Hecate, Hekate (Hekátê, Hekátē), or Hekat was originally a goddess of the wilderness and childbirth, naturalized early in Thrace, but originating among the Carians of Anatolia,^[1] the only region where theophoric names are attested^[2], and where Hekate remained a great goddess into historical times, at Lagina. The monuments to Hekate in Phrygia and Caria are numerous but of late date.^[3] Popular cults venerating her as a mother goddess integrated her persona into Greek culture as Ἑκάτη. In Ptolemaic Alexandria she ultimately achieved her connotations as a goddess of sorcery and her role as the "Queen of Ghosts", in which guise she was transmitted to post-Renaissance culture. Today she is often seen as a goddess of witchcraft and Wicca. One aspect of Hecate is represented in the Roman Trivia. The bust of Zeus found at Otricoli (Sala Rotonda, Museo Pio-Clementino, Vatican) Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the Ancient Greeks concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. ... The ancient Greeks proposed many different ideas about the primordial gods in their mythology. ... This article is about the race of Titans in Greek mythology. ... Twelve Olympians, also known as the Dodekatheon (Greek: Δωδεκάθεον < δωδεκα, dodeka, twelve + θεον, theon, of the gods), in Greek religion, were the principal gods of the Greek pantheon, residing atop Mount Olympus. ... The ancient Greeks had a very small number of see gods. ... In Greek mythology, the Muses (Greek , Mousai: perhaps from the Proto-Indo-European root *men- think[1]) are a number of goddesses or spirits who embody the arts and inspire the creation process with their graces through remembered and improvised song and stage, writing, traditional music and dance. ... Asclepius (Greek also rendered Aesculapius in Latin and transliterated Asklepios) was the god of medicine and healing in ancient Greek mythology, according to which he was born a mortal but was given immortality as the constellation Ophiuchus after his death. ... For other uses, see Chthon (disambiguation). ... Hades, Greek god of the underworld, enthroned, with his bird-headed staff, on a red-figure Apulian vase made in the 4th century BC. For other uses, see Hades (disambiguation). ... Proserpine by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1874) (Tate Gallery, London In Greek mythology, Persephone (Greek Περσεφόνη, PersephónÄ“) was the Queen of the Underworld of epic literature. ... For other uses, see Gaia. ... This article is about the grain goddess Demeter. ... In Greek mythology, Iacchus is an uncertain person. ... Trophonius (the Latinate spelling) or Trophonios (in the transliterated Greek spelling) was a Greek hero or daimon or god - it was never certain which one - with a rich mythological tradition and an oracular cult at Lebadaea in Boeotia. ... Triptolemus (threefold warrior; also Buzyges), in Greek mythology always connected with Demeter of the Eleusinian Mysteries, might be accounted the son of King Celeus of Eleusis in Attica, or, according to Apollodorus (Library I.v. ... Two Furies, from an ancient vase. ... For other uses, see Hero (disambiguation). ... Hecate is an ancient Greek goddess. ... Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak  Thrace (Bulgarian: , Greek: , Attic Greek: ThrāíkÄ“ or ThrēíkÄ“, Latin: , Turkish: ) is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. ... Location of Caria Photo of a 15th century map showing Caria. ... This article is about two nested areas of Turkey, a plateau region within a peninsula. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Theophory in the Bible. ... Lagina Hekate Sancuary; one of the most important cult centers of pagan Anatolia Lagina is an ancient cult site of important archaeological and touristic value dating from the Carian period and extended under the Seleucid kings that is situated in southwestern Turkey (adjacent to Turgut, a municipality in the Mu... In antiquity, Phrygia (Greek: ) was a kingdom in the west central part of the Anatolia. ... This article is about the city in Egypt. ... “Witch” redirects here. ... For other uses, see Wicca (disambiguation). ... Trivia in Roman mythology was the equivalent of the Greek goddess Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft, crossroads, and the harvest moon. ...

The earliest inscription is found in late archaic Miletus, close to Caria, where Hecate is a protector of entrances.^[4] The lower half of the benches and the remnants of the scene building of the theater of Miletus (August 2005) Miletus (Carian: Anactoria Hittite: Milawata or Millawanda, Greek: Μίλητος transliterated Miletos, Turkish: Milet) was an ancient city on the western coast of Anatolia (in what is now Aydin Province, Turkey), near...

Representations

The earliest Greek depictions of Hecate are single faced, not triplicate. Lewis Richard Farnell states:

The evidence of the monuments as to the character and significance of Hekate is almost as full as that of the literature. But it is only in the later period that they come to express her manifold and mystic nature. Before the fifth century there is little doubt that she was usually represented as of single form like any other divinity, and it was thus that the Boeotian poet imagined her, as nothing in his verses contains any allusion to a triple formed goddess.

