In Greek mythology, the goddess associated with witchcraft, spooks, and magic. Not in Homer, she appears in Hesiod, and seems to represent the powerful mother-goddess of Asia Minor. She is worshipped with offerings at places where three roads cross, and so given three bodies in sculpture.
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Greek deities series |
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| Primordial deities |
| Titans and Olympians |
| Aquatic deities |
| Personified concepts |
| Other deities |
| Chthonic deities |
| Hades and Persephone, |
| Gaia, Demeter, Hecate, |
| Iacchus, Trophonius, |
| Triptolemus, Erinyes |
| Heroes and the Dead |
Hecate, Hekate (Hekátē), or Hekat was originally a goddess of the wilderness and childbirth originating from Thrace, or among the Carians of Anatolia .
Representations
The earliest depictions of Hecate are single faced, not triplicate. Lewis Richard Farnell states:
Her gifts towards mankind are all-encompassing, Hesiod tells:
Hecate was carefully attended:
Hesiod emphasizes that Hecate was an only child, the daughter of Asteria, a star-goddess who was the sister of Leto, the mother of Artemis and Apollo. Hecate was a reappearance of Phoebe, a moon goddess herself, who appeared in the dark of the moon.
His inclusion and praise of Hecate in Theogony is troublesome for scholars in that he seems fulsomely to praise her attributes and responsibilities in the ancient cosmos even though she is both relatively minor and foreign.
As her cult spread into areas of Greece it presented a conflict, as Hecate’s role was already filled by other more prominent gods in the Greek pantheon, above all by Artemis, and by more archaic figures, such as Nemesis.
There are two versions of Hecate that emerge in Greek myth. The lesser role integrates Hecate while not diminishing Artemis. In this version Hecate is a mortal priestess who is commonly associated with Iphigeneia and scorns and insults Artemis, eventually leading to her suicide. Artemis then adorns the dead body with jewelry and whispers for her spirit to rise and become her Hecate, and act similar to Nemesis as an avenging spirit, but solely for injured women.
The second version helps to explain how Hecate gains the title of the "Queen of Ghosts" and her role as a goddess of sorcery. Similar to totems of Hermes—herms— placed at borders as a ward against danger, images of Hecate, as a liminal goddess, could also serve in such a protective role. Over time, the association of keeping out evil spirits led to the belief that if offended Hecate could also let in evil spirits. Thus invocations to Hecate arose as her the supreme governess of the borders between the normal world and the spirit world . Medea, who was a priestess of Hecate, used witchcraft in order to handle magic herbs and poisons with skill, and to be able to stay the course of rivers , or check the paths of the stars and the moon.
Implacable Hecate has been called "tender-hearted", a euphemism perhaps to emphasize her concern with the disappearance of Persephone, when she addressed Demeter with sweet words when the goddess was distressed.
Although she was never truly incorporated among the Olympian gods, the modern understanding of Hecate is derived from the syncretic Hellenistic culture of Alexandria.
In modern times Hecate has become a prevalent figure in feminist-inspired Neopagan religions, and a version of Hecate has been appropriated by Wicca and other modern magic-practising traditions.
Relations in the Greek Pantheon
Hecate is a pre-Olympian chthonic goddess. The Greek sources do not offer a story of her parentage, beyond the Theogony, or of her relations in the Greek pantheon: Sometimes Hecate is a Titaness, daughter of Perses and Asteria, and a mighty helper and protector of mankind. Hecate, like Demeter, was a goddess of the earth and fertility.
Other names and epithets
Chthonian (Earth/Underworld goddess) Crataeis (the Mighty One) Enodia (Goddess of the paths) Antania (Enemy of mankind) Kurotrophos (Nurse of the Children and Protectress of mankind) Artemis of the crossroads Propylaia (the one before the gate) Propolos (the attendant who leads) Phosphoros (the light-bringer) Soteira ("Saviour") Prytania (invincible Queen of the Dead) Trioditis (gr.) Trivia (latin: Goddess of Three Roads) Klêidouchos (Keeper of the Keys) Tricephalus or Triceps (The Three-Headed)Goddess of the crossroads
Hecate had a special role at three-way crossroads, where the Greeks set poles with masks of each of her heads facing different directions
The crossroad aspect of Hecate stems from her original sphere as a goddess of the wilderness and untamed areas.
