Dark goddesses. Dark Goddesses Instruction of the Dark Goddess
During the existence of her own cult, the many-faced Hecate changed many forms. Becoming famous in Ancient Greece as the patroness of the hearth, by the time her admirers disappeared, the goddess had turned into a libertine and a witch. One of the oldest inhabitants of Olympus tried on many images and, having chosen a suitable field of activity, remained faithful to her calling.
Origin story
The image of Hecate, as a symbol-conductor between the world of people and the world of magic, came to ancient Greek mythology from Asia Minor. Such borrowing is understandable; the inhabitants of Greece communicated quite closely with representatives of modern Turkey.
The name of the powerful deity became a prerequisite for the version that the worship of Hecate originated in Caria. An equally popular theory is that the story of the rise of the goddess began in Mesopotamia.
Active propaganda of Hecate began from the 7th century BC. The Greeks revered the woman as the goddess of roads, hunting and moonlight. Hecate patronized shepherds and simple young men, bestowed wisdom and helped them make decisions. With the growing influence of the Olympian pantheon, the cult was partially absorbed by the cult of Hecate.
![](https://i2.wp.com/24smi.org/public/media/resize/800x-/2018/3/13/artem.jpg)
Before the Hellenistic era, the beauty had positive characteristics and was considered mainly the protector of children and the home. In late antique literature, the character acquired a sinister meaning. Now the woman was revered as the goddess of crossroads, a resident world of the dead and the ruler of nightmares.
During this period, the triple meaning of Hecate developed especially strongly. The Greeks emphasized the influence of a powerful deity on human destiny - the beauty was responsible for the birth, life and death of a person (in other sources for the past, present and future).
![](https://i0.wp.com/24smi.org/public/media/resize/800x-/2018/3/13/khkhkhkh.jpg)
Gradually, the cult of the many-faced goddess spread to neighboring states and changed, acquiring more and more mystical features. By the beginning of the Middle Ages, Hecate had completely become the embodiment of vice and mysticism, which made the priestesses who worshiped the deity violators of Christian laws.
Image and character
The beautiful Hecate was born from love union titans Persus and Asteria (according to another source - from and). From birth, the girl had great influence on human destinies, so she was accustomed to power and honor. After the overthrow of the Titans by the Thunderer, the goddess remained on Olympus. The girl’s appearance, character and sanity impressed Zeus, so the new ruler of the heavens did not deprive Hecate of her duties.
![](https://i1.wp.com/24smi.org/public/media/resize/800x-/2018/3/13/zevs_x2Ue3Om.jpg)
But after the birth of the Thunderer's children, the order on Olympus changed. The moon goddess gradually lost influence among the gods and ceded her duties to Artemis and Selene.
Hecate was finally forced to leave Olympus. The daughter of the titans, who became friends with Europe, gave the girl blush. Europa, who adorned herself, attracted the attention of Zeus and soon became the lover of the Thunderer. Hera, who learned about everything, wanted to destroy Hecate, so the goddess had to hide from the wife of the Lord of Olympus under funeral clothes.
![](https://i1.wp.com/24smi.org/public/media/resize/800x-/2018/3/13/gera.jpg)
By this act, Hecate saved her own life, but deprived herself of divine purity. Now the beauty could not live among other gods. Having purified herself in the waters of the Acheron River, Hecate moved into the domain.
Soon after the move, the beauty gave birth to the monster Empuza - a creature that pretended to be a beautiful girl and lured lonely travelers to their death. Hecate received a new title - the goddess of the night, darkness and witchcraft. The girl became the patroness of those who traded in magic.
![](https://i0.wp.com/24smi.org/public/media/resize/800x-/2018/3/13/medeia.jpg)
A powerful beauty helped cast a spell. However, such an act could be dictated by a related feeling. Legend has it that Medea is the daughter of the goddess and king Aeetes.
It was Hecate who helped Demeter find. The goddess forced Helios to tell his inconsolable mother who kidnapped her daughter. Such an act was dictated by pity for the inconsolable Demeter, and by the duties of the goddess of justice, and by her complex character.
![](https://i2.wp.com/24smi.org/public/media/resize/800x-/2018/3/13/pers.jpg)
Since childhood, Hecate has not liked men. After all, a representative of the opposite sex is to blame for the fact that Asteria died when the girl was still very young. Hecate's mother attracted the attention of Zeus and, not wanting to give in to the god's advances, died. Since then, the gloomy beauty has left no chance for men to escape punishment. Persephone, in turn, thanked her new friend by making Hecate close to the ruler of the world of the dead.
Like Artemis, Hecate loved hunting and night walks. As night fell, the goddess climbed out of Tartarus. Surrounded by dogs, owls and faithful assistants, the girl wandered the Earth, often visiting cemeteries, where she raised the dead from their graves.
![](https://i1.wp.com/24smi.org/public/media/resize/800x-/2018/3/13/afr.jpg)
The gloomy goddess is surrounded by attributes of power. The beauty holds two torches in her hands, shedding light on the truth. From the girl’s belt hangs a dagger and a whip, which punish vicious mortals. The goddess always carries keys with her, symbolizing the entrance to the world of the dead.
Despite all the gloom of her duties, Hecate is a young and attractive girl. But before mere mortals, the goddess appears in the form of a three-faced deity. Three identical figures connected back to back - this is how the beauty appears before her priests and admirers.
![](https://i2.wp.com/24smi.org/public/media/resize/800x-/2018/3/13/germes.jpg)
Much connects Hecate with her husband, the god of trade. Common spheres of influence (magic, alchemy, crossroads and patronage of the dead) brought together such different deities. A short affair behind Aphrodite's back brought Hecate three daughters.