Triple Hecate and the Charites, Attic, 3rd century BCE (Glyptothek, Munich)

The earliest known monument is a small terracotta found in Athens, with a dedication to Hekate (Plate XXXVIII. a), in writing of the style of the sixth century. There she worshiped many of the other Gods and Goddess and Taylor, goddess of music and song was her most called to of the Goddesses. Sh ewas filled with beauty and poise The goddess is seated on a throne with a chaplet bound round her head; she is altogether without attributes and character, and the only value of this work, which is evidently of quite a general type and gets a special reference and name merely from the inscription, is that it proves the single shape to be her earlier from, and her recognition at Athens to be earlier than the Persian invasion. ^[5] Roman bronze bust, the so-called Pseudo-Seneca, now identified by some as possibly Hesiod Hesiod (Hesiodos, ) was an early Greek poet and rhapsode, who presumably lived around 700 BC. Hesiod and Homer, with whom Hesiod is often paired, have been considered the earliest Greek poets whose work has survived... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 342 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (1,452 × 2,547 pixels, file size: 445 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 342 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (1,452 × 2,547 pixels, file size: 445 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... For the game of graces, see Game of graces. ... The Glyptothek is a museum in Munich, Germany, which was commissioned by the Bavarian King Ludwig I to house his collection of Greek and Roman sculptures (hence Glypto-, from the Greek root glyphein, to carve). ...

Roman sculpture of triple Hecate, after a Hellenistic original (Chiaramonti Museum)

The second-century traveller Pausanias stated that Hecate was first depicted in triplicate by the sculptor Alkamenes in the Greek Classical period of the late 5th century. Greek anthropomorphic conventions of art resisted representing her with three faces: a votive sculpture from Attica of the third century BCE (illustration, left), shows three single images against a column; round the column of Hecate dance the Charites. Some classical portrayals, such as the one to the right, show her as a triplicate goddess holding a torch, a key and a serpent. Others continue to depict her in singular form. In Egyptian-inspired Greek esoteric writings connected with Hermes Trismegistus, and in magical papyri of Late Antiquity she is described as having three heads: one dog, one serpent and one horse. Hecate's triplicity is expressed in a more Hellene fashion, with three bodies instead, where she is shown taking part in the battle with the Titans in the vast frieze of the great Pergamon Altar, now in Berlin. In the Argolid, near the shrine of the Dioscuri, Pausanias saw the temple of Hecate opposite the sanctuary of Eileithyia; "The image is a work of Scopas. This one is of stone, while the bronze images opposite, also of Hekate, were made respectively by Polycleitus and his brother Naucydes, son of Mothon. (Description of Greece ii.22.7) Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 217 × 599 pixelsFull resolution‎ (1,000 × 2,760 pixels, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 217 × 599 pixelsFull resolution‎ (1,000 × 2,760 pixels, file size: 1. ... Country Italy Region Sardinia Province Province of Sassari (SS) Mayor Elevation 400 m Area 98. ... Pausanias (Greek: ) was a Greek traveller and geographer of the 2nd century A.D., who lived in the times of Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius. ... Alkamenes (2nd half 5th century BCE) was a Greek sculptor, said to have been a pupil of Pheidias, the most eminent in Athens after the departure of Pheidias for Olympia, but enigmatic in that none of the sculptures associated with his name in classical literature can be securely connected with... For the game of graces, see Game of graces. ... Look up Esotericism in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Hermes Trismegistus (Greek: , thrice-great Hermes; Latin: Mercurius ter Maximus) is the syncretism of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth. ... Late Antiquity is a rough periodization (c. ... For other uses, see Serpent (disambiguation). ... The front of the Pergamon Altar, as it is reconstructed in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. ... This article is about the city in Greece. ... Castor (or Kastor) and Polydeuces (sometimes called Pollux), were in Greek mythology the twin sons of Leda and the brothers of Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra. ... Ilithyia was the Greek goddess of childbirth and midwives, daughter of Zeus and Hera. ... Scopas (Σκόπας) (c. ... Polykleitos Doryphoros (Spear-Bearer), an early example of classical contrapposto. ...

A fourth century BCE marble relief from Crannon in Thessaly^[6] was dedicated by a race-horse owner. It shows Hecate, with a hound beside her, placing a wreath on the head of a mare. Her attendant and animal representation is of a bitch, and the most common form of offering was to leave meat at a crossroads. Sometimes dogs themselves were sacrificed to her (a good indication of her non-Hellenic origin, as dogs along with donkeys, very rarely played this role in genuine Greek ritual).

