Encyclopedia
Hecate,
Hekate , or
Hekat was originally a goddess of the wilderness and childbirth originating from
Thrace, or among the
Carians of
Anatolia . Popular cults venerating her as a mother goddess integrated her persona into Greek culture as
???t?. In
Ptolemaic Alexandria she ultimately achieved her connotations as a goddess of sorcery and her role as the 'Queen of Ghosts', in which guise she was transmitted to post-Renaissance culture. Today she is often seen as a goddess of
witchcraft and
Wicca. She is also the equivalent of the Roman Trivia.
Representations
The earliest depictions of Hecate are single faced, not triplicate. Lewis Richard Farnell states:
- The evidence of the monuments as to the character and significance of Hekate is almost as full as that of the literature. But it is only in the later period that they come to express her manifold and mystic nature. Before the fifth century there is little doubt that she was usually represented as of single form like any other divinity, and it was thus that the Boeotian poet imagined her, as nothing in his verses contains any allusion to a triple formed goddess. The earliest known monument is a small terracotta found in Athens, with a dedication to Hekate , in writing of the style of the sixth century. The goddess is seated on a throne with a chaplet bound round her head; she is altogether without attributes and character, and the only value of this work, which is evidently of quite a general type and gets a special reference and name merely from the inscription, is that it proves the single shape to be her earlier from, and her recognition at Athens to be earlier than the Persian invasion.
Pausanias stated that Hecate was first depicted in triplicate by the sculptor Alkamenes in the Greek Classical period of the late 5th century. Some classical portrayals, such as the one illustrated below, show her as a triplicate goddess holding a torch, a key and a serpent. Others continue to depict her in singular form. In Egyptian-inspired Greek esoteric writings connected with
Hermes Trismegistus, and in magical papyri of
Late Antiquity she is described as having three heads: one dog, one serpent and one horse. Hecate's triplicity is expressed in a more Hellene fashion, with three bodies instead, where she is shown taking part in the battle with the Titans in the vast frieze of the great altar of Pergamum, now in Berlin. In the
Argolid, near the shrine of the Dioscuri, the 2nd-century CE traveller Pausanias saw the temple of Hecate opposite the sanctuary of Eilethyia; "The image is a work of Scopas. This one is of stone, while the bronze images opposite, also of Hekate, were made respectively by Polycleitus and his brother Naucydes, son of Mothon.
A
4th century BCE marble relief from Crannon in Thessaly was dedicated by a race-horse owner. It shows Hecate, with a hound beside her, placing a wreath on the head of a mare. This statue is in the British Museum, inventory number 816. Her attendant and animal representation is of a bitch, and the most common form of offering was to leave meat at a crossroads. Sometimes dogs themselves were sacrificed to her .
In
Argonautica, a third century BCE
Alexandrian epic based on early materials, Jason placates Hecate in a ritual prescribed by Medea: bathed at midnight in a stream of flowing water, and dressed in dark robes, Jason is to dig a pit and offer a
libation of honey and blood from the throat of a sheep, which was set on a pyre by the pit and wholly consumed as a holocaust, then retreat from the site without looking back . All these elements betoken the rites owed to a chthonic deity.
Mythology
Despite popular belief, Hecate was not originally a Greek goddess. She is unknown to
Homer and in fact the earliest written references to her are in
Hesiod's
Theogony. The place of origin of her cult is uncertain, but it is thought . 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:
- "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".
Her gifts towards mankind are all-encompassing, Hesiod tells:
- "Whom she will she greatly aids and advances: she sits by worshipful kings in judgement, and in the assembly whom her 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".
Hecate was carefully attended:
- "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".
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.
His inclusion and praise of Hecate in
Theogony is troublesome for scholars in that he seems fulsomely to praise her attributes and responsibilities in the ancient cosmos even though she is both relatively minor and foreign. It is theorized that
Hesiod’s original village had a substantial Hecate following and that his inclusion of her in the Theogony was his own way to boost the home-goddess for unfamiliar hearers.
As her cult spread into areas of Greece it presented a conflict, as Hecate’s role was already filled by other more prominent gods in the Greek pantheon, above all by
Artemis, and by more archaic figures, such as Nemesis.
There are two versions of Hecate that emerge in Greek myth. The lesser role integrates Hecate while not diminishing Artemis. In this version 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 totems of Hermes—
herms— placed at borders as a ward against danger, images of Hecate, as a liminal goddess, could also serve in such a protective role. It became common to place statues of the goddess at the gates of cities, and eventually domestic doorways. Over time, the association of keeping out evil spirits led 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 there survive several hymns which identify Hecate with Selene and the moon, extolling her as supreme Goddess, mother of the gods. In this form, as a
threefold goddess, Hecate continues to have followers in some neopagan religions.
