changed form and function. According to her story, Hecate sometimes withheld these blessings if she felt mortals did not deserve them. From the 5th century BCE, the goddess hecate is associated with the darker side of the human experience, that isdeath, witchcraft, magick, the Moon, dreams, hell hounds and creatures which roam the darkness of night. 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. Why notsubscribe to our LearningMole Library for as little as 1.99 per month to access over1000fun educational videos. Witches do gather together or solitary on crossroads as do magicians , hoodoo and voudan practitioners to cast their enchantments and spells. Sometimes, as was the case with Hecate, it was a single goddess who was shown with three aspects. https://www.thoughtco.com/greek-mythology-hecate-1526205 (accessed March 4, 2023). The Greeks, too, had many different theories about Hecates origins. Learning Mole focuses on educating children of all ages in key skills of Maths, English and learning through crafts. Most likely, the cults of Thessalian Pherai (Pherae) and Eleusis saw Hekate as Chthonian (Underworld) Hermes's wife. She was connected to occult practices such as witchcraft and magic, the Moon, gateways, and nocturnal beasts such as hellhounds and ghosts. Asteria may be the original goddess associated with the Asterion mountain range on the island of Crete. When they heard this the Moirai uncrossed their arms, releasing the bonds that kept the infant Heracles from the earth. The Kidadl Team is made up of people from different walks of life, from different families and backgrounds, each with unique experiences and nuggets of wisdom to share with you. The name "Hecate" (Greek , translit. She is also said to be the Goddess of childbirth and the protector of children. Hecate. Etymology. Hecate is defined by her powerful magic, being at ease with the night and darkness and in wild surroundings. Still, she was in charge of things that put her in the spotlight. For many it is a time to connect with Her, to thank her for her blessings, her guidance and her protection during the last lunar cycle and also to ask her to bless and protect them in the new lunar cycle. She was most famously the goddess of magic, witchcraft, ghosts, necromancy, the Moon, and the night. In many cultures and religions in many lands. There is evidence that this may have been the case with Hecate. $204,000 Last Sold Price. However, she is believed to be protective of human beings. SOLD JUN 14, 2022. Kidadl has a number of affiliate partners that we work with including Amazon. You have subscribed to: Remember that you can always manage your preferences or unsubscribe through the link at the foot of each newsletter. She's ill at ease in cities and civilization. Scholars think that the goddess arrived in Greece during the Archaic period. Some speculate that it represents the full moon, half moon, and new moon. Mike Greenberg, PhD. This made her one of the few deities to have the power to move freely between the world of the living and the underworld. Sources say there was a sacred garden dedicated to Hecate at her temple in Colchis (modern day Georgia). The Tridevi The triad of goddesses in Hinduism often represents the three states of creation, preservation, and destruction. Seeing her friend in pain, Galinthias tricked the Moirai into thinking the child had been born despite their interference. Midwives, witches, healers, herbalists, dog lovers and rescuers; she is the matron of women in general and protects those who ride horses, male warriors or cavalry as well. The goddess was also worshipped in Kos, Erythrai, Samothrace, Thessaly, and Miletos. She is often displayed holding two torches or a key. Hecate was said to be a beautiful lady with dark hair. Several times, authors make a connection between Medeas use of magic, both harmful and protective, and her worship of Hecate. Because of this, some people would make sacrifices of dogs, especially puppies, to her. In Ancient Greek religion, Hecate had a wide range of godly tasks. During ancient times the place where roads met or at crossroads, a pole with three masks was erected. The iconography had not yet come to include her usual attributes, such as her keys and torches or her three aspects. The triple goddesses are often referred to as the Maiden, Mother (or Matron), and Crone. Her companions are known to punish wrong doing and criminals. In later times, the most common way to show Hecate in art is as a three-headed goddess with each head facing a different direction at a crossroads. This could mean that the goddess didnt come to Greece from Caria until a relatively late date. Origin and Family Persis and Asteria, two Titans from the generation of deities prior to the Olympians, are the legendary parents of Hecate. The Greek goddess Hecate, or Hekate, is Greece's dark goddess of the crossroads. In the 6th century BCE, a circular altar was built in Miletos to honour the goddess (the earliest archaeological evidence of her worship). In ancient times, Hecates three-part form was shown as three separate bodies surrounding a central column. She was often placed at the entrance of homes to help protect against the evil forces of the world. Hecate was weaved strongly into all these symbolisms of the crossroads and still does to her devotees. SOLD JUN 15, 2022. 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. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Many depictions, such as those of the Moirae, show the three goddesses corresponding to the three stages of a womans life. Other writers claim her as the daughter ofZeusandDemeter, Aristaion. 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 result, the goddess of magic remained a major deity in regulating evil spirits in the Underworld. The witches were telling Macbeth about his future and had not consulted the Goddess and had left her out of the meeting. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong. Symbols of Hecate are her place, the crossroads, two torches, and black dogs. Her tasks went beyond the heavens, the earth, the seas, and the Underworld. 