The goddess Hecate in Greek mythology - the person is ambiguous and mysterious. She personified horror and darkness, destroying, but in place of the destroyed it always grew something new and better. Hecate demented the weak, but at the same time gave the strong people amazing supernatural abilities . This goddess was a symbol of life, acquired through death and devastation. All these contradictory information about the goddess Hecate can be gleaned from Greek myths.
Greek goddess Hecate
The origin of the goddess Hecate is covered with a deep mystery. Her fathers attributed to Zeus, Helios and the titan of Persia, her mother was called Hera, Demeter, Asteria. Daughter of Hecate was the princess of Colchis Medea, whom her mother helped conjure in the light of the moon.
Ancient Greek poet Hesiod defined the goddess Hecate as one of the chthonic deities, which became the overthrow of Tartarus by monsters and titans to Zeus. However, Hecate possessed a huge power, which gave her Uranus, and later - and Zeus. In the number of the Olympic pantheon Hecate was not included, but was respected among the gods.
Sometimes the goddess Hecate was portrayed with a grenade in his hands. And this is not an accident - the garnet symbolizes the unity of many individual elements, so it may well represent the essence of Hecate. But most often the sculptors represented Hecate in the form of three female figures connected by their backs, with torches, daggers and snakes (whips) in their hands. Sometimes Hecate appeared in the guise of three animals - a lion, a mare (bull) and a dog. The triune appearance of the goddess spoke of her power over the sky, day and night.
The heavenly goddess Hecate represented an irresistible spiritual love, passion, carnal desires, rapture and admiration. Heaven was patronized by scholars and het- ers.
Daytime Hecate helped hunters, shepherds, young men. She attended competitions, meetings and court sessions, helped wise advice, shared experience with the young, showed the travelers a short and safe road. She cared for little children and defended the city.
Dark Hecate is the goddess of the moon and night. In this guise, the goddess appeared before people surrounded by ghosts and packs of red-eyed dogs carrying death. Scary is the face of the dark Hecate, but even more terrible is the witchcraft that the goddess created. Worshiped the goddess of occultism, murderers, sorcerers and lovers, to whom she prompted recipes for poisons and love potions.
The triple essence of Hecate caused people at the same time and fear , and respect, and admiration. She was asked to heal from diseases associated with insanity and various opacities of the mind. Statues of Hecate were often installed at intersections, but temples usually built only one hypostasis - it was unthinkable for people to worship three such different goddesses at once. The Hecate Festival in Greece was held in the middle of August - the 13th and the 14th. In these days, the goddess was sacrificed, in honor of her arranged processions and other ceremonies.
The Acts of the Goddess Hecate in Greek Mythology
According to myths, Hecate did not like too many men who brought wives and lovers much
His daughter Medea Hecate taught magic so that she could win the heart of Jason. However, the magic did not help the Colchian princess too much - Jason threw her lover, despite the fact that she helped him with all her strength and betrayed her people for him.
In some myths that call the parents of Hecate Zeus and Hera, the goddess of witchcraft helps to save her beloved father - Europe. And when a jealous mother raises her anger on her daughter, Hecate goes to the underworld of Aida.