- It is theorized that the Statue of Liberty is a personification of Hecate. The attributes of the ancient Greek goddess and the most famous girl in the United States are similar: both hold a lit torch and decorate their heads with a crown of rays.
![](https://i0.wp.com/24smi.org/public/media/resize/800x-/2018/3/13/stat.jpg)
- Hecate accepted puppies as sacrifices, which were slaughtered in pits or caves away from sunlight.
- The priestesses of the Hecate cult performed the most important rituals on the night of August 30 to September 1.
- Altars dedicated to the goddess were most often installed at crossroads.
For many centuries, stories have been written about this goddess; she is mentioned in many legends. Let's find out who Hecate is.
Hecate- goddess dark forces, ghostly monsters, witchcraft and sorcery. Judging by the legends, she is the child of Asteria and Persian (this indicates her Eastern origin), Zeus gave her dominion over the earth and seas, and Uranus awarded her enormous power.
During the times of Ancient Greece, she was a special deity and was considered the patroness of dark forces, terrible dreams and ghosts.
Images of Hecate, goddess of darkness
This deity had three faces (or even three bodies); she had three heads and three pairs of arms, which allowed her to look in different directions. In Ancient Greek culture, the number “3” was often associated with the goddess Hecate. She ruled such elements as fire, earth and air, as well as the basis of human existence - birth, life and, of course, death.
- Hecate (daytime image): guardian of youth, hunting, judicial and military affairs, various meetings. Here she was an experienced, wise adviser to people.
- Hecate (image at night): minion of the night, nightmares, monsters, terrible debauchery, darkness. Her face, the snakes on her head, are both beautiful and scary. The warlike goddess loves to hunt at night among the graves and dead souls with a pack of hound dogs from the kingdom of darkness. She was revered and prayed to by criminals, murderers, whose loving hearts were rejected. She told how to prepare poisonous decoctions and love potions.
- Another appearance of the goddess: heavenly “Urania” - irresistible spiritual love. Young and very beautiful, this beauty does not evoke sexual desires, she is only admired and worshiped.
This mysterious woman is called by different names, and each name characterizes the roles and properties assigned to it at different periods of time. Here are a few of the particularly illustrious names:
- Chthonia - “earthly”
- Dadophora - "torch bearer"
- Enodia - “road”
- Klidofora - “housekeeper”
- Kurotropha - "nurse of children"
- Phosphorus - “light-bearing”
- Propola - “companion”
- Propylaea - "gatekeeper"
- Soteira - "savior"
- Triformis - “three-body”
- Trioditis - (goddess) of the “three roads.”
Threefold deity
Proto-Aryan peoples had their own idea of the image of the goddess, connecting it with the two worlds of the living and the dead. She is both darkness and light. Statues of this almighty woman were placed at crossroads. The Romans called Hecate Trivia(“Three-faced”). Temples were built in honor of only one essence of the goddess, since not all people understood the trinity of one god.
The past, present and future were subject to Hecate, the moon endowed the goddess with a huge magical power. The goddess could influence humanity, time and space, which made her the best ally of sorcerers who really wanted to change the seemingly unchangeable physical world. Those who were not afraid to pronounce her name in their spells received a piece of her supernatural power as a reward.
Trivia Crossroads
During times pagan gods triceps. The gaze of the goddess is directed simultaneously in three directions.
And when the full moon rose, the worshipers of Hecate performed secret rituals in order to appease their goddess.
Figures of the divine maiden with torches and swords were placed in front of houses, thereby scaring away evil spirits. The name Hecate was associated with sacrifices, sacraments, and spells.
Leaving chicken hearts and honey in front of their door, people thought that the goddess would have mercy on them and hear their prayers.
On the final day of the month, gifts were brought to the crossroads - honey, onions, eggs and fish, as well as dolls in the form of babies and female lambs, personifying the sacrifice. The sorcerers gathered there to pay their respects to Hecate.
Hecate (Wikipedia)
Translated from ancient Greek (Ἑκάτη) - the goddess of the moon, shadows, darkness and the underworld. Divine maiden of witches, sorcerers and all things witchcraft. There is an opinion that the image of Hecate came to the Greeks from the Thracian peoples.
According to Wikipedia, Hecate is a nocturnal “chthonia” and a heavenly “uronia”, walks among the graves and retrieves the souls of the dead. It sows horrors and induces terrible dreams, but can also protect against witchcraft and evil demons. One of her constant companions was the donkey-footed monster Empusa, who could change appearance and frighten belated wanderers, as well as demon spirits, kers. This is exactly how the goddess was represented on monuments of fine art starting from the 5th century. BC e.
Mythical stories
Most famous story- this is when Hecate helps Demeter find her kidnapped daughter, Persephone. She alone came to the aid of the unfortunate goddess. Her sympathy is understandable.
From her family history it is known that her mother died due to the irrepressible voluptuousness of Zeus, and her aunt finally gave in. Therefore, it was Hecate who was the patroness of the offended, defiled and humiliated women of Greek society. A terrible and omnipotent woman who will punish offenders, deprive them of their minds, bring misfortune or something else. To do this, you just need to perform some kind of witchcraft ritual.
Hecate also helps Medea make Jason fall in love with her. But as a rule, sorceresses in love, trying to win the heart of their beloved with their charms, are left alone - Jason abandoned her. Despite the fact that it was Medea who saved him, helped him out and committed crimes against her family and country for the sake of love for him. For Jason, Medea was only a tool to achieve his goals.
In one myth, the goddess transforms into a bear or wild boar and kills her child (a boy), then brings him back to life.
Brginya has secret powers, wears a necklace of testicles, and has snakes on her head.
In recent mythological stories, Hecate is revealed to be the daughter of Zeus and Hera, earning her mother's wrath for helping Europa, one of Zeus' lovers. Hecate first takes refuge on the ground at the bedside of the woman in labor. Then he goes to Hades and lives there.
Attributes of Hecate
![](https://i2.wp.com/devochki.guru/wp-content/auploads/270898/162011357-1.jpg)
In Greece, the symbol of Hecate was amulets made of fir branches entwined with ivy, which protected the people from harm.
Temple of Hecate
Judging by the myths, temples dedicated to the goddess were built near the city on a hill among trees, where there is little light. There was always a statue of the deity himself; the sculpture could be one (three bodies connected together) or three figures separately looking in different directions, which symbolized its three hypostases. There were torches and dogs walking around the temple.
IN Greek mythology- a strong goddess who patronizes magic and sorcery.
Hecate has three meanings: goddess of fertility and abundance; moon goddess; and queen of the night, ghosts and shadows. As the Moon Goddess, she is often in alliance with Selene and Diana/Artemis - a triple Goddess. 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. She causes nightmares and madness, and is so terrifying that many of the ancients called her only “The Nameless One.” She is the goddess of darkness on the Moon, the destroyer of life, but also the regenerator of life.
![](https://i2.wp.com/ru1.anyfad.com/items/t1@354ed050-6824-4da6-b93b-7cc843e45bd1/Boginya--Gekata.jpg)
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 of testicles, her hair is a writhing snake that turns to stone like the Gorgon Medusa.
Hecate - goddess of all crossroads
She looks in three directions at once. In ancient times, her three-headed statues were installed at many intersections, and at full moon secret rituals were performed to appease her. Statues of Hecate with torches and swords were placed in front of houses to keep evil spirits at bay. As the goddess of all types of magic and witchcraft, Hecate was much more important in ancient times than the mythical sorceress Medea, who helped Jason steal The Golden Fleece and about whom they sometimes said that she was the daughter of Hecate.
![](https://i0.wp.com/ru8.anyfad.com/items/t1@5e61aa74-bedb-4963-9920-01784e18158f/Boginya--Gekata.jpg)
Hecate in modern witchcraft
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
![](https://i0.wp.com/ru2.anyfad.com/items/t1@61380725-8fab-4154-bbfd-197e6f83ef7d/Boginya--Gekata.jpg)
Goddess Hecate
Before we can talk about working with dark goddesses, let's explore what they are. The term "dark goddesses" is usually applied to those whose aspects are ambiguous. However, all deities have multiple aspects, and in modern times one can observe a tendency among practitioners to simplify their vision of the deity. Therefore, a close study of how the ancients understood them is necessary. And we will see that even the brightest deities we honor today have some dark aspects.
In ancient times there were no “dark” or “light” goddesses, rather there were different aspects of a goddess or god that were invoked under certain circumstances. Classic examples of this were Sekhmet with the head of a lioness, as well as Isis. Sekhmet represents the ferocity of the midday sun, the hottest and lightest time of the day. In addition to nearly destroying humanity when people disrespected her father Ra, Sekhmet was capable of healing or causing illness. Thus, she represents the qualities of healing and death: the light and dark aspects.
Isis, a benevolent mother and obedient wife, was also the mistress of magic. She acquired this power by making a serpent from Ra's saliva and had it bite him. Nothing could heal him, and only Isis could do this after he gave her his secret name and bestowed all the power of magic. So Isis cheated by showing her dark side and getting what she wanted.
Such aspects occur at all stages of our life, as well as death. Dark goddesses are associated with periods of transition and transformation that we undergo. Thus, the dark goddess as a divine midwife is our first encounter with her, for example, in the form Egyptian goddess with the head of the frog Heket and the hippopotamus goddess Taurt.
Dark goddesses are powerful primitive entities, representing the mystery of birth at a time when civilization was in its infancy, and man struggled to bring order to the chaos that he found around him. To appease nature, deities were often depicted as anthropomorphic creatures, that is, they combined images of the human body with those animals whose qualities they possessed. Over time, the divine midwife appeared in a fully human form, but with a fearsome aspect, similar to Ceridwen in Celtic myths and Hecate in the Greek pantheon.
The next transitional stage in our lives is puberty and the physical changes associated with it. For women, this is the beginning of their coming into strength as they experience their first menstruation. In all cultures throughout history, menstrual blood has been associated with taboos. To patriarchy, menstrual blood represents feminine power, which they wanted to control or enslave. Menstrual blood symbolized female sexuality, causing feelings of withdrawal and fear in men. This shows that the creative force of life that resides in women does not depend on how many creation myths men have come up with, where the world is created by male gods!
In addition, since there can be no doubt about who the mother of the child is, but it is not always obvious who the father is, at one stage in history they decided to block the woman, hide her, in order to guarantee the paternity of a certain man. Goddesses associated with sexuality and sexual pleasure were very powerful entities, so they began to be demonized and their energies began to be considered unhealthy.
Women were forced to be modest, suppress their desires for pleasure, and submit to men. A goddess who challenged this notion and encouraged women to be proud of their gender and stand as equals with men was inevitably labeled as evil and dark.
The best illustration of this is Lilith. Lilith was Adam's first wife and was not created from him, as Eve was later. Lilith did not want to lie under Adam in a missionary position, which minimized her pleasure and showed his dominance. Lilith wanted to be on top and enjoy herself to the fullest. So Adam complained to Jehovah, and Lilith used the secret name JHVH to hide. The three angels sent for her were powerless to bring her back.
This shows Lilith's divine nature, and that she was not a passive woman, but a strong and sexy goddess who could harness the power of God's name and ignore the angels with impunity. Inevitably and quickly, Lilith became demonized and turned into a night witch who killed babies, playing on women's greatest fears: the safety and health of their children, turning them away from Lilith.
It wasn't just Lilith who was demonized. A study of medieval grimoires quickly identifies many so-called demons as corruptions of the names of ancient deities like Ashtaroth, a corruption of Astarte, or Ishtar.
Apart from the stages of life that are influenced by dark goddesses, there are other aspects that we must consider in order to give a clear idea of the range of qualities represented by such goddesses. One such area is war or conflict. There are many goddesses of war in the history of mythology, one of the best examples is Morrigan.
Due to her sexual and warlike nature, Morrigan could not be included in the pantheon of saints like Bridea, and was demonized as a banshee. Ishtar is another good example of a fierce, sexy and warrior goddess who challenges male stereotypes.
Why does the goddess represent battle when war is often seen as the domain of men? Men have long known that the most scary man on the planet is a mother protecting her own children, so perhaps this is not surprising!
Vengeance and retribution is another aspect that we see in the dark goddesses. We are talking about goddesses, such as Nemesis, who punished people who sinned against Themis and the natural balance of events - they feel her anger.
Another transitional period that has always brought problems is old age. Old age brings fear of mortality, exposes our shadows, as well as fear of something beyond, unknown and unknowable. The goddess of death represents the fulfillment of all previous stages of life. No longer fertile, her creative power lies not in life, but in wisdom and death. Her totems are those associated with death, crows and vultures.
Images of dying and decay associated with death deities have always frightened man and continue to be one of the main hidden trends of our society. Death can rob us of our dignity and come at any time. This is an unwelcome stranger for those who have never encountered death.
Sex and death (the principles of Eros and Thanatos in psychology) are probably the two most significant forces shaping our way of life. Since sex is a creative and life-affirming act, death is the inevitable end that awaits us all.
A death goddess like Kali is often depicted as terrifying or very frightening, ancient and unstoppable. She is a devourer who will consume us, no matter what we can do to appease her. Again, this aspect tends to be demonized through fear rather than accepted as part of the natural cycle of existence.
The wisdom of old age is ignored in fear of death, so that society hides its elderly in nursing homes, instead of valuing them as custodians of knowledge with the wisdom of experience to guide the younger members of the family through their transitions. Essentially this shows the elimination of the initiatory qualities of old age and death. But who better to guide people through periods of transition than those who have already gone through the full range of human experience?
Beyond death there is underworld and a court where your actions will be assessed. Excuses don't matter; it is the quality of your life and actions that will determine how the dark queen will evaluate you underground kingdom, such goddesses as Hecate and Ereshkigal. Everyone will eventually end up in the underworld.
Hecate stands at the entrance to the underworld with her keys, choosing which part of the underworld the soul will be sent to: the beauty of the Elysian fields or the suffering of Tartarus. Ereshkigal sits in the underworld with his judges, waiting to measure the deeds of the human soul. The Egyptian underworld was one of the most extreme realms, where anyone whose heart outweighed the feather of Ma'at's truth rushed to the devourer and their essence was annihilated.
The expanse of stars that overshadows us and makes us feel our insignificance is another classic aspect embodied by some dark goddesses, such as the mother of all creation. When faced with the limitless potential of emptiness, the eternity of space, it is much easier for us to turn our gaze closer to home, to more manageable and less stimulating perceptions.
Goddesses such as the Egyptian Nuit, the Greek Nyx and the Indian Kali completely represent the totality of everything, of which we are only fragments. Nuit is depicted with stars in her body, and Kali is described as "clothed with stars." Both are often depicted nude, which may be related to the origins of the term "skyclad".
An aspect that cannot be ignored concerns the Moon and the lunar mysteries. The moon has fascinated man for a long time; its increase and decrease affects waves, vegetative growth and ourselves. The Moon embodies change, and the length of its cycle is associated with women's menstruation.
Early man must have gazed in wonder at the ever-changing face of the moon in the night sky, using its light to hunt or hide, and as the moon changes, time passes, dividing it into cycles and seasons.
The moon does not shine, it reflects the light of the Sun. The moon symbolizes the depths of the unconscious under the sunlight of the conscious mind. Moon goddesses embody the powerful currents that lie beneath the surface: the worlds of dreams, emotions and irrationality. It is not surprising that the Moon should be associated with witchcraft and witchcraft, with those who choose to work with natural flows rather than trying to control them.
The four phases of the moon represent the changing tides of our lives and yes, there are four of them, not three. The moon waxes from new moon, reaches half in the first week and grows to full in the second week. Then wanes to half the waning moon in the third week and becomes invisible by the fourth week.
For some reason, many people choose to ignore the dark Moon, although this time for magic is perhaps the most terrible, for only the dim light of the stars illuminates the darkness of the night.
The idea of the triple moon goddess and her aspects of maiden, mother and crone is a modern invention (although such a concept works well from a magical point of view). She was created by Robert Graves in the mid-nineteenth century and presented in the book The White Goddess. But this concept ignores the power of darkness and thus distances people from this time of power, especially beneficial for women.
If you look at all the goddesses in history, you will see that there is no triple goddess who embodies all three phases - i.e. maiden, mother and old woman. When you find goddesses represented in triple form, like Brida or Hecate, they are depicted as beings of the same age, often as beautiful young women, which leads us to realize how limiting stereotypes still persist in modern paganism.