In Argonautica, a third century BCE Alexandrian epic based on early materials, Jason placates Hecate in a ritual prescribed by Medea, her priestess: bathed at midnight in a stream of flowing water, and dressed in dark robes, Jason is to dig a pit and offer a libation of honey^[7] and blood from the throat of a sheep, which was set on a pyre by the pit and wholly consumed as a holocaust, then retreat from the site without looking back (Argonautica, iii). All these elements betoken the rites owed to a chthonic deity. The Argonautica (Greek: ) is a Greek epic poem written by Apollonius Rhodius in the 3rd century BC. The only surviving Hellenistic epic, the Argonautica tells the myth of the voyage of Jason and the Argonauts to retrieve the Golden Fleece from the mythical land of Colchis. ... This article is about the city in Egypt. ... Libation scene, Greek red figure cup, c. ... A holocaust is a religious sacrifice that is completely consumed by fire. ... For other uses, see Chthon (disambiguation). ...

Mythology

Despite popular belief, Hecate was not originally a Greek goddess. The roots of Hecate seem to be in the Carians of Asia Minor.^[8] She appears in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter and in Hesiod's Theogony, where she is promoted strongly as a great goddess. The place of origin of her cult is uncertain, but it is thought ^[1] that she had popular cult followings in Thrace. Her most important sanctuary was Lagina, a theocratic city-state in which the goddess was served by eunuchs ^[1]. Lagina, where the famous temple of Hecate drew great festal assemblies every year, lay close to the originally Macedonian colony of Stratonikea, where she was the city's patroness.^[9]. In Thrace she played a role similar to that of lesser-Hermes, namely a governess of liminal points and the wilderness, bearing little resemblance to the night-walking crone she became. Additionally, this led to her role of aiding women in childbirth and the raising of young men. The anonymous Homeric Hymns are a collection of ancient Greek hymns. ... Roman bronze bust, the so-called Pseudo-Seneca, now identified by some as possibly Hesiod Hesiod (Hesiodos, ) was an early Greek poet and rhapsode, who presumably lived around 700 BC. Hesiod and Homer, with whom Hesiod is often paired, have been considered the earliest Greek poets whose work has survived... Theogony (Greek: Θεογονία, theogonia = the birth of God(s)) is a poem by Hesiod describing the origins and genealogies of the gods of the ancient Greeks, composed circa 700 BC. The title of the work comes from the Greek words for god and seed. // Hesiods Theogony is a large-scale... Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak  Thrace (Bulgarian: , Greek: , Attic Greek: ThrāíkÄ“ or ThrēíkÄ“, Latin: , Turkish: ) is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. ... Lagina Hekate Sancuary; one of the most important cult centers of pagan Anatolia Lagina is an ancient cult site of important archaeological and touristic value dating from the Carian period and extended under the Seleucid kings that is situated in southwestern Turkey (adjacent to Turgut, a municipality in the Mu... European illustration of a Eunuch (1749) Chief Eunuch of Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II at the Imperial Palace, 1912. ... Colonies in antiquity were city-states founded from a mother-city, not from a territory-at-large. ... For other uses, see Hermes (disambiguation). ... Liminality (from the Latin word lÄ«men, meaning a threshold) is the quality of the second stage of a ritual in the theories of Arnold van Gennep, Victor Turner, and others. ...

Hecate, Greek goddess of the crossroads; drawing by Stephane Mallarmé in Les Dieux Antiques, nouvelle mythologie illustrée in Paris, 1880.

There was a fane sacred to Hecate as well in the precincts of the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, where the eunuch priests, megabyzi, officiated ^[10]. Hesiod records that she was among the offspring of Gaia and Uranus, the Earth and Sky. In Theogony he ascribed to Hecate such wide-ranging and fundamental powers, that it is hard to resist seeing such a deity as a figuration of the Great Goddess, though as a good Olympian Hesiod ascribes her powers as the "gift" of Zeus: Image File history File links Hécate_-_Mallarmé.png Description Copié depuis en:Image:HecateDieuxAntiques. ... Image File history File links Hécate_-_Mallarmé.png Description Copié depuis en:Image:HecateDieuxAntiques. ... Stéphane Mallarmé (March 18, 1842 – September 9, 1898) was a French poet and critic. ... This article is about the capital of France. ... The site of the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus in Turkey: Some stacked remnants recreate columns, but nothing remains of the original temple The Temple of Artemis (Greek: Artemision; Latin: Artemisium) was a Greek temple dedicated to Artemis completed around 550 BCE at Ephesus (in present-day Turkey) under the... For other uses, see Gaia. ... For other uses, see Uranus (disambiguation). ... Roman bronze bust, the so-called Pseudo-Seneca, now identified by some as possibly Hesiod Hesiod (Hesiodos, ) was an early Greek poet and rhapsode, who presumably lived around 700 BC. Hesiod and Homer, with whom Hesiod is often paired, have been considered the earliest Greek poets whose work has survived... For other uses, see Zeus (disambiguation). ...

"Hecate whom Zeus the son of Cronos honoured above all. He gave her splendid gifts, to have a share of the earth and the unfruitful sea. She received honour also in starry heaven, and is honoured exceedingly by the deathless gods.... The son of Cronos did her no wrong nor took anything away of all that was her portion among the former Titan gods: but she holds, as the division was at the first from the beginning, privilege both in earth, and in heaven, and in sea".

