About Hecate and Her history
Resources
www.hecatescauldron.org- LadyHecate
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hecate
Hekate's Sacred Fires
Hekate is primarily a goddess of the Underworld, holding dominion over death and rebirth. This is meant both in the literal sense and in the metaphorical as well. For life is filled with many deaths and rebirths aside from that of the flesh. Because of this the Dark of the Moon especially is her time of the month, since it is a time of endings and beginnings, when what was is no more, and what will be has yet to become.
Hekate guards the limenoskopos (the doorstep), for she is a goddess of liminality and transition. Of being on and crossing boundaries. This includes not only the boundary between life and death, but any boundaries, such as those between nature and civilization, waking and sleep, sanity and madness, the conscious and the subconscious minds. Indeed, any transition can be said to be her domain. As such she is also goddess of the crossroads, where the paths of one's life fork and a person must choose which future to embark upon. In ancient times these were believed to be special places where the veil between the worlds was thin and spirits gathered.
Hekate is also the goddess of psychological transformation. Her Underworld is the dark recesses of the human subconscious as well at that of the Cosmos. Many have accused her of sending demons to haunt the thoughts of individuals. What they fail to understand is that the demons are not hers, but their own. By the light of her twin torches Hekate only reveals what is already there. These are things which the person needs to see in order to heal and renew. However, if they are not prepared for the experience of confronting their Shadow then it can truly feel like they are being tormented. Hekate is not motivated by cruelty, nor is she seeking to harm. But her love can be tough love. She will prompt a person to face the things that they must, whether they like it or not.
Then and now Hekate is a goddess of Witchcraft and those who walk between the worlds. In the ancient world she was the patroness of those magicians- often women and the transgendered - who practiced magic, herbalism, and religion outside of the boundaries of the established temples and civil authorities of Greece. This is one reason she and her followers have often been feared and reviled. They stand with at least one foot outside of the conventional world.
She is not commonly portrayed as such, but I also see her as a shamanic deity. Her Underworld is the abode of the Shadow-Self and the journeys of the shaman to confront it. It is also the place of the shamanic ordeal of death, dismemberment, and rebirth. A place of otherworldly spirits who may aid or hinder the practitioner. Likewise, her followers are people who walk between the worlds, whether the worlds of magical and mundane, urban and rural, men and women, conventional and unconventional society. For all those who need a companion on the dark pathways they must walk, Hekate goes with them. While she may not be the deity many people would like, she is the one whom they need. Because of this I believe that she comes to those who require her, whether or not they were looking for her.
While some Greeks describe her as a virgin goddess, it bears noting that to the Ancient Greeks the word virgin did not always mean a girl uninitiated into sexual intercourse, but could also mean a woman not beholden to any man. In this sense, Hekate is indeed a virgin goddess. While in the more common sense of the word she certainly is not, for she is held to be the mother of several children, such as the god Museus and the Witches Medeia and Kirke (Circe).
In modern Neo-Pagan practice Hekate is typically identified as an aspect of the Crone, and as such is most often portrayed as an old woman. This is in contrast to ancient vase murals which depict her as being an adult woman in her prime. As with many things about this goddess, this is a perception that has changed over time. However, the Crone aspect of the modern Triple Goddess is not truly defined by her age, but rather by the powers her age represents (that of wisdom, magical potency, annihilation, and the transformative journey through the Underworld), and those indeed fall under Hekate's domain. So while perhaps not historically accurate, this is not a demotion or devaluing of her, but rather the way in which modern Neo-Paganism fits her into its philosophy (this difficulty with integrating her into their cosmology is something that we will see Neo-Pagans share with the Ancient Greeks as well).
Hekate is more often than not portrayed as carrying two torches and is known as "The Torch-Bearer". She carries these because of her role as a guide through the transition of the Underworld. One torch shows a person where it is they currently stand, the other where they might go. In this manner she reveals the mysteries of transformation to those who enter her realm of darkness. Hekate is also shown carrying a key, for she is the opener and closer of the door to the Underworld. In modern interpretations she is the guardian of and guide through the individual's Unconscious mind as well. So again, she is the key to the deeper mysteries. She also has a scourge (whip) which is the umbilical of rebirth and renewal. Her dagger (which later became the athame of Wicca) cuts delusion and is a symbol of ritual power.
The black poplar and yew trees are sacred to Hekate, as is the willow tree. Wild animals are also loved by her (something I believe originates from her earliest days as a prehistoric fertility deity), and she is sometimes shown with three animal heads - the dog, snake, and lion, or alternately the dog, horse, and bear. The serpent, long connected to the chthonic powers of death and rebirth due to the shedding of its skin and its living beneath the earth, is strongly connected with her. In fact, she is often shown holding a snake in one hand.
