Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Hecate Greco-Roman goddess associated with magic and crossroads.

Hecate by Sandra Stanton

“Be comforted. I am here to guide you through the dark.”

Hecate is the Greek goddess of the crossroads. She is most often depicted as having three heads; one of a dog, one of a snake and one of a horse. She rescued Persephone from the Underworld. Hecate is said to haunt a three-way crossroad, each of her heads facing in a certain direction. She is said to appear when the ebony moon shines.
Hecate – William Blake

Greek mythology combined in her person aspects of the moon, earth and underworld, with power over the sky, earth and sea; she was also associated with witchcraft, magic and the supernatural.

Hekate & Cerberus, Apulian red-figure krater
C4th B.C., Antikensammlungen, Munich

Hekate was usually depicted in Greek vase painting as a woman holding twin torches. Sometimes she was dressed in a knee-length maiden's skirt and hunting boots, much like Artemis.




Hecate, is guardian of the household, protector of everything newly born, and the goddess of witchcraft

A beautiful and powerful goddess in her own right, the Greek goddess Hecate was the only one of the ancient Titans who Zeus allowed to retain their authority once the Olympians seized control. Zeus shared with Hecate, and only her, the awesome power of giving humanity anything she wished (or withholding it if she pleased).

"Hecate (Hekate), a primordial Goddess whose genealogy goes back to Her birth which is said to be at the beginning of time, is a goddess shrouded in mystery. She was originally the Goddess of the wild places, childbirth, and the crossroads. These are all considered to be in between spaces that have been associated with the spirit world, and because these in between spaces are thought to be the places where the veils between the worlds believed to be at their thinnest, they have also been associated with witches, magic, and ghosts. It is from these links that Hecate gained the titles of Queen of Witches, Queen of the Dead, Mistress of Magic, and Queen of Ghosts to eventually become the Crone Goddess. Witches have long evoked her to make their spells more powerful. She is also associated with divination for it is believed she can cut through the darkness, bring visions, call back the past, and reveal the future.



Pantheon
: - Greek?Roman
Moon Phase: - Triple
Energies: - Witchcraft, huntress, wisdom, birth, life, death
Symbol: Dogs, crossroads.

Plants and herbs

The yew, cypress, hazel, black poplar and willow are all sacred to Hecate. 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. Garlic, almonds, lavender, 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.


Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hecate
http://www.goddessgift.com/goddess-myths/greek_goddess_hecate.htm
http://reclaimingthedarkgoddess.blogspot.com/search?q=hecate
http://www.theoi.com/Khthonios/Hekate.html
http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Mythology/HecateChiaramonti1922.html
http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Mythology/Hecate.html

4 comments:

  1. The last day of each lunar month is sacred to Hecate, the liminal space between the final glimpse of the waning Crone Moon and the Dark of the Moon which follows.

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  2. Great post on Hecate. Thank you.
    Mary

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  3. Debra - thanks for that.
    Mary thanks for reading & stopping by.

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  4. Has long been my patron Goddess! Blessing unto her!!

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