For example, Hecate is depicted in ancient Greek art as a beautiful young woman. So why is she so often referred to in modern paganism as an old woman or crone? If you remember some of the proclamations, you will see what I mean. For example, “Ancient queen of wisdom, Hecate, Ceridwen, old, come to us.” Hecate is not "old" in the sense of her appearance, even though she ancient goddess, she is one of the Titans that predate the Olympian gods of Greece.
Likewise, Ceridwen is a mother goddess, not a crone or a witch, although she is very much portrayed as a witch with herbs and spells! Of course, as modern Pagans we should be able to go back to the source and connect with the original forms of the deities rather than perpetuate repressed and ignorant concepts now that information is so freely available.
The final aspect we need to consider is the dark goddess in the Wheel of the Year. It represents the dark half of the year, that is, autumn and winter.
In a day Autumn Equinox the goddess descends into the underworld, returns to earth, and death surrounds us as the harvest takes place. At the Autumn Equinox, the balance of the year shifts, and once again there is more darkness than light in the day. At the same time, fruits are harvested, reminding us of the cyclical nature of life as we consume the fruit coming from plants that may one day feed on our corpses.
After the Autumnal Equinox, we move towards Samhain, where the veil is very thin. Ghosts and fairies move across the earth, causing misfortune and chaos, and man sees that nature controls him through the weather, and not the other way around. Now the dark goddess sits on the throne in the underworld as the goddess of death and judgment. At this time, cattle were slaughtered to provide meat for the people during the harsh winter months that followed.
In the past, we looked to our ancestors and adopted their wisdom. Today's society creates a farce out of what it fears out of ignorance; it turns old customs into part of a race for greater profits.
The winter solstice brings the shortest day of the year, with the least amount of light. However, this is also a time of rebirth of the sun, for the days now begin to grow longer. Yule reminds us that there should be balance in all things. In the darkest time, the seed of light is reborn, each opposite polarity contains within itself the seed of the opposite, like the yin-yang symbol.
Cailleach, as the queen of winter, embodies the darkness of this time, but also the need to look within. In winter we spend more time indoors, we are more passive. It gives us the opportunity to look within and explore our inner landscapes, rather than directing energy outward. Winter is, like any other season, a necessary part of the cycle of nature, since death is a necessary part of the cycle of life, death and rebirth.
You can see that the dark goddesses are essentially goddesses who embody transition and transformation, and invoking them forces us to grow and change, take responsibility for our actions and become better people. They are not sinister or creepy, although people who glance at them superficially and do not take the trouble to find out more and venture into the darkness may think that they are.
The mentality of choosing a goddess to work with for the sake of supposed "cool dignity" is unwise. Avoid talking about working with Lilith or Kali because you think it will make you look “cool,” and you may get a shock if the goddess decides to take on your boasting and start remodeling your life for you!
So how can we work with dark goddesses in Wicca? Well, for starters, many ceremonies are performed in the dark! Remember that too much light is blinding, and so is pitch darkness. In Wicca we strive for balance, we have solar Sabbats and lunar Esbats, and ignoring either aspect will leave problems due to imbalance. Since Wicca is a path of inner transformation and spiritual growth in harmony with nature, working with these dark goddesses can help realize our full potential in manifestation.
It is important to remember that Wicca connects three strands of spirituality: magic, mysticism and religion. Mysticism is very important, although sometimes ignored. Mystical experiences of the divine and the universe are food for the soul and help give us the impetus for change. Working with dark goddesses can provide very powerful mystical experiences! As a religion, Wicca allows experiences to take on a reliable and useful format, and the magic of the course helps facilitate such experiences.
You may ask, what about Hecate and Morrigan? Until now, nothing significant has been done regarding these goddesses. Why these particular goddesses? On the one hand, personal preferences, and on the other, very compelling reasons. Hecate is the patroness of our VitriolGrove study group, and I am the priest of Morrigan.
Let's start with Hecate. Hecate is the patroness of witches, which is a very good reason to work with her! Hecate was also an important goddess for the ancient Greeks, and was the only Titan revered on Olympus. Although she never lived on Olympus, Zeus granted her dominion over parts of Heaven, Earth and Sea and the right to deliver or collect gifts from humanity.
Hecate was revered as the goddess of abundance and eloquence, rewarding those who worshiped her with generous gifts. Here we can see a common mythical theme: a representative of the original pantheon was accepted into the new one so that humanity would have the means to deal with the "chaos" represented by the earlier deities.
Hecate's powers are significant. She had many roles, the most important of which seem to be that of a guardian against evil spirits and a guide through difficult periods of transition. Hecate is usually represented as the goddess of thresholds: she guards passages, crossroads, and guides people through change.
She also took part in the Eleusinian Mysteries as the goddess leading the candidate to initiation, a very important role in Wicca! Hecate was the only goddess depicted with two torches in Greek art, which is important because it emphasizes her role as light-bringer or phosphorus. As a light-bringer, she guides the initiate through the darkness of struggle and toil to the illumination of initiation.
Hecate's connection with nature is often ignored, which is shocking since this aspect is so important. In the Chaldean Oracles, Hecate is described as the world soul and as the tabernacle of virtues and the source of the soul! Here she is portrayed as incredibly strong feminine energy, very different from Shakespeare's portrait of a night witch with very little power.
