As the goddess of the night, witchcraft and sorcery, Hecate was very important to ancient Greeks, particularly to the famed author and scholar Hesiod. Female monsters also often came in threes, as was the case with the Gorgons and Graea. The crossroads are special places, places of great power, but at the same time haunting places. You ask Hecate to feed on these offerings, to accept them as an act of friendship and continued bond and also as an act of gratitude on your part. The name "Hecate" (Greek , translit. The various statues have also raised questions as to her duties. A shrine to this Goddess was built at the entrance of homes and cities as she was believed to keep evil spirits away. Nyx, the Primordial Goddess of the Night | Ancient Origins 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. Please note that Kidadl is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon. Hecate is portrayed in single form on sculptures of Myron and Naucydes. Contrary to popular current belief she wasnt originally a matron for women but for all who fit the above categories. Subscribe for virtual tools, STEM-inspired play, creative tips and more. Many Anatolian gods had their roots in the Greek pantheon. However, the queen killed the Thracian king when on her way to Greece. She is sometimes depicted as being accompanied by dogs or hounds and ghosts. The Greek goddess Hecate, or Hekate, is Greece's dark goddess of the crossroads. This food offering was known as the Supper of Hecate. What are interesting facts about Hecate? - WisdomAnswer Child of Perses and Asteria, she was the only Titan to retain her control under Zeus' reign. She is also Queen of the Night, and is highly connected to All Hallow's Eve. Hecate carrying a torch is a common way to show this myth in art. Was the Griffin a Bird from Greek Mythology? During the time of the Romans, Hecate was often combined with the gods Artemis and Selene, especially in Roman poetry. Controlling who moved through the border between the earth and the underworld gave her a unique power to summon spirits and raise the dead. Hecate is a goddess in Greek mythology often associated with darkness and witchcraft. Hecate became Persephones guardian and close friend while she was living in the Underworld. The three-part goddess was able to keep watch in all directions, and became standard in both written and visual representations. Her companions are known to punish wrong doing and criminals. Archaeological items found in Lagina in Caria and Phrygia also point to the importance of this Goddess during the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Greeks focused worship on the more protective aspects of Artemis, goddess that existed on the edges of the Greek, The Norns These three goddesses were the Norse equivalent of the Moirai. The offerings to the goddess were made each month during the night of a new moon. You then connect yourself to her through visualizing and forming a mental image of her presence, you then thank her and pray to her. She witnessed the abduction of Demeter's daughter Persephone to the underworld and, torch in hand, assisted in the search for her. The blessings she gave them were eventually seen as magic, while prayers were seen as incantations. Zorya The Slavic goddess of beauty and light took three forms corresponding to morning, evening, and midnight. They are associated with certain ideas, occupations, or stages of life. On her head she sometimes wears a kalathos, a tall wicker basket, or a moon sickle. 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. The first example of the triple-Hecate form, called hekataia, was made by the sculptor Alcamenes in the 5th century BCE. 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. People believed that by honoring and praying to this Goddess, their homes would be preserved from the vengeance of the dead. From lino cutting to surfing to childrens mental health, their hobbies and interests range far and wide. In 1929, an expert in religious cults noted that the Blackburn Cult or The Cult of the Great Eleven that was formed in the '20s was connected with Hecate worship and rituals. The most commonly repeated story of her birth was that Hecate was the daughter of Perses and Asteria, two second-generation Titans. When her city fell, the queen was taken captive and lept off a cliff to her death. According to Hesiods Theogony, the Titans were the first Greek gods born of earth and the heavens. 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. Hecate: Greek Goddess of Witchcraft, Sorcery and Magic While some scholars attribute these displays as holding a dark side to Hecate, most myths associate her with a protective nature toward humans. Hecate acted as a veil between the world of the mortals and the supernatural. Hecate Greek Goddess of Witchcraft : The Complete Guide. Nearby Recently Sold Homes. Hecate was an only child and was worshiped in households of Athens where families hoped to receive protection, prosperity and daily blessings. Hecate's powers transcended the boundaries of the sky, the earth, the seas, and the underworld. Later periods show statues of Hecate in three-fold having 3 separate bodies and faces. She is the witness to every crime. By the first century CE, Lucans Pharsalia made it clear that Hecate was the goddess of magic and witchcraft. Though perhaps originally an indigenous woodland goddess, Diana early became identified with Artemis. Hecate - Roman and Greek Gods and Goddesses Hecate also presided over more mystical boundaries. This made her one of the few deities to have the power to move freely between the world of the living and the underworld. She was also called the Goddess of the threshold or the Goddess of the house. Greek pantheon was once much smaller than we know. We will examine her origins and describe the crossroads ritual. According to Greek mythology when the universe first came into being the primordial gods were there, fully formed. From the Greek word for to turn away, apotropaic magic is that which defends by turning away