For example, "willing" (thus, "she who works her will" or similar), may be related to the name Hecate. Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses, Routledge and Kegan Paul, London, 4. However, there were distinct war gods (Ares), gods of strategy (Athena), and gods of death (Hades). roads, which she carries as she attends her mistress in the sky[68], This speech from the Root Cutters may or may not be an intentional association of Hecate with the Moon. Her temple was known for its triple-towered temple or 'Magdala.' Much imagery in the gospels regarding the Marys corresponds with the worship of Mari-Anna-Ishtar. Such deities may sometimes be referred to as threefold, tripled, triplicate, tripartite, triune, triadic, or as a trinity. Hecate was greatly worshipped in Byzantium. [130] All these elements betoken the rites owed to a chthonic deity. Qetesh (also Qadesh, Qedesh, Qetesh, Kadesh, Kedesh, Kade or Qades /kd/) was a goddess who was incorporated into the ancient Egyptian religion in the late Bronze Age. The History of Guns, Greek Mythology: Stories, Characters, Gods, and Culture, Aztec Mythology: Important Stories and Characters, Greek Gods and Goddesses: Family Tree and Fun Facts, Roman Gods and Goddesses: The Names and Stories of 29 Ancient Roman Gods, The Dark Goddess: Dancing with the Shadow, https://arce.org/resource/statues-sekhmet-mistress-dread/#:~:text=A%20mother%20goddess%20in%20the,as%20a%20lion%2Dheaded%20woman, https://egyptianmuseum.org/deities-sekhmet, Skadi: The Norse Goddess of Skiing, Hunting, and Pranks, Druids: The Ancient Celtic Class That Did It All, iPhone History: A Timeline of Every Model in Order, US History Timeline: The Dates of Americas Journey, Ancient Civilizations Timeline: The Complete List from Aboriginals to Incans, Why Are Hot Dogs Called Hot Dogs? cult site in Lagina. There she was worshipped with her consort Ptah. Her name was likely developed by the Egyptians based on the Semitic root Q-D- meaning 'holy' or 'blessed,'[2] attested as a title of El and possibly Athirat and a further independent deity in texts from Ugarit. Adopted by the pharaohs as a symbol of their own unvanquishable heroism in battle, she breathes fire against the kings enemies. Hecate was associated with borders, city walls, doorways, crossroads and, by extension, with realms outside or beyond the world of the living. Mastery over the suns power. The number three has a long history of mythical associations and triple deities are common throughout world mythology. [79] Mooney however notes that when it comes to the nymph Perse herself, there's no evidence of her actually being a moon goddess on her own right. In Sophocles and Euripides she is characterized as the mistress of witchcraft and the Keres. [13] However, while Ashtart (Astarte) and Anat were closely associated with each other in Ugarit, in Egyptian sources, and elsewhere,[14][15] there is no evidence for conflation of Athirat and Ashtart, nor is Athirat associated closely with Ashtart and Anat in Ugaritic texts. [63], Thanks to her association with boundaries and the liminal spaces between worlds, Hecate is also recognized as a chthonic (underworld) goddess. the biblical Asherah) in 1941. In the Argolid, near the shrine of the Dioscuri, Pausanias saw the temple of Hecate opposite the sanctuary of Eileithyia; He reported the image to be the work of Scopas, stating further, "This one is of stone, while the bronze images opposite, also of Hecate, were made respectively by Polycleitus and his brother Naucydes, son of Mothon. 39 K), and 358 F; Melanthius, in Athenaeus, 325 B. Plato, Com. Known to represent the three stages of man, Youth, Father, and Sage, the Horned God symbolizes the good intent. Berg, William, "Hecate: Greek or "Anatolian"? Mason-Dixon Line [13] In association with her worship alongside Apollo at Miletus, worshipers used a unique form of offering: they would place stone cubes, often wreathes, known as (gylloi) as protective offerings at the door or gateway. "[22] In particular, there is some evidence that she might be derived from the local sun goddesses (see also Arinna) based on similar attributes.