By Emily DeCamp

Hecate (Ἑκάτη)

Goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, moon, ghosts and necromancy

Description:

Torch, dark moon, raisin & currant cakes, crossroads, three-headed animals or statues, the number 3, masks, and candles.

Symbols:

A lover of solitude, the Greek Goddess Hecate was, like her cousin Artemis, a "virgin" goddess, unwilling to sacrifice her independent nature for the sake of marriage. Walking the roads at night or visiting cemeteries during the dark phase of the moon, the goddess Hecate was described as shining or luminous.

Personality:

Hecate was an only child, the daughter of Perses and Asteria. She never married.

Parents and siblings:

Hecate, known for her farsightedness, witnessed the abduction of Persephone. Hades (God of the Underworld) had captured Persephone, the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, and took her to the Underworld so she could be his wife. After ten days, Hecate went to Demeter and told her what she had seen and heard (she was the only one who heard Persephone cry out as she was taken). Together, they searched for Persephone until they found her and brought her safely out of the Underworld. Hecate soon became a companion to Hermes, so he allowed her to walk in and out of the Underworld as she wished. That is how she became associated with ghosts, witchcraft, and Necromancy.

Myth:

Pictures

http://www.theoi.com/Khthonios/Hekate.html

Resources: