Days of Hecate - what are they? Difficult birthday according to the lunar calendar Hecate days what lunar day

Hecate ruled over all ghosts and monsters, night visions and sorcery. She was born as a result of the marriage of the titan Persus and Asteria.
Hecate had three bodies connected together, six pairs of arms and three heads. Zeus - the king of the gods - endowed her with power over the destinies of the earth and sea, and Uranus endowed her with indestructible strength.
The Greeks believed that Hecate wanders in deep darkness at night with her constant companions, owls and snakes, lighting her path with smoldering torches.
She passed by the graves along with her terrible retinue, surrounded by monstrous dogs from the kingdom of Hades, living on the banks of the Styx. Hecate sent horrors and painful dreams to the earth and destroyed people.
Sometimes Hecate helped people, for example, it was she who helped Medea achieve Jason’s love. It was believed that she helped sorcerers and sorcerers. The ancient Greeks believed that if you sacrifice dogs to Hecate while standing at the crossroads of three roads, she would help remove the spell and get rid of evil damage.
Underground gods like Hecate personified mainly the formidable forces of nature.

Hecate- not dark, not black and does not represent the forces of evil and darkness.
Hecate personifies the process, the elemental power of destruction for the sake of creation, the power of renewal through death.

In ancient Greek mythology, a chthonic deity (of Asia Minor origin), the patroness of all night evil spirits, witchcraft and divination. In literary sources, many other functions were also attributed to her, in connection with which Hecate was identified with the goddess of the moon Selene, the goddess of the underworld Persephone, and the mistress of wild animals Artemis. She was depicted with a torch in her hands, often with snakes in her hair (sometimes with three faces).
Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Hecate (Ekath)- among the Greeks, the deity of moonlight. The cult of Hecate first existed among the Thracians and from them it passed to the Greeks. In Hesiod's Theogony, where she is first mentioned, she is called the daughter of the Titan Perseus; others call her the daughter of Zeus and Demeter or Zeus and Hera. Hecate bestows wisdom in public assemblies, happiness in war, rich spoils in hunting, etc. As the goddess of the underworld, she was also considered the goddess of all things mysterious; the Greeks imagined her fluttering with the souls of the dead at crossroads, where, therefore, her cult was sometimes performed. She helps sorceresses, who, like Circe and Medea, learn their art from her. Hecate was sometimes depicted as one female figure with two torches in hands, sometimes in the form of 3 figures tied at the back.
W. Blake

Hecate- goddess of darkness, witchcraft and mirages. Daughter of Persian and Asteria, granddaughter of the titans Koya and Kria, mother of Skilla (father of Phorcys). One of the most ancient and powerful goddesses, ruling over all ghosts and monsters in the kingdom of Hades. She had three bodies and three heads - a lion, a dog and a horse. At the crossroads of three roads, dogs were sacrificed and then Hecate helped not only in witchcraft, but also against witchcraft. At a later time, Hecate began to act as a symbol of otherworldly forces.

Hecate is the Greek name of an Anatolian and Thracian goddess first mentioned by Hesiod (c. 700 BC). Nilsson, in Greek Popular Religion, believes that the cult of Hecate originates from Caria; "This is confirmed by the fact that personal names in which her name is included are often found in this particular area, while in other places they are rare or not known at all."

There are versions that in early Hellenic history Hecate was a completely virtuous goddess associated with the Moon. Then the Hellenes, who brought patriarchal order, supplanted the goddess and she became formidable and terrible for them. However, from Zeus Hecate received power over the fate of the earth and sea, and from Uranus (grandfather) she received great power.

Thus, in ancient times, Hecate patronized hunting, shepherding, horse breeding, protected children and young men, and granted victory in competitions, in court, and in war. Later, with the strengthening of the cults of Hermes, Artemis and Apollo, her influence decreases, or rather changes. Her attributes are a key, a whip, a dagger and a torch.

In the classical era, Hecate became the goddess of the Moon, the night and the underworld. More often she was depicted with a torch in her hand. Statues of Hecate were placed at crossroads to protect against evil. At the same time, it was she who was blamed for the madness and the appearance of ghosts. Even later, Hecate becomes the patroness of witchcraft and the progenitor of all sorceresses. She was responsible for the madness that befalls people, insanity or obsession with any idea. At the same time, she could protect against evil demons and witchcraft.

In Rome, Hecate was compared with the goddess Trivia - “the goddess of the three roads.”

DAYS OF HECATE

So called satanic days before the new moon, days of Hecate, are actually days of reconsidering motives. We live in certain cycles. The most important points of these cycles were previously considered to be the days before winter solstice and before the new moon. At this time, a person must fast and limit external contacts. He must go deep into himself and reckon with the previous cycle. Today we perceive the days of Hecate (the well-known 29th lunar day) as satanic, and therefore harmful. In fact, these are days of cleansing, parting with the mistakes that we have made during these 29 days.
They are the most beneficial for the human soul.

Hecate, or the dark side of the Moon , was very important woman. She took revenge on everyone who prematurely invaded the overworld. Hecate drove all those who were unprepared, those without a teacher, without tradition, outside orders and prematurely eager for esotericism, crazy. A person who passed through the Gate, being unprepared, returned from there crazy.

There are lunar days on which amazing people are born - people who have the power of the Goddess Hecate

Hecate in ancient Greek mythology is the patroness of the underworld, the mistress of the Black Moon. There are two moons. They are believed to exist but are not visible to the human eye. One of them is White. It orbits the Earth every 28 days. Brings good luck, prosperity, blessing, joy. The Black Moon orbits the Earth in 29 days. And brings retribution. In Indian mythology, Hecate corresponds to the Goddess Kali - the Goddess of time, destruction and transformation. The long period of time in which our lives fell is called Kali Yuga, i.e. It is Kali (Hecate) who patronizes him. The White Moon is a symbol of a woman-housewife, whose tables are laden with food, healthy and happy children are rustling, and the house is entwined with grapes. In a word - a woman who creates simple and beautiful earthly happiness. This woman becomes the Black Moon when her children and a respectable home are in danger and she turns into a protector. Hecate's main task is to protect the house, entwined with grapes, from dark forces. It is believed that Hecate can destroy night ghosts, vampires and even demons.

LouThese are the days on which power passes to Hecate -,

People born on these days are endowed with the gift of Hecate. What does it mean? In their presence, everything falls apart and collapses. It's not their fault. This is their space program. But at the same time, the true necessarily grows with tenfold force, and the false dies forever. “Hecates” are a kind of bulldozers that clear new areas for new flower beds in the Universe. People born on 9, 15, 23, 29 lunar days are ecstatic. It costs them nothing to run out into the snow barefoot in the winter cold or rush from a cliff into a raging sea in a thunderstorm to experience a state where the spirit is captured by the feeling of their own strength and unity with the elements.

Should Hecate be feared? No. In no case. They are saviors. They can stop a fight, help a person out, intervene in a situation in which neither the police nor professional rescuers would risk finding themselves. You can rely on them. Hecates are betrayed to death by those they love. We can say that they are loyal to friends and loved ones. But not everyone correctly understands this devotion and fidelity. God gave them the opportunity to do eccentric things. If God sent you a beloved woman - Hecate, then by giving her endless love, you will receive from her energy that can take you to the very top of possible and impossible success for you. She will not be embarrassed by difficulties if she feels loved. She will overcome them and will be your closest and most sincere advisor and friend. It is considerable luck to have as your lover or beloved a person born on the lunar day of Hecate. You just need to trust them very much to allow their energy to eliminate everything unnecessary and alien from yours. life together. No one can separate the “wheat from the chaff” like “Hecate.”
There is hardly another day when such people are born who bring true, cosmic luck.

