From her father Perses, Hecate is often called “Perseis” (meaning “daughter of Perses”) [74] [75] which is also the name of one of the Oceanid nymphs, Helios’ wife and Circe’s mother in other versions. [76] In one version of Hecate's parentage, she is the daughter of Perses not the son of Crius but the son of Helios, whose mother is the Oceanid Perse. [77] Karl Kerenyi noted the similarity between the names, perhaps denoting a chthonic connection among the two and the goddess Persephone; [78] it is possible that this epithet gives evidence of a lunar aspect of Hecate. [79] Fowler also noted that the pairing (i. e. Helios and Perse) made sense given Hecate’s association with the Moon. [80] 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. [81] Cult [ edit ] Hecate holding two torches and dancing in front of an altar, beyond which is a cult statue, ca. 350–300 BC, red-figure vase, Capua, Italy. We’ve found Hecate tends to call a lot of younger witches to her path, because she feels she can teach them the old ways effectively. Of course, you can also work with Hecate in your later years, as she is often manifest as a crone or hag deity, as well. But here’s some specific ways to know Hecate is calling you to her: a b c d Mooney, Carol M., "Hekate: Her Role and Character in Greek Literature from before the Fifth Century B.C." (1971). Open Access Dissertations and heses. Paper 4651. In the syncretism during Late Antiquity of Hellenistic and late Babylonian (" Chaldean") elements, Hecate was identified with Ereshkigal, the underworld counterpart of Inanna in the Babylonian cosmography. In the Michigan magical papyrus (inv. 7), dated to the late 3rd or early 4th century CE, Hecate Erschigal is invoked against fear of punishment in the afterlife. [140] Schwemer believes that this use of Ereshkigal's name merely furnished "the Greek Netherworld goddess with a mysterious-sounding, foreign name". [141]

Hecate’s most sacred and loved animal is the dog. When you take care of our canine friends, do so in Hecate’s name. She will bless you AND your dogs or any dogs you care for. You can also call on Hecate to protect your dog from harm. If you can’t have a dog, donate your time OR old blankets, dog food, etc. to a local animal shelter. And tell Hecate you’re doing it in her name. This doesn’t just go for dogs, but for any kind of canine species. 6. Feasts for Hecate Proclus, Commentary on Plato's Cratylus 406 b (p. 106, 25 Pasqu.) [= Orphic fr. 188 Kern] [= OF 317 Bernabé]; West 1983, pp. 266, 267. The fragment is as follows: "Straightaway divine Hecate, the daughter of lovely-haired Leto, approached Olympus, leaving behind the limbs of the child." Daniel Ogden, Magic, Witchcraft, and Ghosts in the Greek and Roman Worlds, Oxford University Press, 2002, pp. 82–83.You can expect private sessions, customized spells that I'll create just for you, and free consultations before and after spell casting.You can also read hundreds of different testimonials that you can find at each spell. Dogs were closely associated with Hecate in the Classical world. "In art and in literature Hecate is constantly represented as dog-shaped or as accompanied by a dog. Her approach was heralded by the howling of a dog. The dog was Hecate's regular sacrificial animal, and was often eaten in solemn sacrament." [35] The sacrifice of dogs to Hecate is attested for Thrace, Samothrace, Colophon, and Athens. [11] A 4thcenturyBCE marble relief from Crannon in Thessaly was dedicated by a race-horse owner. [d] It shows Hecate, with a hound beside her, placing a wreath on the head of a mare. It has been claimed that her association with dogs is "suggestive of her connection with birth, for the dog was sacred to Eileithyia, Genetyllis, and other birth goddesses. Images of her attended by a dog [36] are also found at times when she is shown as in her role as mother goddess with child, and when she is depicted alongside the god Hermes and the goddess Cybele in reliefs. [37] This is something fun to do in Hecate’s honor. Locate Sirius, the Dog Star, in the night sky. Use a mobile app like SkyView to locate Sirius, and if you can see it with the naked eye, gaze at it awhile. Feel Hecate’s energy radiating down from the night sky and pulsing through your veins. The star Sirius is her sacred star. Draw Sirius on your body somewhere in honor of the goddess. 12. Work With Her Allies The Hecate Chiaramonti, a Roman sculpture of triple-bodied Hecate, after a Hellenistic original ( Museo Chiaramonti, Vatican Museums) There is another very important feature which arose out of the notion of her being an infernal divinity, namely, she was regarded as a spectral being, who at night sent from the lower world all kinds of demons and terrible phantoms, who taught sorcery and witchcraft, who dwelt at places where two roads crossed each other, on tombs, and near the blood of murdered persons. She herself too wanders about with the souls of the dead, and her approach is announced by the whining and howling of dogs. 13

Variations in interpretations of Hecate's roles can be traced in classical Athens. In two fragments of Aeschylus she appears as a great goddess. In Sophocles and Euripides she is characterized as the mistress of witchcraft and the Keres. [ citation needed] Is Hecate dark? Many say she’s a dark goddess and it seems that reputation precedes her. However, people forget she’s a goddess of childbirth and LIFE, too! She helps heal women in need of reproductive healing and aids in the birthing process. She’s as much LIGHT as she is DARK. She encompasses all of these things – she IS the polarity. Don’t be afraid to work with her because of how others perceive her. I can tell you I’ve only had good, healing experiences with her. Hecate’s Origins and MythsHomer, Odyssey 10.135; Hesiod, Theogony 956; Apollonius of Rhodes, Argonautica 4.591; Apollodorus, 1.9.1; Cicero, De Natura Deorum 48.4; Hyginus, Fabulae Preface Servius, Commentary on the Aeneid 6.118; Green, C. M. C. (2007). Roman Religion and the Cult of Diana at Aricia. New York: Cambridge University Press.