This could mean that the goddess didnt come to Greece from Caria until a relatively late date. In single form she appears on Greek vases and coins. Scholars think that the goddess arrived in Greece during the Archaic period. The first sculpture of Hecate in triple form was the (lost) statue by Alcamenes (fifth century BCE) at the Acropolis. Hecate Greek Goddess of Witchcraft : The Complete Guide. Hecate typically responds to petitions via visions and dreams. All Rights Reserved, Ancient Egyptians The First Woman Pharaoh, A Crunchy Pistachios Tale: 13 Interesting Facts About These Salty Munchies. Author: Hecate He | Editor: Michael Sarazen. Her name was derived from the Greek word hekatos which means worker from afar. Even in her origin, Hecate moved between two places. 2 Beds. Performance & security by Cloudflare. The worship of Hecate continued into theHellenisticandRomanperiods with significant archaeological finds of votive offerings to the goddess being found at Lagina in Caria andPhrygia. Women also prayed to her for fertility and the birth of female children. Follow for more great fun learning. Apollonius of Rhodes says that the sound of dogs barking from the Underworld can be heard when Hecate is nearby. Hecate's appearance is dark-haired and beautiful, but with an eerie edge to that beauty befitting a goddess of the night (though the actual goddess of the night is Nyx). 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. Hecate. Like most of the Olympic pantheon, Hecate predates the written mythology of Greece. She witnessed the abduction of Demeters daughter Persephone to the underworld and, torch in hand, assisted in the search for her. Hecate is a goddess in Greek mythology often associated with darkness and witchcraft. Mike Greenberg, PhD. According toHesiodin hisTheogony, Hecate is the daughter of Perses and Asteria, making her the granddaughter of the Titans Phoebe and Coeus. Ft. 1302 Covington Ct, Virginia Beach, VA 23453. Why notsubscribe to our LearningMole Library for as little as 1.99 per month to access over1000fun educational videos. Major temple shrines to Hecate were in the regions of Phrygia and Caria. She was often placed at the entrance of homes to help protect against the evil forces of the world. Moreover, the fact that Hecate had a Greek name does not necessarily mean that her cult originated in Greece (she more likely emerged from Caria in Asia Minor). According to her story, Hecate sometimes withheld these blessings if she felt mortals did not deserve them. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. The things that make Hecate seem like an older woman are in the Pharsalia. 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. On the Pergamon Altar of Zeus, from the 2nd century BCE, a three-headed Hecate and a dog attack a snake-like giant. Hecate hugged the girl when Persephone was reunited with her mother, Demeter. The blessings she gave them were eventually seen as magic, while prayers were seen as incantations. She is also Queen of the Night, and is highly connected to All Hallow's Eve. By her very nature Hecate was a goddess that existed on the edges of the Greek pantheon, yet she was also a household goddess who watched over every door in Greece. She is the witness to every crime. Please like and share this article if you found it useful. She is depicted on the altar of Pergamon with one body and three heads (ca. Hecate can banishghosts(or produce a ghost infestation). A mysterious goddess of sorcery, necromancy, and ghosts, Greek Goddess Hecate is undoubtedly one of the most intriguing characters in all of Greek mythology! This was all about Hecate, a goddess in ancient Greek religion. Symbols of Hecate are her place, the crossroads, two torches, and black dogs. Check your inbox for your latest news from us. She was the only one among the Titans who retained this power under the rule of Zeus, and she was honored by all the immortal gods. Her group included the Lampades, the nymphs of the Underworld, and ghosts. In fact, the earliest depictions of Hecate can only be differentiated from those of Artemis by inscriptions. Even Zeus, the King of the Olympian Gods, is said to have reverenced her, and there are hints that she was considered to be an all-powerful goddess. Her friends are the Erinyes, winged creatures that punish bad behaviour, and her children are the Empusae, female demons that like to seduce travellers. 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. Hecate is the daughter of Perses and Asteria. The beginnings of Hecates worship are shrouded in mystery. 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. Most of all, Hecate was a goddess of mystery. Intrinsically ambivalent and polymorphous, she straddles conventional boundaries and eludes definition. 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. They were so closely linked that Hecate was referred to as Medeas mother in some later texts, although earlier ones had said she was the child of an Oceanid. Instead, some believe that the goddess originated in Asia Minor. As these stories were passed on, though, they often changed. This concept became a central figure in many later versions of polytheism. 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. People used to believe that dogs would eat the dead if they werent buried. Hecate was an only child and was worshiped in households of Athens where families hoped to receive protection, prosperity and daily blessings. By the 2nd century AD, a story had developed around Galinthias, a daughter of Proteus and friend of Alcmene. Another option was a dish of red mullet, which was usually not allowed to be given to other gods. Hecate is portrayed in single form on sculptures of Myron and Naucydes. 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. The ancient Greeks thought of her as a Greek goddess, not someone from another country. Hecate acted as a veil between the world of the mortals and the supernatural. Hades was pleased with this, and Hecate was allowed to come and go as she pleased from the Underworld. 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. Although Hecate found Persephone, instead of rescuing her, she helped her settle into her new life as the bride of Hades. Many of the rituals described in ancient texts, for example the elaborate sacrifice of a ewe in Argonautica, are in keeping with what is known about the worship of other deities of the underworld. This Goddess is often shown as a woman carrying a key or torches. Sometimes, as was the case with Hecate, it was a single goddess who was shown with three aspects. goddess, with the latter having a 6th-century BCE circular altar for sacrifices to be made in her honour (the earliest archaeological evidence of her worship). She was accompanied by packs of barking dogs. As Apollo was sometimes known as Hecatos, it is still possible that this feminine form of the name referred to his sister and not a separate goddess. Still another school of thought links her, at least linguistically, to Egypt. As the worship of Artemis evolved over time, the Greeks began to focus more on her purity and positive aspects. The facts about Hecate provides a list detailing fascinating additional info to increase your knowledge about Hecate in Greek Mythology. 