| Hecate A Goddess of the Darkmoon | |||||||||||||||||
| A Tale of the Darkmoon |
Hecate has power over earth, air and water, favored by Zeus and fights on the side of the gods. 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. | ||||||||||||||||
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Hecate,also known as"Triple Hecate", is sometimes represented as a figure with three heads and three sets of arms,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. Hecate is worshipped primarily on the last day of the month -- that is, the day before the New Moon. Little meals are put out at her small altars, often at crossroads, and these meals are 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 frequent.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. | Darkmoon Godess, Triple Hecate | ||||||||||||||||
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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. Among her epithets are Heimarmene (Destiny), Moira (Fate) and Physis (Nature). To them, she has the power to materialize the thought of the supreme deity onto the physical plane. | |||||||||||||||||
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