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As Hecate Triformis,
she was depicted with three separate faces (and sometimes three sets of
arms as well), which leads to the mistaken belief that she was historically
a Triple Goddess. Please keep in mind that historically these faces
were not Maid, Mother, Crone. In Wicca, these faces frequently represent
her power over birth, life and death, or else sky, earth, and Underworld.
Otherwise, she is considered to be a Crone or Dark Goddess, although in
physical depiction she is generally young and beautiful and known as Most
Lovely One. Greek myths give varying
accounts of Hecate's birth. Some name her as a Titan, putting her in the
generation before Zeus and his siblings and suggesting she was powerful
indeed. Dread Goddess of
the Underworld - Hecate is a commander of ghosts, spirits and demons.
Offerings were made to her for protection against these beings, but only
because it was she who would send them in the first place. Silver-footed Queen
of the Night, Goddess of the Moon and Dark Hours, Goddess of Mysteries
- Hecate commands those things we fear, the things we must face, and she
might grant the strength to do so. She is also goddess of the wisdom imparted
by those mysteries. While commonly associated with the moon, it is generally
the new moon that she commands, when the sky is darkest. Lady of the Wild
Hunt - While the Wild Hunt in generally led by men, Hecate's association
with death and spirits makes her a promising female candidate. She is
a huntress of spirits. Guide and Lightbringer
- Her statues in ancient Greece regularly bore torches, and torches
were lit in her name at homesteads for protection, particularly against
the evil spirits Hecate ruled. It is Hecate who tells Demeter where to
find her daughter Persephone, and it is Hecate who guides Persephone from
the Underworld, bearing her trademarked torch. Invoke her for guidance,
but don't expect her to coddle you. At a moment of true need she may come,
but she expects us to depend upon upon ourselves. Goddess of Transitions - Crossroads are sacred to Hecate. She is their guardian, and sacrifices used to be made at them. As a goddess of the Underworld, she presides over the transition from one world to the next, evidenced most clearly as she escorts Persephone. Hecate can be appealed to in regards to both life transitions and travel. |
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