[23]. "Beyond Erekigal? Sekhmets uncontrolled bloodlust, aggression, and domain over divine retribution, life, and death reminds one of the Hindu goddess Kali. [155], Strmiska (2005) claimed that Hecate, conflated with the figure of Diana, appears in late antiquity and in the Early Middle Ages as part of an "emerging legend complex" known as "The Society of Diana"[161] associated with gatherings of women, the Moon, and witchcraft that eventually became established "in the area of Northern Italy, southern Germany, and the western Balkans. A Handbook of Greek Religion. Goddess of boundaries, transitions, crossroads, magic, the New Moon, necromancy, and ghosts. World Goddesses List | 350+ Names Sorted by Responsibility [citation needed], The spelling Hecat is due to Arthur Golding's 1567 translation of Ovid's Metamorphoses,[24] and this spelling without the final E later appears in plays of the Elizabethan-Jacobean period. [83], Dogs were sacred to Hecate and associated with roads, domestic spaces, purification, and spirits of the dead. I have worked with Selene and still work with Persephone. Egyptian Triple Goddess Viewed as the Egyptian triple goddess, Isis is considered a steadfast symbol of fertility, magic, and motherhood. . Apollonius of Rhodes, in the Argonautica mentions that Medea was taught by Hecate, "I have mentioned to you before a certain young girl whom Hecate, daughter of Perses, has taught to work in drugs. "[28], Apart from traditional hekataia, Hecate's triplicity is depicted in the vast frieze of the great Pergamon Altar, now in Berlin, wherein she is shown with three bodies, taking part in the battle with the Titans. [65] Hecate's association with Helios in literary sources and especially in cursing magic has been cited as evidence for her lunar nature, although this evidence is pretty late; no artwork before the Roman period connecting Hecate to the Moon exists. In Hellenistic syncretism, Hecate also became closely associated with Isis. [3] Her fight with the Giant appears in a number of ancient vase paintings and other artwork. These are the biaiothanatoi, aoroi and ataphoi (cf. In Mythology, what is the Triple Goddess? - Cultural World "[92] She was most commonly worshipped in nature, where she had many natural sanctuaries. Memphis was the main region of her cult. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. It is presumed that the latter were named after the tree because of its superiority for both bows and poison. And she is good to stand by horsemen, whom she will: and to those whose business is in the grey discomfortable sea, and who pray to Hecate and the loud-crashing Earth-Shaker, easily the glorious goddess gives great catch, and easily she takes it away as soon as seen, if so she will. This aligns with the pyramid texts mentioning that Sekhmet conceived the king. "Hekate: Representations in Art", Hekate Her Sacred Fires, ed. To commemorate this timely phenomenon, which was attributed to Hecate, they erected a public statue to that goddess []". She was represented as the heat of the mid-day sun (Nesert the flame) and is described as being able to breathe fire, her breath likened to the hot, desert winds. Sorita d'Este, Avalonia, 2010, "Hecate had a "botanical garden" on the island of Colchis where the following alkaloid plants were kept: Akoniton (. Pagan Symbols and Their Meanings - Exemplore Egyptian Protection Symbols 10. Religion in ancient Rome; Marcus Aurelius (head covered) . There are a few that are known as the Triple Goddess and have all three phases, such as Hecate, The Morrigan, Brigid, The Three Fates. 362, and note, 411413, 424425), whose enthumion, the quasi-technical word designating their longing for vengeance, was much dreaded. Esoteric is that which is beyond the ordinary. Some think this deity is Athirat/Ashratu under her Ugaritic name. [125], In the Argonautica, a 3rd-century BCE Alexandrian epic based on early material,[129] Jason placates Hecate in a ritual prescribed by Medea, her priestess: bathed at midnight in a stream of flowing water, and dressed in dark robes, Jason is to dig a round pit and over it cut the throat of a ewe, sacrificing it and then burning it whole on a pyre next to the pit as a holocaust. There are three different ways you can cite this article. She was invoked to ward off diseases. 19 K), Apollodorus, Melanthius, Hegesander, Chariclides (iii. The maiden represents young women, full of potential and life, while the mother symbolizes a fully mature woman. The left side of the symbol features a waxing moon, the center features a full moon, while the right side depicts a waning moon. 2. She scorns and insults Artemis, who in retribution eventually brings about the mortal's suicide. In the 1st century CE, Virgil described the entrance to hell as "Hecate's Grove", though he says that Hecate is equally "powerful in Heaven and Hell." [164] Such derivations are today proposed only by a minority[165][166] Subsequently, Hecate became Persephone's companion on her yearly journey to and from the realms of Hades, serving as a psychopomp. [32][33], Dogs were closely associated with Hecate in the Classical world. Hecate - Wikipedia Great honor comes full easily to him whose prayers the goddess receives favorably, and she bestows wealth upon him; for the power surely is with her. Hecate, goddess accepted at an early date into Greek religion but probably derived from the Carians in southwest Asia Minor. Later poets