Global InformationHecate information
| Hecate | |
|---|---|
Goddess of magic, spells, the moon, the night, crossroads, and ghosts[1][2] | |
 The Hecate Chiaramonti, a Roman sculpture of triple-bodied Hecate, after a Hellenistic original (Museo Chiaramonti, Vatican Museums) | |
| Animals | Dog, polecat |
| Symbol | Paired torches, dogs, serpents, keys, knives, and lions. |
| Parents | Perses and Asteria |
| Offspring | Aegialeus, Circe, Empusa, Medea, Scylla |
| Equivalents | |
| Mesopotamian equivalent | Ereshkigal (used as an epithet in a late Greek magical text)[3] |
Hecate[a] is a goddess in ancient Greek religion and mythology, most often shown holding a pair of torches, a key, or snakes, or accompanied by dogs,[4] and in later periods depicted as three-formed or triple-bodied. She is variously associated with crossroads, night, light, magic, protection from witchcraft, the Moon, graves, and ghosts.[1][2][5] Her earliest appearance in literature was in Hesiod's Theogony in the 8th century BCE[6] as a goddess of great honour with domains in sky, earth, and sea. Her place of origin is debated by scholars, but she had popular followings amongst the witches of Thessaly[7] and an important sanctuary among the Carian Greeks of Asia Minor in Lagina.[7] Her oldest known representation was found in Selinunte, in Sicily.
Hecate was one of several deities worshipped in ancient Athens as a protector of the oikos (household), alongside Zeus, Hestia, Hermes, and Apollo.[8] In the post-Christian writings of the Chaldean Oracles (2nd–3rd century CE) she was also regarded with (some) rulership over earth, sea, and sky, as well as a more universal role as Savior (Soteira), Mother of Angels and the Cosmic World Soul (Anima Mundi).[9][10] Regarding the nature of her cult, it has been remarked, "she is more at home on the fringes than in the centre of Greek polytheism. Intrinsically ambivalent and polymorphous, she straddles conventional boundaries and eludes definition."[11]
The Romans often knew her by the epithet of Trivia, an epithet she shares with Diana, each in their roles as protector of travel and of the crossroads (trivia, "three ways"). Hecate was closely identified with Diana and Artemis in the Roman era.[12]
- ^ a b Merriam-Webster 1995, p. 527.
- ^ a b Seyffert, s.v. Hecate
- ^ Schwemer 2019, p. 66.
- ^ Edwards, Charles M. (July 1986). "The Running Maiden from Eleusis and the Early Classical Image of Hekate". American Journal of Archaeology. 90 (3). Boston, Massachusetts: Archaeological Institute of America: 307–318. doi:10.2307/505689. JSTOR 505689. S2CID 193054943.
- ^ d'Este, Sorita & Rankine, David, Hekate Liminal Rites, Avalonia, 2009.
- ^ trans. M.L. West (1988). Hesiod Theogony and Works and Days. New York: Oxforx World's Classics. pp. vii. ISBN 978-0-19-953831-7.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
Burkertwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Panopoulos, Christos Pandion. "Hellenic Household Worship". LABRYS.
- ^ "Bryn Mawr Classical Review 02.06.11". Bmcr.brynmawr.edu. Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
- ^ Sarah Iles Johnston, Hekate Soteira, Scholars Press, 1990.
- ^ Hornblower, Simon; Spawforth, Antony, eds. (1996). The Oxford Classical Dictionary (Third ed.). New York City: Oxford University Press. p. 671. ISBN 0-19-866172-X.
- ^ Green, p. 133
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