Hekata - božica vještičarstva

William Blake - Trostruka Hekata (eng. The Night of 
Enitharmon's Joy / The Triple Hecate), 1795

Iako se Hekatu naziva božicom vještičarsva, ona je mnogo više od toga. Njezina mitologija, njeni kultovi i uloga u društvu su zasigurno vrijedni spomena jer su igrali važnu ulogu u antičko doba. Vjerovalo se da je ona imala moć promijeniti ljudsku sudbinu tako da im podari ili oduzme bogatstvo, omogući pobjedu ili uzrokuje njihovu smrt, tako da podari sreću lovcima i moreplovcima, ili ako su je oni razbjesnili da im podari lošu sreću. Uz sve ovo je još imala moć nad prosperitetom mladih ljudi i stoke.

Pokušati ću napisati kratku biografiju ove božice, iako će nekima biti previše jednostavna. Neću spomenuti SVE teorije i interpretacije koje postoje, već ću istaknuti samo one najvažnije. Bez obzira na ovo, nadam se da će vam ovaj post biti koristan. :) Ako vam se svidi, preporučam da pogledate jednu prekrasnu i jako profesionalnu web stranicu koja se zove Theoi Greek Mythology. Na njoj možete naći još mnogo informacija o ovom božanstvu, kao i o bilo kojem drugom aspektu grčke mitologije koji vam padne na pamet. Ono što se meni posebno dopada jest potkrijepljenost svih tvrdnji citatima klasičnih autora i izvacima iz dokumenata.

Porijeklo Hekate

Hekata (lat. Hecate, grč. Hekatê), kako se obično misli, je originalno bila tracijska božica mjeseca, a ne izvorno grčko božanstvo. Tračani su bili skupina indoeuropskih plemena koji su živjeli u središnjoj i jugoistočnoj Europi. Imali su kontakta s Grcima, iako su po onome što se zna vjerojatno bili neprijatelji. Izgleda da su Grci kolonizirali Trakiju u neko doba i vjerojatno se u tom procesu Hekata asimilirala u grčku vjeru i mitologiju kao i mnoge druge religijske i mitološke figure.

Vjeruje se da je njezino ime poteklo od ženske varijante epiteta hekatos (onaj koji radi iz daleka). Nije u potpunosti jasno zašto ju se tako nazivalo, ali jest poznato da se ovaj pridjev obično asocirao s Apolonom s kojim se nju također često povezivalo. Apolon je bio bog-strijelac koji je obično ciljao iz daleka (također je bio bog iznenadne smrti) pa je njegova asocijacija s ovim pridjevom jasna. Moje je mišljenje da je Hekata, kao božica lova (koja je također lovila pomoću luka i strijele) imala iste asocijacije kao Apolon kada je ova tema bila u pitanju. Naravno, postoje i druge teorije, ali je ovo najšire prihvaćena od njih.

Hekatina biografija

Rođenje

Najbolje prihvaćena priča o njezinom rođenju jest da su je na svijet donijeli titani Perzes (eng. Perses, nisam uspjela naći prijevod imena, ovako bih ga ja prevela) i Asterija. Perzes je bio titanski bog razaranja, a Asterija, koju se također nazivali "Zvjezdana noć" (eng. the Starry Night) je bila titanska božica proroka, proročanstava, noći, astrologije, snova itd.

Svi titani su zapravo predolimpijska božanstva što znači da su , prema grčkoj mitologiji, vladali nebom, zemljom i podzemnim svijetom prije nego što su Zeus i drugi olimpijski bogovi uzeli stvari u svoje ruke. Pošto je Hekata kćer dvaju titana, i ona je sama titan, a time isto prethodi olimpijskim božanstvima. 

Njezina uloga u gigantomahiji 

Hekata i gigant Klitije, atenska crveno
figuralna vaza, Antiken-museen, Berlin, 

Njemačka, cca. 410.-400.g.pr.n.e.
(ona je prikazana kako ubija giganta
pomoću svojih dviju baklji)

Priča gigantomahije je jako komplicirana, ali ću je pokušati skratiti. Dva božanstva iz grčke mitologije su povezana s grčkom pričom postanka svijeta: Uran (Nebo) i Geja (Zemlja). No, vrijedi napomenuti da oni nisu bila prva božanstva. U svakom slučaju, ovaj je par imao više djece koji su nama poznati kao titani. Postoji više generacija titana, a i Perzes i Asterija pripadaju drugoj generaciji, što bi značilo da su im Uran i Geja djed i baka na neki način.

Ali Geja i Uran nisu bili baš najbolji par. On joj je zatočio djecu a ona se htjela osvetiti. Uspjela je okrenuti titane protiv Urana te zadužila Krona, najmlađeg od sviju, da ga kastrira a time i ubije. U ovom je procesu nekoliko kapi njegove krvi palo na tlo (tj. Geju), a iz njih su se rodili, između ostalog, i giganti. Ovaj rat između titana i Urana je poznat kao titanomahija. Naravno, priča ne završava ovdje. Prije nego što je umor, Uran je na neki način prokleo Krona i predvidio da će njegova djeca njega svrgnuti s vlasti kao što je on svog oca (tj. Urana). 