Hecate is the Greek version of Trivia "the three ways" in Roman mythology. see Hectite:
Goddess of sorcery
The goddess of sorcery or magic is Hecate's most common modern title. Hecate was the goddess who appeared most often in magical texts such as the Greek Magical Papyri and curse tablets, along with Hermes.
Emblems
Traditionally, Hecate is represented as carrying torches, very often has a knife, and may appear holding a rope, a key, a phial , flowers , or a pomegranate .
The torch is presumably a symbol of the light that illuminates the darkness, as the Greeks secured Hecate in her role as the bringer of wisdom. The key is significant to Hecate's role as gatekeeper, being the one who could open the doors to sacred knowledge.
In the so-called "Chaldean Oracles" that were edited in Alexandria, she was also associated with a serpentine maze around a spiral, known as Hecate's wheel (the "Strophalos of Hecate", verse 194 of Isaac Preston Cory's 1836 translation). The symbolism referred to the serpent's power of rebirth, to the labyrinth of knowledge through which Hecate could lead mankind, and to the flame of life itself: "The life-producing bosom of Hecate, that Living Flame which clothes itself in Matter to manifest Existence" (verse 55 of Cory's translation of the Chaldean Oracles).
Animals
The she-dog is the animal most commonly associated with Hecate. The frog, significantly a creature that can cross between two elements, is also sacred to Hecate .
During the Medieval period in western Europe, Hecate was reverenced by witches who adopted parts of her mythos as their goddess of sorcery. (Rabinowitz)
Plants and herbs
The yew, cypress, hazel, black poplar, cedar, and willow are all sacred to Hecate . Yew berries carry Hecate's power, and can bring wisdom or death.
Many other herbs and plants are associated with Hecate, including garlic, almonds, lavender, thyme, myrrh, mugwort, cardamon, mint, dandelion, hellebore, and lesser celandine.
Places
Wild areas, forests, borders, city walls and doorways, crossroads, and graveyards are all associated with Hecate.
It is often stated that the moon is sacred to Hecate. This is argued against by Farnell (1896, p.4):
However in the magical papyri of Greco-Roman Egypt there survive several hymns which identify Hecate with Selene and the moon, extolling her as supreme Goddess, mother of the gods. In this form, as a threefold goddess, Hecate continues to have followers in some neopagan religions.
Festivals
Hecate was worshipped by both the Greeks and the Romans who had their own festivals dedicated to her. According to Ruickbie (2004:19) the Greeks observed two days sacred to Hecate, one on the 13th of August and one on the 30th of November, whilst the Romans observed the 29th of every month as her sacred day.
Cross-cultural parallels
The figure of Hecate can often be associated with the figure of Isis in Egyptian myth, mainly due to her role as sorceress.
Hecate in literature
Hecate is a character in William Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth, which was first played circa 1605;
Hecate was used by William Blake in a number of his paintings and poems.
Hecate in Popular Culture
Hecate appears throughout the Hellboy comics as an elder god, and often in the guise of an iron maiden.
Hecate in modern magic
In modern times, Hecate has become popular in Neopaganism and Wicca, largely due to her association as the goddess of sorcery. Hecate can take numerous roles.
Worship of Hecate can take many forms. Common forms of worship include prostration, chanting adoration for Hecate, fasting, the collecting of lanterns, the burning of oils and incense, and the burning of bread and other foods as sacrifices.
Some groups worship Artemis instead due to Hecate's supposedly fickle nature and lack of benevolence. Some Neopagans worship Artemis, Selene and Hecate as a kind of trinity, representing maiden (Artemis), mother (Selene) and crone (Hecate), and also the various phases of the moon (crescent, full, and new, respectively).
In some modern pagan beliefs, wild animals are sacred to Hecate.
Queen of ghosts
Queen of Ghosts is a title associated with Hecate due to the belief that she can both prevent harm from leaving, but also allow harm to enter from the spirit world. Hecate thus has a role and special power in graveyards and at crossroads. Her association with graveyards also played a large part in the idea of Hecate as a lunar goddess. "Hecate in Art", The Cults of the Greek States.
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