"Hecates" will allow you to write a novel of your married life together on clean slate, where they won’t leave a single stain of dirt. If “Hecate” appears at an enterprise, then collapse may soon await it. But only if the management is involved in “unclean” matters. If the management puts its soul into the development of the enterprise, then after the appearance of Hecate it can increase turnover several dozen times. So, honest entrepreneurs, Hire Hecate!

After its birth, as a Celestial body, the Moon (the Spirit of the Moon) carried within itself the Primary Aspects of the Mother of the World. Their carriers were two Goddesses from the Pantheon of Goddesses of the Mother of the World: Selene and Hecate. But after a rebellion against the Creator, led by the first archon and fallen co-creator Vallaum, the Goddess Hecate betrayed the Creator and Mother of the World and took the side of the forces of darkness. Since then, the Moon has been divided into two almost equal halves: one of them, in the person of the Goddess Selene, brought Light, Love and Good, and the other, in the person of the fallen Goddess Hecate, brought darkness, evil and destruction. The well-known “Days of Hecate” were distinguished by a particularly strong destructive influence on the Earth and people.

By the way, it was after this that the Lunar Cataclysm occurred, as a result of which the main elements of the lunar orbit changed. So, in particular, it was thrown into an orbit farther from Earth at a distance of 380 thousand kilometers (initially it was at a distance of 333,333 km). The force of lunar gravity and the speed of rotation around its axis and around the Earth also changed. After this, only one side of the Moon became visible from the Earth (before that, the entire surface of the Moon could be cyclically observed from the Earth). Since then, these sides have come to be called: dark and light. Dark forces began to actively use the powerful energy potential of the Moon as a means of enslaving and controlling women and everything Feminine, and also as a means of destructive influence on the Earth.

Days of Hecate

The so-called satanic days before the new moon, the days of Hecate, are actually days of revision of motives. We live in certain cycles. The most important points of these cycles were previously considered to be the days before the winter solstice and before the new moon. At this time, a person must fast and limit external contacts. He must go deep into himself and reckon with the previous cycle. Today we perceive the days of Hecate (the well-known 29th lunar day) as satanic, and therefore harmful. In fact, these are days of cleansing, parting with the mistakes that we have made during these 29 days.
They are the most beneficial for the human soul.

Hecate, or the other side of the Moon, was a very important woman. She took revenge on everyone who prematurely invaded the overworld. Hecate drove all those who were unprepared, those without a teacher, without tradition, outside orders and prematurely eager for esotericism, crazy. A person who passed through the Gate, being unprepared, returned from there crazy.

There are lunar days on which amazing people are born - people who have the power of the Goddess Hecate

Hecate in ancient Greek mythology is the patroness of the underworld, the ruler of the Black Moon. There are two moons. They are believed to exist but are not visible to the human eye. One of them is White. It orbits the Earth every 28 days. Brings good luck, prosperity, blessing, joy. The Black Moon orbits the Earth in 29 days. And brings retribution. In Indian mythology, Hecate corresponds to the Goddess Kali - the Goddess of time, destruction and transformation. The long period of time in which our lives fell is called Kali Yuga, i.e. It is Kali (Hecate) who patronizes him. The White Moon is a symbol of a woman housewife, whose tables are laden with food, healthy and happy children are rustling, and her house is entwined with grapes. In a word - a woman who creates simple and beautiful earthly happiness. This woman becomes the Black Moon when her children and a respectable home are in danger and she turns into a protector. Hecate’s main task is to protect the house covered with grapes from dark forces. It is believed that Hecate can destroy night ghosts, vampires and even demons.

Lunar days on which power passes to Hecate - 9, 15, 23, 29

Should Hecate be feared? No. In no case. They are saviors. They can stop a fight, help a person out, intervene in a situation in which neither the police nor professional rescuers would risk finding themselves. You can rely on them. Hecates are betrayed to death by those they love. We can say that they are loyal to friends and loved ones. But not everyone correctly understands this devotion and fidelity. God gave them the opportunity to do eccentric things. If God sent you a beloved woman - Hecate, then by giving her endless love, you will receive from her energy that can take you to the very top of possible and impossible success for you. She will not be embarrassed by difficulties if she feels loved. She will overcome them and will be your closest and most sincere advisor and friend. It is considerable luck to have as your lover or beloved a person born on the lunar day of Hecate. You just need to trust them very much to allow their energy to eliminate everything unnecessary and alien from your life together. No one can separate the “wheat from the chaff” like “Hecate.”
There is hardly another day when such people are born who bring true, cosmic luck.

“Hecates” will allow you to write the novel of your married life together on a clean sheet of paper, where they will not leave a single stain of dirt. If “Hecate” appears at an enterprise, then collapse may soon await it. But only if the management is involved in “unclean” matters. If the management puts its soul into the development of the enterprise, then after the appearance of Hecate it can increase turnover several dozen times. So, honest entrepreneurs, hire Hecate!

Hecate's Challenge

Call Hecate on one of her days - 9, 15, 23, 29, as well as two days before the new moon and two days after. “Come, underground, earthly and heavenly goddess Hecate, goddess of roads and crossroads, bringing air, walking at night, favorable to the night and accompanying it, rejoicing in the barking of dogs, wandering in the darkness like a will-o’-the-wisp among the graves, terrifying the dead. Gor-go, Mor-mo, Bom-Bo, Moon of a thousand faces, come to us, great Hecate.” If you call her with a pure heart, all your desires can be fulfilled.

A lunar birthday brings with it great significance for fate. The lunar birthday and its characteristics can tell you about many unpleasant moments in life. Birthday by lunar calendar falls on one of 30 lunar days. You can determine your lunar birthday or lunar day by date of birth using the lunar calendar. You can also find out what lunar birthday is from the lunar days calculator.

The most difficult days lunar month The days of Hecate or the days of the Black Moon are considered - these are the 9, 15, 23, 29 lunar days of each month. And everyone who is born in these days of Hecate has the strength and energy of the Goddess Hecate herself.

The impact of the days of Hecate is manifested in the fact that in the environment of such a person everything falls apart and is destroyed. But you shouldn’t blame him: he’s just unconsciously fulfilling his cosmic program, laid down by the Moon on his lunar birthday. But as a result of this destruction, something truly valuable always comes. All those born in the days of Hecate strive to achieve unity with the primordial elements.

But do not underestimate or one-sidedly perceive everyone born in the days of Hecate. People under her protection have many qualities and abilities to act in critical situations in which another person, even one who has his own professional responsibilities, would not risk interfering. Children of Hecate can stop a fight and save a person from the elements. You can rely on them. People born on the days of the Dark Moon are the most devoted friends, relatives, and spouses. If your loved one was born on the day of Hecate, then, provided he has great and sincere love for you, he can give you so much of his energy that you can easily achieve success in any matter that is important to you! To do this, you just need to really trust your chosen one, who, with his power given by the powerful Hecate, will eliminate everything superfluous and unnecessary in your life together. All the trials that the children of Hecate bring to us are aimed only at quickly clearing our destiny and finding true cosmic happiness. Hecate's children act as indicators of the situation - in fate, in life, at work - wherever they appear. If there is something dark, negative, dishonest, then the situation undergoes destruction. If, on the contrary, the situation only reveals bright sides, then it further increases the success and happiness of everyone involved in it.