Under the guidance of Hecate and the "iynges", divine messengers who were mostly angels (remember that "angelus" means "messenger"), her demon dogs persecuted the lawless. Hecate was seen as the soul of nature, the destiny of all, for she was present at birth, initiation, during life and at death. For Hecate also carries the keys to the underworld, and it is she who decides who goes to Elysium (i.e. “ Eternal summer" in Wiccan terminology).
Hecate's festivals were held on the dark moon. Rich people left food at crossroads in her honor. This food was eaten by the poor. One writer who made a sacrifice to Hecate noted that he barely had time to remove his hands before the beggars took the food! Hecate also has special festival days on August 13th and November 16th. Therefore, in groups, holding a Hecate festival on the new moon, on the dark moon, is an obvious way to honor Hecate, along with leaving offerings at crossroads.
You can work with Hecate in any phase of the Moon, as she also represents a star goddess. Her twin torches symbolize Venus as the morning and evening star. Hecate was also the goddess of storms. If you were a farmer and wanted to gain Hecate's favor, it was on August 13, before the harvest, that you would have to appease her with offerings.
Hecate was often depicted in threefold form, the same beautiful girl, but three times! It is believed that her statues could be left at crossroads that are sacred to her as Hecate Trivia, Hecate of the Three Roads. We often interpret crossroads as four ways, but in the case of Hecate, the texts are very specific, calling them Trivia, that there are actually three paths (forward). Therefore, Hecate of the three paths stood at every crossroads.
Borders and crossroads are meeting places with spirits and supernatural beings, and Hecate was the perfect guardian to protect you from all harm. The three paths can also be seen as earth, sky and underworld.
Hecate is most often translated as “she who does her will,” and what could be more appropriate for a goddess who guides us through transformation and is the patroness of witches? She does not have many partners, like many Greek goddesses. She couldn't easily marry a god and create a perfect couple!
The god she is most associated with is Hermes, another deity of magic and transformation. Statues of Hecate and Hermes guarding the gates were found outside some Greek cities, and these two deities were also central to various versions of the myth of Demeter and Persephone. These are the deities who brought Persephone back from the underworld, since when Persephone was kidnapped, Hecate was the only deity who heard her screams!
Hecate played with torches important role in the Eleusinian Mysteries as a goddess who led the candidate through darkness to initiation, perhaps repeating Persephone's journey through the underworld. In fact, the more you learn about Hecate, the more you will discover that she is a very complex deity, with many aspects. She is ideal for the role of the patroness of modern witches.
Like Hecate, Morrigan was also a member of the past chaotic pantheon, which was replaced by a new order. Together with the Fomorians, she fought against the Tuatha Dé Danaan dynasty. That she too was a Fomorian (early) is clear from the fact that she was already in Ireland when the Tuatha Dé Danaan arrived, and she certainly had a chaotic nature compared to the lighter gods of the Tuatha Dé Danaan.
This is why, like Hecate, she was included in the new pantheon and, like Hecate, she cannot be clearly classified. She survived in folklore through characters such as the banshee, Black Annis, Gvira and Ribin, and was not canonized like many other deities such as Brigid.
Morrigan has a strong earthly aspect, and through her connection with livestock and horses (like Mahi). It grants the sovereignty of a territory to the rightful king (as in the story "Niall. The Nine Hostages") and withdraws it in case of violations, as in the story of King Conaire in "The Destruction of the House of Da Derg".
Local Irish tradition shows how the reality of the goddess's connection with the earth has been preserved, with the tradition of the "Calliberry", the harvest festival witch in the form of a figure made from the last of the oats. During the holiday, she is placed above the table, with a woman standing next to her, who is the main one among other women in the house (the keeper of the hearth). She bends down next to the oatmeal figure, and the figure is ritually cut with a sickle (analogy to a severed head).
Local legends "Cailleach Beara" (from which the name "Calliberry" comes) tell of a goddess who shapes the landscape. The rocks that fall from her apron form hills and valleys, again demonstrating her earth goddess aspect.
Morrigan is also associated with fate, like the washer at the ford, who cuts the thread of life and predicts fate. She also makes prophecies, for example predicting the defeat of the Tuatha dé Danann when it seemed that victory would be theirs.
"After the battle was broken and cleansed from the carnage, Morrigan, Queen of War, proclaimed a triumph and a great victory for the royal hills of Ireland, her spiritual army, her waters, rivers and estuaries." “What news?” - people shout, and the answer comes from the cruel Badb, Morrigan's sister.
"Peace for heaven, peace for earth
Earth under heaven, strength in everyone.
The cup is full, it's full of honey.
Honey in abundance, summer in winter
Peace for Heaven"
This fragment shows some of the Morrigan's qualities, including the sovereignty of the land (the majestic hills of Ireland), her connection with other world and the magic of the ghost queen (spiritual army), as well as her connection with water - rivers and estuaries.
One translation of her name is "witch queen", along with other variations such as "great queen", "ghost queen", "dread queen" and "sea queen". Although she is known as the goddess of sex and battle, she has aspects associated with the earth and waters, as well as prophetic, poetic, otherworldly, magical and shape-shifting aspects.
An important factor in the case of both Hecate and Morrigan is that they represent the original creative force of femininity. They haven't been "sanitized" or remade into being cute, friendly, and social according to stereotypes. They are Goddesses who challenge us to grow and realize our potential, which is a boon to those on the spiritual path.
So both goddesses have a connection with nature, fate and a whole host of entities that they control. Both of these Goddesses are ideal for Wiccan work, for exploring a range of qualities in yourself and the universe around you, and for encouraging transformation in your life. So how to work with them?
For a solitary practice, a good place to start is to create a shrine for the goddess you are working with. Of course, this is good practice if you become devoted to any deity, but in this case you should put items that you feel appropriate and sacred to the goddess you are working with on your shrine.