and historians looked to Diana's identity as a triple goddess to merge her with triads heavenly, earthly, and underworld (cthonic) goddesses. Sekhmets origins are unclear. [123], Hesiod's inclusion and praise of Hecate in the Theogony has been troublesome for scholars, in that he seems to hold her in high regard, while the testimony of other writers, and surviving evidence, suggests that this may have been the exception. Memphis and Leontopolis were the major centers of the worship of Sekhmet, with Memphis being the principal seat. [14] This has been suggested in comparison with the attributes of the goddess Artemis, strongly associated with Apollo and frequently equated with Hecate in the classical world. Overview. [28] Like Hermes, Hecate takes on the role of guardian not just of roads, but of all journeys, including the journey to the afterlife. She is mentioned a number of times in the spells of The Book of the Dead as both a creative and destructive force. [140], In the earliest written source mentioning Hecate, Hesiod emphasized that she was an only child, the daughter of Perses and Asteria, the sister of Leto (the mother of Artemis and Apollo). In Neopaganism, the triple goddess appears in the form of three aspects of womanhood, representing the maiden, the mother, and the crone. [78] Fowler also noted that the pairing (i. e. Helios and Perse) made sense given Hecates association with the Moon. There she was worshipped with her consort Ptah. [6], Her epithets include "Mistress of All the Gods", "Lady of the Stars of Heaven", "Beloved of Ptah", "Great of magic, mistress of the stars", and "Eye of Ra, without her equal". Supporters of this etymology suggest that Hecate was originally considered an aspect of Artemis prior to the latter's adoption into the Olympian pantheon. She has three faces for her role as the goddess of boundaries and the guardian of . Limestone fragments discovered from the valley temple of Sneferu (dynasty IV) at Dahshur depict the monarchs head closely juxtaposed to the muzzle of a lioness deity (presumed to be Sekhmet) as if to symbolize Sneferu breathing in the divine life force emanating from the goddesss mouth. In the pyramid texts, Sekhmet is written to be the mother of the kings reborn in the afterlife. Sekhmet brought terrible plagues toon the land. In art and myth, she is shown, along with Hermes, guiding Persephone back from the underworld with her torches. According to a New Kingdom story, as 'Lady of the Sycamore', she heals the eye of Horus with milk from a gazelle. The polecat is also associated with Hecate. Qetesh's sexuality led to a natural association with the Egyptian goddess Hathor. She was invoked to ward off diseases. Such things they call charms, whether it is the matter of a spherical object, or a triangular one, or some other shape. Hecate was seen as a triple deity, identified with the goddesses Luna (Moon) in the sky and Diana (hunting) on the earth, while she represents the Underworld. As the holder of the keys that can unlock the gates between realms, she can unlock the gates of death, as described in a 3rd-century BCE poem by Theocritus. Hecate's importance to Byzantium was above all as a deity of protection. Chapter in the book The Goddess Hekate: Studies in Ancient Pagan and Christian Philosophy edited by Stephen Ronan. Mary McMahon These statues are rarely discovered in complete form. [71] In Italy, the triple unity of the lunar goddesses Diana (the huntress), Luna (the Moon) and Hecate (the underworld) became a ubiquitous feature in depictions of sacred groves, where Hecate/Trivia marked intersections and crossroads along with other liminal deities. In two fragments of Aeschylus she appears as a great goddess. Worship She was the wife of Ptah (patron god of artisans) and bore him a son Nefertum. The priest (waeb Sekhmet) would recite prayers to the goddess along with the practicalities performed by the physician (sunu). Sekhmet is believed to have 4000 names that described her many attributes. Which of these is true, we do not know. "[135] This appears to refer to a variant of the device mentioned by Psellus.[136]. She was associated with witchcraft, magic, the Moon, doorways, and creatures of the night like hell-hounds and ghosts. [95] In Thrace she played a role similar to that of lesser-Hermes, namely a ruler of liminal regions, particularly gates, and the wilderness. From the tomb of Kenamun quoted from Alix Wilkinson The Garden In Ancient Egypt Hathor is the tree goddess of Memphis and is often known as 'Lady of the sycamore'. 6. The one who loves Maat and who detests evil. It was called Psamite, because Hecate was honoured with a cake, which was called psamiton (). [28], Hecate was a popular divinity, and her cult was practiced with many local variations all over Greece and Western Anatolia. 