However, her primary animal form and familiar is the dog, and she was at one time considered to be "The Dog of the Moon". She is associated with the three-headed dog Kerberos who guards the gates of the Underworld. The Dog Star Sirius, whose rising foretold the annual flooding of the Nile, is also considered sacred to her. According to legend Hekate can be seen walking the roads and graveyards at night, particularly during the dark moon, accompanied by her howling dogs - which are usually black in color. Furthermore, it was said that when she chose to walk the earth invisible to the eyes of humans, dogs could still see her, as it was believed they could see all disembodied spirits. So if they started baying at night it meant Hekate or some other ghost or apparition was near, and a dog howling at the moon was considered to be a harbinger of death. As Virgil writes: "Then earth began to bellow, trees to dance and howling dogs in glimmering light advance ere Hekate came."
The waning crescent moon and the new moon are associated with Hekate, as they are symbols of death and renewal. She is strongly connected to the moon in fact. The Witches who followed her in the ancient world, such as Medeia, were attributed powers such as the ability to draw the moon from the sky. Some believed that after the death of the body, the soul was gathered up by the Moon as it passed overhead. While on the other hand new souls were transmitted from the Sun to the Moon, which in turn sowed them into new bodies at the same time it was gathering up the old souls. Here we see how Hekate's power of the Moon was in fact only a facet of her position as Goddess of the Underworld.
Hekate is also associated with a curious wheel shaped design, known as Hekate's Wheel, or the "Strophalos of Hekate". It is a circle which encloses a serpentine maze with three main flanges, that in turn are situated around a central, fiery spiral. The symbolism refers to the serpent's power of rebirth, to the labyrinth of knowledge through which Hekate could lead humankind, and to the flame of life itself: "The life-producing bosom of Hekate, that Living Flame which clothes itself in Matter to manifest Existence" (according to Isaac Preston Cory's 1836 translation of the Chaldean Oracles). The three main arms of the maze correspond with her being a triple goddess, as well as goddess of the three ways, and that she has dominion over the earth, sea, and sky.
From Hecate's Cauldron
As a triple Goddess, Hecate represents Maiden, Mother and Crone; mind, body and spirit; and birth, life and death. As Mistress of the Night, She represents the three stages of the lunar cycle of New, Full and Dark. Hecate symbolizes the dark within us, the part of our psyche we refuse to acknowledge. Many ignore the wisdom, the strength and the truth of Hecate because our fear of the darkness is so strong. Hecate is associated with the dark side of the moon, but this is the true Moon. The Moon has no light of its own, only reflected light from the sun. Dark is the Moon's true color as is Hecate's. Although most see Hecate as the third phase of the moon, She is actually a Triple Goddess in her own right. She is Hecate the maiden, Hecate the Mother, and Hecate the Crone. Hecate can be called upon during any moon phase, as She is the One and the Three. In pronouncing her name, in the Greek language the "H" is silent. So, to properly pronounce her name is "E-CA-TA" or "e-CO-ta."
In Her maiden aspect, she stands for new beginnings. She can also be called upon when you need to look at something in a new, fresher way....a way that you have never looked at it before. You turn to Her when the moon begins to first wax. In Her Mother aspect is a time to turn to Her when you need nurturing and protection like any mother would give. Turn to Her when the Moon is Full. In Her Crone aspect, it is a time to turn to for protection, wisdom and magick. However, please bear in mind that Hecate is not a Goddess full of tenderness and compassion with white lace and linen. She is also more prone to be stern with you if you brought a situation upon yourself. However, Her wrath is swift and just to those who cause harm to a follower of Hers, because those who seek Her, honor Her and do not fear Her are in Her protection and She does not take lightly to those who cause them harm. She does not tolerate nor does She coddle. Turn to another Goddess if you seek this. Her actions are swift and without frills. So, when you do call upon Her, be prepared for Her swift actions and changes because it might not be what you expected.
Hecate teaches us an important lesson, which is that the feminine should be valued for itself, not because it brings sexuality or power, but because deep within it there is an eternal wisdom. Hecate is also the High Priestess, the keeper of the Mysteries. Hecate is not the priestess who seeks the inner knowledge, but High Priestess who has found it and imparts it to others.
Hecate, who sits enthroned before the Veil of the Temple as the High Priestess, the card in the Tarot which is ruled by the Moon. To reach daylight on the other side of the Veil, we must all become at one with the Dark Mother of the night. Whether it be Hecate guarding the home or of the temple, She will avert evil and provides protection.
The Goddess Hecate is also known as the liberator of women, as she sets women free from the bonds created by man. That is why the Christian Church put Hecate down and created her as the Goddess of evil and destruction. During Medieval times, pagans were being tortured based on their belief in the Goddess. Patriarchy reigned and the fear of feminine power caused the Church to demonize Hecate. She was made infamous as the crone; old, wrinkled, ugly, warts protruding from her nose and chin, mysterious, dark and loathsome. Many mistakenly call Her the destroyer, but She is not for if you destroy something, that something is forever gone. You cannot bring something back that has been destroyed. It has been said that the Goddess's service is perfect freedom. She is the liberator because She is manifest in our deepest drives and emotions, which always and inevitably threaten the systems designed to contain them. She is love and anger, which refuse to fit comfortably into the social order. To be "free from slavery" once meant that, within the ritual circle, all were equal, whether they were peasant, serf, or noble in the outside world. Slavery today could be mental and emotional as well as physical: the slavery of fixed perceptions, of conditioned ideas, of blind beliefs, of fear. Witchcraft demands intellectual freedom and the courage to confront our own assumptions. It is not a belief system: it is a constantly self-renewed attitude of joy and wonder to the world. Hecate enforces feminine independence from masculine influences and this deals in all things including the religion known as Wicca. Wicca is heavily influenced by the male God. The Sabbats are centered around the male God. The word Wicca is a male term....a term connected to the Goddess religion.