9th lunar birthday. Such people live a long time, but, as a rule, they feel deeply unhappy. They suffer from a lack of understanding of others, from their own complexes and fears. In order to find balance in life, these people need to constantly cleanse their psyche, get rid of external influences and their own negative emotions, cultivate humility, altruism, and try to see only the good in everything. Fasting, spiritual self-improvement, and acquiring one’s spiritual faith are especially useful.

15th lunar birthday. Such people have a complex character, unbalanced, capricious and conflictual. In their life they have to change a lot about themselves. They often succumb to all sorts of temptations, become a temptation for others, love to seduce and seduce. They have many difficulties in their personal life. You need to learn to manage your emotions. They do not recognize authorities and are difficult to learn. Such people often have a weakened pancreas, so it is necessary to cleanse and fast.

23rd lunar birthday. Such people have a complex character and a difficult fate. Their life depends on the environment in which they grew up, what kind of upbringing they received, and what they learned. Any task is completed. They have acumen and the ability to find an approach to to the right person, charm. If such a person sets big goals for himself, he can become a teacher, monk, preacher, or devote himself to serving people. You must stand on your path, put all your strength into it, and not doubt your goal.

29th lunar birthday. Such people have very difficult karma, but have an interesting and rich life. From birth they carry dark power within them. They feel as if they are constantly fighting something. They live a long time, but in this life they must atone for their previous sins, moreover, of the entire clan, family, parents. These people have to suffer a lot and make many mistakes. A person on the 29th day perceives the world inadequately. Repentance, cleansing, prayer, and a positive attitude towards your trials will help you. But the most important thing is to overcome the original evil and fears of obstacles and the unknown. Then you will find happiness and reach the next stage of development.

TaroTaro wishes you success and prosperity.

Lunar cycles begin and end with the so-called dark days of the Moon, when the Moon hides in the rays of the Sun, is not visible, and does not shine. These days were highlighted in a special way by ancient astrologers, and the most strange, mysterious, mystical meanings were attributed to them. They were associated with Hecate - the goddess of witchcraft, hidden forces, the goddess of reserves, treasures, what is hidden, including in the subconscious; the goddess of what frightens, irritates, and can bring fear to any person. Sorcerers and witches chose the days of the dark moon to collect magical herbs, witchcraft, casting spells on people.

These are the days of a kind of “astral garbage chute,” of what has been collected during this time and what needs to be released. These days are contrasted with the Moon Road. People born in the last days of the Moon have a lot of toxins accumulated in their subconscious that never come out, and therefore these people, as a rule, are in greatest need of psychological correction, otherwise they go crazy, they become fixated on emotional states, there is a deep absorption in oneself, a strong influence of the secrets of another world. They are characterized by secrecy and emotional solitude; they believe they have something to hide; they always have a secret fear hidden deep in the subconscious. They have something to free themselves from. They have their own demon, or black man, who torments them and drains their energy. This primarily concerns the most sensitive people.

So, the first two and last two days of the Moon are the days of Hecate, the kingdom of Hecate, the sphere of Hecate (approximately + 30 degrees from the new moon).

The lunar crescent appears on the third day after the new moon (that is, the “true new moon”, when the Moon is freed, becomes independent, and occurs on the third day after the new moon - this phenomenon was called neomenia (new moon) by the ancients).

The word "calendar" comes from "kalio" - "to call out", "to click", because the appearance of the lunar crescent was associated with extreme joy - the sphere of Hecate ended, and normal lunar days began).

1st day of Hecate

The penultimate day of the Moon is associated with the element of Air.

A person of this day is overloaded with contacts and connections, which create the possibility of him becoming dependent on various factors. This state, as it were, prepares a person for a “leap” into a new quality.

2nd day of Hecate

The last day of the Moon is associated with the element of Fire.

Connection with the very Fire that “cleanses” the Moon in the name of subsequent rebirth. This day precedes the new moon - a stress factor when the Moon becomes combust. On the second day of Hecate, the Moon is still free, but retains the memory of the entire cycle. On the Day of Fire, the ancients lit altars dedicated to Hecate at the fork in three roads, so that the goddess would leave a person alone and would not send evil forces to him. People born on the last day of the Moon experience severe mental suffering (which, however, is not shown) caused by deep internal contradictions. They are most capable of deep mental changes, tormented various fears, phobias, bad dreams, nightmares with terrible monsters that are born in the depths of the subconscious.

People born in the first two days of Hecate are people who carry a very heavy load in their subconscious.

3rd day of Hecate

Associated with the element of Earth and begins immediately after the new moon.

A person born on this day is deeply immersed in himself, unshakable in his beliefs (and delusions) and is ready to stand for them to the death. A person on the third day often has stressful situations associated with loneliness. This gives a person coldness and pessimism, which leads to limitations in connections.

4th day of Hecate

Associated with the element of Water.

The soul of a person born on this day resembles a blank sheet of paper - it is light and innocent. And just like from a sheet of paper, it is extremely difficult to erase even random signs from it in the future: such a person can take any new word on faith and then almost cannot be convinced. He may also have nightmares and experience demonic sensations. With the help of hypnotic influence, such a person can be turned into a cold-blooded killer, a zombie, a fanatical executor of someone else's will; On this day religious fanatics are born. All the forces of darkness are rampant, and in order to cope with it, one must have great magical power. In this case, you need to keep the following in mind. People born at the junction of the phases of the Moon are very contradictory and unstable, as they were born during a change in the stereotypes of attitudes towards their hidden problems. And the stereotype changes slowly, always painfully, which happens on an internal, deep level. Such people have to get used to new conditions all their lives, which keeps their nerves on edge. To live together, it is preferable to choose people of the opposite phase, since in this case the partners are emotionally well compatible and complement each other.

Hecate is my favorite goddess. I collected most of the information about her bit by bit over a long time.

Hecate is the Greek name of an Anatolian and Thracian goddess first mentioned by Hesiod (c. 700 BC). Nilsson in “Greek Popular Religion” believes that the cult of Hecate originates from Caria; “This is confirmed by the fact that personal names in which her name is included are often found in this particular area, while in other places they are rare or not known at all.” There are versions that in early Hellenic history Hecate was a completely virtuous goddess associated with the Moon. Then the Hellenes, who brought patriarchal order, supplanted the goddess and she became formidable and terrible for them.

Hecate was a special goddess in Ancient Greece; she was considered the patroness of darkness, nightmares and sorcery. It is no coincidence that the Greeks themselves worshiped her, as if in secret from themselves. She was a “chthonic” goddess, inherited from the “war of the gods” - the “pre-Olympic” period in Greek culture (before the victory and ascension of Zeus to Mount Olympus). But her power was so overwhelming that she entered the new pantheon, and the Greeks knew that she was “eternal as night.”

