[54] These include aconite (also called hecateis),[55] belladonna, dittany, and mandrake. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. [2][3][4] Her earliest appearance in literature was in Hesiod's Theogony in the 8th century BCE[5] as a goddess of great honour with domains in sky, earth, and sea. We care about our planet and contribute a share of our revenue to carbon removal from the atmosphere. While many researchers favour the idea that she has Anatolian origins, it has been argued that "Hecate must have been a Greek goddess. [citation needed], One surviving group of stories[clarification needed] suggests how Hecate might have come to be incorporated into the Greek pantheon without affecting the privileged position of Artemis. Link will appear as Hecate: https://greekgodsandgoddesses.net - Greek Gods & Goddesses, October 19, 2019, Greek Gods and Goddesses 2010 - 2022 | About | Contact | Sitemap | Privacy, Hecate: https://greekgodsandgoddesses.net, Magic, witchcraft, the night, moon, ghosts and necromancy, None, however in some myths there are various potential offspring mentioned - (Aegialeus, Circe, Empusa, Medea, Scylla). Each of the Greek gods has a few specialized functions. The Deipnon is always followed the next day by the Noumenia,[103] when the first sliver of the sunlit Moon is visible, and then the Agathos Daimon the day after that. Who is Hecate in Macbeth? He gave her splendid gifts, to have a share of the earth and the unfruitful sea. The yew in particular was sacred to Hecate. When her city fell, the queen was taken captive and lept off a cliff to her death. Special interests include art, architecture, and discovering the ideas that all civilizations share. She is often displayed holding two torches or a key. Physical Trait Match Up. He also performs other secret rites [of Hecate] at four pits, taming the fierceness of the blasts [of the winds], and he is said to chant as well the charms of Medea. The triple goddesses are often referred to as the Maiden, Mother (or Matron), and Crone. The Greek goddess Demeter is portrayed as a mature woman, usually crowned and dressed in finery, and holding sheaves of wheat or barley. I am the owner and chief researcher at this site. HECATE (Hekate) - Greek Goddess of Witchcraft, Magic & Ghosts - Theoi The Athenian Greeks honoured Hecate during the Deipnon. PJO headcanons Hecate, however, was not just a goddess shown in three parts. They are associated with certain ideas, occupations, or stages of life. She is the Goddess. 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. In a few cases, Hecate was said to have shared these powers with her most devoted followers. She was a goddess of magic and the underworld, but she was also a protector of the home and a guardian of borders. [29][28] Some hekataia, including a votive sculpture from Attica of the 3rd century BC, include additional dancing figures identified as the Charites circling the triple Hecate and her central column. [52] She is also sometimes associated with cypress, a tree symbolic of death and the underworld, and hence sacred to a number of chthonic deities. [131], In the syncretism during Late Antiquity of Hellenistic and late Babylonian ("Chaldean") elements, Hecate was identified with Ereshkigal, the underworld counterpart of Inanna in the Babylonian cosmography. Hecate was the daughter of Perses and "gold-wreathed" Astra (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. She wears a blue dress, cape, and armbands on both wrists. Otherwise, they are typically generic, or Artemis-like. "[49], The goddess is described as wearing oak in fragments of Sophocles' lost play The Root Diggers (or The Root Cutters), and an ancient commentary on Apollonius of Rhodes' Argonautica (3.1214) describes her as having a head surrounded by serpents, twining through branches of oak.[50]. Further, the home would be blessed and any wrong-doing by family members would be forgiven and the household purified. [e], As Hecate Phosphorus (the 'star' Venus) she is said to have lit the sky during the Siege of PhilipII in 340BCE, revealing the attack to its inhabitants. The Goddess Hecate tends to reach out in very subtle ways. Types of Starseeds: Which Star System Do You Come From? [76] Karl Kerenyi noted the similarity between the names, perhaps denoting a chthonic connection among the two and the goddess Persephone;[77] it is possible that this epithet gives evidence of a lunar aspect of Hecate. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hecate&oldid=1119477390. He goes on to quote a fragment of verse: In relation to Greek concepts of pollution, Parker observes. It was said that she learned herbalism and spells from Hecate herself. She was associated with witchcraft, magic, the Moon, doorways, and creatures of the night like hell-hounds and ghosts. [d] It shows Hecate, with a hound beside her, placing a wreath on the head of a mare. Goddess of Magic & Witchcraft Hecate 's Cabin is made up of bricks covered in magical inscriptions that glow faintly at dawn, noon, and dusk. A mysterious goddess of sorcery, necromancy, and ghosts, Greek Goddess Hecate is undoubtedly one of the most intriguing characters in all of Greek mythology! "[10], The Romans knew her by the epithet of Trivia, an epithet she shares with Diana/Artemis, each in their roles as protector of travel and of the crossroads (trivia, "three ways").[11]. Her origins and powers were unexplained and changeable. The tale is preserved in the Suda. [80], Worship of Hecate existed alongside other deities in major public shrines and temples in antiquity, and she had a significant role as household deity. She is often displayed holding two torches or a key. It can be difficult to determine if she is the goddess reaching out to you, but there are a few specific tells. Signs and Traits of Lightworkers: Earthbound Energy Healers Open Access Dissertations and heses. Berg's argument for a Greek origin rests on three main points: "In 340 B.C., however, the Byzantines, with the aid of the Athenians, withstood a siege successfully, an occurrence the more remarkable as they were attacked by the greatest general of the age, Philip of Macedon. Macbeth is a Scottish general and the thane of Glamis who is led to wicked thoughts by the prophecies of the three witches, especially after their prophecy that he will be made thane of Cawdor comes true. "Worker-from-afar." A mysterious divinity, who, according to the most common tradition, was a daughter of Persaeus or Perses and Asteria, whence she is called Perseis. Artemis would have, at that point, become more strongly associated with purity and maidenhood, on the one hand, while her originally darker attributes like her association with magic, the souls of the dead, and the night would have continued to be worshipped separately under her title Hecate. doi:10.2307/1087735. The Moirai crossed their arms and Eileithyia refused to help the laboring woman. "Hecate mediated between regimesOlympian and Titanbut also between mortal and divine spheres. According to Pausanias, the 2nd-century CE Greek traveller, the island of Aegina had a mystery cult dedicated to the goddess where it was believed those suffering mental illness could be cured. The goddess was especially appealed to by sorceresses for aid in their magic and spells and appears on surviving examples of curse tablets. Macbeth: Character List | SparkNotes [3], The 2nd-century travel writer Pausanias stated that Hecate was first depicted in triplicate by the sculptor Alcamenes in the Greek Classical period of the late 5th century BC,[4] whose sculpture was placed before the temple of the Wingless Nike in Athens. She received honor also in starry heaven, and is honored exceedingly by the deathless gods. Such things they call charms, whether it is the matter of a spherical object, or a triangular one, or some other shape. 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. But the version of Hecate that appears in Greek texts is not so straightforward. She is a Titaness of the third generation, daughter of Asteria and Perses, and serves the goddess Persephone as her attendant and minister. Medeas magic was often described as having to do with necromancy, sleep, and the night. The cabin is four modules . 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. The Charites (Graces) and Horai (Seasons) were also trios of minor goddesses in Greek mythology. "[28], Apart from traditional hekataia, Hecate's triplicity is depicted in the vast frieze of the great Pergamon Altar, now in Berlin, wherein she is shown with three bodies, taking part in the battle with the Titans. They also have limited control over ice, wind, electricity and cold. Less than that may signal that the women are not suited . Hecate's importance to Byzantium was above all as a deity of protection. 