1. "[37] The association with dogs, particularly female dogs, could be explained by a metamorphosis myth in Lycophron: the friendly looking female dog accompanying Hecate was originally the Trojan Queen Hecuba, who leapt into the sea after the fall of Troy and was transformed by Hecate into her familiar.[38]. 11 Egyptian Gods and Goddesses | Britannica Uraeus - Wikipedia The Faces of the Goddess. The Triple Goddess is arguably the most | by In the Greek pantheon, Apollo was the god of medicine and often brought down plagues to punish mankind. In addition, we particularly recommend The Book of Goddesses and Heroines. Grandmother of the three cousins was Phoebe[123] the ancient Titan goddess whose name was often used for the moon goddess. The eye of Horus A round stone altar dedicated to the goddess was found in the Delphinion (a temple dedicated to Apollo) at Miletus. In the Old Kingdom, the priests of Sekhmet are an organized phyle and from a slightly later date, in its extant copy, the Ebers papyrus attributes to these priests a detailed knowledge of the heart. Serket (also known as Serqet, Selkis, and Selket) is an Egyptian goddess of protection associated with the scorpion. Caria was a major center of worship and her most famous temple there was located in the town of Lagina. Moreover is Qadesh, also called Qwynn, a character in Holly Roberds' fantasy novel "Bitten by Death", published in 2021. Isis: Mother Goddess of Ancient Egypt - Learn Religions Sekhmets father is Ra. Lagina, where the famous temple of Hecate drew great festal assemblies every year, lay close to the originally Macedonian colony of Stratonikeia, where she was the city's patron. A Holy Trinity in Ancient Egypt - JSTOR Daily [98] According to Hesychius of Miletus there was once a statue of Hecate at the site of the Hippodrome in Constantinople. He noted that the cult regularly practiced dog sacrifice and had secretly buried the body of one of its "queens" with seven dogs. [80], Worship of Hecate existed alongside other deities in major public shrines and temples in antiquity, and she had a significant role as household deity. The possibility of not to be, of returning to nothingness, distinguishes Egyptian gods and goddesses from deities of all other pagan pantheons.[1]. She was one of the earliest Egyptian deities and was often depicted as a cobra, as she is the serpent goddess. [6] Her oldest known representation was found in Selinunte, in Sicily. So from the beginning she is a nurse of the young, and these are her honours. Home shrines often took the form of a small Hekataion, a shrine centred on a wood or stone carving of a triple Hecate facing in three directions on three sides of a central pillar. Hekate's Suppers, by K. F. Smith. In the course of this beleaguerment, it is related, on a certain wet and moonless night the enemy attempted a surprise, but were foiled by reason of a bright light which, appearing suddenly in the heavens, startled all the dogs in the town and thus roused the garrison to a sense of their danger. Medusa - Gods and Goddesses 5. Medusa came to Greece from Libya as the Serpent Goddess, and the destroyer aspect of the Great Triple Goddess. [103] The Deipnon is always followed the next day by the Noumenia,[104] when the first sliver of the sunlit Moon is visible, and then the Agathos Daimon the day after that. [13] Another Greek word suggested as the origin of the name Hecate is Hekatos, an obscure epithet of Apollo[10] interpreted as "the far reaching one" or "the far-darter". Goddess of Fertility, Rebirth, and Magic In addition to being the fertile wife of Osiris, Isis is honored for her role as the mother of Horus, one of Egypt's most powerful gods. She was usually called the daughter of the Titans Asteria and Perses, but there were many alternate versions of her parentage, including some that made her a daughter of Zeus.Though Hecate was most commonly depicted as a sinister goddess of magic, witchcraft, and the Underworld, she was sometimes portrayed as kind and helpful. Danu was the source of the tribe's common heritage, as well as its nobility, unity, and power. [82] Likewise, shrines to Hecate at three way crossroads were created where food offerings were left at the new Moon to protect those who did so from spirits and other evils. Mooney, Carol M., "Hekate: Her Role and Character in Greek Literature from before the Fifth Century B.C." I worship Hekate but have not worked with her personally. [169] Researcher Samuel Fort noted additional parallels, to include the cult's focus on mystic and typically nocturnal rites, its female dominated membership, the sacrifice of other animals (to include horses and mules), a focus on the mystical properties of roads and portals, and an emphasis on death, healing, and resurrection.