Performance & security by Cloudflare. As Apollo was sometimes known as Hecatos, it is still possible that this feminine form of the name referred to his sister and not a separate goddess. Performing a protection rite on yourself and use of amulet is always encouraged as well. But Hecate is not the evil hag that popular legend suggests. 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. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. She is also mentioned in Aeneid, a play by Virgil where she guides one of the characters, Sibyl, in the Underworld. Seneca often talks about Hecate and her moon-based counterparts and even links Medea to the goddess. She is also Queen of the Night, and is highly connected to All Hallow's Eve. The evening meal in ancient Greece, especially in Athens known as Deipnon, was in honor of Hecate. Kidadl has a number of affiliate partners that we work with including Amazon. Because of this, some people would make sacrifices of dogs, especially puppies, to her. Many of the rituals described in ancient texts, for example the elaborate sacrifice of a ewe in Argonautica, are in keeping with what is known about the worship of other deities of the underworld. The crossroads were and are also places where several accidents occurred and or ambushes, holdups they can be places of vulnerability where fates seem to be on rare occasions sealed. In single form she appears on Greek vases and coins. We offer advice and practical, interactive ideas to help parents challenge, teach and develop their childrens skills at home. Subscribe to our popular newsletter Synced Global AI Weekly to get weekly AI updates. 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. They spun the threads of fate at the base of. In fact, she existed in such a nominal place that its difficult to say whether she existed as a singular goddess, a trio of beings, or as a minor aspect of a more major deity. Quite often each face is different, one of a dog, one of a horse and one of a goddess. While Hecates temples in the area are from a later period, she bears a resemblance to a more ancient goddess in Caria. I have been in love with all things related to Mythology. She was connected to occult practices such as witchcraft and magic, the Moon, gateways, and nocturnal beasts such as hellhounds and ghosts. Hecate was considered an ancient Thracian divinity and she was also a titan; the titans ruled the heavens, the earth and the sea. 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, however, was not just a goddess shown in three parts. According to Theogony. In this manner, pillars known as Hecate stood at key intersections and entryways, possibly to ward off malevolent spirits. She was the only one among the Titans who retained this power under the rule of Zeus, and she was honored by all the immortal gods. Regula, deTraci. 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. Was the Griffin a Bird from Greek Mythology? The chief Greek god, Zeus, was very fond of this Goddess and gave her a share of the earth and sea. Hecate has been referenced in various literary works, including the plays by Sophocles and Euripides. I have been in love with all things related to Mythology. Hecate hkt, hkt , in Greek religion and mythology, goddess of ghosts and witchcraft. There is a belief, therefore, that the three goddesses may be aspects of a singular, earlier deity. The masculine form of this word is said to be used for Apollo, one of the Greek gods. Esoteric writing from this time says that Hecate has the heads of a horse, a dog, and a snake. The Tridevi The triad of goddesses in Hinduism often represents the three states of creation, preservation, and destruction. creative tips and more. You may request to banish harm from you and to protect you and your loved ones. Hecate is a goddess in Greek mythology often associated with darkness and witchcraft. The goddess told Demeter everything she had heard, but Demeter didnt know who had taken her daughter. Hecate is known to rule over the sky, the earth, and the sea. One sculpture depicts Hecate with a friendly dog and another with heads of a cow, dog, boar, serpent or horse. In ancient times the crossroads didnt have our modern symbolism as a place of choices. The duration ofa dark moonvaries between 1.5 and 3.5 days) to the crossroads. To learn more about other Goddesses and exciting information, keep visiting on LearningMole. Her parentage was given differently by various writers. Dogs also howl at the Moon, so this could be a link. The heads could be of a dog, a lion, or a horse, representing the constellations that make up the year. 