Her gifts towards mankind are all-encompassing, Hesiod tells:

"Whom she will she greatly aids and advances: she sits by worshipful kings in judgement, and in the assembly whom her will is distinguished among the people. And when men arm themselves for the battle that destroys men, then the goddess is at hand to give victory and grant glory readily to whom she will. 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. And she is good to stand by horsemen, whom she will: and to those whose business is in the grey discomfortable sea, and who pray to Hecate and the loud-crashing Earth-Shaker, easily the glorious goddess gives great catch, and easily she takes it away as soon as seen, if so she will. She is good in the byre with Hermes to increase the stock. 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".

Hecate was carefully attended: Neptune reigns in the city of Bristol. ...

"For to this day, whenever any one of men on earth offers rich sacrifices and prays for favour according to custom, he calls upon Hecate. Great honour comes full easily to him whose prayers the goddess receives favourably, and she bestows wealth upon him; for the power surely is with her".

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. Grandmother of the three cousins was Phoebe the ancient Titaness who personified the moon. Hecate was a reappearance of Phoebe, a moon goddess herself, who appeared in the dark of the moon. Roman bronze bust, the so-called Pseudo-Seneca, now identified by some as possibly Hesiod Hesiod (Hesiodos, ) was an early Greek poet and rhapsode, who presumably lived around 700 BC. Hesiod and Homer, with whom Hesiod is often paired, have been considered the earliest Greek poets whose work has survived... Asteria in Greek mythology can refer to: // In Greek mythology, Asteria was the sixth Amazon killed by Heracles when he came for Hippolytes girdle. ... For other uses, see Leto (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Artemis (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Apollo (disambiguation). ... Phoebe (pronunced fee-bee) was one of the original Titans, one set of sons and daughters of Uranus and Gaia. ...

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. It is theorized ^[11] that Hesiod’s original village had a substantial Hecate following and that his inclusion of her in the Theogony was his own way to boost the home-goddess for unfamiliar hearers. Theogony (Greek: Θεογονία, theogonia = the birth of God(s)) is a poem by Hesiod describing the origins and genealogies of the gods of the ancient Greeks, composed circa 700 BC. The title of the work comes from the Greek words for god and seed. // Hesiods Theogony is a large-scale... Roman bronze bust, the so-called Pseudo-Seneca, now identified by some as possibly Hesiod Hesiod (Hesiodos, ) was an early Greek poet and rhapsode, who presumably lived around 700 BC. Hesiod and Homer, with whom Hesiod is often paired, have been considered the earliest Greek poets whose work has survived...

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. For other uses, see Artemis (disambiguation). ... Note: This article contains special characters. ...

There are two versions of Hecate that emerge in Greek myth. The lesser role integrates Hecate while not diminishing Artemis. In this version ^[11]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. Such myths where a home god sponsors or ‘creates’ a foreign god were widespread in ancient cultures as a way of integrating foreign cults. Additionally, as Hecate’s cult grew, her figure was added to the myth of the birth of Zeus ^[11] as one of the midwives that hid the child, while Cronus consumed the deceiving rock handed to him by Gaia. 112 Iphigenia is an asteroid. ... Cronus is not to be confused with Chronos, the personification of time. ... For other uses, see Gaia. ...

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. It became common to place statues of the goddess at the gates of cities, and eventually domestic doorways. 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 the supreme governess of the borders between the normal world and the spirit world ^[11]. Hecate, Hekate (HekátÄ“), or Hekat was orginially a goddess of the wilderness and childbirth originating from Thrace. ... Liminality (from the Latin word lÄ«men, meaning a threshold) is the quality of the second stage of a ritual in the theories of Arnold van Gennep, Victor Turner, and others. ...

The transition of the figure of Hekate can be traced in fifth-century Athens. In two fragments of Aeschylus she appears as a great goddess. In Sophocles and Euripides she has become the mistress of witchcraft and keres. This article is about the ancient Greek playwright. ... This article is about the Greek tragedian. ... A statue of Euripides. ... Ker or KER may refer to: In mathematics, ker is abbreviation to kernel KER is an airport code of Kerman, Iran See also Kerr This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with the same title. ...

Eventually, Hecate’s power resembled that of sorcery. 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 ^{[citation needed]}, or check the paths of the stars and the moon. This article is about the Greek mythological figure. ...

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. She later became Persephone's minister and close companion in the Underworld. Euphemism is the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant to the listener; or in the case of doublespeak, to make it less troublesome for the speaker. ... Proserpine by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1874) (Tate Gallery, London In Greek mythology, Persephone (Greek Περσεφόνη, Persephónē) was the Queen of the Underworld of epic literature. ... This article is about the grain goddess Demeter. ...