Kron je odlučio ne riskirati te zatočio gigante u Tartaru skupa sa svime drugima koji su bila potencijalna prijetnja  njegovoj vladavini. S vremenom je postao još gori i pojeo svu svoju djecu osim jednoga - Zeusa. Naime, Kronova žena Reja je jedva uspjela spasiti Zeusov život tako da je zavarala Krona davši mu da pojede stijenu omotanu u deku umjesto Zeusa.

U svakom slučaju, kada je Zeus odrastao, natjerao je oca da izbljuje svu svoju djecu (odnosno Zeusovu braću i sestre). Ostvario je Uranovo proročanstvo tako što se pobunio protiv Krona i sam zavladao Olimpom. U osnovi je pobijedio sve titane i zatočio ih u  Tartar.

Sada konačno dolazimo do gigantomahije koju sam spomenula u podnaslovu. Geja je htjela vratiti titane na vlast i bila je bijesna na Zeusa. Stoga je povela gigante u rat protiv Zeusa i ostalih olimpijskih božanstava. Na kraju su olimpijci pobijedili uz pomoć Herkulesa kao što je predvidjelo bilo jedno drugo proročanstvo. Gigantomahija je bila golema mitološka borba i ovaj jako, jako kratki sažetak nije ni do koljena potpunoj verziji. No, trebati će biti dovoljno za sada. Svakako, mnoštvo božanstava i mitoloških figura je sudjelovalo u ovom boju, a među njima i Hekata.

Hekata se dokazala u borbi ubivši giganta Klitija. Zeus ju je nagradio nakon borbe što je bila na strani olimpijskih božanstava, odnosno ništa joj nije oduzeo. Kao titan, ona je imala određenu moć nad zemljom, morem, nebom i podzemnim svijetom (iako se ovo obično navodi kao tri cjeline: zemlju, nebo i podzemni svijet, ali ću ovo obrazložiti kasnije). Zeus joj je zapravo dozvolio da zadrži ovu moć jer je dokazala svoju vrijednost, hrabrost i, što je još važnije, odanost.

Otmica Perzefone - Hekata kao podzemno božanstvo

Povratak Perzefone, atenska crveno
figuralni krater, Metropolitan Museum, 

New York, SAD (Hermes vodi
Perzefonu iz podzemnog svijeta, Hekata
i Demetra joj pružaju dobrodošlicu;
Hekata je ona koja drži dvije baklje)

Prema mitovima, Had (bog podzemlja) se zaljubio u Perzefonu (božicu proljeća). te ju oteo. Njezina majka Demetra ju je tražila posvuda, a u tome joj je pomogla, naravno, Hekata. Kao što je i prije bio slučaj, i ovo je samo jedan mali fragment cijelog mita, ali će poslužiti za našu priču. Dok je Perzefona vikala u pomoć dok ju je Had otimao/silovao (ovo varira od mita do mita), Hekata je bila jedina koja ju je čula. Hekata se potom pridružila Demetri u njezinoj potrazi i vodila je kroz tamu pomoću svojih baklji kako bi skupa spasile Perzefonu. Nakon što su je našle, Hekata je odlučila ostati u podzemnom svijetu kao Perzefonina družica. 

Ovako je Hekata postala božica podzemnog svijeta. No, ovaj mit nije toliko star kao neki drugi jer potječe tek iz doba grčkih tragedija. U svakom slučaju, Hekata je u podzemnom svijetu bila zadužena za duše preminulih; ona ih je pročišćavala i pomagala im izmiriti dugove i popraviti stare greške.

Herkules, Kerber i Hekata (krajnje
desno), apulijski crveno figuralni krater,

Antikensammlungen, Minhen, Njemačka, 

cca. 330.-310.g.pr.n.e.

Dok je Hekata živjela u podzemnom svijetu, razvila je mračnije aspekte (koje nipošto nisu manje vrijedni ili nužno "zli"; naprosto su mračniji, ali jednako vrijedni kao i svi drugi njezini aspekti jer pridonose ravnoteži svijeta. Svako božanstvo, ali i svaka osoba posjeduje mračne i svijetle aspekte). Počelo ju se povezivati s duhovima i drugim bićima podzemnog svijeta koje je po pričama slala na zemlju noću. Ponekad bi im se pridružila, što bi odali okolni psi koji bi počeli zavijati. Njezina asocijacija sa psima je jako intenzivna; česti pratitelj joj je bio pas Kerber koji je živio s njom u podzemnom svijetu. Imala je još jednog psa-pratitelja; crnu kuju koja je zapravo bila trojanska kraljica Hekaba (kraljica je skočila u more nakon pada Troje u Trojanskom ratu, a po nekim mitovima je bila kamenovana na smrt, no bogovi su je pretvorili u crnog psa i poklonili je Hekati).

Hekata sa crnim psom, 

Antiken-sammlung des Archaologischen 

Insituts der Universitat, 

Eberhard-Karls Universitat, 

Tubingen, Njemačka, 

atički crno figuralni kiliks

Pošto je Hekata bila jako bliska s Perzefonom, s vremenom se ove dvije božice počelo poistovjećivati. Na žalost su se također razvile i mnoge negativne poveznice s božicom upravo jer je bila podzemno božanstvo. Počelo ju se smatrati zlobnom i vjerovalo se da prakticira vještičarstvo pomoću kojeg kontrolira sve duhove u podzemnom svijetu. Prema nekim izvorima je ona čak imala potpunu kontrolu nat podzemnim svijetom i svime što se u njemu nalazi.

