Hecate, Goddess of Magic

Miscellany of Information
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Hecate is described as "Triple Hecate", and sometimes represented as
a figure with three heads and three sets of arms; that is, in
triplicate above the waist. She is often depicted as a youghful
woman, in traditional Greek gown, or sometimes naked on horseback
carrying torches (ancient Caria. Her animal is the dog, and she is
depicted with a dog at her feet also.
She has power, according to Hesiod, over earth, air and water, and
is favored by Zeus. She fought on the side of the gods in the battle
with the giants. A part of the frieze of the Great Altar of Zeus at
Pergamum shows her in this battle (the Gigantomachy) with her
mother, Asteria ("Star"). The only temple ever built and dedicated
to Hecate was built after 133 BC in Stratoniceia, Caria, when this
small country became part of the Roman empire. The Romans greatly
respected Hecate, and while she never replaced Diana in mythology,
the two became inseparable in the realm of magic. In fact, Diana
gained her reputation as a goddess of magic from this identification
with Hecate.
Hecate was worshipped primarily on the last day of the month -- that
is, the day before the New Moon. Little meals were put out at her
small altars, often at crossroads, and these meals were then
consumed by the poor of the area. Her sacred plant is rue (Ruta
graveolens), and fruit pits of all types are offered to her. She is
the goddess who rules over all the demons and ghosts of the night.
Medea in performing her witchcraft for Jason repaired to an altar
out in the woods, far from mankind. This is the type of environment
both Artemis and Diana frequented. Hecate hereself is associated
with caves, and it was while she was in a cave, thinking "delicate
thoughts" as Hesiod puts it, that she heard the cries of Persephone
when she was being abducted by Hades (Pluto). This is one of the few
myths in which Hecate is involved, and she is a frequent participant
in the Mysteries devoted to Persephone and Demeter. At the Sanctuary
of the Great Gods on Samothrace there is an out- door stone altar
dedicated to Hecate, among the buildings and temples devoted to the
Mysteries of Samothrace.
Like Hermes, Hecate had her small altars at crossroads and like him,
she was considered to be a guardian of these roads. Those who
offered little gifts to her along the way were more likely to be
protected against the demons of the night under her control.
Hecate's portrait appears on ancient coins of the Greeks and Romans
who were true believers in her powers. One coin minted in Rome by P.
Accoleius Lariscolus in 43 BC shows Diana Nemorensis (Diana of the
Groves) on the obverse and a triple cult statueon the reverse. The
three statues are of Diana, Hecate and Selene, with cypress trees
behind them, and the emphasis is on their presence in wild places.
The triple cult statue was the concept of the Chaldean philosophers,
among them Proclus, who gave Hecate an all- encompassing role in
maintaining order in the Universe. Among her epithets (titles,
descriptive adjectives or nouns) are Heimarmene (Destiny), Moira
(Fate) and PHysis (Nature). Tothem, she had the power to materialize

the thought of the supreme deity onto the physical plane.

On coins of Egypt Hecate was pictured with Isis and Serapis (a form
of Osiris), the Lady and Lord of the Underworld, much as she
participated in the rites of Hades, Persephone and Demeter on
Samothrace.
Some books which include some of the material mentioned above, and
much more, are HECATE SOTEIRA, available from Amazon Books; GREEK
MAGICAL PAPYRI, by Betz, and THE CULTS OF THE GREEK STATES, by Lewis
Farnell.
If you have further questions, you can reach me at
hecate56@hotmail.com