As you may already know Hecateis a goddess ofGreek mythologywho was capable of both good and evil. Quite often each face is different, one of a dog, one of a horse and one of a goddess. She is the witness to every crime. In the sources about Hekate that are from the ancient world, the crossroads are not mentioned as a symbol of Hecate. Facts About Hestia, the Greek Goddess of Home and Hearth - ThoughtCo Scholars think that the goddess arrived in Greece during the Archaic period. Women also prayed to her for fertility and the birth of female children. In Late Antiquity, the empousai have been described as a category of phantoms or spectres, equated with the lamiai and mormolykeia . I am the owner and chief researcher at this site. https://www.thoughtco.com/greek-mythology-hecate-1526205 (accessed March 4, 2023). Greece itself worshipped many trios of goddesses or goddesses with three forms that fit this archetype. . A few pagans and Wiccans have also been known to worship Hecate as a dark goddess. She is sometimes depicted as being accompanied by dogs or hounds and ghosts. 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. She was associated with witchcraft, necromancy, and poisons. Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress, A Recommended Book on Hekate Liminal Rites, Planetary MAGICK -7 Facts you should know, Magickal Protection-The BEST 10 SOLUTIONS. The food offered to this deity included cheese, cakes of eggs, and a dish of red mullet. 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. Hecate was a complex, ancient goddess known to the Greeks but originally worshiped by people of Asia Minor*. In the Greek religion, strange rituals were done to honour the goddess. 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. Hecate appears in many plays and poems as the personification of darkness, the moon, and magic. Hecate has been depicted in Greek art, literature, and pottery dating from the fifth century BCE. Intrinsically ambivalent and polymorphous, she straddles conventional boundaries and eludes definition. Hecate was said to be a beautiful lady with dark hair. Esoteric writing from this time says that Hecate has the heads of a horse, a dog, and a snake. She is commonly depicted as a three-headed Goddess, or the Greek version of The Triple Goddess, being the Maiden, Mother, and Crone depending on the season. Because of this, some people would make sacrifices of dogs, especially puppies, to her. The goddess was given gifts every month on the night of a new moon. 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. Look for her animals: snakes, dragons, cats, and especially dogs. Authors from the past, like Ovid and Pausanias, say that dogs, especially black dogs, were given to the goddess as sacrifices. The darkness, the moon, and magic have been personified as Hecate in many popular and well-known works of literature and in art. Hecate | Myth & Symbols | Britannica Hecate: Goddess of the Moon, Light and Magic in Greek Mythology and Archaeological items found in Lagina in Caria and Phrygia also point to the importance of this Goddess during the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Hecate: Greece's Dark Goddess of the Crossroads. 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. Her attributes, besides the torch, are the snake, whip, dagger, and sword. While some scholars attribute these displays as holding a dark side to Hecate, most myths associate her with a protective nature toward humans. Most of all, Hecate was a goddess of mystery. Anatolia, which covered most of what is now Turkey, was a region that had close ties to the Greek world. In addition to magic and witchcraft, Hecate was also considered to be the Goddess of crossroads, gates, and ghosts. Medeas magic was often described as having to do with necromancy, sleep, and the night. Hecate, however, is routinely described as the goddess of witchcraft and associated with characters like Medea and Circe, the witch of Homers Odyssey. At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. The facts about Hecate provides a list detailing fascinating additional info to increase your knowledge about Hecate in Greek Mythology. This could be because she sided with him during the 10-year battle between the Titans and the Olympians. She herself too wanders about with the souls of the dead, and her approach is announced by the whining and howling of dogs.13, A number of epithets given her by the poets contain allusions to these features of the popular belief, or to her form. Hecate carrying a torch is a common way to show this myth in art. In Hesiod she is the daughter of the Titan Perses and the nymph Asteria and has power over heaven, earth, and sea; hence, she bestows wealth and all the blessings of daily life. The goddess was especially appealed to by sorceresses for aid in their magic and spellsand appears on surviving examples of curse tablets. Hecate has been referenced in various literary works, including the plays by Sophocles and Euripides. A statue called Hekate Epipyrgidia (On the Ramparts) stood at the Athens Acropolis entrance. Check your inbox for your latest news from us. She was not portrayed as being loving towards children but as someone who took revenge against anyone that harmed children. She rules wisdom, choices, expiation, victory, vengeance, and travel. Contrary to popular current belief she wasnt originally a matron for women but for all who fit the above categories. The Hades and Persephone Story. Therefore, this deity is also invoked when there is thought to be a miscarriage of justice. The ancient Greeks thought of her as a Greek goddess, not someone from another country. She is sometimes shown holding a key. While Hecate was described as a single goddess with three parts, the tripartite goddess in other instances was shown as three separate but intrinsically-linked beings. In fact, the earliest depictions of Hecate can only be differentiated from those of Artemis by inscriptions. She held several different roles, including earth goddess, queen of the underworld, and goddess of magic and witchcraft.. Hecate was a goddess in Greek Mythology. 