According to myths, Hecate is the daughter of the titan Persian (which, along with other details, reveals her eastern origin), and her name contains the ancient feminine root “Ge” (compare Gaia, Hera and Hecate). The loving Zeus gave her power over the fate of the earth and the sea, and Poseidon gave her great power. Hecate was three-faced, that is, she had three hypostases (like Morena among the Slavs).

Daytime face of Hecate: patroness of hunting, shepherding, youth, social activities such as meetings, competitions, judicial debates and military achievements. Fight for the sake of fighting. Here she appeared as a middle-aged woman, an experienced and wise adviser to people (Morena, “Marya the Artisan”).

Night face of Hecate: patroness of darkness, night, nightmares, revenge, debauchery and witchcraft. Beautiful and terrifying appearance, snakes in her hair. She is a hunter (like the maiden Artemis - the sister of Apollo and a warrior), but her hunt is dark, at night, and her pack of hounds runs among graves and ghosts. It was in this incarnation that she helped Medea in preparing potions. Rejected lovers and murderers prayed to her. She taught how to prepare decoctions for love spells and poisons (“Marya the libertine”).

The third face of Hecate: heavenly, “Urania Hecate” - irresistible spiritual love. She is young and beautiful with that heavenly beauty that does not evoke carnal desires, but only admiration and delight. In this guise, Hecate helps philosophers, scientists, “leads the souls” of people from the Kingdom of the Dead to light and love (“Ascetic Marya”).

It was believed that Hecate is the patroness of all hetaeras: female friends specially trained in Greek culture (please do not confuse them with banal prostitutes - read “Thais of Athens” by I. Efremov), in contrast to female wives who were patronized by Hera.

In the image of Hecate one can feel the interweaving of ideas of the proto-Aryan peoples, connecting two worlds: the living and the dead (“reality” and “nav” of the Slavs). She is both darkness and light at the same time. The images were placed at the crossroads of three roads. During the Roman period, Hecate was called Trivia (“three-faced”). There were temples in honor of only one of the hypostases of Hecate, since it is difficult for an ordinary person to realize the trinity of any god at all.

Hecate has devilish powers, she roams the Earth at night with a pack of hellish red-eyed dogs from hell and with a retinue of souls of the dead. Only dogs can see her, and if dogs howl at night, it means Hecate is nearby. It causes nightmares and madness, it terrifies. Many ancients called it “Nameless”.

She is the goddess of darkness on the Moon, the destroyer of life, but also the regenerator of life. In one myth, she turns into a bear or wild boar and kills her own son, then revives him. Being a secret force, she wears a necklace made of testicles, her hair is a writhing snake that turns into stone in a similar way to the Gorgon Medusa.

Hecate is the goddess of all crossroads, she looks in three directions at once. In ancient times, three-headed statues of her were placed at many intersections, and secret rituals were performed when the moon was full to propitiate her. Statues of Hecate with torches and swords were placed in front of houses to keep evil spirits at bay. Hecate is associated with many spells, sacrifices and rituals. In ancient times, people tried to appease her by leaving the hearts of chickens and honey cakes of peppers at their doors. On the last day of the month, gifts were brought to the crossroads - honey, onions, fish and eggs, with sacrifices in the form of dolls, baby girls and female lambs. Sorcerers gathered at crossroads to pay their respects to her and such devilish servants as Empusa, the brownie; Kekropsis, poltergeist; and Mormo, a vampire. One appeal to her was recorded in the 3rd century by Hippolytus in “Philosophumena”:

“Come, hellish, earthly and heavenly Bombo (Hecate), goddess of wide roads, crossroads, you who travel to and fro at night with a torch in your hand, enemy of the day. Friend and lover of darkness, you who rejoice when the bitches howl and warm blood flows, you who wander among ghosts and graves, you who satisfy the thirst for blood, you who cause fear in the mortal souls of children, Gorgo, Mormo, Luna, in a thousand forms, cast your merciful gaze on our sacrifice.”

In modern witchcraft, Hecate is often associated with the lunar trinity, the triple Goddess. She commands the waning and dark moon, during the two-week period, the best for magic; which deals with exile, liberation, schemes and introspection. She calls for justice.

She received from Zeus the power over the fate of the earth and the sea, and was endowed by Uranus with great power. Hecate is an ancient chthonic deity, who, after the victory over the Titans, retained her archaic functions, and was even deeply revered by Zeus himself, becoming one of the gods who help people in their daily labors. She is the giver of maternal well-being, helps in the birth and upbringing of children; gives travelers an easy road; helps abandoned lovers. Her powers, thus, once extended to those areas of human activity that she later had to cede to Apollo, Artemis, and Hermes.

As the cult of these gods spreads, Hecate loses her attractive appearance and attractive features. She leaves the upper world and, drawing closer to Persephone, whom she helped her mother search for, becomes inextricably linked with the kingdom of shadows. Now this is an ominous snake-haired and three-faced goddess, appearing on the surface of the earth only under the moonlight, and not sunlight, with two flaming torches in his hands, accompanied by dogs black as night and monsters of the underworld. Hecate - nocturnal “chthonia” and heavenly “urania”, “irresistible” wanders among the graves and brings out the ghosts of the dead, sends horrors and scary dreams, but can also protect from them, from evil demons and witchcraft. Among her constant companions were the donkey-footed monster Empusa, capable of changing its appearance and frightening belated travelers, as well as the demon spirits of Kera. This is exactly how the goddess is represented on monuments of fine art starting from the 5th century. BC

In Ancient Greece, the number “3” was inextricably linked with the goddess Hecate. She had three forms (or even three bodies) - a mare, a dog and a lion - and had three heads so that she could see in all directions. Hecate ruled the triad of human existence - birth, life and death - and the three elements - earth, air and fire.

The three whips of power with which she controlled humanity, time and space, made her an indispensable ally of wizards who sought to find a means of changing the seemingly unchanging physical world. Those brave enough to use her name in their spells were rewarded with a portion of her eerie supernatural power.

Her power extended to the three-part temporal sphere - past, present and future. The goddess drew her witchcraft power from the moon, which has three phases - new, full and old. Like Artemis, she was accompanied everywhere by a pack of dogs, but Hecate's hunt is a night hunt among the dead, graves and ghosts of the underworld. They sacrificed food and dogs to Hecate; her attributes were a torch, a scourge and snakes

Since ancient times, certain days of the month have been dedicated to Hecate. Some information about them:

The so-called satanic days before the new moon - the days of Hecate - are actually days of revision of motives. We live in certain cycles. The most important points of these cycles were previously considered to be the days before the winter solstice and before the new moon. At this time, a person must fast and limit external contacts. He must go deep into himself and reckon with the previous cycle. Today we perceive the days of Hecate (the well-known 29th lunar day) as satanic, and therefore harmful. In fact, these are days of cleansing, parting with the mistakes that we have made during these 29 days. They are the most beneficial for the human soul.

Born in the days of Hecate

- represent a certain psychological type:

People born on these days are endowed with the gift of Hecate. What does it mean? In their presence, everything falls apart and collapses. It's not their fault. This is their space program. But at the same time, the true necessarily grows with tenfold force, and the false dies forever. “Hecates” are a kind of bulldozers that clear new areas for new flower beds in the Universe. People born in 9, 15, 23, 29 lunar days, ecstatic. It costs them nothing to run out into the snow barefoot in the winter cold or rush from a cliff into a raging sea in a thunderstorm to experience a state where the spirit is captured by the feeling of their own strength and unity with the elements.