170 BCE). Historian Robert Graves notes that the heads could be distinctive of a dog, lion and horse, representing the constellations which cover the calendar year. The goddess told Demeter everything she had heard, but Demeter didnt know who had taken her daughter. Due to her magical powers, Hecate was believed to protect children, sailors, and shepherds. Kos, Erythrai,Samothrace, Thessaly, and Miletos also worshipped the. Moon Goddess of Hidden Wisdom, Change and Darkness. Hecate is defined by her powerful magic, being at ease with the night and darkness and in wild surroundings. Some nymphs in Greek mythology were famous, but others were only known in a certain time Echidna: Greek Mythologys Mother of Monsters, Lamia: The Child-Eating Monster of Greek Legend. This was a group started by May Otis Blackburn in Los Angeles, California. This is how she came to command the earth, bliss . She witnessed the abduction of Demeter's daughter Persephone to the underworld and, torch in hand, assisted in the search for her. Even Zeus, the King of the Olympian Gods, is said to have reverenced her, and there are hints that she was considered to be an all-powerful goddess. Like most of the Olympic pantheon, Hecate predates the written mythology of Greece. In sculptures from the Classical and Hellenistic Periods, Hecate has been shown as a woman with three bodies or a single body with three heads. Hecate was also offered dogs, especially puppies, as a sacrifice. In literature, there is a clear link between her, Demeter, and Persephone. One of Hecates frequent animal companions, and the one that shes most often depicted with, was a black dog. This garden would've contained her sacred trees, herbs and poisons. 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. The Greek form is hekatos, which means "who works from afar," a probable reference to her magic powers, but it may also distantly reference her possible origins in Egypt. Even in her origin, Hecate moved between two places. Her companions are theFuries(Erinyes), the winged creatures who punished wrong-doing, and her children are the Empusae, female demons partial to seducing travellers. Since the fifth century BCE, Hecate has been associated with magic, witchcraft, the moon, and other dark influences. 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. Subscribe for virtual tools, STEM-inspired play, In Rome, a similar goddess, Vesta, ruled over the group of priestesses called the Vestal Virgins whose duty it was to keep the sacred fire perpetually lit. They are sometimes represented with the familiar aspects of the maiden, mother, and crone. In fact, the earliest depictions of Hecate can only be differentiated from those of Artemis by inscriptions. But the version of Hecate that appears in Greek texts is not so straightforward. It is the story of how the polecat became one of her companions. She was known by her Roman name, Trivia, as well as by her triple form. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. 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 fact, Hecate might have been another goddess altogether! The droves of kine and wide herds of goats and flocks of fleecy sheep, if she will, she increases from a few, or makes many to be less. Like her Greek counterpart, she was also a goddess of domestic animals. Anatolia, which covered most of what is now Turkey, was a region that had close ties to the Greek world. At least one story, however, gives the goddess a much more human origin. Author: Hecate He | Editor: Michael Sarazen. 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 . 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 . There are many other interesting facts about Hecate as pointed out by philosophers and researchers. Scylla's most retold appearance is in Homer's Odyssey. On her head she sometimes wears a kalathos, a tall wicker basket, or a moon sickle. When the marriage of Persephone was finalized and she became the queen of the underworld, the bond between the three goddesses was strengthened. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Esoteric writing from this time says that Hecate has the heads of a horse, a dog, and a snake. Your privacy is important to us. We hope you love our recommendations for products and services! However, the queen killed the Thracian king when on her way to Greece. Some myths suggest that Zeus and Hera were the parents of this Goddess, and that is how she came to control the heavens and the earth. Posted by 7thphoenix | May 27, 2020 | Magick Articles | 0 |. The evening meal in ancient Greece, especially in Athens known as Deipnon, was in honor of Hecate. According toPausanias, the 2nd-century CE Greek traveller, the island ofAeginahad a mystery cult dedicated to the goddess where it was believed those suffering mental illness could be cured. A further canine connection may be with theEgyptiangodAnubiswho guided souls to the underworld, and the Greek three-headed hound ofHades, Cerberus, may be an earlier form of Hecate. In Late Antiquity, the empousai have been described as a category of phantoms or spectres, equated with the lamiai and mormolykeia . She was made to look like a goddess who could easily move from the Underworld to the real world. Earlier, though, there may have been fewer gods with more complex functions. In a hymn to Hecate, Hesiod detailed the ways in which the goddess could both allow good fortune and deny it: Whom she will she greatly aids and advances: she sits by worshipful kings in judgment, and in the assembly whom she will is distinguished among the people. Her association with dark magic is also tied to her identification as an underworld goddess. The goddess Hecate is generally depicted as either an old woman in a long dress or a young woman in a knee-length skirt with hunting boots. The time of the dark moon is a special time of the month to give offerings to Hecate. Is Hecate a jealous goddess? Hecate is the goddess of