Festivals
Hecate was worshipped by both the Greeks and the Romans who had their own festivals dedicated to her. According to Ruickbie the Greeks observed two days sacred to Hecate, one on the 13th of August and one on the 30th of November, whilst the Romans observed the 29th of every month as her sacred day.
Cross-cultural parallels
The figure of Hecate can often be associated with the figure of
Isis in Egyptian myth, mainly due to her role as sorceress. In Hebrew myth she is often compared to the figure of
Lilith and the
Whore of Babylon in later Christian tradition. Both were symbols of liminal points, and
Lilith also has a role in sorcery. Some scholars ultimately compare her to the
Virgin Mary.
Before she became associated with Greek mythology, she had many similarities with
Artemis and Hera .
Hecate in literature
Hecate is a character in
William Shakespeare's tragedy
Macbeth, which was first played circa 1605; she is represented as a goddess or demon who commands the three witches. There is some evidence to suggest that the character and the scenes or portions thereof in which she appears were not written by Shakespeare, but was added during a revision by
Thomas Middleton, who used material from his own play
The Witch, which was produced in 1615. Most modern texts of
Macbeth indicate the interpolations.
Hecate was used by
William Blake in a number of his paintings and poems.
Hecate in modern magic
In modern times, Hecate has become popular in Neopaganism and
Wicca, largely due to her association as the goddess of sorcery. Hecate can take numerous roles. As a goddess of magic, she not seen as exclusively benevolent, and her bestowal of favor is often seen as fickle. Punishments meted out to those who displease her are held to include inflicting madness in some cases, or sickness, posioning, and disease in others. However Hecate is not primarily malevolent, and to those in her favor she is thought to grant boons, including relief from pain, ease in childbirth, and the curing of disease and physical ailments.
Worship of Hecate can take many forms. In some cases
animal sacrifices have been alleged. Most modern pagans actively discourage the practice of animal sacrifice. Common forms of worship include prostration, chanting adoration for Hecate, fasting, the collecting of lanterns, the burning of oils and incense, and the burning of bread and other foods as sacrifices.
Some groups worship
Artemis instead due to Hecate's supposedly fickle nature and lack of benevolence. Other gods commonly worshipped by such groups are Theia and Hyperion. Some Neopagans worship Artemis,
Selene and Hecate as a kind of trinity, representing maiden , mother and crone , and also the various phases of the moon .
In some modern pagan beliefs, wild animals are sacred to Hecate. However, creatures of darkness — such as
ravens,
owls, and
snakes — are most commonly used.
Dragons are also included, as Hecate and her legendary priestess Medea were both said to ride chariots pulled by dragons. Several images of Hecate show her holding a snake. Snakes have long been connected with chthonic powers and the powers of life, death, and rebirth .
Queen of ghosts
Queen of Ghosts is a title associated with Hecate due to the belief that she can both prevent harm from leaving, but also allow harm to enter from the spirit world. Hecate thus has a role and special power in
graveyards and at crossroads. She guards the "ways and paths that cross". Her association with graveyards also played a large part in the idea of Hecate as a lunar goddess.
References
Notes
Primary sources
- Hesiod, Theogony, Works and Days. An English translation is
- Pausanias, Description of Greece.
- Strabo, Geography
Secondary sources
- Burkert, Walter. Greek Religion: Archaic and Classical, . Oxford, Blackwell. ISBN 0-631-15624-0.
- Lewis Richard Farnell, . "Hecate in Art", The Cults of the Greek States. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
- Johnston, Sarah Iles, . Hekate Soteira: A Study of Hekate's Role in the Chaldean Oracles and Related Literature.
- Johnston, Sarah Iles, . Restless Dead: Encounters Between the Living and the Dead in Ancient Greece. ISBN 0-520-21707-1
- Mallarmé, Stephane, . Les Dieux Antiques, nouvelle mythologie illustrée.
Bibliography
- Burkert, Walter, 1985. Greek Religion
- Johnston, Sarah Iles. Hekate Soteira: A Study of Hekate's Role in the Chaldean Oracles and Related Literature. 1990.
- Johnston, Sarah Iles. Restless Dead: Encounters Between the Living and the Dead in Ancient Greece. 1999.
- Kerenyi, Karl. The Gods of the Greeks. 1951.
- Rabinowitz,Jacob. The Rotting Goddess. 1990. A work which views studies Hekate from the perspective of Mircea Eliade's archetypes]], and substantiates its claims through cross-cultural comparisons. The work has been sharply criticized by Classics scholars, some dismissing Rabinowitz as .
- Ruickbie, Leo. Witchcraft Out of the Shadows: A Complete History. Robert Hale, 2004.
External links
- *
- "Hecate"
- classical literary sources and art
- : Ptolemaic and Gnostic transformations of Hecate
- , at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.