Should Hecate be afraid? No. In no case. They are saviors. They can stop a fight, help a person out, intervene in a situation in which neither the police nor professional rescuers would risk finding themselves. You can rely on them. Hecates are betrayed to death by those they love. We can say that they are loyal to friends and loved ones. But not everyone correctly understands this devotion and fidelity. God gave them the opportunity to do eccentric things. If God sent you a beloved woman - Hecate, then by giving her endless love, you will receive from her energy that can take you to the very top of possible success that is impossible for you. She will not be embarrassed by difficulties if she feels loved. She will overcome them and will be your closest and most sincere advisor and friend. It is considerable luck to have as your lover or beloved a person born on the lunar day of Hecate. You just need to trust them very much to allow their energy to eliminate everything unnecessary and alien from your life together. No one can separate the “wheat from the chaff” like “Hecate.” And there is hardly another day when such people are born who bring true, cosmic luck. “Hecates” will allow you to write the novel of your married life together on a clean sheet, where they will not leave a single stain of dirt.

“Hecate” in matters of business and work:

If “Hecate” appears at an enterprise, then collapse may soon await it. But only if the management is involved in “unclean” matters. If the management puts its soul into the development of the enterprise, then after the appearance of Hecate it can increase turnover several dozen times. So, honest entrepreneurs, hire Hekate.

Call of Hecate:

Call Hecate on one of her days - 9, 15, 23, 29 , as well as two days before the new moon and two days after.

“Come, underground, earthly and heavenly goddess Hecate, goddess of roads and crossroads, bringing air, walking at night, favorable to the night and accompanying it, rejoicing in the barking of dogs, wandering in the darkness like a will-o’-the-wisp among the graves, terrifying the dead. Gor-go, Mor-mo, Bom-Bo, Moon of a thousand faces, come to us, great Hecate.” If you call her with a pure heart, she can fulfill all your wishes.

On the lasso we also see the astrological sign of Venus. The influence of this planet has already been described in the arcana Symbol of the planetary spirit of Venus-Hagit.

And more about the Goddess. Story

Hecate is the Greek name of an Anatolian and Thracian goddess first mentioned by Hesiod (c. 700 BC). Nilsson, in Greek Popular Religion, believes that the cult of Hecate originates from Caria; "this is confirmed by the fact that personal names in which her name is included are often found in this particular area, while in other places they are rare or not known at all."

She also gave birth to the blessed Asteria,
The Persian once brought her into his palace, calling her his wife.
This one, having conceived, gave birth to Hecate - her in front of everyone
Zeus distinguished the Thunderer and granted her a glorious destiny:
Rule the fate of the earth and the barren desert sea.

She and the star Uranus were given an honorable destiny,
She is also revered by the immortal gods more than anyone else.
For even now, when one of the earthly people,
Making his sacrifices according to the law, he prays for mercy,
Then he calls on Hecate: he receives great honor
It’s very easy, since his prayer is received favorably.
The goddess also sends him wealth: her strength is great.
Hecate has a share in every honorable destiny
Those who were born from Gaia-Earth and from Heaven-Uranus,
Kronid did not force her and did not take her back,

What the goddess received from the Titans, from the former gods.
Everything was preserved for her, that during the first division into shares
It fell to her from the gifts on earth, and in heaven, and in the sea.
She receives no less honor, as the only daughter, -
Even more: she is deeply revered by Kronid.
The goddess brings great benefits to whomever she wishes.
He wants to exalt anyone among everyone in the national assembly.
If people are preparing for a man-killing battle,
Hekate becomes close to those whom she wishes
Give victory favorably and decorate your name with glory.

A goddess sits next to worthy kings in court.
It is very useful when people compete:
The goddess stands next to them and gives them help.
Whoever wins with power and strength receives a reward,
He rejoices in his heart and brings glory to his parents.
She also gives help to horsemen whenever she wishes,
Also to those who, among the blue, destructive waves, hunt,
He will pray to Hecate and the noisy Ennosigeus.
It gives a lot of prey very easily when hunting,
It’s very easy, if he wants, to show it and take it away.

Together with Hermes, she multiplies cattle in the barnyards;
A scattered herd of grazing goats or steep-horned cows,
A flock of thick-fleeced sheep, wishing with her soul, she can
Make the smallest things great, and the great things small.
So, even though the mother has only one daughter, still
She is honored with all honor among the immortal gods.
Zeus entrusted her with the care of the children who would see
After the goddess Hecate, the multi-seeing Eos rises.
From time immemorial she preserves her youth. These are all the deeds of the goddess.
(Hesiod. Theogony)

Homer, oddly enough, does not mention Hecate. Perhaps this is due to the fact that her cult was more of a “female, folk” rather than a “palace” cult. Rather, simple (and not only ordinary) women glorified her when they gathered for their holidays or other gatherings. However, Hecate is mentioned in the Homeric hymns (as is known, dating back to the era of Homer, but not composed by him at all). There she is close to Demeter and Persephone, but does not play an exceptional role. Subsequently, the cult of Hecate became especially popular among the Orphic mystics. She was also brought closer to goddesses who were in one way or another connected with the mysteries (Rhea, Cybele, Persephone, Demeter).

In the classical era, Hecate became the goddess of the moon, night and the underworld. More often she was depicted with a torch in her hand. Statues of Hecate were placed at crossroads to protect against evil. At the same time, it was she who was blamed for the madness and the appearance of ghosts. Even later, Hecate becomes the patroness of witchcraft and the progenitor of all sorceresses. She was responsible for the madness that befalls people, insanity or obsession with any idea. At the same time, she could protect against evil demons and witchcraft.
In Rome, Hecate was compared with the goddess Trivia - “the goddess of the three roads.”

Pedigree.

She was called Enodia... According to Apollodorus, Hecate was the daughter of the titans Persus and Asteria. Asteria was the sister of Leto, mother of Apollo and Artemis. Both parents were the titans Kay and Phoebe. Persian was born from Crius and Eurybia, daughter of Pontus. (The latter, apparently, was a sea titan, the personification of the sea.)

Asteria, the mother of Hecate, was at one time sexually persecuted by Zeus, like her sister Leto. But Asteria took on the image of a quail in order to get rid of the annoying seducer. The city of Delos was originally named after her (according to the same Apollodorus) - Asteria. It was in this city that Asteria’s sister Leto was finally able to stop and give birth to twins Artemis and Apollo from the same Zeus.

Servius, in his comments to Virgil’s Aeneid, says that Asteria herself begged the gods to turn her into a quail. And when she finally crossed the sea in the form of a bird, the vengeful Zeus turned her into a rock, which, at the request of her sister Leto, another concubine of Zeus, became an island. Most likely, Asteria had already given birth to Hecate from the titan Persus, otherwise how could this have happened to a rock or an island?.. It is not surprising that after what happened with her mother and aunt, Hecate did not particularly associate with men, and in addition took herself (Zeus only had to agree) the exclusive right to roam all the worlds as and when she wants.

Hecate was considered the mother of Empusa - a monster who at night takes the form of a wonderful maiden, captivating travelers or a terrible ghost. Empusa's face glows with heat, and one leg is copper. Another monster, Scylla (Skilla), was also believed to be the daughter of Hecate.