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. During the Hellenistic and Roman times, people still worshipped Hecate. She is helping a dog attack a giant who looks like a snake. From lino cutting to surfing to childrens mental health, their hobbies and interests range far and wide. Apollo is often called Hekatos, the masculine form of his name. Hecate was a goddess of boundaries and in between spaces. She witnessed the abduction of Demeter's daughter Persephone to the underworld and, torch in hand, assisted in the search for her. The facts about Hecate provides a list detailing fascinating additional info to increase your knowledge about Hecate in Greek Mythology. Since the 5th century BCE, the goddess has been linked to the darker parts of life, like death, witchcraft, magic, the Moon, dreams, fierce hounds, and creatures that roam the night. Corrections? Still, she was in charge of things that put her in the spotlight. But because these Anatolian cult sites were built later, other classicists say that the goddess could not have come from Anatolia. Her liminality came from the fact that she was the daughter of a Titan and a goddess. 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. Instead, some believe that the goddess originated in Asia Minor. Persis and Asteria, two Titans from the generation of deities prior to the Olympians, are the legendary parents of Hecate. Hecate may be invoked for healing, especially if medical solutions have failed or are not an option. There is evidence that this may have been the case with Hecate. This made her one of the few deities to have the power to move freely between the world of the living and the underworld. The first sculpture of Hecate in triple form was the (lost) statue by Alcamenes (fifth century BCE) at the Acropolis. 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. It was said that she learned herbalism and spells from Hecate herself. She was also associated with some of the most revered and respected goddesses of Olympus. 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. Hecate is defined by her powerful magic, being at ease with the night and darkness and in wild surroundings. Modern neopagan and Wiccan religions often include worship of a triple goddess, and of Hecate herself. She rules wisdom, choices, expiation, victory, vengeance, and travel. When you buy through the links on our site we may earn a commission. 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. The Egyptian fertility goddess Heqet was associated with magic, which the Egyptians called heqa. 1,178 Sq. The various statues have also raised questions as to her duties. The most popular theory is that the Carians in Asia Minor brought Hecate to Greece, where she became a part of their religion. 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. The goddess was often linked to Demeter, and in some cults, she was seen as the same as Demeter. According to the Greek writer Hesiod*, Hecate was the daughter of the Titan* Perses and the nymph Asteria. Hekat) is the feminine form of hekatos, an epithet of the god Apollo meaning "the one who works from afar."But the true etymology of the name is uncertain. Her tasks went beyond the heavens, the earth, the seas, and the Underworld. All these were also given Hekate in her Deipnon (food offering). 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. On the other hand, Euripides says that Leto is her mother. Since the fifth century BCE, Hecate has been associated with magic, witchcraft, the moon, and other dark influences. She was associated with witchcraft, necromancy, and poisons. Hecate is remembered best not as a goddess of boundaries, but as a goddess of magic. By the first century CE, Lucans Pharsalia made it clear that Hecate was the goddess of magic and witchcraft. However, she was transformed by Circe into the monster form. She was also closely associated to the spiritual world, ghosts, and the dead. Child of Perses and Asteria, she was the only Titan to retain her control under Zeus' reign. People believed that by honoring and praying to this Goddess, their homes would be preserved from the vengeance of the dead. However. Another option was a dish of red mullet, which was usually not allowed to be given to other gods. ThoughtCo, Dec. 6, 2021, thoughtco.com/greek-mythology-hecate-1526205. These statues took on a distinctive appearance. Some later stories agreed that Asteria was her mother, but claimed Zeus had been her father. 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. Hecate was believed to be a goddess of both the living world and the underworld. While some scholars attribute these displays as holding a dark side to Hecate, most myths associate her with a protective nature toward humans. 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. 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 early as the 5th century BC, the image of the hekataion was the standard way of showing the goddess in sculpture. Even though there arent many myths about the goddess Hecate, the ones that do exist tell us a lot about where she has power. She was also called the Goddess of the threshold or the Goddess of the house. She was a goddess of magic and the underworld, but she was also a protector of the home and a guardian of borders. Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. THE MOST COMPLETE COURSE IN PRACTICAL MAGICK EVER RELEA Advanced Magick for the 21st Century The Adeptu 3 Special gods of old Briton You should revisit! She's ill at ease in cities and civilization. 