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 the magical papyri of Ptolemaic Egypt, she is called the she-dog or bitch, and her presence is signified by the barking of dogs. She sustained a large following as a goddess of protection and childbirth. In late imagery she also has two ghostly dogs as servants by her side. Twelve Olympians, also known as the Dodekatheon (Greek: Δωδεκάθεον < δωδεκα, dodeka, twelve + θεον, theon, of the gods), in Greek religion, were the principal gods of the Greek pantheon, residing atop Mount Olympus. ... The term Hellenistic (established by the German historian Johann Gustav Droysen) in the history of the ancient world is used to refer to the shift from a culture dominated by ethnic Greeks, however scattered geographically, to a culture dominated by Greek-speakers of whatever ethnicity, and from the political dominance...

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. Feminists redirects here. ... Neopaganism (sometimes Neo-Paganism, meaning New Paganism) is a heterogeneous group of religions which attempt to revive ancient, mainly European pre-Christian religions. ... For other uses, see Wicca (disambiguation). ...

Relations in the Greek pantheon

Hecate is a pre-Olympian chthonic goddess, not easily assimilated. 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. Her continued presence was explained by asserting that, because she was the only Titan that aided Zeus in the battle of gods and Titans, she was not banished into the underworld realms after their defeat by the Olympians. For other uses, see Chthon (disambiguation). ... There are several charactes named Perses in Greek mythology: A Titan, son of Crius and Eurybia. ... Asteria in Greek mythology can refer to: // In Greek mythology, Asteria was the sixth Amazon killed by Heracles when he came for Hippolytes girdle. ... In Greek mythology, Titanomachy was the war between the Titans (fighting from Mt. ...

It is also told that she is the daughter of Demeter or Pheraia. Hecate, like Demeter, was a goddess of the earth and fertility. Sometimes she is called a daughter of Zeus, a trait she shares, however, with Athena and even Aphrodite. This article is about the grain goddess Demeter. ... For other uses, see Zeus (disambiguation). ...

Hecate: ancient, powerful, unconquerable

Hesiod considered Hecate to be a daughter, with Leto, of Perses and Asteria, two pre-Olympian Titans. As in most cultures with multi-generational deities, the preceding Titans were originally the only gods worshipped by the earlier Greek cultures, while the later Olympians were the gods worshipped by later invaders who conquered Greece. Some readers of mythography find elements of cultural history reflected in myth: as Hecate was one of the only Titans who kept power and status after the Titans lost their war with the Olympians— she was always regarded as having great favor with Olympian Zeus— it seems likely that Hecate's cult was so strong that it could not be displaced by the invading new religions. For other uses, see Leto (disambiguation). ... In Greek mythology, the Titanomachy, or War of the Titans (Greek: Τιτανομαχία), was the eleven-year series of battles fought between the two races of deities long before the existence of mankind: the Titans, fighting from Mount Othrys, and the Olympians, who would come to reign on Mount Olympus. ...

Like many ancient mother or earth-goddesses she remained unmarried and had no regular consort. On the other side she is the mother of many monsters, such as Scylla. Three of Scyllas heads as portrayed in The Odyssey (1997) TV miniseries; the film depicts each head striking with snake-like speed and accuracy and devouring men whole. ...

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)

For other uses, see Artemis (disambiguation). ...

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 ^{[citation needed]} A crossroads (the word rarely appears in singular) is a road junction, where two or more roads meet (there are three or more arms). ...

The crossroad aspect of Hecate stems from her original sphere as a goddess of the wilderness and untamed areas. This led to sacrifice in order for safe travel into these areas. This role is similar to lesser Hermes, that is, a god of liminal points or boundaries. For other uses, see Hermes (disambiguation). ... Liminality (from the Latin word līmen, meaning a threshold) is the quality of the second stage of a ritual in the theories of Arnold van Gennep, Victor Turner, and others. ...

Hecate is the Greek version of Trivia "the three ways" in Roman mythology. Eligius in the 7th century reminded his recently converted flock in Flanders "No Christian should make or render any devotion to the gods of the trivium, where three roads meet, to the fanes or the rocks, or springs or groves or corners". Trivia in Roman mythology was the equivalent of the Greek goddess Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft, crossroads, and the harvest moon. ... A head of Minerva found in the ruins of the Roman baths in Bath Roman mythology, the mythological beliefs of the people of Ancient Rome, can be considered as having two parts. ... Signature of St. ... The 7th century is the period from 601 - 700 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian Era. ...

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. The Greek Magical Papyri (papyri is plural of papyrus) (commonly abbreviated to PGM from the Latin title Papyri Graecae Magicae) is a collective term for a collection of texts, mostly in Ancient Greek, found on papyrus in the deserts of Egypt, which cast light in some way on the magico... A Curse tablet or binding spell (defixio in Latin, κατάδεσμος katadesmos in Greek) is a type of curse found throughout the Graeco-Roman world, in which someone would ask the gods to do harm to others. ... For other uses, see Hermes (disambiguation). ...