In today's society, we hide our elderly (or look right through them as if they do not exist) our sick, and our poor so e can pretend to be immune to such human conditions. But Hecate reminds us of the truth. She sees through the facade of societal amenities. She is not deceived by social standing, education or titles and wealth. Instead, She is impressed only by what is in the heart! She is patroness to those of the heart.
Hecate originally was a Thracian and pre-Olympian Goddess. Zeus bowed down to her antiquity by granting to Hecate alone a power shared by Zeus, that of withholding from humanity anything she wished. He also "granted" her the powers of the heavens, on Earth and the underworld......as if She did not have these powers already! He gave her nothing of that which She did not already have. Of all the Goddesses, she was the most markedly triple and the most complex. She was Goddess of the Wild Hunt. She was to Greeks and Romans, especially the Goddess of the crossroads. Statutes of Her stood there, and food offerings –"Hecate’s Supper" – were taken there at dead of night, on the eve of the full Moon. Her annual festival on August 13 was a propitiatory one, to avert the harvest-destroying storms which the Moon is apt to send at around that time. She also haunted graveyards and the scenes of crimes–as a goddess of expiration and purification.
Hecate is the Darksome Mother, in both the positive and in the negative sense. To those that dare to welcome Her, she brings creative inspiration. She is Hecate Antea, the Sender of Nocturnal Vision, and, typically of a Moon Goddess. She is Hecate Trivia, Goddess of the Crossroads.
One of her symbols is the torch, for the Dark Mother also holds the light which illuminates the Unconscious and reveals its treasures. With Her torches she guides those who are seeking the mysteries. The light from these torches will lead those wishing to understand the mysteries.
In the Tarot, She is the Threes and the High Priestess; Her gems are star sapphire, pearl, moonstone, and crystal; Plants are the yew tree, cypress, opium, poppy, almond, mugwort, hazel, moonwort, civet, menstrual blood, camphor, garlic, aloes, all sweet virginal odors; Tools are the cauldron, the besom, knives, the key; animals are the dogs and horses, black cats. The owl is Her messenger. Her chariot is pulled by dragons. Hecate’s colors are silver and black.
Through Hecate’s Cauldron, we must look at our true self, the nature of our motives and the results of our actions, because only through Her cauldron can we truly be reborn in becoming a better person than we were before. Only when we look into Her dark cauldron can we see the light.
Hecate, and none but She, is Queen of all living things. It is through Her that all things live or die. She is the laughing maiden, the living mother, and the black hag of death. She is the three and the one. She smiles and the radiance of the moon, whether it be full or dark, is everywhere for there is no power like Her power and no living thing can withstand Her power. For She is anticipation. She is the fulfillment. She is death. Hear her words, children, worship and be glad for if you seek Her, She is with you always. She was with you in the beginning and shall be with you at the end.
Days of Hecate are August 13 which She is honored and prayed to in order to not send fearce thunderstorms and ruin and the crops. November 16 is the Night of Hecate which begins at sunset. This is the night of Hecate's supper and animals were sacrificed in honor of Her. November 30 is Hecate-Trivia--the day of the Crossroads. The 29th of each month is the Moon of Hecate.
If you flew in from a different direction, do not forget to check out the rest of my website for more of your magickal needs. There is much to be found in Hecate-Trivia where this page originates from and do not forget to fly over to Witchcraft as well.
Hecate’s History and Origin
Hecate’s History and origin is a very complex one for even though Hecate is considered to be a powerful Goddess and a Goddess for the people; there is not much written information about Her as She does not have much involvement in mythology nor does She have much interaction with other Deities. Only a few deities are well documented in literature and Hecate is one of the many who are largely absent, especially before the fourth century. Also....one has to bear in mind that there is only so much factual information out there from paintings, plates, the Hymns, etc., regarding the Goddess Hecate and the rest of the written material is merely speculation and should be taken as such. For instance, the mention that Hecate had many children. There is only one factual evidence in which Hecate may have had one child, Skylla, and it was not from Hermes but from Porkys. I have read some sources state that Hecate had many children and some with Hermes which is mere speculation with no evidence. In fact, the only association Hecate has with Hermes are their roles as chthonic Deities and/or guardians of the common people. For those reasons above, I am careful in what I believe to be information on Hecate or any other Deity for that matter and I tend to take more to heart on what scholars have to write than anything else.. Anyone can write a book but the difference is between whether it is factual or mere speculation on the author's part.