Pošto se vjerovalo da duhovi obitavaju na raskrižjima (a Hekata je često bila s njima), također je postala poznata kao božica raskrižja.

Sve je ovo vodilo Hekatinoj reputaciji kao božici podzemnog svijeta, noći (jer se vjerovalo da izlazi sa svojim duhovima samo noću), otuda i s duhovima i dušama te Mjesecom. Ona je također bila i božica magije i vještica, odnosno grčka božica vještičarstva. Njezina asocijacija s Mjesecom je još jedan razlog zbog kojeg ju se miješa s Perzefonom.

Medeja, Kirka i Gale - vještica i Hekata

Postoji više mitova koji povezuju Hekatu s vješticama i vještičarstvom iako ovo nisu jedini razlozi zbog kojih ovakve asocijacije postoje.

Prvi mit je onaj o vještici Medeji koja je također bila Hekatina svećenica. U većini priča je rečeno da je Medeja dobila svoje čarobne moći od Hekate. Ovo se doima logičnim u priči jer je Medeja također kontaktirala s duhovima i dušama (odnosno njezina magija je bila nekromantična na neki način), a Hekata je, kako sam već pojasnila, božica podzemnog svijeta i svega što se vezuje uz ove pojave.

Također su prema nekim mitovima i Kirka i Medeja Hekatine kćeri (iako se obično kaže da je ona bila djevičanska božica). Ona je navodno prenijela sve svoje znanje o vještičarstvu, travama i slično svojim kćerkama, a napose znanje vezano uz otrovno bilje koje je bilo njezin specijalitet. Kirka se naročito zainteresirala za ove teme i nastavila majčinim travarskim putevima.

Što se tiče Gale (čita se /gejl/), ona je bila vještica koja se nije mogla suzdržati od ičega. Ovo se posebno odnosilo na njezin seksualni apetit, ali se nigdje ne spominje je li ovo također vrijedi i za njezine magijske postupke. U svakom slučaju, ovo je ljutilo Hekatu koja ju je za kaznu pretvorila u tvora koji je od tada bio njezin familijar tj. pratioc (uz crnog psa kojeg sam prije spomenula).

Hekatina povezanost s vještičarstvom ne prestaje ovdje. Hesiod objašnjava da je ona noćna božica vještičarstva zbog porijekla. Naime, Asterija je bila božica noći i zvijezda, a ime Hekatinog oca - Perzes - se lingvistički veže uz Perzefonu tj. božicu podzemnog svijeta te uz Perses (nije mi poznat prijevod imena na hrvatskom) koja je bila majka Kirke i još jedne vještice po imenu Aeetes. No ova druga tvrdnja je vrlo nesigurna jer se često i samu Hekatu naziva Perseis ali i jer je u drukčijem srodstvu s Aeetes u drukčijim mitovima. Još jedan razlog zbog kojeg ju se povezuje s vještičarstvom jer je neminovno povezana s nekromantijom (komunikacija s preminulima, a poznato je da Hekata također ima veze i s duhovima i dušama preminulih). Ako se mogu ponoviti ovdje, i za njezinu navodnu kćer Medeju se vjerovalo da prakticira nekromantiju. Djelomično se zbog ovog mita (i onih sličnih njemu) vještice počelo asocirati s praksom nekromantije pa je Hekata bila upletena u cijeli stereotip. 

Već sam napomenula da je Hekata bila jako vješta s biljkama, a pogotovo otrovnima. Travarstvo je bila u najmanju ruku bilo tradicionalna praksa među vješticama, a poznavanje otrovnog bilja je bilo još i važnije jer su se neke od njih mogle koristiti i kao lijekovi, ili pak protuotrovi. Uz to, osoba mora poznavati otrov da bi znala dati potreban protuotrov. Travarstvo je često bilo popraćeno magijom što samo služi da dodatno pojača vezu između Hekate i vještičarstva. Stoga se može reći da je Hekata također i božica magije i otrovnog bilja (i travarstva uopće).

Hekata kao trostruka božica

Trostruki prikaz
Hekate, mramor,
rimska kopija po
originalu iz
helenističkog perioda

Razlog zbog kojeg mnoštvo wiccana i vještica štuje Hekatu, izuzev činjenice da je ona božica vještičarstva, jest taj što se nju također naziva trostrukom božicom. Kao što možda već i znate, wiccani uglavnom percipiraju svoje glavno žensko božanstvo kao Trojnu Božicu koja ima tri aspekta: Djevica, Majka i Starica.

Ova je titula podarena Hekati kao posljedica njezine povezanosti s raskrižjima. Naime, vjerovalo se da ona čuva raskrižja na kojima se točno tri ulice sijeku. Zbog toga ju se često prikazuje kako gleda u tri smjera istovremeno. Ovo je dovelo do toga da ju se percipira kao tri aspekta iste božice koja su okrenuta leđima jedno drugom, ili pak kao božicu koja ima tri glave. Kako to obično biva u mitologiji, ove glave nisu uvijek bile ljudske. Jedna je često bila konjska, druga lavlja (ili veprova), a treća pseća (sjetite se njezine povezanosti sa psima).