witchcraft and was specifically known for her herbal knowledge. Hecate is remembered best not as a goddess of boundaries, but as a goddess of magic. She was the only child of the Titanes Perses and Asteria from whom she received her power over heaven, earth, and sea. Roman poets encouraged the idea that Hecate was three different things by calling her Hecate-Selene and other similar names. Regula, deTraci. But she isnt in the Homeric epics, which is a big deal. The crossroads are special places, places of great power, but at the same time haunting places. Hectate has neither spouse nor children. Follow for more great fun learning. The Orphic Mysteries said that Hestia was the daughter of Demeter instead. Her name is akin to the Latin words dium ("sky") and dius ("daylight"). Further, the home would be blessed and any wrong-doing by family members would be forgiven and the household purified. Hecate was also offered the sacrifice of dogs, especially puppies. In the Greek religion, strange rituals were done to honour the goddess. She was also closely associated to the spiritual world, ghosts, and the dead. Her attributes, besides the torch, are the snake, whip, dagger, and sword. During the Hellenistic and Roman times, people still worshipped Hecate. Another option was a dish of red mullet, which was usually not allowed to be given to other gods. She was the daughter of Perses and Asteria. She was also bound to other goddesses in a closely-linked trio. They gave mortals wealth, victory, wisdom and luck. The goddess was frequently associated with Demeter and even assimilated to her in some cults. To find out more about LearningMole please visit our about us page or visit more of our topics available. A: Hecate is the Greek Goddess of magic and witchcraft. We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. The goddess Hecate had unusual rituals performed in her honour, which include the offerings of food given at crossroads, road junctions, and any other sort of boundary or threshold known as the supper of Hecate. It is believed that Hecate represented witchcraft, magic and ghosts. 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. Eating crunchy while enjoying a good movie or your favourite video game is a blessing. Carole Raddato/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 2.0. The aspects of the goddess that had darker connotations were separated from her to create another goddess altogether in the character of Hecate. And the dark moon is also a powerful time to cleanse you, from negative energy, negative influences or potentially harmful spirits. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. The necromancers not only conjured the spirits of the dead on nightly cemeteries but also on the crossroads, the leftovers from spells are buried on the crossroads in many magical traditions and in many religions it is believed that the spirits are lingering on the crossroads. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). She was a goddess of magic and the underworld, but she was also a protector of the home and a guardian of borders. Before that, she was just a minor character in the stories of Demeter (Persephones maid) and Artemis. The blessings she gave them were eventually seen as magic, while prayers were seen as incantations. Numerous smaller sculptures of Hecate remain in which the goddess appears as three separate women, wearing chitons, with the backs pressed against a pillar. 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. Seneca often talks about Hecate and her moon-based counterparts and even links Medea to the goddess. 139.162.195.99 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. She is also mentioned in Aeneid, a play by Virgil where she guides one of the characters, Sibyl, in the Underworld. Her considerable power over nature ensured her continued popularity, but she's never fitted in with the crowd. Many of the traditional offerings to Hecate- are: milk, honey, oil, cakes, cheese, bloody meat, eggs, onions, garlic. If you purchase using the buy now button we may earn a small commission. The heads could be of a dog, a lion, or a horse, representing the constellations that make up the year. Hecate is a Goddess shrouded in mystery, for there is continuing debate about Her name, origin and character. 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 good in the byre with Hermes to increase the stock. 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. Greeks likewise borrowed many deities and legends. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. My name is Mike and for as long as I can remember (too long!) ThoughtCo. I have been in love with all things related to Mythology. Ft. 1302 Covington Ct, Virginia Beach, VA 23453. The Moirai, or Fates, were one such trio of goddesses. Hecate is usually depicted with a burning torch in her hand and with a dog laying at her feet, its head raised. Like Hermes, who was also a deity of liminal spaces, statues of Hecate were often placed at crossroads and borders. Updates? The Greek three-headed hound of Hades, Cerberus, may have been an earlier version of Hecate. Tzetzes on Lycophron, 1175; Scholiast on Theocritus, ii, 36. Omissions? Hecate doesnt often appear in Greek art and writing until the 5th century BCE. This food offering was known as the Supper of Hecate. Eventually, this came to include the boundary between the natural and the supernatural, making her a goddess of magic. Hecate was the goddess of borders, barriers, and boundaries. Both of these gods were thought to be in charge of the dead and had something to do with Persephone coming back in the spring. As a cthonic goddess of the underworld, her rituals and rites were often associated with death and secrecy. Her group included the Lampades, the nymphs of the Underworld, and ghosts. What we suggest is selected independently by the Kidadl team. Demeter descended to the underworld every spring to bring her daughter back to the surface, making the three goddesses share an association with the underworld.