2 Beds. Lagina was one of the most important Carian sanctuaries.Hecate also has a strong connection with Georgia as well as throughout Italy. During the Romans, many of her traits belonged to the world of the dead. Greeks likewise borrowed many deities and legends. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/greek-mythology-hecate-1526205. Hecate Greek Goddess of Witchcraft : The Complete Guide. But she isnt in the Homeric epics, which is a big deal. Witches do gather together or solitary on crossroads as do magicians , hoodoo and voudan practitioners to cast their enchantments and spells. Hesiod, for example, seemed to hold in in high regard and makes no mention of this darker association. 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. Many of the traditional offerings to Hecate- are: milk, honey, oil, cakes, cheese, bloody meat, eggs, onions, garlic. "Hecate: Greece's Dark Goddess of the Crossroads." 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). Hecate. According to her story, Hecate sometimes withheld these blessings if she felt mortals did not deserve them. 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 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. Apollonius of Rhodes says that the sound of dogs barking from the Underworld can be heard when Hecate is nearby. Hecate carrying a torch is a common way to show this myth in art. This article incorporates text from Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1870) by William Smith, which is in the public domain. The first example of the triple-Hecate form, called hekataia, was made by the sculptor Alcamenes in the 5th century BCE. As a result, the goddess of magic remained a major deity in regulating evil spirits in the Underworld. Like most of the Olympic pantheon, Hecate predates the written mythology of Greece. She has also been mentioned in the works of Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream, King Lear, and Macbeth. Athenian Greeks used the evening meal, known as Deipnon, to honor Hecate. Hekate assisted Demeter in her search for Persephone, guiding her through the night with flaming torches. The food offered to this deity included cheese, cakes of eggs, and a dish of red mullet. She was most famously the goddess of magic, witchcraft, ghosts, necromancy, the Moon, and the night. Further, the home would be blessed and any wrong-doing by family members would be forgiven and the household purified. She may be petitioned for a swift, painless death. 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 . The Goddess Hecate is supposed to be the daughter of Perses, a Titan, and Asteria, a nymph. A competing theory says that Hecate did not develop in Greece at all. Advanced Magick for the 21st Century The Adeptus Course, THE MOST COMPLETE COURSE IN PRACTICAL MAGICK EVER RELEASED. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. In mythology Nyx represented night. Moon Goddess of Hidden Wisdom, Change and Darkness. This is how she came to command the earth, bliss, and sea. She was a goddess in charge of magic, witchcraft, and much more. When Persephone was abducted to the underworld by Hades, Hecate was the only witness willing to help Demeter search for her daughter. She was a goddess that could be both a protective guardian and a source of menace. As an Amazon Associate, Kidadl earns from qualifying purchases. She was born into the world ruled by the Titans, but continued to be influential and powerful in the Olympian pantheon. But Hecate herself existed in the in between spaces, as well. Later periods show statues of Hecate in three-fold having 3 separate bodies and faces. And all these views if we go back in time can also be found in the Greco-Roman world. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. HEKATE (Hecate) was the goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, moon, ghosts and necromancy. She is the witness to every crime. 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. She could not be forced to love anyone. The myth says that Zeus gave the Lampades to Hera as a reward for her loyalty during the Titanomachy. Hecate is usually depicted with a burning torch in her hand and with a dog laying at her feet, its head raised. Eating crunchy while enjoying a good movie or your favourite video game is a blessing. My name is Mike and for as long as I can remember (too long!) This myth led to goddess Hecate being depicted with torches in her hand. Therefore, this deity is also invoked when there is thought to be a miscarriage of justice. Subscribe for virtual tools, STEM-inspired play, Over time, some of the Olympians changed form and function. 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. Some lexicographers, experts that study the origins of language, believe that the word hag and hex, which means witch, is derived from the word Hecate. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents. Hecate is petitioned for fertility, especially for female children. This was a group started by May Otis Blackburn in Los Angeles, California. As worshippers began to focus on one aspect of a god more than others, that gods secondary purposes were separated into another deity altogether.