Hekata, the British Museum

Još jedan razlog zbog kojeg ju se prikazuje kao trostruku jest taj što je ona imala moć nad trima carstvima - zemljom, nebom i podzemnim svijetom (ako se sjećate, Zeus joj nije oduzeo ovu moć kao zahvalu što mu je pomogla u gigantomahiji). Glavna razlika između prikaza Hekate kao trojne božice i wiccanske Trostruke Božice jest to što se Hekatu u svim oblicima prikazuje kao mladu i lijepu djevojku, dok je samo aspekt Djevice kod wiccanske božice može nazivati mladolikim. Aspekt Majke se često prikazuje kao sredovječnu ženu (iako ništa manje lijepu nego što je Djevica), a aspekt Starice, nadam se, ne treba pojašnjavati.

Rimljani su Hekatu zvali Diana Triformis (Dijana trostrukog oblika). Dijana je bila rimska ekvivalenta grčke božice Artemide koju se također često veže uz Hekatu. Pod ovim je nazivom zaista bila trostruka božica u pravom smislu riječi jer je imala tri odvojena aspekta: Dijanu (ili grčku Artemidu), Hekatu te Prosperinu (tj. grčku Perzefonu čiju smo povezanost s Hekatom već pojasnili).

Kada smo već na ovoj temi, vrijedi naglasiti da se Hekatu često poistovjećivalo, ili bunilo i s Perzefonom, i s Artemidom. Razlozi bog kojih ju se brkalo s Perzefonom su sljedeći: (1) obje su božice podzemnog svijeta i vrlo su bliske, (2) obje su nositeljice duša preminulih, (3) baklja je sastavini dio ikonografije obaju božica.

Razlozi zbog kojih ju se miješa s Artemidom su sljedeći: (1) obje se prikazuje u haljinama do koljena i lovačkim čizmama, (2) obje se često prikazuje u pratnji psa (ili pak više njih), (3) za obje se kaže da su obožavale loviti, a Artemida je čak i božica lova, (4) obje su bile zaštitnice mladih, (5) za obje se vjerovalo da su djevičanske božice, (6) došlo je do lingvističkih nesporazuma i zbunjujućih zamisli oko mita o Perzefoni, (7) obje su lunarne božice.

Još jedna božica s kojom se Hekatu često brka jest Selena jer su obje božice Mjeseca i u konačnici su obje povezane s noći i zvijezdama. 

Ikonografije Hekate

Ikonografija je nauk o upotrebi simbola (ili ikona) u umjetničkim djelima koje se koristi kako bi se interpretiralo značenje samog djela. Hekatu se, kao i svaku mitološku figuru, povezuje s određenim predmetima i figurama. Upravo se pomoću ovih asocijacija tumači služe kod prepoznavanje njezine figure na likovnim prikazima.

Njezini glavni simboli su:

• dvije baklje (ponekad samo jedna; ovo je poteklo iz mita o Perzefoni)
• njezini pratioci/familijari (crna kuja i tvor)
• psi uopće (njezin crni pas, Kerber, ponekad ju se prikazuje s psećom glavom, psi zavijaju kada je ona u blizini, a ponekad je prati i cijela skupina pasa kao i Artemidu itd.)
• ključevi (ona otključava misterije podzemnog svijeta)
• bodeži (ona se njima koristi kako bi "raskidala zablude", bodež se također povezuje s wiccanskim obrednim bodežom koji se naziva athamé)
• djevičanska suknja koja seže do koljena, lovačke (tipičan odjeća za bilo koju djevičansku božicu, također i jedan od razloga zbog kojih ju se brka s Artemidom)

Iako ju se ne prikazuje sa sljedećim stvarima/pojavama, one su isto povezane s njom:

• Mjesec
• noć 
• podzemni svijet
• duhovi/duše
• raskrižja
• magija/vještičarstvo/vještice

Hekatin kult

Iako je Hekata bila poznata božica u antičkom svijetu, nije ju se javno štovalo već privatno. Njezino se obožavanje uglavnom vršilo pred malim, privatnim oltarima u kućanstvima. Vjerovalo se da ovakvi oltaru tjeraju urokljivo oko i druga prokletstva (ili negativne utjecaje vještičarstva uopće).

Pošto je ona bila božanstvo raskrižja, neka vrsta oltara je također postojala na raskrižjima. Možda ih je prikladnije nazivati darovima, ili žrtvama (uglavnom se radilo o hrani) koje se stavljalo na raskrižju triju ulica kao što je i prikladno za trostruko božanstvo.

Njezin privatni kult je bio najjači u Elizeju (Atika, južna Grčka) gdje su dominirali poznati Elizejski misteriji. Oni su prvenstveno slavili božice Perzefonu i Demetru kao božice plodnosti i usjeva. Mit o otmici Perzefoni je sigurno bio dio ovih misterija pa je tako i Hekata bila uključena. Čini se da je njezin kult općenito bio jak na jugu Grčke, ne samo u Elizeju već u gradovima poput Atene, Egine, Argosa i tako dalje.

Prije sam spomenula da je Hekata također bila i tracijska božica. Neki smatraju da ona kao takva nije bila tracijska božica već grčka ekvivalenta tracijske božice Bendis. Po ovome bi Hekata bila plod sinkroniciteta grčke i tracijske kulture koja ja preuzela Bendisine atribute. Pošto se Trakija nalazila sjeverno od Grčke, njezin je kult bio prisutan i u sjevernijim dijelovima Grčke poput Tesalije. 

Uz Elizej, njezin je kult bio i te kako jak na otoku Samotrake, a moglo ga se naći i u Maloj Aziji  pa čak i na otoku Siciliji u južnoj Italiji.

