Hecate, Goddess of Fertility and Witchcraft
Hecate, Goddess of Fertility and Witchcraft
Hecate was originally an asian fertility goddess. According to Hesiod she was worshipped in Greek-speaking Asia Minor and Boetia. Hesiod names her as a daughter of the Titans, possibly Perses and Asteria, who earns the respect of Zeus. She has little or no mythology of her own and is not mentioned by Hesiod's contempories or Homer. Hecate may also have been a lover of Hermes and mother to Scylla.
As a goddess of fertility Hecate is closely associated with the earth and later the dead. This metamorphosis eventually linked Hecate to witchcraft. The ancient playwright Euripides calls her a goddess of witchcraft, and the Argonautica names her as the goddess of the sorceress Medea, claiming she lives in the realm of Hades.
Many scholars link Hecate to Persephone and Demeter as the third aspect of the ancient triple goddess, maiden mother and crone. Some evidence shows that newborns and animals may have been sacrificed to her as the queen of ghosts and crossroads to the Greeks. As the goddess of the Crossroad Hecate is often shown carrying a torch to the show the way to her followers. Statues of Hecate have been found in the temples of Artemis.
Hecate Links
The Dark Goddess:Ereshkigal, Lilith And Hecate is an intersting comparasin of Goddesses.
Hecate the Dark Mother is a site of a priest of her temple. Great history of the Goddess and Lots of links to other Hecate sites.
Hecate - This site has a bronzed image of Hecate as the triple goddess and some nice information
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