Hecate is an ancient Goddess from an earlier pre-Greek strata of myth. The Greeks found Her difficult to fit into their scheme of Gods. Some came to see Her as a daughter of the Titans, Perses and Asteria and thus cousin to Artemis. Others saw Her as an even more primal Goddess, making Her a daughter of Erebus and Nyx. What is so confusing here is if Hecate was seen as a daughter of minor parents such as Perses and Asteria, why would Zeus "give" Her so much power and ruler of Earth, Heaven and the Underworld, and He favored Her above all.
Two major works of the Archaic period, the Theogony of Hesiod and the Homeric Hymn to Demeter contain the most significant references to Hecate. There are two other known references to Hecate in Archaic literature. Both are unfortunately very brief such as Hecate having some connection with Iphigeneia, and is also the mother of Skylla by Porkys (a minor Sea God.) With references to Iphigeneia, please see Hecate and Artemis which is discussed a little later.
Hesiod’s Theogony is probably the oldest, surviving major Greek work of literature. It dates to the late eighth or early seventh century which is slightly earlier than the current dating of Homer’s work. In Hesiod’s poem, roughly in the midpoint of the poem, is material describing the birth, history, powers and spheres of influence of Hecate. This passage–"hymn" to Hecate–is the longest section in the entire poem pertaining to an individual deity other than Zeus. It also involves humans more than any other section. She as described as follows:
411: She is the child of Titans Asteria and Perses (and thus a cousin of Artemis and Apollo);
411-15: She is honoured by Zeus above all others, and has been granted shares by him in the Sky, Earth, and Sea (Underworld to Homer)....an honor to which Hecate already had!
416-18: she is invoked by humans in every sacrifice;
418-20: she grants (or withholds) much favor and success to humans who call upon Her;
421-28: she keeps the rights that she held among the Titans, as an only child and direct descendant of Gaia, Ouranos and Okeanos "(Earth," "Sky" and "Sea");
429-47: she blesses six specific groups of mortals: leaders, warriors, athletes, cavalrymen, fisherman.
448-49: she is honoured by all the deities although She is an only child;
450-52: she is kourotrophos ("nurse") to all living things.
What is strange about the description of Hecate here is there is no chthonic, lunar or, her magical practices, nor any mention of torches, or her favorite place such as the crossroads, as if it was intentionally "whitewashed" of what was assumed to be the true, unsavoury nature of Hecate, as if Hesiod wished to keep the darker side hidden.
In the Pre-Olympian Deities, in tales concerning the beginning of things, three great Goddesses play the part of Mother of the World: the Sea-Goddess Tethys, the Goddess Night ( whom Zeus stood in sacred awe of) and Mother Earth. They constitute a trinity. All through mythology, one comes across three Goddesses. What is more, they do not merely form accidental groups of three–usually a group of three sisters–but actually are real trinities, sometimes almost forming a single Threefold Goddess. It might be because in earlier times, the calendar year was by the Moon. The lunar month was divided into three parts, and our moon had three aspects: as the waxing, the full and waning sign of a divine presence in the sky.
Now, according to Hesiod, the Great Goddess Gaia gave birth to 12 Titans and Titanesses, three brothers took their own sisters to wife–Theia bore to her husband, Hyperion, Helois, the Sun, Selene, the Moon and Eos, Dawn. Phoebe (which is another name for Moon) bore to Koios two daughters: the Goddess Leto, (mother of Artemis and Apollo) , and Asteria, (star Goddess) who bore Hecate to Perses/Persios (the son of Eurybia "Goddess of wide force, " who some say was a daughter to Gaia. Eurybia is the sister to Phorkys who Hecate who later bears the female Sea-Monster Skylla). Rhea married Krones, to whom she bore three daughters and three sons, the Great Goddess Hestia, Demeter and Hera and the great Gods Hades, Poseidon and Zeus. So, according to Hesiod, Hecate is therefore the cousin of Apollo and Artemis. Hecate is mostly seen carrying two torches, which to some, the torches represent the Moon. Hecate was an only child. In this respect, Hecate resembles Persephone, the Goddess of the Underworld. For the rest, She was an almighty threefold Goddess. Zeus revered her above all others and let her have her share of the earth, the sea and the starry sky; or rather he did not deprive her of this threefold honor, which she previously enjoyed under the earlier Gods, the Titans. Tales are told of Hecate’s love affairs with the Gods of the sea, and most particularly with Triton. When Hecate was not walking on the highways, she dwelt in her cave which to many, consider that to represent the Underworld.
It has been speculated by one author that Hecate was not a Moon Goddess before the Roman period. He says that torches alone does not make Her a Moon Goddess. However, Hecate’s grandmother is Phoebe, the Moon. Hecate’s father, Peres, is an old Sun-God, and when there is a Sun God, there is always mention of a Moon Goddess, and so Hecate’s ancestry therefore reflects her heritage as an ancient Moon Goddess. Plus a few passages of Sophokles evokes a very clear picture of Hecate that Her torches seem to pair her specifically with Helios, the Sun God. Aristophanes speaks of Hecate’s torches showing the way at night: ("and you, oh daughter of Zeus, holding up two flaming torches...show the way...so that I may search for the thief"). (Many believe that Hecate is not the daughter of Zeus as Hecate is Pre-Greek. Also there is a picture of Hecate holding the Sun God Zeus when he was a small child.) But this could indicate a line between Her torches and moonlight. However, somewhat more substantial evidence is found by considering together two unrelated passages of Bacchylides. Fragment 1B reads ("Hecate, torch bearing holy daughter of great-bosomed Night...") The prooemium of Ode 7 is to an unnamed daughter of Nux (Night) as benefactor of footracers at the Olympaid of 452: this role recalls Hecate helping athletes in the Theogony. Now the four-year Olympic cycle was actually measured as one half of a "great year" of 100 months (i.e., 100 lunar cycles) and the final ceremonies were held at Full Moon. Furthermore the Greek word of 100 is hekaton, which bears a considerable resemblance to Hecate’s name. If Hecate is the unnamed Goddess referred to in the "ode", this timing might therefore reflect a very old lunar aspect of Her.