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). The Chaldean Oracles that are embodied in fragmentary texts of the 2nd century AD consist mainly of Hellenistic commentary on a single mystery-poem that was believed to have originated in Chaldea (Babylon), but had been re-rendered as a syncretic combination of neo-Platonic elements with others that were... The Chaldean Oracles that are embodied in fragmentary texts of the 2nd century AD consist mainly of Hellenistic commentary on a single mystery-poem that was believed to have originated in Chaldea (Babylon), but had been re-rendered as a syncretic combination of neo-Platonic elements with others that were...

Animals

The she-dog is the animal most commonly associated with Hecate. She was sometimes called the 'Black she-dog' and black dogs were once sacrificed to her in purification rituals. At Colophon in Thrace, Hecate might be manifest as a dog. The sound of barking dogs was the first sign of her approach in Greek and Roman literature. The frog, significantly a creature that can cross between two elements, is also sacred to Hecate ^{[citation needed]}. As a triple goddess, she sometimes appears with three heads-one each of a dog, horse, and bear or of dog, serpent and lion. Trinomial name Canis lupus familiaris The dog (Canis lupus familiaris) is a domestic subspecies of the wolf, a mammal of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. ... Distribution of frogs (in black) Suborders Archaeobatrachia Mesobatrachia Neobatrachia - List of Anuran families The frogness babe is an amphibian in the order Anura (meaning tail-less from Greek an-, without + oura, tail), formerly referred to as Salientia (Latin saltare, to jump). ...

During the Medieval period in western Europe, Hecate was reverenced by witches who adopted parts of her mythos as their goddess of sorcery. Because Hecate had already been much maligned by the late Roman period, Christians of the era found it easy to vilify her image. Thus were all her creatures also considered "creatures of darkness"; however, the history of creatures such as ravens, night-owls, snakes, scorpions, asses, bats, horses, bears, and lions as her creatures is not always a dark and frightening one. (Rabinovich)

Plants and herbs

The yew, cypress, hazel, black poplar, cedar, and willow are all sacred to Hecate ^{[citation needed]}. Binomial name L. Taxus baccata is a conifer native to western, central and southern Europe, northwest Africa, northern Iran and southwest Asia. ... Binomial name Cupressus sempervirens L. The Mediterranean Cypress Cupressus sempervirens is a species of cypress native to the eastern Mediterranean region, in northeast Libya, southeast Greece (Crete, Rhodes), southern Turkey, Cyprus, western Syria, Lebanon and western Jordan, and also a disjunct population in Iran. ... This article is about the tree; for other meanings of hazel, see Hazel (disambiguation). ... Black poplar (Populus nigra) is a species of poplar in the cottonwood section of the genus (Populus sect. ... For other uses, see Cedar (disambiguation). ... Species About 350, including: Salix acutifolia - Violet Willow Salix alaxensis - Alaska Willow Salix alba - White Willow Salix alpina - Alpine Willow Salix amygdaloides - Peachleaf Willow Salix arbuscula - Mountain Willow Salix arbusculoides - Littletree Willow Salix arctica - Arctic Willow Salix atrocinerea Salix aurita - Eared Willow Salix babylonica - Peking Willow Salix bakko Salix barrattiana...

The leaves of the black poplar are dark on one side and light on the other, symbolizing the boundary between the worlds. The yew has long been associated with the Underworld.

The yew has strong associations with death as well as rebirth. A poison prepared from the seeds was used on arrows ^{[citation needed]}, and yew wood was commonly used to make bows and dagger hilts. The potion in Hecate's cauldron contains 'slips of yew'. Yew berries carry Hecate's power, and can bring wisdom or death. The seeds are highly poisonous, but the fleshy, coral-colored 'berry' surrounding it is not.

