Hecate

Hecate, Hekate (Hekátē), or Hekat was orginially a goddess of the wilderness and childbirth originating from Thrace. Due to popular cult following as a mother goddess her persona was integrated into Greek and Egyptian culture where she ultimately achieved her more modern connotations as a goddess of sorcery and her role as the ?Queen of Ghosts.?

Related Topics:
Thrace - Queen of Ghosts

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Classic portrayals show her as a triplicate goddess - child, mother, crone - standing at the crossroads holding a torch. Oftentimes the crone image was the predominant one. Sometimes she is described as having three heads: one dog, one serpent and one horse.

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Her attendant and animal representation is of a female dog, and the most common form of offering was to leave meat at a crossroads. Sometimes dogs themselves were sacrificed to her (a good indication of her non-Hellenic origin, as dogs (along with donkeys) very rarely fills this part in genuine Greek ritual).

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In modern times, she has become popular in neo-Paganism and Wicca, largely due to her association as the goddess of sorcery.

Related Topics:
Neo-Paganism - Wicca

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