Myths and stories

The most famous plot: Hecate helps Demeter find her kidnapped daughter, Persephone. She is the only one who comes to the aid of the unfortunate goddess. Her sympathy is not surprising. According to her family history we know that her mother died because of the irrepressible voluptuousness of Zeus, and her aunt finally gave in. It was Hecate who could be the patroness of the offended, humiliated and insulted women of patriarchal Greek society. This is the Terrible and Almighty Mother, who will punish offenders, send them madness, misfortune or something else. It is enough just to carry out some kind of witchcraft ritual.

Hecate also helps the sorceress Medea to achieve Jason's love. However, this is the fate of sorceresses in love, trying to win love with their charms - Jason abandoned her. This is even unfair, because it was Medea who saved him, helped him out and committed crimes against her family and country for the sake of her beloved. But that's exactly what happens. For Jason, Medea was only a tool to complete the quest.

The sorceress Circe (Kirka) was considered the priestess of Hecate. She turned the men who came to her island into different animals. Odysseus, with the help of Hermes, managed to resist her charms, seduce the sorceress and live with her for three years.

Perhaps Iphigenia, the daughter of Agamemnon, who became a servant of the “local” Artemis in Tauris, actually turned out to be a priestess of Hecate. They were going to sacrifice her, but the goddess replaced the girl with an animal. The general plot is similar to the “classic” plot of Hecate (see about Hecuba - below).
The goddess Electra from Samothrace, who initiated the Argonauts into her mysteries, was believed to be none other than Hecate (Apollonius, Argonautica, I, 915-917).

In later myths, Hecate turns out to be the daughter of Zeus and Hera, who angered her mother for helping Europa, one of Zeus's lovers. Hecate initially hides on the ground at the bedside of the woman in labor. Hecate then goes to Hades and dwells there.

In one myth, Hecate turns into a bear or wild boar and kills her own son, then revives him. Possessing secret powers, she wears a necklace of testicles, her hair is a writhing snake that turns into stone like Medusa - the Gorgon.

Triple Goddess

Hecate is characterized by its triplicity. Her statues were three-body, depicting three identical mature women facing three directions and holding torches, snakes (or whips) and daggers. Such statues of Hecate were placed at crossroads.

Some believe that Hecate's three bodies symbolize her three hypostases as the goddess of fertility and abundance, the goddess of the Moon and the goddess of witchcraft and darkness. However, it is difficult to compare this interpretation with the attributes of the goddess depicted in ancient times.

However, Hecate was closely associated with two other goddesses - Demeter, the goddess of fertility, and her daughter Persephone (Kore), the goddess of the Underworld. Hecate acted as an assistant to both in dark matters associated with the darkness of the night.

It is sometimes believed that she had three guises - a mare, a dog and a lion. And also ruled the triad of human existence - birth, life and death and time - past, present and future. It is more likely that its triple nature was primarily associated with the three states of the Moon - the waxing Moon, the full Moon and the waning Moon.

In our time, she is credited with the “three whips of power” with which she controls humanity. However, in depictions she always has two whips (sometimes replaced by snakes) in two hands. The remaining two bodies are holding other objects. Being depicted in one body, the goddess more often held torches than whips (and she had only two hands).

Lunar Triad: Artemis - Selene - Hecate

Hecate was seen as the “occult sister” of Artemis. They have similar character and some attributes. Both of them rush along the same paths and roads known to them. Both do not have a husband who restricts their freedom. Both are accompanied by dogs. Both patronize women in trouble.

The lunar triad represents Hecate as the "virgin" goddess. Virgin goddesses these days are associated with inner drive in women. They tend to follow their own interests, solve problems on their own, compete with others, express themselves clearly through words or art forms, lead the world in order, or leading a contemplative life according to your liking. Such a goddess (and a woman with similar qualities) is driven by the need to follow her inner values, to do what makes sense or satisfies herself, regardless of what other people think. All this fully applies to Artemis and Hecate. But even Selena chooses virginal loneliness here. She sits and dreams of her lover, who sleeps on her lap. For some reason, she is not attracted to a real relationship with a man.

Earthly Triad: Demeter - Persephone - Hecate

Hekate was usually associated with Persephone (Kore), not Demeter. Persephone shares the first part of her name with Persus, the titan and father of Hecate. The second part of her name “fon” means “destroyer.” Persephone fulfills a destiny that was not woven by her, by, as a last resort, cutting its thread. This makes her similar to the shooters Apollo and Artemis. Apollo Hecate (“Far Sighting”) was revered.

The earthly triad represents Hecate as a "vulnerable" goddess. These are relationship-oriented goddesses whose well-being depends on the relationships that are meaningful to them. They reflect women's need for belonging and affection. The focus of their attention is on others, not on an external goal or an internal state. It is this kind of Hecate that is able to turn a favorable gaze to those asking for love, luck and wealth. It is in the myth of Demeter and the abducted Persephone that Hecate helps other deities. The story of kidnapped, dishonored and raped maidens touches her heart like no other in Greek mythology.

Names and functions

Hecate Chthonia

Few of the Olympian gods had the epithet "Underground". It was Zeus, Demeter and Gaia, the only one of the Olympians who had a move to Hades - Hermes and, of course, Hecate. It was Hecate Chthonia. It was she who caused nightmares and madness, and was so terrifying that many ancients called her only “The Nameless One.” This is what they call death.

Hecate Urania

Little is already known about this image of the goddess. However, this is an echo of those times when Hecate was both Chthonia and Urania, a heavenly and underground goddess.
Mother of Witchcraft

In this form, Hecate has survived to this day. Shakespeare mentioned her as the inspiration for all the witches in Macbeth. Modern neo-witches also perceive her, for the most part, as the patroness of dark witchcraft (not black magic, but all sorts of night activities).

Hecate Propylaea

Hecate The protector of the young and defenseless, so famous in ancient times, later became the confidant of offended girls and women seeking to regain their woman's happiness and for this purpose resorting to charms. In “The Aeneid” (Book 4), before stabbing herself with a dagger, the beloved abandoned by Aeneas turns to Hecate, calling for the goddess’s revenge on all the Trojans. Among the mystics of the turn of our era, Hecate reappeared and was revered as the keeper of secrets and roads along which the chosen ones walk.

Patroness of weddings and childbirth

According to some views, torches can be interpreted as a classic attribute of the goddess of childbirth. Also, Cassandra in Euripides' Troas appeals to Hecate on this matter. The dagger in the hands of Hecate is also associated with the instrument for cutting the umbilical cord of a child at the moment of birth.
Hecate - Enodia ("Road")

This is the main role of Hecate in the views of mystics. Hecate was also the companion (guide?) of Persephone, the Queen of the Underworld. It is possible that Hecate was represented in this role in the Eleusinian Mysteries. In the Aeneid (Book 6), Hecate is the patroness and “teacher” of Sibylla of Cumae, giving her the power to wander the roads of Tartarus.

Goddess of Limits

Hecate was the deity of thresholds, crossroads and limits, all those places where “this and that”, “ours and the other”, “this-worldly and otherworldly” come together. This goddess in many ancient sacraments was considered the guardian of the gates.