Many other herbs and plants are associated with Hecate, including garlic, almonds, lavender, thyme, myrrh, mugwort, cardamon, mint, dandelion, hellebore, and lesser celandine. Several poisons and hallucinogens are linked to Hecate, including belladonna, hemlock, mandrake, aconite (known as hecateis), and opium poppy. Many of Hecate's plants were those that can be used shamanistically to achieve varyings states of consciousness. Binomial name L. Allium sativum L., commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion family Alliaceae. ... Binomial name (Mill. ... Species About 25-30, including: Lavandula abrotanoides Lavandula angustifolia Lavandula canariensis Lavandula dentata Lavandula lanata Lavandula latifolia Lavandula multifida Lavandula pinnata Lavandula stoechas Lavandula viridis Lavandula x intermedia The Lavenders Lavandula are a genus of about 25-30 species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae, native from the... Species About 350 species, including: Thymus adamovicii Thymus altaicus Thymus amurensis Thymus bracteosus Thymus broussonetii Thymus caespititius Thymus camphoratus Thymus capitatus Thymus capitellatus Thymus camphoratus Thymus carnosus Thymus cephalotus Thymus cherlerioides Thymus ciliatus Thymus cilicicus Thymus cimicinus Thymus comosus Thymus comptus Thymus curtus Thymus disjunctus Thymus doerfleri Thymus glabrescens Thymus... 100g of Myrrh. ... Binomial name Artemisia vulgaris L. Mugwort or Common Wormwood (Artemisia vulgaris) is a species from the daisy family Asteraceae. ... Binomial name Elettaria caramomum Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) is a pungent aromatic spice belonging to the Zingiberaceae family. ... “Mint” redirects here. ... For other uses, see Dandelion (disambiguation). ... Species See text(#Species) Hellebores (the Genus Helleborus in the Family Ranunculaceae) are perennial flowering plants that are often grown in gardens for decorative purposes, as well as for their purported medicinal abilities and uses in witchcraft. ... Binomial name Ranunculus ficaria L. Lesser celandine, (Ranunculus ficaria, Ficaria verna) is a low-growing, hairless perennial with rather fleshy dark green, heart-shaped leaves. ... The general group of pharmacological agents commonly known as hallucinogens can be divided into three broad categories: psychedelics, dissociatives, and deliriants. ... For information on the erotic actress Belladonna see: Belladonna. ... Species Conium chaerophylloides (Thunb. ... Mandrake may refer to: The plant Mandrake The Harry Potter mandrake plant. ... Species About 60: see text Aconitum is a genus of plants belonging to the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. ... Binomial name L. The opium poppy, Papaver somniferum, is the type of poppy from which opium and all refined opiates such as morphine, thebaine, codeine, papaverine, and noscapine are extracted. ...

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): Farnell is a surname, thought to originate from Fern Hill. It is most common to the English county of Yorkshire. ...

Some of the late writers on mythology, such as Cornutus and Cleomedes, and some of the modern, such as Preller and the writer in Roscher's Lexicon and Petersen, explain the three figures as symbols of the three phases of the moon. But very little can be said in favour of this, and very much against it. In the first place, the statue of Alcamenes represented Hekate Επιπυργιδια, whom the Athenian of that period regarded as the warder of the gate of his Acropolis, and as associated in this particular spot with the Charites, deities of the life that blossoms and yields fruit. Neither in this place nor before the door of the citizen's house did she appear as a lunar goddess.

We may also ask, why should a divinity who was sometimes regarded as the moon, but had many other and even more important connexions, be given three forms to mark the three phases of the moon, and why should Greek sculpture have been in this solitary instance guilty of a frigid astronomical symbolism, while Selene, who was obviously the moon and nothing else, was never treated in this way? With as much taste and propriety Helios might have been given twelve heads.

However in the magical papyri of Greco-Roman Egypt^[12] 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.^{[citation needed]} Wilhelm Heinrich Roscher (12 February 1845, Göttingen-9 March 1923, Dresden) was a German classical scholar. ... For the game of graces, see Game of graces. ... This article is about the lunar spacecraft. ... For other uses, see Helios (disambiguation). ... A Triple Goddess symbol (probably originating from Classical Greek lunar symbolism), representing the three aspects of the moon (waxing crescent, full moon, waning crescent) and womankind (maiden, mother, crone). ... Neopaganism or Neo-Paganism is any of a heterogeneous group of new religious movements, particularly those influenced by ancient, primarily pre-Christian and sometimes pre-Judaic 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.^{[citations needed]} Both were symbols of liminal points. Some scholars ultimately compare her to the Virgin Mary.^{[citations needed]} She is also comperable to Hel of Nordic myth in her underworld function.^{[citations needed]} This article discusses the ancient goddess Isis. ... Liminality (from the Latin word līmen, meaning a threshold) is the quality of the second stage of a ritual in the theories of Arnold van Gennep, Victor Turner, and others. ... Our Lady redirects here. ... HEL can mean: Helsinki-Vantaa Airport Hensall railway station, England; National Rail station code HEL High energy laser (weapon) Hel (band), a Swedish vikingarock band Category: ...

Before she became associated with Greek mythology, she had many similarities with Artemis (wilderness, and watching over wedding ceremonies) and Hera (child rearing and the protection of young men or heroes, and watching over wedding ceremonies).^{[citations needed]} For other uses, see Artemis (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Hera (disambiguation). ...

Hecate in literature

Depiction of Hecate by William Blake.

Hecate is a character in William Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth, which was first played circa 1605; she commands the three Weird Sisters, though whether she is a witch, a demon or a goddess is not known. There is some evidence to suggest that the character and the scenes or portions thereof in which she appears (Act III, Scene v, and a portion of Act IV, Scene i) were not written by Shakespeare, but was added during a revision by Thomas Middleton,^{[citation needed]} who used material from his own play The Witch, which was produced in 1615. Most modern texts of Macbeth indicate the interpolations. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2024x1497, 295 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Hecate ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2024x1497, 295 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Hecate ... William Blake (November 28, 1757 – August 12, 1827) was an English poet, visionary, painter, and printmaker. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... This article is about Shakespeares play. ... The Weird Sisters, (sometimes Wyrd Sisters or Three Weird Sisters), is the Germanic mythological group name given to the Nordic fates, or Norns. ... Thomas Middleton (1580 – 1627) was an English Jacobean playwright and poet. ... The Witch is a play by Thomas Middleton. ... Events June 2 - First Récollet missionaries arrive at Quebec City, from Rouen, France. ...

