Hecate

Hecate was said to be the daughter of Asteria and Perses. She was the other of Circe, Scylla, Medea, and Apsyrtus by different fathers. She was primarily the goddess of magic, sorcery, the cross-roads. As the goddess of sorcery, she was adopted as Queen of the Witches and became a goddess of the dark hours and necromancy. As a moon goddess, she was often confused with Artemis and Selene and the three goddesses' identities often merged. She was alone the goddess of the waning moon, and she is said to appear when the ebony moon shines. She was also a Goddess of the Underworld, where she resided. She was a companion of Persephone, although she was sometimes confused with the goddess. In the Underworld, she was attended by the Furies and ghost hounds. Hecate was supreme in both Heaven, the Underworld, on Earth, and in the Seas. And for this reason, she took up three identities: Artemis on Earth, Selene in Heaven, and Hecate/Persephone in the Underworld. During war, she grants glory to whomever she pleases. Hecate bestows wealth on those whose prayers she answers favorably. As the crossroads goddess, Hecate is said to haunt a three-way crossroad, each of her heads facing in a certain direction. She was also said to represent the three phases of womanhood with her three heads: maiden, mother, and crone. Or the three heads were said to be of a dog, a snake, and a horse. As a ghost goddess, she haunted the scenes of crimes and murders and was seen lurking in graveyards. Despite all of her negative attributes, she was not an ‘evil' goddess. She did quite a few good deeds. In fact, she helped save Persephone and bring her back to her mother. And Hecate was a nurse of the Young. She is usually seen with two ghost hounds that were said to serve her. Hecate's cult outlived those of any other god.

Email: mnemosyne2@juno.com