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. She was specifically associated with witchcraft, magick, the Moon, Archways, and creatures of the night such as hell-hounds and ghosts. She is invoked for justice, especially for sexual crimes against women and girls. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a28cb13cce875e3 Greek pantheon was once much smaller than we know. Sorceresses ask the goddess for help with their magic and spells, and she is shown on curse tablets that have survived. The Greek three-headed hound of Hades, Cerberus, may have been an earlier version of Hecate. Some myths suggest that Zeus and Hera were the parents of this Goddess, and that is how she came to control the heavens and the earth. 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. These took the form of small cakes of eggs, cheese, bread, and dog meat, which were lit with miniature torches or, alternatively, a dish of red mullet, which was usually prohibited from offerings to the other gods. Hecates powers to protect were passed on from Titan parents Perses and Asteria and covered the heavens, earth and sea. 170 BCE). Due to her dark attributes, this deity has often been associated with the Underworld. But Hecate herself existed in the in between spaces, as well. Her origins and powers were unexplained and changeable. The Lampades are people who carry torches and travel with the goddess at night. They believed that by praising the goddess, the restless dead would be soothed and not deliver vengeance on the family. In the Pharsalia, the witch Erichtho calls on Persephone as the lowest part of Hecate. 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 her form as a triple goddess, Hecate was closely linked to intersections. 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. They are sometimes represented with the familiar aspects of the maiden, mother, and crone. Hecate: Greece's Dark Goddess of the Crossroads. The name Hecate means:The Most Lovely One; Worker from Afar; Three -Headed Hound of the Moon; Influence from Afar; The One Before the Gate; Light Bringer. She is also associated with the moon and is sometimes depicted as having three faces which symbolize the waxing, waning, and full moon phases. But Hekate was in this time also connected to liminality. Is Hecate a jealous goddess? 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. $204,000 Last Sold Price. In literature, there is a clear link between her, Demeter, and Persephone. Some early writers claimed that Hecate was actually the princess Iphigenia, saved from death by Artemis and transformed into a goddess. A: Hecate is the Greek Goddess of magic and witchcraft. During the Hellenistic and Roman times, people still worshipped Hecate. She would go with Persephone to the Underworld every year when the girl returned to Hades. A statue called Hekate Epipyrgidia (On the Ramparts) stood at the Athens Acropolis entrance. She is good in the byre with Hermes to increase the stock. times its difficult to find a quite crossroads to perform workings except in remote areas. Hecate, however, is routinely described as the goddess of witchcraft and associated with characters like Medea and Circe, the witch of Homers Odyssey. creative tips and more. Share This Post. From the 5th century BCE, the goddess hecate is associated with the darker side of the human experience, that isdeath, witchcraft, magick, the Moon, dreams, hell hounds and creatures which roam the darkness of night. A: In the play Macbeth by Shakespeare, in Act three, scene five, Hecate was shown to be angry with the witches as they excluded her from their meetings with Macbeth. The crossroads were and are also places where several accidents occurred and or ambushes, holdups they can be places of vulnerability where fates seem to be on rare occasions sealed. Hecate was believed to be a goddess of both the living world and the underworld. Her priests are normally accompanied by hell hounds sent by their goddess to guard her temples. She could switch between being a Titan and a goddess in Greek mythology. The goddess had a lot of powers, some of which were later taken over by other gods. 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. According to the Greek writer Hesiod*, Hecate was the daughter of the Titan* Perses and the nymph Asteria. Scholars say that this Apolline name connects Hecate to Artemis, another goddess with a similar area of power. They were often associated with the three stages of life youth, adulthood, and old age. Her companions are known to punish wrong doing and criminals. The most commonly repeated story of her birth was that Hecate was the daughter of Perses and Asteria, two second-generation Titans. Hecate was said to be a beautiful lady with dark hair. Hecate (also spelt Hekate) is a goddess capable of both good and evil. Of course, as with many stories of Hecate there was also a darker version. The people of Sparta claimed that Ares had been nursed by a nymph called Thero. And all these views if we go back in time can also be found in the Greco-Roman world. Hecate was a cathonic goddess that preceded the Olympians, and it seems that she was highly worshipped in Thrace. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Hecate or Hekate [a] is a goddess in ancient Greek religion and mythology, most often shown holding a pair of torches, a key, snakes, or accompanied by dogs, [1] and in later periods depicted as three-formed or triple-bodied. She was associated with witchcraft, necromancy, and poisons. Hecate is often depicted with three heads as she was called the Goddess of the Crossroads. Her halos are usually made of moonbeams. Hecate's powers transcended the boundaries of the sky, the earth, the seas, and the underworld. It is unclear why this change took place. At least one story, however, gives the goddess a much more human origin. She is often displayed holding two torches or a key. Corrections? During the time of the Romans, Hecate was often combined with the gods Artemis and Selene, especially in Roman poetry. "Worker-from-afar." 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. A popular story among the Greeks was that the dog that accompanied Hecate was the Trojan queen Hecuba. The heads could be of a dog, a lion, or a horse, representing the constellations that make up the year. The Hades and Persephone Story. The goddess was given gifts every month on the night of a new moon. On Greek pottery, she is usually shown as a young woman holding a torch or a key. Hecate became Persephones guardian and close friend while she was living in the Underworld. Hecate, however, was not just a goddess shown in three parts. Like Hermes, who was also a deity of liminal spaces, statues of Hecate were often placed at crossroads and borders.
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