evil or harm. Some poets say her mother is Crataeis. She was there when Demeters daughter Persephone was taken to the Underworld, and she helped search for her with a torch in her hand after she saw it happen. Etymology. In Late Antiquity, the empousai have been described as a category of phantoms or spectres, equated with the lamiai and mormolykeia . She was also the goddess of the Oikos and the guardian of its entrances. Hecate also has several temples where her shrine is worshipped. She is often displayed holding two torches or a key. Hecate was both Greek and foreign at the same time. Hesiod claimed that Hecate was a favorite of Zeus . Information on Hecate Dark Goddess of the Crossroads - ThoughtCo 170 BCE). Hecate was a goddess in Greek Mythology. "Hecate: Greece's Dark Goddess of the Crossroads." Some of the statues she made as offerings to the goddess had the Graces dancing around her. A: This Greek Goddess is often considered to be capable of both good and evil. Posted by 7thphoenix | May 27, 2020 | Magick Articles | 0 |. 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. It is believed that Zeus, the king of the gods, asked Hecate to help find Persephone after Hades kidnapped her. The masculine form of this word is said to be used for Apollo, one of the Greek gods. She is depicted on the altar of Pergamon with one body and three heads (ca. Hecate's name (Greek: Hekate, Latin: Hecate) means far-reaching one, and hints at this goddess's wide influence over a variety of earthly and supernatural affairs. 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. In the physical world this could mean anything from doorways to city walls and state borders. During ancient times the place where roads met or at crossroads, a pole with three masks was erected. This was a group started by May Otis Blackburn in Los Angeles, California. 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. Regula, deTraci. In many cultures and religions in many lands. Home History Great Facts about Goddess Hecate. 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. My work has also been published on Buzzfeed and most recently in Time magazine. The iconography had not yet come to include her usual attributes, such as her keys and torches or her three aspects. She was also associated with some of the most revered and respected goddesses of Olympus. Quite often warriors worshipped the goddess Hecate just as readily. Hecate, however, is routinely described as the goddess of witchcraft and associated with characters like Medea and Circe, the witch of Homers Odyssey. Some scholars of ancient Greek religion have noted that Apollo was occasionally given the name Hecatos, which they interpret to mean one who reaches far. These academics believe that Hecate, therefore, may have once been another name for Apollos twin sister, Artemis. The boundaries she oversaw were not limited to the physical world, though. As punishment, she was transformed into a dog to be the companion of Hecate. Many historians believe that the Greek pantheon was once much smaller than we know it today. 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 was also known as the queen or Goddess of the night. Hecate was the principal goddess who had jurisdiction over enchantments and spells. Scylla Greek Gods & Goddesses Her companions are theFuries(Erinyes), the winged creatures who punished wrong-doing, and her children are the Empusae, female demons partial to seducing travellers. Read on to find out more about Greeces most mystical goddess! Diana | Myth, Goddess, & Cult | Britannica Hecate was the chief goddess presiding over magic and spells. This makes her the granddaughter of Phoebe and Coeus, both Titans. And the dark moon is also a powerful time to cleanse you, from negative energy, negative influences or potentially harmful spirits. She was most famously the goddess of magic, witchcraft, ghosts, necromancy, the Moon, and the night. It has been suggested that the idea of magic coming from Hecate was an evolution of the many gifts she was capable of bestowing upon her favorites. Great Facts about Goddess Hecate - Learning Mole Thus, pillars called Hecataea stood at crossroads and doorways, perhaps to keep away evil spirits. According to a legend, Odysseus got the Trojan queen Hecuba as a captive after the defeat of Troy. 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. Hekate: A beginner's guide to witchcraft, ghosts, spirituality, and Hekate advance rituals and spells for Meditation and Divination Kindle Edition by Johander Kholms (Author) Format: Kindle Edition 9 ratings See all formats and editions Kindle $5.49 Read with Our Free App 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. 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. The darkness, the moon, and magic have been personified as Hecate in many popular and well-known works of literature and in art. Hecate (also spelt Hekate) is a goddess capable of both good and evil. As the worship of Artemis evolved over time, the Greeks began to focus more on her purity and positive aspects. People left the food there to honor Hecate. She was a goddess that could be both a protective guardian and a source of menace. She was born into the world ruled by the Titans, but continued to be influential and powerful in the Olympian pantheon. The goddess was especially appealed to by sorceresses for aid in their magic and spellsand appears on surviving examples of curse tablets. 6 Amazing facts about Hecate | High-Percentage-Magick As was already said, the dog was Hecates most holy animal. And there is a good book titled Hekate liminal rites By David Rankine and Sorite DEsteyou should check out. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. (2021, December 6). Hecate - A mysterious nature goddess associated with sorcery and witchcraft, who went with Demeter to the Underworld to fetch Persephone, but then stayed to assist Persephone. This concept became a central figure in many later versions of polytheism. 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.