Hecate stood before the doors of most houses under the name of Prothyraia, the Goddess who helped women in childbed. Some authors felt to describe how and with what purposes Hecate was evoked by women would take people more into the field of Witchcraft, and their main purpose of their research was confined to Hecate’s origins as close as possible to Mythology and not Witchcraft and women's ways. She had names such as "the strong, Threefold One, or the Distant One or Remote One. The wife of the sun God Helios was named Perse or Perseis, which is also one of the names of the Moon Goddess Hecate and doubtless represented the Underworld aspect of the "widely shining" Goddess. It is interesting, that the name of the Queen of the Underworld, Persephone, can be taken to be a longer, perhaps even a more ceremonious form of Perse, Perseis, Perses, Perseus and Persaios–all names of Hecate and her associates–and are probably used from pre-Greek times as a name of the Queen of the Underworld. Persephone is referred to Kore, the Maiden, when she returns to her Mother, Demeter, in the Spring and once again, she is known as Persephone when she returns to the Underworld. So, there are many aspects which connect Hecate to Persephone as there are many speculations if Persephone and Hecate are one and the same. Many speculate that the myth of Persephone journeying to the Underworld happened before the myth of the abduction by Hades but instead, Persephone journeyed to the land of the Underworld for teachings from Hecate or even that She then became Hecate.
It is also noted that at one time Hecate was seen as young and later she was a Mother. She was never portrayed as the Crone, and you have to wonder why. Most ancient drawings, whether they are on plates, bowls, jars, etc., one never sees an elderly lady portrayed. It is either Maiden or Mother or both but never an image of an old wrinkled woman. But this might be because no one lived a very long life. Or, perhaps, as in today’s society, the elderly was not respected and looked upon as if they were not there, as if they did not exist and that life belonged to the young and fertile. Perhaps during the Matriarchal times, the Crone was recognized for Her wisdom and She was respected until the warring Solar Gods with their sexual prowlness came and took the powers away from the Goddess, and the Crone was cast away to die in some hidden cave.
Homer’s Hymn to Demeter, the earliest account of the abduction of Persephone by Hades, dates to the late seventh or early sixth century. Although the roles of Hecate in the hymn are quite minor, the work presents a noteworthy relationship between Hecate, Demeter and Persephone. However, Hecate’s appearances are very brief and sudden. Some scholars feel once again, as in Hesoid’s Hymn, something is missing. Perhaps Hecate’s role in the hymn was reduced from a more active one in which She was Persephone’s companion from the outset. Or, more emphasis was put on Demeter, thereby leaving Hecate as secondary, which contradicts what other scholars have said; i.e., that "Hecate was secondary to none." Perhaps it was a desire to purge the Hymn of a figure that had acquired an undesirable reputation. It is even possible that the role in the Mysteries (Eleusis) are part of the arreton ("secret things") and thus unmentionable by initiates.
It is noteworthy to mention that in Homer’s Hymn to Demeter is the connection between Hecate and Helios. The two are paired in later literature through Medeia. The view, common in Roman times, that Hecate was a Moon-Goddess and thus logically paired with Helios, the Sun-God. In the Hymn, both begin as observers of the event: Hecate hears it (the Moon which has not yet risen), Helios the sun sees it. On the one hand, Hecate is shown as very supportive of the two Goddesses: She brings news to Demeter, accompanies her when she seeks more information from Helios and repeatedly embraces Persephone upon her return. Helios, on the other hand shows little compassion whatsoever. The connection between Hecate and Helios is odd, as their actions are contrasting reactions. If a significant link existed between the two at the time, based on their being Moon-Goddess and Sun-God, it plays no important role in the Hymn, yet their well known association with Medeia makes it unlikely that their pairing is coincidental.
A complicating factor in understanding Hecate’s relationship with Persephone is that the latter is not a simple figure. It has often been suggested that Persephone originated as two distinct figures: Persephone, a pre-Greek Queen of the Dead, and Kore, the Greek daughter of Demeter. When Hecate appears as a companion, it is with the innocent daughter of Demeter. However, when the chthonic Hecate is evoked, she is often named with, or even identified with, the Queen of the Dead. It is interesting to note that the first part of Persephone’s name resembles Perseis, a name sometimes associated with Hecate, as daughter of Perses. If Persephone and Kore were originally two separate deities, then perhaps their merging transformed whatever original relationship one or both had with Hecate.