7), dated to the late 3rd or early 4th century CE, Hecate Erschigal is invoked against fear of punishment in the afterlife. Hecate's Cabin | Riordan Wiki | Fandom Hecate | Charmed | Fandom She is a crosser of boundaries and is repeatedly associated with "between" states. Hecate is the Goddess of Witches, also known as Gorgon Eyes, the Queen of Dogs, and Kali. Hecate was seen as a triple deity, identified with the goddesses Luna (moon) in the sky and Diana (hunting) on the earth, while she represents the Underworld. From the Greek word for to turn away, apotropaic magic is that which defends by turning away evil or harm. Hecate appears in two scenes. This doesn't mean She is easy to understand! Character Wiki. Hecate was a goddess in Greek Mythology. It could also be that the fragment reads 'Phorcys', agreeing with Acusilaus' version. Originally a benevolent entity, she was corrupted by her own power and banished from The Underworld for her wickedness. As a follower of her today I do not believe in harming of any animals. When Persephone was abducted to the underworld by Hades, Hecate was the only witness willing to help Demeter search for her daughter. Hecate's Deipnon is, at its most basic, a meal served to Hecate and the restless dead once a lunar month[102] during the new moon. "In art and in literature Hecate is constantly represented as dog-shaped or as accompanied by a dog. Corrections? World History Encyclopedia, 22 Jun 2017. Cartwright, Mark. in shakespeare's macbeth, hecate's personality is controlling and vindictive; she is the mistress of the three witches or weird sisters and appears in only two scenes: first in act 3 scene 5 to. Earlier, though, there may have been fewer gods with more complex functions. In the 1st century AD, Ovid wrote: "Look at Hecate, standing guard at the crossroads, one face looking in each direction. 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. Most of all, Hecate was a goddess of mystery. [119] Another theory is that Hecate was mainly a household god and humble household worship could have been more pervasive and yet not mentioned as much as temple worship. Good is she also when men contend at the games, for there too the goddess is with them and profits them: and he who by might and strength gets the victory wins the rich prize easily with joy, and brings glory to his parents. Hecate is closely associated with several other goddesses in the Greek pantheon, with symbolism and function seeming to overlap. Hecate. This article was most recently revised and updated by, Ancient Origins - Hecate: Triple-Bodied Greek Goddess of Witchcraft and Keeper of Keys, Hecate - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). William Shakespeare - Macbeth Act 3 Scene 5 | Genius [10] In what appears to be a 7th-century indication of the survival of cult practices of this general sort, Saint Eligius, in his Sermo warns the sick among his recently converted flock in Flanders against putting "devilish charms at springs or trees or crossroads",[62] and, according to Saint Ouen would urge them "No Christian should make or render any devotion to the deities of the trivium, where three roads meet". In literature, there is a clear link between her, Demeter, and Persephone. Other than in the Theogony, the Greek sources do not offer a consistent story of her parentage or of her relations in the Greek pantheon. The worship of Hecate continued into the Hellenistic and Roman periods with significant archaeological finds of votive offerings to the goddess being found at Lagina in Caria and Phrygia. [63], Thanks to her association with boundaries and the liminal spaces between worlds, Hecate is also recognized as a chthonic (underworld) goddess. Britannica Quiz 79, n. 1. also Ammonius (p. 79, Valckenaer), Foreign Influence on Ancient India, Krishna Chandra Sagar, Northern Book Centre, 1992, Household and Family Religion in Antiquity by John Bodel and Saul M. Olyan, page 221, published by John Wiley & Sons, 2009, d'Este & Rankine, Hekate Liminal Rites, Avalonia, 2009. Hecate's Cabin (#20) is a cabin for the demigod children of the goddess Hecate. They spun the threads of fate at the base of. [28], Hecate's cult became established in Athens about 430 B.C.E. If they fall into water, they will not be harmed. Finally, the goddess is referenced in the tragedy plays of Euripides and Sophocles, amongst others, and in Virgil's Aeneid where she acts as Sibyl's guide in the Underworld. One 5th-century BCE Attic vase depicts a woman offering the goddess a puppy and a basket of cakes. The initiates supposed that these things save [them] from terrors and from storms. Hecate's words also signal the deaths of Banquo and MacDuff's family. Hecate is the Greek goddess of magic , the Mist, crossroads, necromancy, the night and the moon. [28] It has been speculated that this triple image, usually situated around a pole or pillar, was derived from earlier representations of the goddess using three masks hung on actual wooden poles, possibly placed at crossroads and gateways. She is typically portrayed on Greek pottery as a young woman carrying a torch or a key, both reminders of her function as a night deity, a guardian of the gates of Hades and as a goddess of boundaries. For even now, whenever any human on the earth seeks propitiation 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. Hecate also presided over more mystical boundaries. She witnessed the abduction of Demeters daughter Persephone to the underworld and, torch in hand, assisted in the search for her. Hades is a tall man with light blue hair, fair complexion, a five o'clock shadow, and blue eyes. Whether or not Hecate's worship originated in Greece, some scholars have suggested that the name derives from a Greek root, and several potential source words have been identified. Not only could she move between the realms, but she had power to control the passage of others. Her attendants draped wreathes of yew around the necks of black bulls which they slaughtered in her honor and yew boughs were burned on funeral pyres. The yew was associated with the alphabet and the scientific name for yew today, taxus, was probably derived from the Greek word for yew, toxos, which is hauntingly similar to toxon, their word for bow and toxicon, their word for poison. Here's What Your Physical Traits Reveal About Your Personality According to research on over 2,000 Americans, it only takes 27 seconds for someone to establish a first impression. Hecate is also sometimes interpreted in association with Artemis and Selene. Of course, as the goddess of boundaries she had the power to let things in as well as keep them out. Caria was a major center of worship and her most famous temple there was located in the town of Lagina. It was a common practice to place images of Hecate at, Hecate Fighting the Giant, Pergamon Altar. There are few legends about Her, and no fixed genealogy. 7, J.-M. On December 17, 1928, Hazel was born to Marie Levesque and Pluto in New Orleans, Louisiana. HEKATE (Hecate) was the goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, moon, ghosts and necromancy. When she is in the Mortal Realm, she wears black Greek robes, a thin golden headband, and golden armbands. She was also associated with some of the most revered and respected goddesses of Olympus. She was also bound to other goddesses in a closely-linked trio. Polecats hid in dirty holes and, it was believed by the Greeks, had a grotesque and unnatural way of mating. 4060 in. When the marriage of Persephone was finalized and she became the queen of the underworld, the bond between the three goddesses was strengthened. While Hecates temples in the area are from a later period, she bears a resemblance to a more ancient goddess in Caria. From whom we do exist and cease to be, Later periods show statues of Hecate in three-fold having 3 separate bodies and faces. Hades. [Diviners] spin this sphere and make invocations. And at the pit of Acheron. Please note that some of these recommendations are listed under our old name, Ancient History Encyclopedia. She is the goddess of magic and witchcraft. Hekate was a psychopomp deity, able to travel freely between the world of men, that of the gods, and the kingdom of the dead. It is a cabin built of stones engraved with magical writing. [85], The earliest definitive record of Hecate's worship dates to the 6th century B.C.E., in the form of a small terracotta statue of a seated goddess, identified as Hecate in its inscription. He holds an MA in Political Philosophy and is the WHE Publishing Director. When Zeus conquered Olympus, Hecate was one of the Titans he spared. She rules the realization of astral forms into Earthly manifestation, and vice versa she bridges our aspirations to the astral realms and beyond. [82] Likewise, shrines to Hecate at three way crossroads were created where food offerings were left at the new moon to protect those who did so from spirits and other evils. Another story said that Hecate herself had cursed a witch named Gale to be a polecat for disgusting her with incontinence and abnormal desires. The Significance of Hecate's Words in 'MacBeth' - deviantart.com She has long, black claws, which she used to kill a stripper with and sharp teeth. She is technically a Titan of old, and is the daughter of Perses and Asteria . The sanctuary is built upon a hill, at the bottom of which is an Altar of the Winds, and on it the priest sacrifices to the winds one night in every year. They claim she originated in Caria, a region in southern Anatolia on the Mediterranean, and was adopted into the Greek pantheon. As these stories were passed on, though, they often