Njezini su joj kultovi podarili mnoga imena i epitete. Većina ih se referira na njezine osobine, mitologiju, ili porijeklo. Evo nekoliko primjera: Perseis (Razarač, dobila je ovaj nadimak po ocu Perzesu koji je bio titanski bog razaranja), Aidônaia (Gospa Podzemnog Svijeta, kao što sam već napomenula, ona je bila podzemno božanstvo), Trimorphis (s Tri Oblika, prikazivalo ju se s tri glave, ili kao tri tijela okrenuta leđima jedno drugom svako okrenuto u drugom smjeru), Trioditis (od Raskrižja, od Triju Puteva, bila je božica raskrižja, ali i trostruka božica), Nytipolos (Koja Luta Nebom, bila je i božanstvo noći), Khthoniê (od Podzemnog Svijeta), Skylakagetis (Poglavarica pasa, asociralo ju se s mnoštvom pasa, a neku s bili i njezini pratioci), Liparokrêdemnos (Svjetlokosa, sa Svijetlim Obručem, može upućivati na njezinu povezanost s Mjesecom), Anassa eneroi (Kraljica Onih Ispod, ili Kraljica Preminulih) itd.

Hekata je na neki način zaradila lošu reputaciju zbog svoje povezanosti s vještičarstvom (kao što je vještičarstvo samo po sebi zaradilo još goru reputaciju). Ovo vuče korijene još iz srednjeg vijeka kada se vjerovalo da ona nadgleda "sotonističke rituale" koje su vještice navodno obavljale. Zaista smiješno. Odnosno, vjerovalo se da Dijana vodi ove rituale, a Dijana i Hekata su bile jako bliske (do te mjere da ih se često i poistovjećivalo). Zanimljiva teorija jest da je Hekatina trostrukost (ili još preciznije njezini prikazi na kojima ima tri glave) utjecala na Danteov opis Sotone koji ima tri glave.

Mnogima je problem povezati se s Hekatom, a neki se čak straše njezinog lika, ali glavni uzrok ovome je predrasude i zablude. Iako ova božica ima dosta mračnih aspekata, važno je zapamtiti da ona nije u cijelosti mračna. Čak i "najsvjetliji" bogovi imaju mračne aspekte. Osobno vjerujem da je moderno društvo naprosto naviknuto da sve treba biti crno/bijelo, ili dobro/loše. Stoga im je ambivalentnost božanstava kakve su štovali ljudi u antici nepojmljiva. Tada su ljudi smatrali bogove antropomorfnima. Kao takvi su morali imati svoje životne priče, veze, osobine i, što je najvažnije od svega, nisu bili savršeni! Svaki se od njih međusobno razlikovao te je u svakoj situaciji netko morao biti zločinac, a drugi heroj. Kao što je to i u stvarnom životu, ne igraju uvijek isti ljudi te uloge. Svatko pokaže svoju "mračnu stranu" tu i tamo. Tako je bilo i s bogovima.

No moramo zapamtiti da Hekata ima i mnoštvo "neutralnih" i dobrih osobina. Uz to, neke stvari koje mi danas percipiramo kao "loše" je zabluda u očima antičkih ljudi. Na primjer, podzemni svijet ne bi za njih nužno bio nešto loše; on je bio jednako važan dio kozmosa kao i bilo što drugo jer je održavao kozmičku ravnotežu. Isto se može reći i za noć; jedna osoba ju može percipirati kao isključivo lošu, dok će ju netko drugi smatrati prelijepom i čudesnom, ili pak romantičnom. Zbog ovoga vjerujem da se čak i takozvanim "mračnim" božanstvima treba pružiti prilika te da ih se treba barem pokušati sagledati iz neke druge perspektive i bez predrasuda.

Do sljedećeg puta,

vaša Witch's Cat

Hecate - Goddess of Witchcraft

William Blake - The Night of Enitharmon's Joy
or The Triple Hecate, 1795

Although Hecate is called the goddess of witchcraft, she is much more than this. Her mythology, cults and role are definitely worth talking about as they all played an important role in ancient times. It is said that she could alter the fate of human beings by either giving wealth or taking it away, giving victory or causing death, giving good luck to hunters and sailors or, if they angered her, causing them bad luck and also by governing over the prosperity of both youth and cattle.

I will try to write a sort of biography of this goddess even though some may find it over-simplified. I won't mention ALL of the theories or interpretations but rather the most important or widely-accepted ones. Nevertheless, I hope you will find this post useful. :) If you find it interesting, I recommend you have a look at a wonderful and very professional website called Theoi Greek Mythology where you will find much more information on this deity as well as any part of Greek mythology you can think of and all of this backed up by quotations from classical authors and documents.

The Origins of the Goddess

Hecate (this is the Latin spelling of her name; in Greek it is spelled Hekatê) is believed to originally be a Thracian moon-goddess and not a Greek one. The Thracians were a group of Indo-European tribes that lived in Central and Southeastern Europe who had contact with the Greek civilization (though they were supposedly enemies). It seems as though Greece colonized the Thracians at some point in history and this is probably how Hecate and other religious and mythological figures were incorporated into Greek mythology and beliefs.