Daily practice is highly recommended. Not only is this a good discipline to help develop willpower, but it also helps create a stronger connection with the deity and shows that you are serious in your devotion. Lighting candles, chanting hymns, meditation, invocations and offerings are all ideal practices. Who said that deities cannot be bribed? Although in Morrigan's case this might mean going and feeding mince to the ravens, or in Hecate's case it might mean leaving food at a crossroads!
Be sure to keep a journal while doing your daily practice, any events or significant thoughts, as well as your dreams. Both of these goddesses are associated with dreams and can communicate ideas to you through dreams. You can work with both of these goddesses in any phase of the lunar cycle. Samhain is especially sacred to the Morrigan, as it is the time when she is mated with the Dagda and when she leads the extravaganza throughout the land.
This lecture was transcribed from presentations by Sorita d'Este and David Rankin at the 2003 Witchfest International, Craftfest Ireland and Witchfest Scotland conferences organized by the Children of Artemis.
In world mythology there were goddesses who were not always kind and merciful. They demanded a special kind of worship from their admirers. Such deities include Hecate, the goddess of darkness and gloom. Even experts in Greek mythology have not always heard of her because she is often hidden behind other deities. After reading this article, you will get complete information about it.
Acquaintance
Hecate is the goddess of darkness among the Greeks. She is considered the ruler of the night, which is why she is also called the goddess of night and darkness. All ghosts, monsters, night visions and sorceries were under her dominion. According to legend, she was born from the marriage of Asteria and the titan Persus. After she was born (although in her case it would be more accurate to say - into darkness), supreme god Zeus the Thunderer endowed Hecate with power over the destinies of the inhabitants of both land and sea, and Uranus, the god of Heaven (her grandfather), endowed her with indestructible strength. In a word, she was under the protection of the sky and the depths of the sea. In later versions of this myth, the goddess Hecate wore a necklace of eggs on her chest, which gave her secret powers, and her hair was a writhing snake like the Gorgon Medusa, which was capable of turning people into stone. Hecate was also depicted with sharp horns on her head and holding a torch. Doesn't this remind you of anything? Yes, yes, many see similarities with the famous Statue of Liberty in New York. Nevertheless, the author of the statue, a French sculptor, refutes these assumptions.
Origin
Initially, the goddess Hecate was a Thracian and Anatolian goddess and only later moved into the Greek pantheon, where she took the place of the deity of the moonlight, as well as the goddess of the underworld, that is, the underworld. She patronized all monsters and ghosts, witches. She was often depicted surrounded by Stygian dogs. It was first mentioned by Hesiod in the 8th century BC. e. The religious historian Nilsson suggested that the cult of the goddess Hecate originated from Caria. He noticed that there are many personal names in this area that contain the root of her name.
Transfiguration
By the way, there is a version according to which the Greek goddess Hecate was a completely virtuous goddess of the Moon. She patronized hunting, horse breeding, shepherding, protected children and young men at night, granted victory during competitions, and supported them in court and in war. In a word, she was a very revered goddess, in whom the Greeks saw a savior, but in Greece they began to intensively cultivate such gods as Apollo and Hermes, Artemis and Aphrodite, and then she faded into the background, her influence weakened, and she gradually turned into the formidable, fear-inspiring and terrifying goddess of darkness and darkness.
Goddess of the Underworld - Hecate
It was especially popular among the “Orphics,” that is, the mystics. Sometimes she was associated with the mysteries - Rhea, Cybele, Persephone, Demeter. In many images she appears with a torch in her hand. Sculptors created her statues, and then they were placed at crossroads, it was believed that in this way one could be protected from trouble and misfortune. On the other hand, it was believed that it causes madness, obsession, insanity and sends people terrible visions and ghosts.
Time passed, and the goddess Hecate in Greek mythology acquired more and more qualities. For example, she began to be considered the patroness of sorcerers, witches and sorceresses. On the other hand, people asked her to protect them from evil demons.
Children
Hecate, the goddess of darkness, according to legend, was the mother of the monster Empusa, who at night took the form of a miracle maiden and carried away and destroyed travelers, and sometimes turned into a terrible ghost and frightened lonely wanderers. They said that his face was burning with heat, and one of his legs was made of copper. And from Forkis, the sea deity, the goddess Hecate gave birth to a daughter, Scylla.
Mythical stories
There are many stories about this goddess in Greek mythology. The most famous of them is associated with Demeter. According to her, the goddess Hecate, whose photo (exposition) you see in our article, helps the desperate goddess of fertility find her daughter Persephone, who was kidnapped. No one wanted to help Demeter, and only she extended a helping hand to her. After all, Hecate’s mother once died because of Zeus, who desired her, but her aunt, Leto, gave in to the Thunderer and survived. This story made Hecate the goddess of humiliated, insulted, offended women from the common people. And she was terrible in her revenge, she could bring madness, illness and misfortune to the offender. However, for this, the woman who called for the help of the goddess had to perform a magical ritual.
There is a legend that it was the goddess Hecate who helped the Georgian Medea fall in love with the handsome Jason, although he later abandoned her. Another story with Hecate is connected with this myth. This time she is hiding under the guise of the goddess Electra, who initiates the Argonauts into her mysteries.
Priestesses of the temple
Hecate, the goddess of darkness, had many admirers, and a temple was created for them, the priestess of which was the sorceress Circe. She lived on an island, attracted men and turned them into different animals. Only Odysseus, with the support of the god Hermes, was able to resist her charms. He seduced her and stayed with her for about three years. There is a version that Agamemnon’s daughter, Iphigenia, was also a priestess of Hecate, although she presented herself as a servant of Artemis in Tauris. This became evident when she turned into an animal during the sacrifice. The plot of the myth about Iphigenia is very similar to the “classical myth” about Hecate.