Hecate often had the title Phosphoros which means light bringer.
Hecate and Artemis
Hecate has been associated many times with Artemis and Apollo, as She is their cousin. Her cousin Apollo had the title Hekatos, as early as Homer, and Artemis took Hekate as a title, at least by the end of the fifth century.
In Classical and later literature, Hecate is closely connected with Artemis. They share several titles, attributes and functions and appear to be considered identical in many instances.
A different sort of connection between Hecate and Artemis is revealed in a number of similar legends concerning girls or young women who die either by being sacrificed or by taking their own lives often in order to ensure the safety of their people. One legend, which is the earliest surviving case concerns Iphigeneia (sometimes called Iphianassa, Phimede, or Iphimedeia) and her stepfather, Agamemnon, the latter of which is counselled to sacrifice his stepdaughter to Artemis in order to ensure the safety of the Greek fleet when it sailed for Troy from Aulis in Boiotia. At the moment of death, Artemis replaces Iphigeneia with a deer (or a bear), taking her far away and transforming her into a Priestess or a divine attendant and calling her Hecate. Another story, however, is that Artemis tranforms Iphimedia into an attendant named Artemis Enodia. The titles Hekaerge (far-working) and Hekatebolos (far-shooting) which so clearly resemble Hekate’s name, are often added to Artemis’ name to indicate her belligerent and destructive roles.
Hecate’s functions may have changed as the result of political manipulation. You had mergers where treasury of the league was moved to the Acroipolis from Delos, where Artemis was prominent. For the most part, Hecate would seem to have been the loser in such a merger: she did not seem to acquire any functions normally reserved for Artemis, such as archery or governing wilderness, while Artemis’ name joined Hecate’s at Eleusis. Perhaps this dominance by Artemis is why Hecate’s chthonic role became so pronounced in the literature of Athens in the fifth and later centuries: She may have lost most of Her other functions to Artemis. However, Hecate preserved at least a moderate level of independence to the end of antiquity.
Hecate is connected with the feminine in independence from the masculine. While both Artemis and Hecate are evoked in childbirth, this is in the sense of helping with an exclusively feminine mystery, unlike the Goddess Hera, Zeus’ wife, who is guardian of the relationship of woman to man. Thus Hera is the jealous guardian of marital fidelity, the protectress of the marriage vows. She is the Goddess of childbirth, not as a feminine ritual but as the result of male-female connection as it relates to the preservation and integrity of the blood line and inheritance.
The Artemis-Hecate archetype was rather feared by the patriarchs of the Solar Gods, because if pursued by women, it could have led to their developing a sense of an independence from the masculine. Thus the cult of Hera, under the protection of Zeus, became very important in late classical times.
The Greek Artemis should not be confused with Artemis of Ephesus who was the Great Mother Goddess of the Ionian Greeks. The Greek soul was in later patriarchal times, unhappy with the independent Artemis who is the wild virgin of the hunt and only by remaining aloof from contact with the masculine can She retain Her independence. So the Greeks encouraged the grafting onto Her of the Artemis of the Ephesus-Mother facet.
Hecate’s connection with Apollo is the most interesting than She has with any other Gods. The most striking connection between Apollo and Hecate is through two of his common titles that resemble Her name: Hecatos and Hekatebolos. One way of interpreting this set of names is possibly that Hecate and Apollo were originally paired and that Artemis came to replace Hecate. Even though Homer and Hesiod have Artemis and Apollo as close siblings, there are many sites where they are worshipped by themselves. Apollo took on an equal status with Artemis on Delos only in the sixth century, while Artemis never joined him in Delphi which is strange. ! However, Hekate’s early presence with Apollo at Miletos (and later at Didyma) could be interpreted as the last signs of a partnership that originated among Bronze Age people of Asia Minor. By this thought, Artemis presumably replaced Hekate as companion of Apollo Hekatos when She began to absorb other Asian Goddesses early in the millennium.
If it were not for Apollo’s title of Hekatos, his relationship with Hekate could probably be treated as being of limited significance. However, their sharing of names can hardly be a trivial coincidence, and Hecate’s origins and identity are somehow tied to those of Artemis and Apollo. There are several speculative but quite interesting pieces of evidence that point to Hekate and Apollo having common roots in Bronze Age Aisa Minor, perhaps as paired guardian deities. However, whatever the connection, by the sixth century, any close relationship between Apollo and Hecate are limited to a few Ionian sites such as Miletos and Didyma, wherein Gods such as Helios and Hermes were more commonly her male companions.....Helios the Sun Good and Hermes being chthonic in nature.
Hecate and the Son God, Helios
There are several references in literature that show an association between Hekate and Helios. Hecate and Helios are the only witnesses to Kore’s (Persephone) kidnapping, and they inform Demeter what has happened...first by Hecate and then by Helios. It has often been assumed that this relationship reflects their complementary nature as Moon Goddess and Sun God. In every version of the legend of Persephone, Hecate and Helois are either paired as observers or are both absent. This suggests that this pairing is not coincidental, though not necessarily vital to the story. It is relevant to note that there is a common pattern found in folklore in many parts of the world of the Sun and Moon being questioned concerning events occurring on Earth, as they are assumed to be able to observe everything. Helios is explicitly called skopos, meaning "watcher" and Hecate is able to hear clearly the abduction from Her cave. Probably she "hears" because it is during the daylight hours that Kore is taken and the Moon is not out shining.