Her name is thought to have been derived from the female variation of the epithet hekatos (Worker from Afar). It is unclear as to why she was called this, though this adjective was originally ascribed to Apollo with whom she was sometimes connected to. Apollo was an archer god who was said to shoot arrows from afar (he was also the god of sudden death) so his association with the adjective is quite clear. My guess would be that she, as a huntress (who also hunted with arrows) had the same associations as Apollo when it came to this subject. Of course, other theories exist, but this is just the most widely-accepted one.

Hecate's Biography

Birth

The most widely accepted story regarding Hecate's birth is that she was the only child of the Titanes Perses and Asteria. Perses was the Titan god of destruction, while Asteria (called "the Starry Night") was the Titan goddess of oracles, prophecies, the night, astrology, dreams and so on. 

The Titanes in general are pre-Olympian gods, which means that, according to Greek mythology, they ruled over heaven, earth and the underworld before Zeus and the other Olympian gods took everything into their own hands. As Hecate is the child of two Titanes, she herself is a Titan and also predates the Olympian gods.

Her Role in the Gigantomachy

Hecate and the gigante Klytios, Attic

red figure vase, Antiken-museen, Berlin, 

Germany, ca 410 - 400 BC (she is
depicted killing the gigante with her two
torches)

The story of the Gigantomachy is quote complicated, but I will try to sum it up. Two gods in Greek mythology are related to their origin story; these are Uranus (the Sky) and Gaia (the Earth). It is worth mentioning, though, that they were not the first gods. In any case, the pair had several children which are known to us as the Titanes. There are several generations of Titanes and both Perses and Asteria belong to the second generation, which would make Uranus and Gaia their grandparents in a way.

Gaia and Uranus weren't the best couple ever. He imprisoned her children and she sought revenge. She was able to turn the Titanes against Uranus and got the youngest of them, Kronos, to castrated him and thus kill him. In the process, some of his blood fell on the Earth (Gaia) and from it were born the Gigantes (among many others). This war between the Titanes and Uranus is known as the Titanomachy. Of course, the story doesn't end here. Before he died, Uranus, in a way, cursed Kronos by telling him that his children would overthrow him just as he had overthrown his father (Uranus).

Kronos decided to play it safe and imprisoned the Gigantes in Tartarus along with all the others that were a potential threat to his rule. He got even worse and ate all of his children, except one - Zeus. Namely, Kronos' wife Rhea barely managed to save Zeus' life by fooling Kronos into eating a rock wrapped in a blanket in stead of Zeus.

Anyway, when Zeus grew up, he tricked his father into vomiting up his brothers and sisters. He fulfilled Uranus' prophecy by rebelling against Kronos and establishing his own rule on mount Olympus. He basically defeated all the Titanes and trapped them in Tartarus.

Now we finally come to the Gigantomachy mentioned in the subtitle. Gaia wanted to restore the rule of the Titanes and was very angry at Zeus. She thus brought forth the Gigantes and went to war with Zeus and the other Olympian gods. In the end, the Olympians won with the help of Hercules, as another prophecy foresaw. The Gigantomachy was a huge mythological battle and this very very short summary does not do it justice, but it will have to do. Anyway, many gods and other mythological figures took part in it. Among them was Hecate.

Hecate apparently proved her worth in this battle by killing the gigante Clytius. Zeus rewarded her after the battle for being on the side of the Olympians, or rather he didn't take anything away from her. She, as a Titan, had a certain amount of power over the earth, sea, sky and underworld (although this is usually summed up into three realms: earth, sky and the underworld for symbolic purposes, but we'll get to that later). Zeus let her keep this power because she had proven her worth, courage and, above all, loyalty. 

The Rape of Persephone - Hecate as an Infernal Deity

The Return of Persephone, Attic red

figure krater, Metropolitan Museum, 

New York City, USA (Hermes leads
Persephone out of the underworld,
Hecate and Demeter welcome her;
Hecate is the one holding two torches)

According to the myths, Hades (the god of the underworld) fell in love with Persephone (the goddess of the spring) and kidnapped her. Her mother Demeter searched all over for her and was help by none other than Hecate. Once again, this is only a small part of the myth, but it will do for now. While Persephone was yelling out for help as Hades was attempting to rape her/while he was kidnapping her (this differs from myth to myth), Hecate was the only one to hear her screams. Hecate joined Demeter in her search and guided her with her two torches through the dark in an attempt to save her daughter. After they found Persephone, she (Hecate) decided to stay in the underworld with her as her companion.

This is how Hecate became a deity of the underworld, although this myth can only be traced back to the time of the Greek tragedies. In any case, she was in charge of the souls of the deceased; she purified them and helped them make atonement. 

Hercules, Cerberus and Hecate (on the

right), Apulian red figure krater,

Antikensammlungen, Munich, Germany, 

ca 330 - 310 BC

As Hecate lived in the lower world, she developed darker aspects (which are by no means less important or necessarily "evil"; they are just darker but regarded as equally necessary for the balance of the world as any good characteristics any god may possess). She became associated with ghosts and other beings of the underworld (which she supposedly sent to earth during the night). Sometimes she would go along with them and her presence could supposedly be known because dogs would start to howl. Her association with dogs is quite deep as she was usually accompanied by the hound Cerberus who lived in the underworld with her. She also had another dog companion; a black bitch who was actually the Trojan Queen Hekabe (the queen had jumped into the sea after the fall of Troy in the Trojan War or was stoned to death according to some myths, but the gods turned her into a black dog and gave her as a gift to Hecate).

