At least one story, however, gives the goddess a much more human origin.
According to Rick Riordan's website, "Hecate is usually dressed in dark robes, holding twin torches (all the better to see you and burn you with, my dear). Perhaps this dominance by Artemis is why Hecate’s chthonic role became so pronounced in the literature of Athens in the fifth and later centuries: She may have lost most of Her other functions to Artemis. Brigid – The Irish goddess associated with poetry was said to have two sisters, Brigid the Healer and Brigid the Smith. This garden would’ve contained her sacred trees, herbs and poisons. Yet not unbidden you go, nor, my dear one, will I forsake you. Hesiod describes Hecate in her role as one of the Titans who allied herself with Zeus, and says in Theogony. In the second half of the fifth century, there is in Greek literature a side of Hecate that is both frightening and new. However, when the chthonic Hecate is evoked, she is often named with, or even identified with, the Queen of the Dead. (Euripides, Phoenician Women 110). The earliest evidence supporting a true connection with Hecate is at the entrance to the Athenian Acropolis in the fifth century which bears the three images of Hecate connected. Some scholars of ancient Greek religion have noted that Apollo was occasionally given the name Hecatos, which they interpret to mean “one who reaches far.” These academics believe that Hecate, therefore, may have once been another name for Apollo’s twin sister, Artemis. Offerings are to solicit Her aid in protection against the other spirits. According to Euripides, Leto, the mother of Artemis and Apollo, is her mother. Hecate is remembered best not as a goddess of boundaries, but as a goddess of magic. Gender All three are seen with torches, and Hecatewho, according to some, is attended by the CORYBANTES, or by the CURETEShad a share, along with Demeter and her daughter, in the mystic element in initiations, as also had Dionysus 2, Apollo, and the MUSES. Hecate’s History and origin is a very complex one for even though Hecate is considered to be a powerful Goddess and a Goddess for the people; there is not much written information about Her as She does not have much involvement in mythology nor does She have much interaction with other Deities. Of course, as the goddess of boundaries she had the power to let things in as well as keep them out. From the Greek word for “to turn away,” apotropaic magic is that which defends by turning away evil or harm. She is sometimes seen as a protector of those who might be vulnerable, such as warriors and hunters, herdsmen and shepherds, and children. Virgil, Aeneid 6.116). Despite her many years of faithful service, Hecate resents the Olympians for being treated as a minor goddess, which leads her to support Kronos in the Second Titan War. Alias Hecate is often portrayed wearing the keys to the spirit world at her belt, accompanied by a three-headed hound, and surrounded by lit torches. Required fields are marked *. Some later stories agreed that Asteria was her mother, but claimed Zeus had been her father.
Nevertheless, she helped Medea in Colchis, as did both Hera and Aphrodite; and the reason why the witch succeeded in helping Jason against her own father and brother is that she was supported by these three goddesses, and particularly by Hecate. While Hecate’s temples in the area are from a later period, she bears a resemblance to a more ancient goddess in Caria. The lunar month was divided into three parts, and our moon had three aspects: as the waxing, the full and waning sign of a divine presence in the sky. When these women are associated with Deities, it is usually with Goddesses who honor their independent nature such as Artemis, or grant them unusual powers, such as Hecate. The Greeks found Her difficult to fit into their scheme of Gods. They were so closely linked that Hecate was referred to as Medea’s mother in some later texts, although earlier ones had said she was the child of an Oceanid. Her association with dark magic is also tied to her identification as an underworld goddess. But the women who evoked Hecate, respected Her but did not fear Her.
When Persephone was abducted to the underworld by Hades, Hecate was the only witness willing to help Demeter search for her daughter. A link must be It is even possible that the role in the Mysteries (Eleusis) are part of the arreton ("secret things") and thus unmentionable by initiates.
This made her one of the few deities to have the power to move freely between the world of the living and the underworld. Medeia’s primary role is usually that of an evil magician and herbalist. It is also noted that at one time Hecate was seen as young and later she was a Mother. In deed, another Greek author said he wished to only provide the myths regarding Hecate, for anything which was practiced by Greek women would be considered Witchcraft! But some humans, hating the contradictions they happen to discover everywhere, demandin the name of knowledgethat the gods and goddesses be as easy to classify and understand as the birds that fly accross the sky. In the Orphic Hymn to Hekate, she is called kleidouchos ("key-holder"). According to the traveller Pausanias, Hecate was worshipped mainly in Aegina (the island in the Saronic Gulf midway Attica and Argolis), where every year the mystic rites said to have been established by Orpheus, were celebrated. Plus a few passages of Sophokles evokes a very clear picture of Hecate that Her torches seem to pair her specifically with Helios, the Sun God. Only a few deities are well documented in literature and Hecate is one of the many who are largely absent, especially before the fourth century.  Also....one has to bear in mind that there is only so much factual information out there from paintings, plates, the Hymns, etc., regarding the Goddess Hecate and the rest of the written material is merely speculation and should be taken as such. For instance, the mention that Hecate had many children. There is only one factual evidence in which Hecate may have had one child, Skylla, and it was not from Hermes but from Porkys.  I have read some sources state that Hecate had many children and some with Hermes which is mere speculation with no evidence. In fact, the only association Hecate has with Hermes are their roles as chthonic Deities and/or guardians of the common people. For those reasons above, I am careful in what I believe to be information on Hecate or any other Deity for that matter and I tend to take more to heart on what scholars have to write than anything else.. Anyone can write a book but the difference is between whether it is factual or mere speculation on the author's part.Â. Hecate’s association with Hermes is the least documented in early times of those considered so far.
She was venerated as a mother goddess, and during the Ptolemaic period in Alexandria was elevated to her position as goddess of ghosts and the spirit world. Most of all, Hecate was a goddess of mystery. Of the three most likely roles for Hecate when she is found at entranceways, the evidence best supports that of guardian against outside dangers. For 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. Her blond hair was set in an Ancient Greek style high-set ponytail. Two major works of the Archaic period, the Theogony of Hesiod and the Homeric Hymn to Demeter contain the most significant references to Hecate. Today, many contemporary Pagans and Wiccans honor Hecate in her guise as a Dark Goddess, although it would be incorrect to refer to her as an aspect of the Crone, because of her connection to childbirth and maidenhood. The most famous of his loves include the nymph Penelopeia--mother of Pan--, the maiden Herse of Athens and Chione of Phocis. The wife of the sun God Helios was named Perse or Perseis, which is also one of the names of the Moon Goddess Hecate and doubtless represented the Underworld aspect of the "widely shining" Goddess. They claim she originated in Caria, a region in southern Anatolia on the Mediterranean, and was adopted into the Greek pantheon.
A competing theory says that Hecate did not develop in Greece at all.