Hecate and Hermes
Hecate’s association with Hermes is the least documented in early times of those considered so far. The earliest evidence supporting a true connection with Hecate is at the entrance to the Athenian Acropolis in the fifth century which bears the three images of Hecate connected. The role as chthonic deities of which both deities received sacrificial meals left at their statutes. They were called Enodia and Enodios, meaning "in/or the road." Hermes is the only deity, besides Persephone, with whom Hekate significantly shared chthonic functions. Evidence for their shared role dates only to the fifth century, but earlier evidence exists for both independently and perhaps their association came about because they shared this function.
Hecate and Her Roles in Early Greece
"Lord Helios and the sacred flame,
weapon of Hekate Enodia
which She bears when leading in Olympos
and in her haunts by the sacred three-ways on Earth,
crowning herself with oak leaves and twisting coils of wild serpent."
Hecate is a Goddess of entrances which generally serve one or more of three functions: to establish a boundary and to protect what is inside from the outer world, to help travellers setting out from or returning to the entranceway and to watch over the actual transition that the entrance entails. Protection from what is beyond a boundary is a role that is commonly assigned to Hecate but most importantly, she is involved with unseen, spiritual foes rather than physical defense of the city such as Athena Nike.
There is another attribute of Hecate indicating a gatekeeper role: the holding of a key. In the Orphic Hymn to Hekate, she is called kleidouchos ("key-holder"). By Hellenistic times, the bearing of a key often symbolized the ability to open and close the gates between Earth and other realms such as that of the Underworld. Persephone was also shown with a key. In Hecate’s case, this could reflect her association by that time with spirits, especially those summoned by magicians, as She could let spirits in and out.
Hecate - Goddess of Women -
Hecate is considered a Goddess of Women. Birth, childbearing and death are matters of great importance to all human societies. Hecate is associated with all three. If Hecate can be considered a Goddess of Transitions, she was particularly a suitable goddess to evoke in all matters concerning birth and death. These matters are also traditionally considered the concern of women, if not their exclusive domain, so Hecate’s involvement in them may imply a particular focus upon women.
As early as Theogony, Hecate has the role of kourotrophos...child’s nurse. Hecate is the oldest known kourotrophos, as in the Theogony She is called Kourotrophos to all living things.
Ceremonies of death were largely the concern of women in ancient Greece. Women predominate in artistic and literary representations of mourning and the laying out of bodies; laws were passed governing their actions and influences of funerals. House sweepings and offerings were made to Hecate at crossroads at the Dark Moon after a 30-day mourning period.
It has also been suggested that Hecate had a role in marriage, another transitional stage of life of particular importance to women.
Scholars such as Wilamowitz and Nilsson feel justified in claiming that Hecate is a Women’s Goddess and one of the reasons for that belief is that women were more prone to be more superstitious then men and to practicing magick privately in association with Hecate. In deed, another Greek author said he wished to only provide the myths regarding Hecate, for anything which was practiced by Greek women would be considered Witchcraft!
Of the three most likely roles for Hecate when she is found at entranceways, the evidence best supports that of guardian against outside dangers. Particular emphasis may be on defending against supernatural forces, a function which may be directly tied to her frightening association with restless spirits.
Another of Hecate’s roles was Hecate Propolos which means guide and companion, and She was certainly that when accompanying Persephone to the Underworld and being her companion while there.
Most all drawings and pictures of Hecate depict her with two torches where other Goddess have only one torch. Hecate is known as Hecate Phosphoros which means Light Bringer. Also, morning and evening stars (the planet Venus) were named Phosphoros (light bringer) and Hesperos (of the evening). So, perhaps her two torches were seen to represent Phosphoros and Hesperos. Her torches could also represent the light of the Moon, the fire representing childbirth.
Goddess of the Underworld
In the second half of the fifth century, there is in Greek literature a side of Hecate that is both frightening and new. She is associated with restless spirits and phantasms that attack by their own volition or under the command of spiteful foes with purification ceremonies involving the killing of dogs and with offers left at crossroads at every Dark Moon. In situations such as these Hecate is known as Hecate Chthonia.
In many parts of the world, they feel that the crossroads are supernatural places....places to work magick and to encounter spirits of all kinds. In later literature, Hecate is associated with crossroads and most particularly three-way intersections. Sacrificial meals are commonly left out at crossroads for Hecate, especially during the three days about the Dark Moon. These are sometimes called Hekates deipna (Hecate’s banquets.) Offerings are to solicit Her aid in protection against the other spirits. Many felt that restless spirits walk the earth during the Dark of the Moon. Neglecting to make offerings to Hecate is therefore dangerous not because she might attack, but because She is the one who stands between you and the dangerous spirits. Because of Hecate’s association with crossroads, she is called Hecate Enodia (in the road.)
