Name – Hecate or Hekate
Name Meaning – She that operates from Afar
Pantheon – Greek
Familiars – Dogs : The dog that she is normally seen with is considered to be Hekabe, a Trojan Queen, who jumped into the sea after the Trojan War who she transformed. Polecats: Was either, depending on the myth, was with a witch of Gale who was punished by her or was Galinthias, a midwife that was transformed by Eileithyia.
Symbols – Torches, keys, the dark moon and crossroads
Colors – Black, orange, yellow and red
Sacred plant/tree – Yew
Goddess of – departed souls, purification, atonement, magick, the night, the moon, ghosts, necromancy, herbs, poisonous plants, the crossroads and entrance-ways.
Shrines/Temples – Found most often at crossroads, entryways of homes and most famous temple is located at Lagina
Depicted as a woman carrying twin torches or keys and in later times as a woman with three bodies or three heads; a horse, a dog and a lion.
Hecate in some myths are considered to be the child of the Titans Perses and Asteria but in later myth her parents range from Zeus and Asteria, to just Perses, Demeter or Nyx. Despite her parentage being debated, she is considered, in most myths to still be highly honored by Zeus. She was given splendid gifts and was given share of heaven, earth and the sea. She was said to hold sway over many things, not just
In the myths, Hecate assisted Demeter in her search for Persephone. After her assistance in the search for Persephone, she became Persephone’s companion while in the underworld and a minister as well. Due to this position, she became a deity of the lower world and was then often seen as a spectral being. When she walks the earth, it is said that she is accompanied by the sounds of whining or baying dogs.
Today, Hecate is often seen as the Goddess of Witches and in Wicca is considered to be the crone aspect of the Triple Goddess. In some cases, such as the play that shall not be named, she is seen as the Queen of Witches. As a deity that straddles the planes and is knowledgeable in herbs, this connection would be a simple one to make. Although most seem to connect her with her time with the Underworld and see her as a Goddess of Death, remember that she truly is more the Goddess of the Crossroads and of choice.