changed. She has dark hair tied into a Greek ponytail, bright brown eyes, and very pale skin, which was why she was often called "Pale . . Dated to the 7th century BCE, this is one of the oldest known artefacts dedicated to the worship of Hecate. (2009). This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. Do you know which hero took a dip in the River Styx? In the Argolid, near the shrine of the Dioscuri, Pausanias saw the temple of Hecate opposite the sanctuary of Eileithyia; He reported the image to be the work of Scopas, stating further, "This one is of stone, while the bronze images opposite, also of Hecate, were made respectively by Polycleitus and his brother Naucydes, son of Mothon. 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. The Greeks, too, had many different theories about Hecates origins. Cabin: The cabin itself looks like a hybrid of a cabin and an observatory, with an adjustable telescope sticking out of the roof. "page21 (image of Hecate attended by a dog)", "CULT OF HEKATE: Ancient Greek religion", Travels in Greece and Turkey: Undertaken by Order of Louis XVI, and with the Authority of the Ottoman Court, Volume 2, 1801, p.309, "Baktria, Kings, Agathokles, ancient coins index with thumbnails", "No Fear Shakespeare: Macbeth: Act 2, Scene 1, Page 2", Online version at the Perseus Digital Library. [28] Like Hermes, Hecate takes on the role of guardian not just of roads, but of all journeys, including the journey to the afterlife. Hecate was an only child and was worshiped in households of Athens where families hoped to receive protection, prosperity and daily blessings. Hekate's wisdom, role as a midwife and gatekeeper to spirit realm make her an ideal candidate for this Archetype. [28] In artwork, she is often portrayed in three statues standing back to back, each with its own special attributes (torch, keys, daggers, snakes, dogs). "[34] The sacrifice of dogs to Hecate is attested for Thrace, Samothrace, Colophon, and Athens. While Hera was considered a singular being, she was given three names to represent her different stages in life maiden, wife, and mother. And the son of Cronos made her a nurse of the young who after that day saw with their eyes the light of all-seeing Dawn. The shadow Witch uses their gifts to increase their own power. Throughout human history we have felt the need to shed blood as a way to pay some sort of price to our deities. Her earliest known representation is a small terracotta statue found in Athens. The Orphic Mysteries said that Hestia was the daughter of Demeter instead. Pages 57 to 64, Roscher, 1889; Heckenbach, 2781; Rohde, ii. She is often depicted with torches . English translation used here from: William Wynn Wescott (tr. Here I disclaim all my paternal care" (The Arden Shakespeare, King Lear, Page no.165), In 1929, Lewis Brown, an expert on religious cults, connected the 1920s Blackburn Cult (also known as, "The Cult of the Great Eleven,") with Hecate worship rituals. Proponents of this theory believe that this may have been the case with Hecate. Supporters of this etymology suggest that Hecate was originally considered an aspect of Artemis prior to the latter's adoption into the Olympian pantheon. HECATE'S WHEEL SYMBOL: Symbolism & Meaning - SYMBOLS Names derived from hers were common, including Hecatomnus, the father of the ruler Mausolus who built the famous tomb. Even in her origin, Hecate moved between two places. There might not be any figure in Greek mythology that is as misunderstood as Hecate. She is a protector Goddess, implacable yet tender-hearted. She has wrinkled, vainy skin and many lumps all over her body. (These issues may arise though the aid of a shadow worker, but many lightworkers can also work in the shadows - another topic for . Anatolia, which covered most of what is now Turkey, was a region that had close ties to the Greek world. Over time, some of the Olympians changed form and function. [66] Nevertheless, the Homeric Hymn to Demeter shows Helios and Hecate informing Demeter of Persephone's abduction, a common theme found in many parts of the world where the Sun and the Moon are questioned concerning events that happen on earth based on their ability to witness everything[66] and implies Hecate's capacity as a moon goddess in the hymn. [17] The word "heka" in the Egyptian language is also both the word for "magic" and the name of the god of magic and medicine, Heka. Hecate appears regularly in Greek art and literature only from the 5th century BCE onwards, before which she is only a minor figure who features in the stories of Demeter (as Persephone's handmaid) and Artemis.