Hecate is also associated with dogs, and dogs, as well as Hecate, are credited with excellent night vision.
Chthonic deities, in their role of governing the dead were associated with snakes. Snakes appear with Hecate almost entirely in the context of her hair.
Hecate has a significant role in the nearly obsessive portrayal of Medeia in antiquity. Medeia’s primary role is usually that of an evil magician and herbalist. She is also a Priestess of Hecate and a descendant of Helios, the Sun God; Hecate, and to a lessor extent Helios, were Medeia's benefactors or teachers. This is probably Hecate’s most noted role in later literature, and as such, contributed much to her negative image. Helios, on the other hand, has not suffered in the same way....naturally.....He being a male and Hecate being a female. It goes to show that even back then Gods practicing magick were not Witches or anything evil. However, a Goddess who is associated with magick and She gets a negative image! Literature has it that Medeia evoked Hecate and performed magick regarding women's issues and this reflects Hecate’s role, once again, as the benefactor of this magick as evidence for Her being a Woman’s Goddess. Many men would argue the point, but that still does not change that Hecate was not only a Goddess for the people but most particularly a Goddess for the women for Hecate assisted in the roles that women performed. .
The prominence of Hecate Chthonia in later literature is probably the most difficult to explain. One scholar suggests that Hecate’s chthonic side must have been present from her beginnings in Karia and was brought to the forefront in the fifth century when superstitious fears and magic practices became widespread among the common folk. Hecate’s chthonic image became enhanced at the expense of her other functions in Athens to differentiate Her from Artemis as well as Her association with other Chthonic deities such as Persephone, Queen of the Dead who many feel are one and the same.
In summary, Hecate is a Goddess for the people and most particularly women and not the entire community and was most likely honored in private ceremonies on Her own. Due to Hecate’s "unsavory" character and the magickal practices of Hecate’s followers such as Medeia are not in keeping with "proper" Greek religion, She was not idealised in ancient Greek culture. In other words....Hecate did not fit into what man thought a Goddess should represent. This is probably why She was never considered an Olympian Goddess. The relatively sudden and widespread archeological evidence for Her worship in the sixth century indicates that Hecate came from some other outside location. The question of Hecate’s place of origin has been questioned on account of her negative reputation and a desire to keep the Greek religion clean. Nevertheless, it is a common conclusion that the worship of Hecate originated in Asia Minor, in particular Karia.
By the fifth century, when records became relatively abundant, Hecate is firmly in place in the Greek world and as a Greek Deity. That century also marks the point when the literary record begins to stress Hecate Chthonia and often in a dangerous form and unfortunately at the expense of her other functions. As mentioned earlier, the Greeks probably wanted more emphasis on Artemis and less on Hecate. Hecate Chthonia seems to have little bearing on actual religious practices but more on supporting the magickal practices of Medeia and other female figures. The negative portrayal of powerful women such as Medeia and the Amazons who live outside of the bounds of society, is most common in Greek and Roman literature. When these women are associated with Deities, it is usually with Goddesses who honor their independent nature such as Artemis, or grant them unusual powers, such as Hecate. So...it is quite possible that through simple association with Medeia, the ghostly and dangerous side of Hecate was popularized.
Another important factor contributing to the stories involving Hecate may be that much of Her worship served individual needs–protecting one from harmful ghosts and guiding one through difficult transitions and the use of magick rather than those of the community. Apparently the Greeks thought that individuals acting on their own could be very threatening to society. What is interesting in nearly all of these stories is that they feature individual women performing rituals for their own purposes. Perhaps humble, day to day ritual practices by women with statutes of Hecate in their homes added to fuel the fears and imagination of others. But the women who evoked Hecate, respected Her but did not fear Her. Hecate carried with Her independence and power.....things that Greek men did not want women to have. Many women turned to Hecate for protection, childbirth and childraising, as Hecate was called upon for many functions. Parents gave their children names that began with Hekat, sculptors were hired to construct statues of Her for all to see, and people were initiated into Her mysteries. The worship of several deities was restricted by official decree in the Roman period, but never that of the our Lady.......Lady Hecate, Queen of Heaven, Earth and the Underworld...a privileged with which She was given but what She already had before the Olympian Gods.
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The Name of Hecate/ Hekate
The Name Hekate
Heka means "magical speech" in Egyptian while Hekate means "influence from afar" in Greek. The latter attribution is due to her ability to use magic upon a person from a distance. Hence the appellations "Far Darter" and "The Distant One" given to Hekate.
Hekate is also spelled Hecate in Latin, and you will often see it this way in print. In Greek her name would appear as thus: 'Εκατη (however, one must remember that Ancient Greek had many dialects that had differing spellings of words, so it may also appear in other forms in Greek as well).
'Εκατη
'Ε - an h, as in he
κ - a k, as in king
α - an a, as in angel
τ - a t, as in together
η - an eh sound, as the e in excellent.
So Hekate is pronunced "heh-kaa-tay". Although as noted above, Ancient Greek had many dialects, so it may appear otherwise as well.
