Hecate (mythology)

Hecate is the Greek goddess of witchcraft, the crossroads, night or darkness. Hecate is also one of the three moon goddesses the other two are Artemis and Selene. She is the daughter of the goddess Asteria and the titan Perses Hecate was a only child. Zeus honored her above all the others as the goddess of the crossroads, magic, witchcraft, the moon and wilderness.

Biography
After the titan war Hecate was honored by Zeus as goddess he also gave keys and torches to the crossroads for helping the gods. Hecate's father Perses was impressed in Tartarus with most of the other titans her mother Asteria felled to the sea and turned into the island Delos birth place of Apollo and Artemis. Being goddess of the crossroads Hecate uses her powers to make three forms of her self. The three also represent three moon phases the full moon, half moon and new moon. When Persephone the daughter of Demeter and Zeus was taken into the underworld to be married to Hades.

Hecate was one of deities that helped look for her. Eventually mother and daughter are reunited Hecate was rewared for her help she gained a place in underworld so she could attend to Demeter's daughter. She accepeted because many people believed that magic was a dark power. Hecate also fought in the giant war that happened because of the titans defeat in the war Hecate killed the giant Clytius by burning him with her torches. After the war the greek giants were imprisoned in their birth place tartarus.

In one story the gods are deceived by a mortal name Galanthis who was supposed to kill Hercules mother before he was born as punishment she turned into a Weasel. Hecate felt sorry for the mortal and made the Weasel one of her sacred animals. Hercules showed gratitude to Galanthis by building a shrine of her.

The first person turned into a Polecat was a mortal witch named Gale as punishment from Hecate for abnormal desires.

Before the Trojan war when Iphigenia was going to be sacrificed but was reduced by Artemis and by her will she brought forth Hecate and the girl was changed into one of the goddess three forms.

There is another story were Hecate takes pity on a mortal named Hecuba. After the Trojan war Queen Hecuba's sons are killed and she was taken as a slave Hecuba blinds King Polydrmestor murders his sons. Hecuba was turned into a black dog and jump off of Odysseus ship to escape Hecate rescued the dog and made it another one of her sacred animals.

In one story Hecate helps the city of Byzantium that was about to be attacked. She used her torches and pack of dogs to wake the city which gave the people time to prepare for the attack.

Like Artemis Hecate has Nymph followers called Lampades underworld Nymphs.

Though Hecate had a few cities that honored her and a few temples she does not care for a life of luxury the goddess prefers loneliness, creepy and darkness more.

When Hecate was offered a place in the underworld to look after Persephone Hera agreed Hecate should go to the underworld and believed it would place punishment for the goddess of magic. Hera wanted to Hecate to pay stealing some of her beauty and giving it to another woman that Zeus loved.

Appearance
The witch goddess has three forms that she changes into. Ancient art and statues show her three forms standing together but many believe that Hecate has three faces on one head or three heads instead of three forms. It is believed in some stories that Hecate's two other forms fell in love and had many children while her true fom remanded a virgin.

Personality
In some stories people believe that Hecate is the mother of many monsters but she is virgin just like Artemis, she cares for things that others would fear, dislike, hate or find hideous. To Hecate the things the gods and mortals call monsters are just poor beings that have been cursed and mistreated she cares for them like they are her children.

Because of her dark powers and being a witch many view Hecate as evil so she decides to live alone in the quiet darkness and protect those who are just like her.

Hecate's Possessions

 * Torches
 * Keys
 * Daggers
 * Snakes
 * Black Dogs
 * Polecats or Weasels
 * Chariot pulled by dragons
 * Crows & Ravens