Hecate with a black dog, 

Antiken-sammlung des Archaologischen 

Insituts der Universitat, 

Eberhard-Karls Universitat, 

Tubingen, Germany, 

Attic black figure kylix

As she was very close to Persephone, she became identified with her. Unfortunately, as an infernal deity (a deity of the lower world), many negative associations were developed with her. She came to be seen as malevolent and was said to practice witchcraft by which she controlled the many spirits of the underworld. According to some sources, she had complete control over the lower world and everything in it. 

Since it was believed that spirits haunted crossroads (and Hecate was often with these spirits), she became known as the goddess of crossroads too. 

All of this lead to Hecate being seen as the goddess of the underworld, of the night (as she and the ghosts were thought to come out at night), consequently of ghosts and spirits and the Moon, but also as the goddess of magic and witches. And so she became the Greek "goddess of witchcraft". Also, her association with the Moon is another reason why she is often confused with Persephone.

Medea, Kirke and Gale - Witches and Hecate

There are several myths connecting Hecate to witches and witchcraft (although these are not the only reasons why Hecate is associated with witchcraft).

The first myth is that of the witch Medea who was also a priestess of the goddess. In most stories, it is said that Medea got her magical powers from Hecate. This is logical as Medea dealt with ghosts and spirits (i.e. her magic was necromantic in a way) and Hecate herself was the goddess of the underworld.

Also, according to some myths, both Medea and Kirke were Hecate's daughters (though she is usually said to be a virgin goddess). In fact, she taught both her daughters all she knew about witchcraft, herbs and such (in particular poisonous herbs which were her specialty). Kirke especially followed in her mother's herbologist footsteps. 

As for Gale, she was also a witch that completely lacked self-restraint. This referred to her sexual appetite, but it is not clear whether it also referred to her magic as well. In any case, this angered Hecate who punished her by turning her into a polecat that was from then on her familiar (along with the black dog I mentioned before).

Hecate's connection with witchcraft does not end here. Hesiod explains that she is a nocturnal goddess of witchcraft because of her parentage (Asteria was the goddess of stars and the night and her father's name - Perses - is linguistically connected to both Persephone, the goddess of the underworld, and Perseis, the mother of Kirke and another witch called Aeetes, although this second association is quite blurred as Hecate is also referred to as Perseis, because she has different relations with Aeetes in other myths and so on). Another reason why she is connected to witchcraft is because of her connection to necromancy. This association was inevitable as Hecate was connected to ghosts (and necromancy is the practice of communicating with the dead). And just to repeat this once more, her supposed daughter Medea was thought to practice precisely this kind of magic. It is partially due to this myth (and others similar to it) that witches in general came to be associated with the practice and so Hecate also god mixed into the stereotype.

I already mentioned that Hecate was very skilled when it came to herbs, especially poisonous ones. Herbology was a traditional practice among witches to say the least, and being acquainted with poisonous plants was all the more necessary as some of them could also be used for healing. On the other hand, one must know a poison to know the cure. Herbology was often accompanied by magic which only serves as an additional connection between Hecate and witchcraft. It can thus be said that Hecate is also the goddess of magic and poisonous herbs (or herbology in general).

Hecate as the Triple Goddess

Triple-formed
representation of Hecate,
marble, Roman copy
after an original of the
Hellenistic period

The reason why many Wiccans and witches alike respect or worship Hecate, apart from the fact that she is the goddess of witchcraft, is that she is also referred to as the Triple Goddess. As many of you may know, the Wiccan Goddess is perceived as a Triple Goddess with three aspects; the Maiden, Mother and the Crone. 

Hecate got this title as a consequence of being a crossroads deity. Namely, she presided over the areas where three roads met and was thus depicted as watching in all three directions simultaneously. This lead to her being perceived either as three aspects of the same goddess turned back to back to one another or as a goddess with three heads. As mythology goes, these heads weren't always human; one head was often that of a horse, the other of a lion (or a boar) and the third of a dog (recall her association with dogs). 

Hecate, the British Museum

Another reason why she is depicted as a triple goddess is because she had power over all three realms - the earth, underworld and the sky (if you remember, Zeus didn't take these powers away from her as a thank-you for her helping him in the battle of the Gigantes). The one difference between Hecate's triplicity and that of the Wiccan Triple Goddess is that all three faces/bodies of Hecate are usually portrayed as young and beautiful, whereas the Wiccan Triple Goddess has three aspects out of which only the Maiden can be called young. The Mother aspect is slightly older, though no less beautiful, and the Crone aspect...well...the name speaks for itself.

The Romans referred to her as Diana Triformis (i.e. Diana of Three Forms). Diana was the Roman equivalent of the Greek goddess Artemis with whom Hecate is also connected. In this case, she was truly a goddess with three separate aspects; that of the goddess Diana (the Greek Artemis), Hecate and Prosperina (i.e. the Greek Persephone which we already established a connection to). 

Since we are on this topic, it is worth emphasizing that Hecate was often confused with both Persephone and Artemis. The reasons why she was confused with Persephone are: (1) they are both deities of the underworld (and they are very close); (2) they are both carriers of the souls of the dead; (3) the torch is a symbol of both of them. 

The reasons for her confusion with Artemis are the following: (1) they are both depicted wearing knee-length dresses and boots; (2) they are both often depicted being followed by dogs; (3) they are both said to love hunting (and Artemis was the goddess of the hunt); (4) they were both protectors of the youth; (5) they were both thought to be virgin goddesses; (6) linguistic mix-ups and confusing ideas connected to the Persephone myth; (7) they are both lunar deities.