Habits

It was believed that Hecate wanders the roads at night with a retinue of dogs and the souls of the dead. On her feet are bronze sandals (leather, with bronze studs). Dogs' eyes glow red in the dark. Perhaps these are the shadows of dogs sacrificed to Hecate (then among them there should be small thick-footed puppies with their necks cut - I hope not). Living dogs also see Hecate - then they begin to whine and howl. And this is a sign that the goddess is nearby. Hecate was accompanied by the demon spirits of Kera.

Attributes

“...the noxious juice of midnight grasses, three times pierced with the curse of Hecate,” as Shakespeare put it, could be the juice of aconite. In the arsenal of the goddess's magical herbs, the flower of the wrestler or aconite, which has received loud but sad fame, is often mentioned. The plant is called aconite from the ancient Greek city of Akone, near which this plant grew in abundance. In addition, near the city there was a cave leading, according to the Greeks, to hell. According to legend, aconite grew from the saliva of the dog Cerberus. It is known that both the above-ground part of the plant and the smell of the flowers itself are poisonous. Dilute aconite juice tamed sensual desire, and may have been used in rituals.

Fir branches entwined with ivy were a sign of the goddess Hecate in Greece. With their help, people protected themselves from illnesses and witchcraft.

Of the animals with which Hecate was associated, dogs are usually mentioned. But there were also hares.

Honor and Service

Belief in Hecate in classical Greece was considered more of a folk superstition. Statues of Hecate, displayed at crossroads, looked in three directions at once. And on the full moon, secret rituals were held in honor of her. Her sculptures with torches and swords were placed in front of houses to keep evil spirits at bay. In ancient times, people tried to appease the goddess by leaving chicken hearts and honey cakes at the doorstep. On the last day of the month, gifts were brought to crossroads - honey, onions, fish and eggs, and female lambs.

“To this we can add that Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft, was one of the most revered goddesses by women. In Aristophanes, leaving her house, a woman prays to Hecate at the door. In addition, Aristophanes reports on the play of women in honor of Hecate." (M. Nilsson. Greek folk religion.)

Caves were considered the cult places of Hecate. Its ancient altars were circular, with different inscriptions on them.

Healing diseases

Hecate was turned to when healing of the disease under the influence of the rituals of other gods did not occur. This usually involved some kind of madness. If the rituals of a deity produced catharsis in the patient and contributed to some changes, then the disease was believed to originate from that god. If there was no reaction to the ritual, then the cause of suffering was simply looked for elsewhere. This is how they tried Hecate's luck. And the main “practicing healer” was Asclepius.

Witchcraft cult

The sorcerers of late antiquity also gathered at crossroads to pay their respects to Hecate and her servants. One rather ominous address to her was recorded in the 3rd century by the Alexandrian scholar Hippolytus in his Philosophumena:

“Come, hellish, earthly and heavenly Bombo (Hecate), goddess of wide roads, crossroads, you who travel to and fro at night with a torch in your hand, enemy of the day. Friend and lover of darkness, you who rejoice when the bitches howl and warm blood flows, you who wander among ghosts and graves, you who satisfy the thirst for blood, you who cause fear in the mortal souls of children, Gorgo, Mormo, Luna, in a thousand forms, cast your merciful gaze on our sacrifice.”

For divination, the Greeks used the so-called. “Circle of Hecate” is a golden ball with a sapphire inside. How it worked is not very clear.

The goddess of witchcraft and mistress of ghosts, Hecate, had the last three days of each month, which were considered unlucky.

The power of herbs

The power of ancient witches was often associated with knowledge of the power of herbs, fruits, roots and potions obtained from them. There is a quotation from Sophocles' lost tragedy Rizotomoi, in which he describes the work of Medea:

Turning your gaze away from the work of your hand,
She juice is cloudy white, flowing from the wounds
Poisonous potion, in a copper vessel
Accepts carefully...
And in hidden caskets are stored bundles
Her cut herbs.
She lamented them loudly in [the night],
Naked, she cut with a copper sickle.
(Translated by F.F. Zelinsky).
And here is Ovid in “Metamorphoses” (Book 7):
And the shrine of the trilik goddess,

The dark oak grove where her deity was revered,
The ever-seeing father of his betrothed father-in-law,
He swears by his well-being and deeds to everyone.
The maiden believed - he immediately received the magic herbs;
I learned how to use them and returned home satisfied.
(Per S. Shervinsky)

The Roman poet Tibulus says that witches have a special, characteristic power only for them:

She was the only one given magic herbs
Medea, She is only given the power to pacify Hecate’s fierce dogs.
And Medea demonstrates her power in the same Ovid:
Medea came out, alone, in a belted dress, barefoot,
Lush hair down along the shoulders, untied.
With an unsteady step, in the silent silence of the deep night,

He goes without an escort. And people, and animals, and birds
They taste complete peace. The bush does not whisper, motionless;
The foliage of the forest is silent, the foggy air is silent.
The stars twinkle alone. And she stretched out her hands to them,
She turned around three times and scooped up water from the stream.

And she wet her hair and opened her lips three times
Howl; then, resting his knee on the hard ground,
She said: “Night! Confidant of secrets that the golden moon
You succeed the light of the day! You stars! Hecate with head
Trinity, you who descend to me as an accomplice in the matter

Help me! The art of magic and spells of magicians!
You, O Earth, who give the magicians the knowledge of powerful herbs,
Air and winds and you, O lakes and rivers and mountains,
All of you, gods of the forests, all gods of the night, appear!
By you, by my will, the rivers return to their sources

To the surprise of the shores; I pacify with spells
I wave the stormy sea and wave the stormless sea;
I call and drive the winds, I bring in and bring down the clouds;
I force the mouths of snakes to burst with the word of a spell;
Wild stones, oaks that are uprooted from the soil,

I move the forests too; I command - the mountains tremble,
And the earth howls, and the shadows of the grave come out.
I also draw you with force, moon, even with Temes copper*
Yours is reducing the damage. From my spells the chariot
Grandfather is paler; my poison makes Aurora turn pale.

You dulled the flames of the bulls for me with a curved plow
You wanted to squeeze their neck, which knew no load;
You threw the serpent-born into a furious battle among yourselves,
The guard, who did not know sleep, was put to sleep - the golden fleece,
Having cunningly deceived the snake, they transported it to the Greek harbor.

Now I need a composition that would make me old
Once again, refreshed, it would bloom and youth would return.
You won't refuse me. It was not in vain that the constellations sparkled,
And it’s not in vain that the winged dragons are drawn by the ridge,
Here the chariot is flying."

Petitions to the underground gods

In ancient times there was a peculiar practice. Lead tablets were compiled (lead is the metal of Saturn), buried in the ground or lowered into burial, in which the “petitioner” addressed Hermes the Underground and Hecate the Underground with the intention of causing harm and causing damage to his enemy. For example: “I hand over Ophelion and Canarides to Hermes the Chthonic and the conqueror Hermes. I curse Ophelion.” In addition to Hermes and Hecate, Gaia, Persephone and Hades were called upon for curses. Often there is a formula like: “just as this lead is dry and soulless, so let the deeds of my enemy be dry and soulless.”