William Blake included Hecate in a number of his paintings and poems. she is also included in the book "The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel" William Blake (November 28, 1757 – August 12, 1827) was an English poet, visionary, painter, and printmaker. ...

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.^{[citations needed]} Hecate thus has a role and special power in graveyards and at crossroads^{[citations needed]}. She guards the "ways and paths that cross".^{[citations needed]} Her association with graveyards also played a large part in the idea of Hecate as a lunar goddess.^{[citations needed]} In the study of mythology, a lunar deity is a god or goddess associated with or symbolizing the Moon: see Moon (mythology). ...

Notes

Oxford University Press (OUP) is a highly-respected publishing house and a department of the University of Oxford in England. ... This article is about the city of Oxford in England. ... The British Museum in London, England is a museum of human history and culture. ... This entry covers entheogens in the strict sense of the word (i. ...

References

Primary sources

• Hesiod, Theogony, Works and Days. An English translation is available online
• Pausanias, Description of Greece.
• Strabo, Geography

Roman bronze bust, the so-called Pseudo-Seneca, now identified by some as possibly Hesiod Hesiod (Hesiodos, ) was an early Greek poet and rhapsode, who presumably lived around 700 BC. Hesiod and Homer, with whom Hesiod is often paired, have been considered the earliest Greek poets whose work has survived... Pausanias (Greek: ) was a Greek traveller and geographer of the 2nd century A.D., who lived in the times of Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius. ... The Greek geographer Strabo in a 16th century engraving. ...

Secondary sources

• Burkert, Walter, 1985. Greek Religion (Cambridge: Harvard University Press) Published in the UK as Greek Religion: Archaic and Classical, 1987. (Oxford: Blackwell) ISBN 0-631-15624-0.
• Lewis Richard Farnell, (1896). "Hecate in Art", The Cults of the Greek States. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
• Johnston, Sarah Iles, (1990). Hekate Soteira: A Study of Hekate's Role in the Chaldean Oracles and Related Literature.
• Johnston, Sarah Iles, (1991). Restless Dead: Encounters Between the Living and the Dead in Ancient Greece. ISBN 0-520-21707-1
• Mallarmé, Stephane, (1880). Les Dieux Antiques, nouvelle mythologie illustrée.
• Johnston, Sarah Iles. Hekate Soteira: A Study of Hekate's Role in the Chaldean Oracles and Related Literature. 1990.
• Kerenyi, Karl. The Gods of the Greeks. 1951.
• Rabinovich,Yakov. The Rotting Goddess. 1990. A work which views studies Hekate from the perspective of Mircea Eliade's archetypes]], and substantiates its claims through cross-cultural comparisons. The work has been sharply criticized by Classics scholars, some dismissing Rabinowitz as a neo-pagan.
• Ruickbie, Leo. Witchcraft Out of the Shadows: A Complete History. Robert Hale, 2004.

Walter Burkert (born Neuendettelsau (Bavaria), February 2, 1931), the most eminent living scholar of Greek myth and cult, is an emeritus professor of classics at the University of Zurich, Switzerland who has also taught in the United Kingdom and the United States. ... Oxford University Press (OUP) is a highly-respected publishing house and a department of the University of Oxford in England. ... This article is about the city of Oxford in England. ... One of the founders of modern studies in Greek mythology, Karl (Carl, Károly) Kerényi (January 19, 1897 - April 14, 1973) was born in Hungary but became a citizen of Switzerland in 1943. ... Mircea Eliade (March 13 [O.S. February 28] 1907 – April 22, 1986) was a Romanian historian of religion, fiction writer, philosopher, and professor at the University of Chicago. ... Leo Ruickbie is the author of Witchcraft Out of the Shadows[1], a 2004 publication outlining the history of witchcraft from ancient Greece until the modern day. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Hecate

• The Rotting Goddess by Yakov Rabinovich, complete book included in the anthology "Junkyard of the Classics" published under the pseudonym Ellipsis Marx.
• Myths of the Greek Goddess Hecate
• Frequently Asked Questions about Hekate
• Encyclopaedia Britanica 1911: "Hecate"
• Hekate: Guardian at the Gate
• Theoi Project, Hecate classical literary sources and art
• Hecate in Early Greek Religion
• Hekate in Greek esotericism: Ptolemaic and Gnostic transformations of Hecate
• cast of the Crannon statue, at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.