Another goddess that Hecate is often confused with is Selene since both are lunar goddesses and are ultimately connected to the night and stars also.

Hecate's Iconography

Iconography is the study of the use of symbols (or icons) in works of art which are used to interpret the meanings of the works themselves. Hecate, as any mythological figure, is associated with certain things and other figures. It is precisely by means of these associations that interpreters can recognize her figure in an artwork.

Hecate's main symbols are:

• two torches (sometimes only one; this developed from the myth of the rape of Persephone)
• her familiars - the polecat and a black bitch
• dogs in general (her black dog familiar, the dog Cerberus, she is sometimes depicted with a dog's head, dogs start howling when she is present, she is sometimes accompanied by a pack of dogs just as Artemis is etc.)
• keys (she unlocks the mysteries of the underworld)
• daggers (she uses them to "cut through delusions", this is also often associated with the Wiccan ritual knife known as the athamé)
• knee-length maiden's skirt and hunting boots (typical dress of virgin goddesses; also part of the reason why she is confused with Artemis)

Although she is not depicted with the following symbols, they are still connected to her:

• the Moon
• the night
• the underworld
• ghosts/spirits
• crossroads
• magic/witchcraft/witches

Hecate's Cult

Even though Hecate was a well-known goddess in the ancient world, she was not worshiped publicly as much as she was privately. Her worship was mainly conducted at small, private altars in the home. It was thought that having such an altar in the household would ward off the evil eye and other hexes or curses (or negative influences of witchcraft in general).

As she was a deity of the crossroads, a sort of "crossroad shrines" also existed. These were more gifts or sacrifices (usually of food) that were placed on the crossings of three roads as is appropriate for this triple deity.

Her public cult was the strongest in Eleusis (Attika, Southern Greece) where the famous Mysteries of Eleusis were dominant. These mysteries primarily celebrated the goddesses Persephone and Demeter as goddesses of fertility and crops. The myth of Persephone's abduction and rape was surely a part of these mysteries and so Hecate, by extension, was also included. It seems as though her cult was in general very strong in the south of Greece, not only in Eleusis but also the cities of Athens, Aigina, Argos and so on.

I previously mentioned that she was a Thracian goddess also. Some claim that she herself was not this specific Thracian goddess but rather that she was equated with the goddess Bendis. This would mean that Hecate was simply a product of the synchronicity of the Greek and Thracian culture and took on Bendis' attributes. As Thracia was situated north of Greece, her cult was also present in the northern regions of the land such as Thessaly.

In addition to Eleusis, her cult was also very strong on the island of Samothrace and could also be found in Asia Minor and even on the island of Sicily in southern Italy.

Her cults gave her many names and epithets. Most of them were connected to her characteristics, mythology or parentage. So just to list a few: Perseis (the Destroyer; named after her father Perses who was the Titan god of destruction), Aidônaia (Lady of the Underworld; she was an infernal deity as mentioned before), Trimorphis (Three-Formed, she was depicted as having three heads or three bodies each facing a different direction), Trioditis (of the Crossroads or of the Three Ways, she was the goddess of the crossroads and also a triple goddess), Nytipolos (night-wandering, she was a nocturnal deity), Khthoniê (of the Underworld, as explained before), Skylakagetis (Leader of the Dogs; she was associated with many dogs, some of which were her familiars), Liparokrêdemnos (Bright-Coiffed, With Bright Headband, can be connected to her being a lunar deity), Anassa eneroi (Queen of those Below or Queen of the Dead as she was the goddess of the Underworld) and so on.


Hecate gained a sort of bad reputation because of her connection to witchcraft (just as witchcraft itself gained an even worse reputation). This can be traced back to the Middle Ages when she was seen as presiding over the "satanic rituals" that witches conducted. Hah. More precisely, it was Diana that was believed to lead these rituals, but Diana and Hecate were very closely connected and even equated sometimes. An interesting theory is that Hecate's triplicity (or rather her depiction with three heads) lead to Dante's description of a three-faced Satan.

Many have a hard time connecting with Hecate and some even fear her image, but this is all due to prejudice and misconceptions. Even though this deity has many darker aspects, it is important to remember that she is not all dark. Even the "nicest" of gods have dark aspects. I believe that modern society is just used to everything being purely good or bad or black and white and that ambivalence of deities such as were worshiped by the ancients is incomprehensible. The ancients saw the deities as very anthropomorphic. As such, they had their own backgrounds, relations, characteristics and, what's more important, they were not perfect! Each of them differed from one another and in every situation, someone had to be the bad guy and someone had to be the good guy. As is the case in real life, it's not always the same people that play the role of the good guy; everyone shows their "bad side" every now and then. It was the same with the gods.

One must remember that Hecate also has many "neutral" and positive associations. Also, things that we see as "bad" nowadays are a misconception from the viewpoint of the ancients. For instance, the underworld would not have been seen as bad back then; it was an equally necessary part of the cosmos as anything else and thus was important for keeping a cosmic balance. The same can be said of the night; one person may have very bad associations with it while another may perceive it as beautiful and enchanting, or even romantic. This is why I believe that even the so called "dark" gods must be given a chance and tried to be seen without prejudice and from other perspectives.

Until next time. Yours,
Witch's Cat