Ovid in Metamorphoses (Book 7) fantasizes about Medea’s rite of rejuvenation of the elder Aeson:

Medea made two altars from turf,
On the right is the altar of Hecate and the altar of Youth is on the left.
She entwined both with wild leaves and sacred branches.
Having thrown away the earth from two pits nearby, he accomplishes
Sacrament; Medea plunges into the throat of a black-fleeced sheep

The knife drenches the wide pits with her blood,
She poured a pure cup of wine over blood,
She took a copper bowl and poured in fresh milk;
Meanwhile, words flow - he calls upon the underground gods,
He prays to the lord of shadows with his wife kidnapped together,

So that they do not rush to take away the soul from the body of a decrepit person.
Having won the mercy of both with a long prayerful whisper,
She ordered the frail old man out of the house
Take him out and, plunging him into a deep sleep with a spell,
It was as if she had laid a lifeless corpse on a grass bed.

So she ordered Jason and the servants to leave,
She ordered their uninitiated gaze to be taken away from the mystery.
And everything is deleted. Hair down, Medea
She walked around the glowing two altars according to the rite of the Bacchantes.
Having soaked the split torches in black blood, he holds

They are on both fires and the elder cleanses
Three times with fire, and three times with water, and three times with brimstone.
Meanwhile, in a copper cauldron, a powerful remedy boils
And it rises up and turns white with swollen foam.
She also cooks the roots found in the hemonian valley,

And seeds, and flowers, and bitter plant juices;
They add more stones from the outskirts of the East,
Pure sand that is washed by ocean water at low tide,
Here comes the dew that is collected at night by the moon;
He also puts the filthy owl’s wings in there with the meat,

Werewolf offal, that wolf image is bestial
Changes in appearance to a human; I also put it in the brew
And the Cynythian snake has scaly thin skin;
Liver of a male deer; included in the composition in addition
The head with the crooked beak of a century-old crow.

Celebrations and Mysteries

The annual telete [dedication] to Hecate in Aegina was believed to have been founded by Orpheus himself. Its functions are believed to have been "cathartic and aversive"... But the idea that these rituals were specifically aimed at curing mania seems to be mere conjecture (see E.R. Dodds The Greeks and the Irrational).

It is believed that Hecate played a role in the gaming mysteries on the field in Agra. Dieter Lauenstein says that it all could have started with tearing apart and eating meat. Then there was redemption through Hecate. The goddess helped to overcome the gaping abyss of cruelty and lust. Then it is the turn of other gods and goddesses to help the person. Lauenstein (Eleusinian Mysteries. - M.: Enigma: 1996.) even offers a reconstruction of these mysteries.

Hecate played her important role in the Eleusinian Mysteries. It is believed (by Dieter Lauenstein) that there were no special priestesses of Persephone in the Eleusinian Mysteries. Their role was played by the priestesses of Hecate, who in ordinary life were the wives (mothers or sisters) of the main priests. The sacraments themselves were supposed to extinguish memories of ordinary, everyday life. Therefore, Persephone and Hecate awakened “night consciousness” in people.

Let us remember that the only opportunity to wander after death in the darkness of Hades was to undergo initiation into the mysteries and repeat the sacraments on their own.

As Homer's Hymn to Demeter says:
Happy are those of earth-born people who have seen the sacraments,
The one who is not involved in them will not exist forever after death.
To have such a share in the many-gloomy underground kingdom...

Sacrifices were made to Hecate, among other deities, during Athens holiday Thesmophoria. And also at the war games that preceded the Eleusinian Mysteries.

According to Nilsson, the all-Greek Hecate festival was held on August 13-14. And the festival in Stratonica in Caria was called Hekatesia. Temples of Hecate have been discovered in Miletus, Argos, Eleusis, Aegina and Athens, and statues have been found throughout Greece.

The cult of Hecate among the Neoplatonists

It is clear that the intellectual was unlikely to find anything attractive for himself in the popular cult of Hecate. No, philosophers and mystics saw in Hecate something more than just the patroness of all sorts of dark affairs.

It is known that they had their own theurgic rites. associated with Hecate. Theurgy is a kind of elite magic of the ancient world. “A syncretic form of magical art that developed by the 1st century. AD, is strikingly different from the classical one. This is a complex professional discipline that requires special training, special literature, based on ancient (partly real, partly fictional) traditions. Within this form of magic there is a hierarchy of procedures, at the highest level of which are magical sessions of contact with the gods.” (A.V. Petrov.)

Theurgy: socio-cultural aspects of the emergence of philosophically interpreted magic in antiquity.)

Neoplatonists involved in theurgy often received signs from statues, including Hecate. Maximus, a student of Iamblichus, saw Hecate laughing and the torches in her hands were lighting up. It is believed, however, that the animation of Hecate statues was common in classical Greek magic.

Proclus, who lived in the 5th century AD, being a deep and frail old man, “saw with his own eyes the luminous ghosts of Hecate.” He was taught this by the daughter of his teacher Plutarch, Asclepigenia, who came from an ancient Eleusinian priestly family on her mother’s side. (This again refers us to the connection between the cult of Hecate and the Eleusinian Mysteries.)

The hymn of Proclus Diadochos to Hecate and Janus is known:

Rejoice, most glorious mother of the gods, with good offspring!
Rejoice, O Hekate of the threshold, mighty in strength!
Rejoice, Ian the progenitor himself, indestructible Zeus!
Rejoice, highest Zeus! Oh, grant me full of blessings

Drive away the bright path of life and drive away evil illnesses
Away from the body, and attract the soul to yourself, cleansing
A mind-awakening action from passionate earthly temptations!
Oh, I beg you, give me your hand, show me the path
God's chosen one, I wish it! Let me see

Precious light, let us avoid the birth of black evil!
Oh, I beg you, give me your hand, blow the wind for me,
That the harbor of piety will bring much to the sufferer.
Rejoice, most glorious mother of the gods, with good offspring!
Rejoice, O Hekate of the threshold, mighty in strength!

Rejoice, Ian the progenitor himself, O highest Zeus!
(Translation by O.V. Smyka)

The Roman Emperor Julian the Sun Worshiper was initiated into the private mysteries of Hecate. It was dedicated to him at the age of nineteen or twenty by the philosopher Maxim of Ephesus.

Analogues of Hecuba

Hecuba in Greek mythology is the wife of the Trojan king Priam. Her father was considered to be the Phrygian king Dimant or a certain Kissei (eponym of the Thracian city of Kissos). Who her mother was was unknown even in antiquity. In the Iliad, Hecuba is the mother of nineteen sons. At least she is definitely the mother of the famous Hector, Paris, Helen, Deiphobus, Troilus (from Apollo), Polydorus and the daughters of Cassandra and Polyxena. Hecuba is best known for her grief over her murdered son, the hero Hector, her captive daughter Cassandra, and her daughter-in-law Andromache, who sacrificed her daughter Polyxene.

Hecuba took revenge on the ruler of Chersonese of Thracia, Polymester, for the treacherously killed by him of Hecuba’s son, Polydorus. (When Polymestor learned of the destruction of Troy, he killed the young man.) She killed all his children and blinded the king himself. Hecuba was stoned by the inhabitants of the city. There are two versions of her further fate. She was transferred by Apollo to Lycia, where there was a famous sanctuary of Asia Minor Hecate. Or she was turned into a dog and rushed into the Hellespont, and we remember that the dog is Hecate’s animal. Also, Cape Kinossema (“dog mound”) in the Hellespont, considered the tomb of Hecuba, was also called the monument to Hecate.