Both goddesses were usually shown with dogs by their sides, wearing hunting boots and carrying torches. However. 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. A few pagans and Wiccans have also been known to worship Hecate as a dark goddess. During the Romans, many of her traits belonged to the world of the dead. Hecate is the goddess of witchcraft and was specifically known for her herbal knowledge. 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. She witnessed the abduction of Demeter's daughter Persephone to the underworld and, torch in hand, assisted in the search for her. At least one story, however, gives the goddess a much more human origin. Hecate acted as a veil between the world of the mortals and the supernatural. In his book Description of Greece, Pausanias says that the sculptor Alcamenes was the first to show Hecate in three forms in the 5th century BCE. Hecate was a cathonic goddess that preceded the Olympians, and it seems that she was highly worshipped in Thrace. Hecate also presided over more mystical boundaries. goddess, with the latter having a 6th-century BCE circular altar for sacrifices to be made in her honour (the earliest archaeological evidence of her worship). Scylla's most retold appearance is in Homer's Odyssey. In the Pharsalia, the witch Erichtho calls on Persephone as the lowest part of Hecate. She guides Sibyl through the Underworld in Virgils Aeneid. HEKATE (Hecate) was the goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, moon, ghosts and necromancy. They are associated with certain ideas, occupations, or stages of life. Kidadl is supported by you, the reader. She witnessed the abduction of Demeters daughter Persephone to the underworld and, torch in hand, assisted in the search for her. 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. Instead, some believe that the goddess originated in Asia Minor. These primordial gods each represented a different aspect of existence, together they formed the building blocks of the early universe. Although they combined her with Diana and Artemis, the Romans also worshipped this deity, referred to her as Trivia, which means three ways. Those who failed to win the goddesss favor could expect her to invite evil and misfortune into their lives. Nearby homes similar to 755 Hecate Dr have recently sold between $204K to $212K at an average of $190 per square foot. Medeas magic was often described as having to do with necromancy, sleep, and the night. Most likely, the cults of Thessalian Pherai (Pherae) and Eleusis saw Hekate as Chthonian (Underworld) Hermes's wife. Follow for more great fun learning. Hecate is petitioned for fertility, especially for female children. As these stories were passed on, though, they often changed. The myth says that Zeus gave the Lampades to Hera as a reward for her loyalty during the Titanomachy. Some versions of Scylla's myth say she was once a beautiful sea nymph. The name "Hecate" (Greek , translit. Historian Robert Graves notes that the heads could be distinctive of a dog, lion and horse, representing the constellations which cover the calendar year. We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. Carole Raddato/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 2.0. The facts about Hecate provides a list detailing fascinating additional info to increase your knowledge about Hecate in Greek Mythology. While Hera was considered a singular being, she was given three names to represent her different stages in life maiden, wife, and mother. 170 BCE). The worship of Hecate continued into theHellenisticandRomanperiods with significant archaeological finds of votive offerings to the goddess being found at Lagina in Caria andPhrygia. Some of the statues she made as offerings to the goddess had the Graces dancing around her; In other versions of the story, she is with a pack of dogs. 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. One of these was the boundary between life and death. By the first century CE, Lucans Pharsalia made it clear that Hecate was the goddess of magic and witchcraft. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Why notsubscribe to our LearningMole Library for as little as 1.99 per month to access over1000fun educational videos. Not only could she move between the realms, but she had power to control the passage of others. 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. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Hecate (also spelt Hekate) is a goddess capable of both good and evil. The three-part goddess was able to keep watch in all directions, and became standard in both written and visual representations. With a torch in her hand, she accompanied Demeter in the search after Persephone; and when the latter was found, Hecate remained with her as her attendant and companion. Hecate was the goddess of borders, barriers, and boundaries. Even though there arent many myths about the goddess Hecate, the ones that do exist tell us a lot about where she has power. Hesiod describes the goddess in the following glowing terms: Zeus, Cronus son, honoured [Hecate] above all others: he gave her splendid gifts to have a share of the earth and of the barren sea, and from the starry sky as well she has a share in honour, and is honoured most of all by the immortal gods. Persis and Asteria, two Titans from the generation of deities prior to the Olympians, are the legendary parents of Hecate. The offerings to the goddess were made each month during the night of a new moon. 