She stands at the gate that separates the spirit world from our own and holds to keys to the gate. Elaborate feasts and festivals were thrown every year in her name. In a hymn to Hecate, Hesiod detailed the ways in which the goddess could both allow good fortune and deny it: Whom she will she greatly aids and advances: she sits by worshipful kings in judgment, and in the assembly whom she will is distinguished among the people. Hecate: Goddess of sorcery, crossroads and magic. As a goddess of childbirth, she was often invoked for rites of puberty, and in some cases watched over … Mystiokinesis: As the Goddess of Magic, Witchcraft, and Sorcery, Hecate has divine authority and absolute control over magic. Even in her origin, Hecate moved between two places. Instead, some believe that the goddess originated in Asia Minor. In literature, there is a clear link between her, Demeter, and Persephone. From the Greek word for “to turn away,” apotropaic magic is that which defends by turning away evil or harm. The Norns – These three goddesses were the Norse equivalent of the Moirai. This page contains hymns to the goddess and descriptions of her divine role, including invocations to her by witches and necromancers in literature. Understanding HEKATE (Hecate) HEKATE was the goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, moon, ghosts and necromancy. 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. The boundaries she oversaw were not limited to the physical world, though. Hecate as a Goddess of Necromancy. In fact, she existed in such a nominal place that it’s difficult to say whether she existed as a singular goddess, a trio of beings, or as a minor aspect of a more major deity. Her power over magic though absolute is stronger during the night. Statues of Hecate carrying torches or swords were erected in front of homes to keep evil spirits at bay. Over time, some of the Olympians changed form and function. She’s ambivalent, and can be seen as either good or evil depending on your perspective. The Byzantines and Athenians defended the city successfully and such success was attributed to her. 1. The triple goddesses are often referred to as the Maiden, Mother (or Matron), and Crone. On birth she received her power over fire, necromancy, moon, herbs, earth, and sea. 2. After death, she guides our souls through the underworld with her torches, like with Persephone, in the liminal space between death … The Path of the Goddess I am Mistress of the Night~The Three and the One. She has long been associated with witchcraft and the occult, even necromancy. 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. You saw how little Vic’s achievements meant in the face of death. The aspects of the goddess that had darker connotations were separated from her to create another goddess altogether in the character of Hecate. See more ideas about hecate, hekate, hecate goddess. Some scholars believe that Hecate was one such goddess. Zorya – The Slavic goddess of beauty and light took three forms corresponding to morning, evening, and midnight. Hecate was the Greek goddess of magic, witchcraft, crossroads, ghosts, necromancy, knowledge of herbs and poisonous plants.She was also known as the goddess of the moon and night. Hecate is a goddess of liminal spaces. Hecate, Goddess of darkest night, Send my troubles all to flight, Burn them in thy sacred fires, And replace them with my heart’s desire! She was the only child of the Titanes Perses and Asteria from whom she received her power over heaven, earth, and sea. She is said to have many different faces of her, literally.. The triple-formed Hecate, wood engraving. At least one story, however, gives the goddess a much more human origin. ii. Oct 1, 2020 - Explore Bianca de's board "Hecate symbol" on Pinterest. Often considered a chthonic or lunar goddess. For example, Hecate could create snow, or change the weather or change a human into an animal. She bestowed good fortune on her followers. They are associated with certain ideas, occupations, or stages of life. That the myths contained a considerable element of fiction was recognized by the more critical Greeks, such as the philosopher Plato in the 5th–4th century bce. Her name was derived from the Greek word hekatos which means “worker from afar”. Her association with dark magic is also tied to her identification as an underworld goddess. Hecate is the goddess of witchcraft, and one can view her as the ruler of the Three Witches. Many historians believe that the Greek pantheon was once much smaller than we know it today. The Charites (Graces) and Horai (Seasons) were also trios of minor goddesses in Greek mythology. She was often shown holding two torches, such as would be found beside gates, to allow her to illuminate both sides of a boundary. Hecate is the goddess of witchcraft, magic, and sorcery. Other writers claim her as the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, Aristaion or Night. Oct 8, 2020 - Explore Shauna Bradley's board "Goddess Hecate" on Pinterest. Brigid – The Irish goddess associated with poetry was said to have two sisters, Brigid the Healer and Brigid the Smith. Some later stories agreed that Asteria was her mother, but claimed Zeus had been her father. Originally a goddess of the wilderness and childbirth among early Greek and Egyptian civilizations, Hecate (or Hekate or Hekat) achieved her connotations as a goddess of sorcery and her role as the “Queen of Ghosts” in Ptolemaic Alexandria in the final centuries BC. She is good in the byre with Hermes to increase the stock. As goddess of magic and witchcraft, Hecate’s name is still front of mind when talking about the history and mythology of magic and yet, little is known of the figure and many … Her shadowy legend skirts the edges of Hellenic mythology. Hecate, Greek goddess of the Crossroads (known as "the Distant One") is often represented by symbols associated with her personality traits and her role as Queen of the Night. Hecate, goddess accepted at an early date into Greek religion but probably derived from the Carians in southwest Asia Minor. The Carians were devoted to Hecate, and she was the primary deity worshipped in the town of Lagina. As a protective goddess, it was common for statuettes of Hecate to be placed in the doorways of homes in Greece in the hopes that she would intervene to prevent bad fortune from passing in. She was also known as the goddess of the moon and night. 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. Originally a goddess of the wilderness and childbirth among early Greek and Egyptian civilizations, Hecate (or Hekate or Hekat) achieved her connotations as a goddess of sorcery and her role as the “Queen of Ghosts” in Ptolemaic Alexandria in the final centuries BC. Hecate, Greek goddess of the Crossroads (known as "the Distant One") is often represented by symbols associated with her personality traits and her role as Queen of the Night. They were so closely linked that Hecate was referred to as Medea’s mother in some later texts, although earlier ones had said she was the child of an Oceanid. One of her powers is Mystiokinesis or reality-warping, which is the ability to cast and manipulate magic. Hekate, or Hecate, is the Greek goddess of the moon, witchcraft, the crossroads, natural poison, herbalism and spirits of the dead. As goddesses that straddled the boundary between this world and the afterlife, they were believed to be the keys to uncovering the secrets of what lay beyond that boundary. Hecate or Hekate is a fascinating figure within Ancient Greek mythology. Hecate took pity on her, though, and brought her back to life as a dog to be her companion. The Morrigan – Another Irish deity, the goddess of war and fate was sometimes referred to in the singular and sometimes named as The Three Morrigans. The beginnings of Hecate’s worship are shrouded in mystery. She could not undo the curse, but she made the polecat her sacred servant. The Goddess Hecate . Hecate is the Greek goddess of the three paths, guardian of the household, protector of everything newly born, and the goddess of witchcraft. Hekate, or Hecate is the Goddess of Witchcraft, magic, sorcery, necromancy, the night, the dark side of the moon, ghosts, crossroads, trivial knowledge, herbalism, witches and the underworld, often seen as a threefold goddess like the phases of Moon; the Crone (full), The Mother (half), and The Maiden (quarter). 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. It is believed that Hecate represented witchcraft, magic and ghosts. Omissions? Symbols of Hecate are her place, the crossroads, two torches, and black dogs. 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. In other Indo-European cultures, the three-part goddesses included: The archetype of the triple goddess is so common that it’s considered one of the fundamental aspects of Indo-European religion. In the first Titan war, she sided with the Gods.