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. As early as the 5th century BC, the image of the hekataion was the standard way of showing the goddess in sculpture. We offer advice and practical, interactive ideas to help parents challenge, teach and develop their childrens skills at home. Hecate has the power to grant or deny any mortals wish. Controlling who moved through the border between the earth and the underworld gave her a unique power to summon spirits and raise the dead. On an Attic vase from the 5th century BCE, a woman is shown giving a goddess a puppy and a basket of cakes. The three-part goddess was able to keep watch in all directions, and became standard in both written and visual representations. From lino cutting to surfing to childrens mental health, their hobbies and interests range far and wide. This makes her the granddaughter of Phoebe and Coeus, both Titans. Hecate is petitioned for fertility, especially for female children. 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. As an Amazon Associate, Kidadl earns from qualifying purchases. The first sculpture of Hecate in triple form was the (lost) statue by Alcamenes (fifth century BCE) at the Acropolis. The goddess Hecate is generally depicted as either an old woman in a long dress or a young woman in a knee-length skirt with hunting boots. Kidadl is supported by you, the reader. 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. A lot of the same things were said about all of the goddesses. This was a terrible fate. Hecate is the daughter of Perses and Asteria. Hecate also presided over more mystical boundaries. 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. Long before Hesiod and Homer began writing their poetry, the stories of the gods were passed on through oral tradition. Hecate - goddess of ghosts, witchcraft & magic - Religious Talks Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). In his book Description of Greece, Pausanias says that the sculptor Alcamenes was the first to show Hecate in three forms in the 5th century BCE. Later periods show statues of Hecate in three-fold having 3 separate bodies and faces. Sometimes, as was the case with Hecate, it was a single goddess who was shown with three aspects. This article was most recently revised and updated by, From Athena to Zeus: Basics of Greek Mythology, Ancient Origins - Hecate: Triple-Bodied Greek Goddess of Witchcraft and Keeper of Keys, Hecate - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). In single form she appears on Greek vases and coins. All Rights Reserved, Ancient Egyptians The First Woman Pharaoh, A Crunchy Pistachios Tale: 13 Interesting Facts About These Salty Munchies. Hecate is often depicted with three heads as she was called the Goddess of the Crossroads. The best of the LearningMole geography tutorials. Hecates actual origins may be in caria, Turkey we can find The Temple of Hecate in the Sanctuary of Hecate at Lagina in Caria (modern-day Turkey which has been dated to the last quarter of the 2nd century CE. Throughout history however, her sphere of influence also included the moon, night, crossroads, boundaries, ghosts and necromancy.Although Hecate was once considered to be a powerful Greek goddess of witchcraft, Hecate was not a major deity when compared, for instance, to the . In Ancient Greek religion, Hecate had a wide range of godly tasks. According to Greek mythology when the universe first came into being the primordial gods were there, fully formed. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability. HECATE - the Greek Goddess of Crossroads (Greek mythology) - Godchecker HEKATE (Hecate) was the goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, moon, ghosts and necromancy. The evening meal in ancient Greece, especially in Athens known as Deipnon, was in honor of Hecate. On the other hand, Euripides says that Leto is her mother. She was connected to occult practices such as witchcraft and magic, the Moon, gateways, and nocturnal beasts such as hellhounds and ghosts. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a28cb13cce875e3 Each of the Greek gods has a few specialized functions. And all these views if we go back in time can also be found in the Greco-Roman world. Etymology. Hecate was represented as single-formed, clad in a long robe, holding burning torches; in later representations she was triple-formed, with three bodies standing back-to-back, probably so that she could look in all directions at once from the crossroads. In the Pharsalia, the witch Erichtho calls on Persephone as the lowest part of Hecate. 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. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. On any trip to Greece, it's helpful to have some knowledge of the Greek gods and goddesses. Moving between the barrier between life and death explains Hecates connection to both ghosts and necromancy. Hecate appears in the pseudo-Homeric hymn to Demeter- there Hecate dwelled in a cave during Kores abduction and appeared to Demeter in the dawn while she was searching for her lost daughter. You may like to light incense such as the smoke of wormwood, cypress and lavender in these offerings. Hecate Facts for Kids | KidzSearch.com This was a group started by May Otis Blackburn in Los Angeles, California. Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. DeTraci Regula is a freelance writer who has specialized in Greek travel and tours for 18 years. This is a reminder of her role as a goddess of the night, a guardian of the gates to Hades, and a goddess of boundaries. The first example of the triple-Hecate form, called hekataia, was made by the sculptor Alcamenes in the 5th century BCE. There is evidence that this may have been the case with Hecate. The duration ofa dark moonvaries between 1.5 and 3.5 days) to the crossroads. Subscribe to our popular newsletter Synced Global AI Weekly to get weekly AI updates. This article incorporates text from Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1870) by William Smith, which is in the public domain.