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 Goddess Hecate is supposed to be the daughter of Perses, a Titan, and Asteria, a nymph. Meanwhile, others believe she is the progeny of Hecate and Phorcys. Read on to find out more about Greeces most mystical goddess! You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. 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 goddesses that straddled the boundary between this world and the afterlife, they were believed to be the keys to uncovering the secrets of what lay beyond that boundary. 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. She is often pictured holding keys because, as the goddess of boundaries, she held the power to open and close the doors to the realm of Hades. The earliest archaeological evidence that has been found that proved that this deity was important and worshipped by the people was the circular altar that was used in the 6th century BCE for sacrifices to her. 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. Child of Perses and Asteria, she was the only Titan to retain her control under Zeus' reign. Like Hermes, who was also a deity of liminal spaces, statues of Hecate were often placed at crossroads and borders. Due to her dark attributes, this deity has often been associated with the Underworld. In the writings of Hesiod, Hecate is the daughter of the Titan Perses and the nymph Asteria. On her head she sometimes wears a kalathos, a tall wicker basket, or a moon sickle. Hecate was an only child and was worshiped in households of Athens where families hoped to receive protection, prosperity and daily blessings. Authors from the past, like Ovid and Pausanias, say that dogs, especially black dogs, were given to the goddess as sacrifices. Many of the traditional offerings to Hecate- are: milk, honey, oil, cakes, cheese, bloody meat, eggs, onions, garlic. From the three supposedly came her image in Greek . In Aeschylus Suppliants, for example, they were often mixed up to make a goddess with two faces. Female monsters also often came in threes, as was the case with the Gorgons and Graea. She is also said to be the Goddess of childbirth and the protector of children. Mike Greenberg, PhD. 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. Sorceresses ask the goddess for help with their magic and spells, and she is shown on curse tablets that have survived. Moon Goddess of Hidden Wisdom, Change and Darkness. 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. Hecate has been referenced in various literary works, including the plays by Sophocles and Euripides. 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 . Seeing her friend in pain, Galinthias tricked the Moirai into thinking the child had been born despite their interference. outlandish in her infernal aspects, she is more at home on the fringes than in the centre ofGreekpolytheism. As such, she was greatly honored by Zeus, who allowed her to operate on Earth, as well as the sky and the Underworld. This could be because she sided with him during the 10-year battle between the Titans and the Olympians. ThoughtCo. Omissions? Hecate appears in the pseudo-Homeric hymn to Demeter- there Hecate dwelled in a cave during Kores abduction and appeared to Demeter in the dawn while she was searching for her lost daughter. Picture of the Greek Underworld, the residence of Hecate. A mysterious goddess of sorcery, necromancy, and ghosts, Greek Goddess Hecate is undoubtedly one of the most intriguing characters in all of Greek mythology! Her main jobs were to control boundaries, witchcraft, and the Underworld. The Greeks, too, had many different theories about Hecates origins. Anatolia, which covered most of what is now Turkey, was a region that had close ties to the Greek world. Any information you provide to us via this website may be placed by us on servers located in countries outside the EU if you do not agree to such placement, do not provide the information. The goddess was given gifts every month on the night of a new moon. It is believed that Hecate represented witchcraft, magic and ghosts. But because these Anatolian cult sites were built later, other classicists say that the goddess could not have come from Anatolia. In the Greco-Roman world, the crossroads were places of spirits, doorways to the other world(s), places of magic, spells and necromancy and also places of purification. 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. Over time, some of the Olympians changed form and function. This makes her the granddaughter of Phoebe and Coeus, both Titans. The Hades and Persephone Story. She was the daughter of Perses and Asteria. Hecate Triformis, Hecate of the three faces or three forms, corresponding to the phases of the moon: dark, waxing, and waning. When Persephone was abducted to the underworld by Hades, Hecate was the only witness willing to help Demeter search for her daughter. We will examine her origins and describe the crossroads ritual. She was most famously the goddess of magic, witchcraft, ghosts, necromancy, the Moon, and the night. I have been in love with all things related to Mythology. Her halos are usually made of moonbeams. 