Goddess Hecate - the goddess of darkness in Greek mythology

In ancient Greece, as in Rome, the dominant religion was paganism, characterized by polytheism, also called polytheism. This means that for each area of human activity a separate mythological character answered. The main deities, called the pantheon, included a dozen super-beings, led by Zeus, considered the ruler of the sky, the thunderer and the personification of absolute power. In a narrow circle were also his wife Hera, who patronized the family; Poseidon, who was something of a naval minister; Athena, who oversaw wisdom; Aphrodite, who possessed the strings of beauty and love; Ares, leader of the generals, and also Artemis, Apollo, Hermes, Hephaestus, Demeter and Hestia. All these heroes of myths, in addition to their special abilities, possessed another interesting property. They were very similar to ordinary people and externally, and actions, and motivation. The likeness of these deities was called anthropomorphism. The goddess Hecate in Greek mythology holds a special place. She was worshiped and sacrificed by many, but did it infrequently, very carefully, and sometimes even secretly.

Origin

If Apollo was a bright god, then it is quite logical that someone in Ancient Greece should have been responsible for the darkness. This was the goddess Hecate, the bearer of a clearly chthonic character, who got into the official mythology from pre-Olympic times, that is before Zeus ascended the sacred mountain Olympus. Her responsibilities included the management of sorcery, witchcraft, nightmarish dreams and other sombre manifestations of mental human activity. Its origin is partly eastern, the father is titan Persus (Destroyer), and the mother - Asteria (goddess of light, oracles and night prophecies, including prophetic dreams, astrology and necromancy). The goddess of hell Hecate is also the granddaughter of Helios (the Sun). All this means that a direct genealogical relationship with the Olympic celibates (if you believe Hesiod), it is not traced. Moreover, it represents the class of defeated Titans, but, despite this, it retained its functions, and also won the respect of Zeus himself, who introduced her into the narrow circle of the inhabitants of the new pantheon, entrusting her with very responsible work.

Scope of Activities

The goddess of darkness of Hecate is not always scary - it has helped people in their everyday life, patronizing cattle breeding, legal proceedings, a people's congress, sports competitions and military successes. In addition, she protected small children and adolescents, "managed" motherhood, assisted in the process of birth (now this would be called a perinatal function) and further education. And the goddess Hecate helped wanderers and consoled abandoned lovers. Such a wide range of responsibilities is due to the fact that some of the functions were transferred to her from Apollo, Artemis and Hermes. But all this was only a "part-time job". And the main thing for her was darkness.

Scientific research of the image

Early references to it are found in Hesiod's Theogony (Greek epic poetic period between the 8th and 7th centuries BC). The inscription on the gates of the ancient city of Miletus in the form of the name of the goddess as the defender serves as yet another proof of her presence in the archaic Greek religion (around the sixth century BC).

The first sculptural images give an idea of a single-faced female image, later appeared statues with a large number of faces (mostly with three, but sometimes four). In 1896, historian Lewis Richard Farnell noted that images and literary references are more common in the outskirts than in the centers of Greek polytheism. The goddess of darkness of Hecate is described contradictory and polymorphic, and its definition and description eludes the reader. Its worlds are the earth, the sea and the sky. Her ability to create or subdue storms probably played a role in accepting her as the patroness of shepherds and sailors.

Moon

The last day of the month belongs to Hecate, it was at this time that the ancient Greeks paid tribute and addressed their requests. For this reason she is also the goddess of the moon. Hecate was often portrayed with her sacred dogs, sometimes clothed in a medium-length cloak and shod in boots, like her cousin, patron of hunters. Nevertheless, Hecate and her dogs often have three heads and are able to see in all directions. Like Artemis, the Greek goddess Hecate loves solitude and is virgin. This means that in most literary sources she never marries and does not give birth to children. Perhaps, it is because of the lack of joy of motherhood that it protects pregnant women and alleviates their suffering. It is the goddess Hecate and the guardian of children's health.

Appearance

According to the legends, it is invisible or feels like a kind of motion of ethereal light. Perhaps, thanks to this quality, Hecate is considered the goddess of the Moon, although her images contradict this idea. It is quite possible (as some scientists believe) that her ability to shine is inspired by the image of her mother, the starry Asteria. Each statue of the goddess Hecate gives an idea not of some ethereal being, but rather of a solid and completely earthly one. The consequence of the desire to resolve this contradiction is manifested in the torch, which ancient Greek sculptors put in her hand. Usually the goddess of the underworld Hecate is portrayed in the form of a beautiful woman (it happens, however, three-headed), but sometimes she is pretty scary. Sometimes it is shown with lion's, snake's, horse's, dog's or boar's heads (in various combinations). It is clear why she is considered the goddess of visions and knowledge.

Abilities

Its ability to see in several directions at once (including in the past, present and future) is central to the most famous myths. For example, when Hades kidnapped Persephone, it was Hecate, who had the opportunity to see the whole journey into the realm of the dead, accompanying Demeter while searching for her missing daughter, lighting her way with her torch. The goddess of the underworld Hecate continued to play an important role in the life of Persephone, supporting her during the year's captivity. Hades was glad to be friends with her, showed hospitality to her, revering her as her guest, who was allowed to come and go freely.

