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.?

Mythology

Despite popular belief, Hecate was not originally a Greek goddess and in fact numerous references to her exist before Hesiod. Her exact origin is uncertain but it was known that she had popular cult followings in the areas in and around Thrace. Here she played a role similar to that of lesser-Hermes, namely a governess of liminal points and the wilderness, bearing little resemblance to the night-walking crone. Additionally, this led to her role of aiding women in childbirth and the raising of young men. (Johnston)

Related Topics:
Hesiod - Thrace - Hermes - Liminal

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Hesiod's inclusion and praise of Hecate in his Theogony is troublesome for scholars in that being a relatively minor (at the time) and foreign goddess, he seems to overly praise her attributes and responsibilities in the ancient cosmos. It is theorized that Hesiod?s original village had a substantial Hecate following and that his inclusion in the Theogony was his own way to boost the home-goddess for unfamiliar readers.

Related Topics:
Hesiod - Theogony - Hesiod?s

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(Hesiod records that she was among the offspring of Gaia and Uranus, the Earth and Sky. In Theogony he ascribed to Hecate such wide-ranging and fundamental powers, that it is hard to resist seeing such a deity as a figuration of the Great Goddess, though as a good Olympian Hesiod ascribes her powers as the "gift" of Zeus:

Related Topics:
Hesiod - Gaia - Uranus - Theogony - Zeus

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:"Hecate whom Zeus the son of Cronos honoured above all. He gave her splendid gifts, to have a share of the earth and the unfruitful sea. She received honour also in starry heaven, and is honoured exceedingly by the deathless gods.... The son of Cronos did her no wrong nor took anything away of all that was her portion among the former Titan gods: but she holds, as the division was at the first from the beginning, privilege both in earth, and in heaven, and in sea".

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Her gifts towards mankind are all-encompassing, Hesiod tells:

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:"Whom she will she greatly aids and advances: she sits by worshipful kings in judgement, and in the assembly whom she will is distinguished among the people. 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. Good is she also when men contend at the games, for there too the goddess is with them and profits them: and he who by might and strength gets the victory wins the rich prize easily with joy, and brings glory to his parents. And she is good to stand by horsemen, whom she will: and to those whose business is in the grey discomfortable sea, and who pray to Hecate and the loud-crashing Earth-Shaker, easily the glorious goddess gives great catch, and easily she takes it away as soon as seen, if so she will. She is good in the byre with Hermes to increase the stock. The droves of kine and wide herds of goats and flocks of fleecy sheep, if she will, she increases from a few, or makes many to be less".

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Hecate was carefully attended:

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:"For to this day, whenever any one of men on earth offers rich sacrifices and prays for favour according to custom, he calls upon Hecate. Great honour comes full easily to him whose prayers the goddess receives favourably, and she bestows wealth upon him; for the power surely is with her".

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Hesiod emphasizes that Hecate was an only child, the daughter of Asteria, a star-goddess who was the sister of Leto, (the mother of Artemis and Apollo). Grandmother of the three cousins was Phoebe the ancient Titaness who personified the moon. Hecate was a reappearance of Phoebe, a moon goddess herself, who appeared in the dark of the moon.)

Related Topics:
Hesiod - Asteria - Leto - Artemis - Apollo

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As her cult grew it quickly spread into areas of Egypt and Greece. However this presented a problem as Hecate?s role was already filled by other more prominent gods in the Greek pantheon; viz. Artemis.

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There are two versions of Hecate that then emerge in Greek myth. The lesser cited is a clear example of trying to integrate Hecate while not diminishing Artemis. Here, Hecate is a mortal priestess (commonly associated with Iphigeneia) scorned and insults Artemis, eventually leading to the priestess committing suicide. Artemis then adorns the dead body with jewelry and whispers for her spirit to rise and become her Hecate, and act similar to Nemesis as an avenging spirit (but solely for injured women). These type of myths where a home god ?creates? a foreign god were popular in ancient cultures as a way of integrating foreign cults. Additionally, as Hecate?s cult grew her figure was added to the myth of the birth of Zeus as one of the midwives that hid the child, while Chronos consumed the fake rock handed to him by Gaia.

Related Topics:
Iphigeneia - Nemesis - Chronos - Gaia

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The second version helps to explain how Hecate gains the title of the ?Queen of Ghosts? and her role as a goddess of sorcery. Similar to how totems of Hermes were placed on borders as a ward against danger, it was believed that Hecate, as a liminal goddess, could also serve such a protective role. It became common to place statues of the goddess at the gates of cities, and eventually domestic doorways. Overtime, the association of keeping out evil spirits, lead to the belief that if offended Hecate could also let in evil spirits. Thus invocations to Hecate arose as her the supreme governess of the borders between the normal world and the spirit world. (Johnston)

Related Topics:
Queen of Ghosts - Liminal

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Eventually, Hecate?s power resembles that of sorcery. Medea, who was a priestess of Hecate, used witchcraft, apparently under the guidance of the goddess, in order to handle magic herbs and poisons with skill, and to be able to stay the course of rivers, or check the paths of the stars and the moon.

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Hecate has been called "tender-hearted", probably because she was concerned with the disappearance of Persephone, and addressed Demeter with sweet words when the goddess was distressed.

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Although never truly incorporated among the Olympian gods, Greek influence is essential for the modern understanding of Hecate. She sustained a large following, though, remaining a goddess of protection and childbirth. In late imagery she also has two ghostly dogs as servants by her side. In the magical papyri of Ptolemaic Egypt, she is called the she-dog (or bitch), and her presence is signified by the barking of dogs.

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In modern times Hecate has become a prevalent figure in women?s religions and a version of Hecate has been appropriated by Wicca and other modern magic-practising religions.

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