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. This made her one of the few deities to have the power to move freely between the world of the living and the underworld. It is unclear exactly when Hecate became so closely linked with magic and witchcraft. A shrine to Hecate was placed at the entrances of homes or even cities, hoping to protect them from the evil spirits that roamed the world. She could switch between being a Titan and a goddess in Greek mythology. Sources say there was a sacred garden dedicated to Hecate at her temple in Colchis (modern day Georgia). This is how she came to command the earth, bliss, and sea. IT WAS A COMMON PRACTICE TO PLACE IMAGES OF HECATE ATCITYGATES & THE DOORWAYS OF PRIVATE HOMES AS SHE COULD WARD OFF EVIL SPIRITS. Another story said that Hecate herself had cursed a witch named Gale to be a polecat for disgusting her with incontinence and abnormal desires. From lino cutting to surfing to childrens mental health, their hobbies and interests range far and wide. She is good in the byre with Hermes to increase the stock. They thought she would protect them and keep away evil spirits. Study medicinal and magical herbalism and become one of Hecate's priestesses. The goddess, on the other hand, usually has human heads. In the physical world this could mean anything from doorways to city walls and state borders. Her tasks went beyond the heavens, the earth, the seas, and the Underworld. This is shown in Act III, scene five of the play. Hecate can banishghosts(or produce a ghost infestation). Hecate is one of the many goddesses in Greek mythology. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so its important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family. Click to reveal According to Hesiods Theogony, the Titans were the first Greek gods born of earth and the heavens. As was already said, the dog was Hecates most holy animal. Tzetzes on Lycophron, 1175; Scholiast on Theocritus, ii, 36. Many depictions, such as those of the Moirae, show the three goddesses corresponding to the three stages of a womans life. You may request to banish harm from you and to protect you and your loved ones. 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. A: The three witches in the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare made Hecate angry by meeting and predicting the future of the main character, Macbeth, without consulting her. Her parentage was given differently by various writers. Controlling who moved through the border between the earth and the underworld gave her a unique power to summon spirits and raise the dead. 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. This was a group started by May Otis Blackburn in Los Angeles, California. Hecate was believed to be a goddess of both the living world and the underworld. Some depictions show the Goddess with the head of a dog, horse, and lion, which could be the constellations during the year. But Hekate was in this time also connected to liminality. Later periods show statues of Hecate in three-fold having 3 separate bodies and faces. She can be a shadowy, oblique goddess: her response may be subtle. During the time of the Romans, Hecate was often combined with the gods Artemis and Selene, especially in Roman poetry. They call her Aristaion or Night. Because she was associated with borders, gates, and doorways, Hecate took on a protective role. This myth led to goddess Hecate being depicted with torches in her hand. A: Hecate is the Greek Goddess of magic and witchcraft. They believed that by praising the goddess, the restless dead would be soothed and not deliver vengeance on the family. Interesting facts: Hestia was one of three goddesses immune to the influence of Aphrodite. Greece itself worshipped many trios of goddesses or goddesses with three forms that fit this archetype. Hesiod only talks about her family and how she killed Clytius in the Gigantomachy. She was also the goddess of the Oikos and the guardian of its entrances. Your privacy is important to us. Parents: Perses (and Asteria) or Zeus and Asteria (a second-generation Titan) or Nyx (Night) or Aristaios or Demeter (see Theoi Hecate) Selenite, tiger's eye, obsidian, rhodochrosite, jet, jasper, agate, and amber are the most suited crystals for Hecate. The triple goddesses are often referred to as the Maiden, Mother (or Matron), and Crone. Hecate was both Greek and foreign at the same time. The witches were telling Macbeth about his future and had not consulted the Goddess and had left her out of the meeting. Hecate, however, is routinely described as the goddess of witchcraft and associated with characters like Medea and Circe, the witch of Homers Odyssey. 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. This article was most recently revised and updated by, From Athena to Zeus: Basics of Greek Mythology, Ancient Origins - Hecate: Triple-Bodied Greek Goddess of Witchcraft and Keeper of Keys, Hecate - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). 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. 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.
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