According to legends, she visited graves, cemeteries and crime scenes, and her arrival is usually preceded by barking or howling dogs. Also the goddess Hecate is considered the defender of the oppressed. In ancient Rome, many slaves were released to serve their cult as priests in special gardens built in her honor.

Victims of Hecate

An indispensable element of the cult worship of this goddess in the ancient world was the so-called Hecate supper. He was preparing to appease the powerful patroness of the humiliated and avoid the many troubles that might occur in case of an inadequate level of reverence (the living dead ghosts, for example). The offerings were brought to the crossroads of the roads to the statue and included various products. It was believed that one should show generosity and do not spare eggs, milk, honey and black lambs - this is what Hecate loves most. The goddess of the offering shared these with the homeless and the destitute, who were under her protection. It was also customary at the end of the lunar month to exhibit chicken hearts for the threshold, sacrificing them for the glory of Hecate. History is silent about who eat them, but you can guess that they were very happy with the cats and dogs.

Quotes

In Roman mythology, Hecate was known as Trivia (goddess of crossroads). The ancient Greeks revered her as the goddess of fertility and abundance, the moon and night ghosts. Interestingly mythological justification of why the goddess Hecate brings wealth. Quotations from ancient texts indicate that:

1. "The Goddess Gaia through the love of God ... gave birth to Asteria, which Perses brought to his big house to call her dear wife. And she conceived and gave birth to Hecate, which Zeus, the son of Cronus, honored above all. "

2. "He gave her magnificent gifts, a share of land and a barren sea. She also received the starry sky and the honor of the immortal gods. For whenever any of the people on earth offer rich sacrifices and prays for the benefit, according to custom, he calls on Hecate. "

3. "It is a great honor to whom the prayers are pleasing to the goddess, and she will grant wealth to him."

4. "And when people arm themselves for battle, the goddess will give victory to the one whom she favors. It's also good, when people claim that they won the games, because the goddess is with them, and one who by power and strength gains victory easily wins the rich prize with joy and brings glory to his parents. "

5. "The herds of cows and broad herds of goats, and the flocks of fleecy sheep, if she wishes, increase from a few, or she causes many to be less."

The Priestesses of Hecate

Euripides in "Iphigenia in Tauris" directly pointed out that "Iphigenia was the priestess of the goddess, worshiped Taurus."

The powerful witch Circe (Kirke), the character of the Odyssey of Homer, is also believed to be the priestess of Hecate.

Medea was also a priestess and possessed the secrets of witchcraft. She appealed to Hecate's name in Colchis and Corinth to send her: "... during the whole day she was busy in the temple of Hecate, because she herself was the priestess of the goddess." And again: "There is a virgin ... that the goddess Hecate taught to treat magical herbs with excellent craftsmanship" (The Book of the Argonauts, III).

Eventually, Medea ordered the Argonauts to appease Hecate with sacrifice.

What was Hecate

After all the readers read, accustomed to a simplified modern scheme of character evaluation and division of them into antagonists and protagonists, it may be of interest to answer the question of which class of mythical creatures should be attributed to the ancient Greek goddess Hecate. Is her image positive, or is she, rather, the embodiment of universal evil? Most likely, such a statement of the question would have led the inhabitant of Hellas into a sort of stupor. The fact is that the epic gods were endowed with features of ordinary people. They were flattered, they were subjected to the same temptations as the usual inhabitants of Ancient Greece or Rome, they wanted generous offerings, and they did not shy away from simple human joys. In light of this, they were also characterized by the emotions of ordinary people. Someone they sympathized with, but some do not. Do the same conclusions about how good they are, kind or, on the contrary, angry and ruthless, was considered in the ancient world as unacceptable. Oh, there are such, there are, and the task was only to please these gods.

And what if the Statue of Liberty is an image ...

It so happened that the democratic values on our planet are usually associated with the symbols of the New World. One of them is the Statue of Liberty, built by the French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, who professed the Masonic views. The author previously proposed to create a work in honor of the Eastern civilization and establish it at the entrance to the Suez Canal, but then it did not work out, but he managed to become famous later in the USA. What are the common features with this image of the goddess of darkness of Hecate? The statue takes up the torch, which indirectly hints at the surrounding darkness. The head of this lady is crowned by a crown, consisting of pointed spikes. When comparing these attributes of Freedom and images of ancient Greek idols, certain associations involuntarily arise. Most of all, the American statue is reminiscent of the goddess of darkness of Hecate. The photo of the statue's face gives an idea of the perfect beauty that does not cause any erotic associations. What can she look for in the daytime with fire and why should she torch? What do these horn-rays symbolize, covering the forehead like the Gorgon's snakes?

Now it remains only to guess what deity Bartholdi meant by working on his sketches. The fact remains that there is an undeniable resemblance that has the symbol of "universal democracy" and the goddess of the underworld Hecate. The photos of these sculptures are easy to compare. As in the past millenniums, they awaken hope in the souls of some, and frighten others. Still others do not believe in the omnipotence of darkness and are ready to fight it.