Later myths
Gradually, the legend about this deity changed so much that it was difficult to draw a parallel between them. Thus, in later myths, Zeus and Hera were considered the parents of Hecate. She greatly angered her mother when she began to help Europa, one of the beloved of her father, the thunderer Zeus. First, she helps Europe during childbirth, while hiding from her own mother at the bedside of the woman in labor, and then she has no choice but to go to Hades and settle there. There is another legend, according to which she herself turns into either a bear or a wild boar, kills, and then revives her son.
Triple Goddess
The goddess of darkness Hecate (see photo in the article) in some paintings and even statues is depicted as having a three-body body. This speaks of the trinity of her character. Each of the three bodies belonged to mature women who were looking in different directions and holding torches, snake whips and daggers in their hands. It was these statues of Hecate that were placed in the middle of the crossroads. According to one version, each of the three women symbolizes one of her three hypostases, namely the goddess of abundance and fertility, the Moon, witchcraft and darkness. However, if you look at their images, you can hardly find a relationship with the above-mentioned goddesses. Her three-body nature was also associated with her three forms: mare, lion and dog. She was the only one of the goddesses who ruled the three stages human existence- birth, mature life and death, that is, the past, present and future were under her power. There were also versions that its triplicity lies in the three states of the Moon: waxing, full moon and waning. It is also said that she possessed the “three whips of power” and used them to control humanity. However, if you look at her images, you can only see two whips (sometimes depicted in the form of snakes), which are held in both hands by one of the three bodies of the goddess. But the other two have other objects in their hands. By the way, on those statues where she is depicted in one body, she holds two torches, which symbolize darkness, gloom.
Lunar Triad
The Amazon goddess Artemis was the "occult sister" of the goddess of darkness. They have a lot in common both in character and in terms of attributes and the path along which they rush. They are independent and do not have husbands who would restrict their freedom. They are always and everywhere accompanied by dogs. They are the patroness of women in trouble, especially through the fault of men. Artemis, Hecate and Selene - they represent the lunar triad, they are all virgins, independent, self-sufficient, they can compete and achieve their goals. They love to put things in order and make the world more beautiful and fair. Unlike the first two, Selena has a lover, but she likes to sit and watch him sleep, but she is not attracted to real love.
Earth Triad
Demeter, Persephone, Hecate are sisters in spirit. Persephone's name includes the name of Hecate's father - the titan Persian, but a piece of the “background” speaks of her destructive power, because she cuts the thread of fate and calls to the underworld. In the concept of the earthly triad, Hecate appears to be a “vulnerable” goddess. Her well-being depends on the kind of relationships she builds. She is receptive to those who ask for her help in love affairs. She is always ready to come to the aid of those who suffer from love persecution, as in the legend of Demeter and Persephone. She is ready to avenge women who have been abused, persecuted and wished to commit violence against them.
Images of the goddess
Hecate was one of the few Greek deities who were allowed to enter Hades. In this capacity she is Hecate Chthonia. That's why she was able to cause madness and nightmares, to terrify. The ancient Greeks called it “nameless,” just like death. The image of Hecate Urania suggests that she was both an underground and heavenly goddess. The main hypostasis of the goddess, with which she has survived to this day, is witchcraft. In the works of Shakespeare you can find her name - the inspiration of all witches. She did not patronize black magic, but participated in all nightly activities. Hecate-Propylaea is the protector of young and helpless girls and women who want to regain their feminine happiness with the help of charms. In the fourth book of the Aeneid, the goddess Hecate is approached by the former lover of Aeneas, who abandoned her and drove the woman to suicide with his steps. Standing with a dagger in her hand, she calls out to Hecate and only then stabs herself with the blade. The unfortunate woman begs the goddess to avenge herself.
But for mystics, she was the guardian of the path of those people who are engaged in the occult sciences and are considered the chosen one. So, in the 6th book of the Aeneid, she appears as Sibylla’s teacher and gives her the power to wander through the labyrinth of Tartarus. In some sources, no matter how strange it may sound, the goddess of darkness Hecate is presented as the patroness of weddings and childbirth. This is evidenced by torches as an attribute of the goddess of childbirth. But the dagger in her hands is intended for cutting the umbilical cord of a newborn. If you remember, it was customary to install the statue of Hecate at crossroads; from this point of view, she is known in the image of the goddess of “limits”, where one thing ends and another begins. It could also be the place where the otherworldly ends and thisworldly begins. In a word, she presented herself as the keeper of the “gate.”
Habits and Attributes
Hecate's most important habit was walking in the night with a pack of dogs with glowing red eyes, as well as with the souls of dead people. She, as a rule, wore sandals made of bronze, or rather leather, decorated with bronze blotches. It is believed that when dogs begin to whine and howl for no reason, they sense Hecate's approach. She is also accompanied by the demons of Kera.
Hecate had magical herbs in her arsenal, for example the aconite flower, about which there is a sad legend. Aconite grew near the city of Akon, next to which there was a cave with an entrance to Hades (hell). According to legend, this flower was regularly watered with the saliva of Cerberus. Aconite flowers are very poisonous, not only the stems and buds, but also the smell itself. Magic healers used plant juice as a remedy for taming sensual desire. It was used in rituals. The sign of the goddess Hecate was also coniferous branches entwined with ivy. They say that they were able to protect from troubles.