Hecate / Hekate
Queen of Witches, Witchcraft, and the Ghostworld; Goddess of Crossroads, Fortune and the Underworld.
Although, Hecate was a goddess of pre-Olympian (Thracian) origin, she was placed into the Greek and Roman pantheons. Hecate is the daughter of the Titans, Perses and Asteria, both of which are symbols of shining light. In later times, she was said to be the daughter of Zeus and Hera. Hecate has also been said to be one of the lovers of Hermes.

She is a goddess of pathways and crossroads traveled by night. Offerings to her were usually left in roadside shrines and at junctions. Hecate is also known as the patron of Medea, of Circe and other witches, and in parts of Thessaly, she was worshiped by bands of female moon worshipers. In variations of the Demeter legends, Hecate plays a part in the return of Persephone from Hades, and is invoked as a bestower of wealth and good favor.

To both the Greeks and Romans, Hecate was the goddess of crossroads (not just the physical paths, but also the symbolic crossroads in one's life) Often at such crossroads, statues of Hecate would be placed where people could leave food offerings to her. Such offerings would be left at these statues in the dead of night on the eve of the full moon. This was known as "Hecate's Supper". Once the food was placed the person would walk away without looking back. For no one dared to confront the goddess face to face.

Hecate's annual festival is on August 13th in Greece, (and that of Diana on the same day in Rome). This annual festival was done in honor of Hecate in hopes of averting the harvest destroying storms, which the moon would send around that time of year.

Hecate never resided in the lofty heights of Olympus. Instead, she dwelt in the Underworld along side of Hades and Persephone. Also residing with her were the gods, Thanatos (Death), Hypnos (Sleep), and Morpheus (Dreams). While Persephone, who was the Maiden of the Triple Goddess, brought life to the earth every spring, Hecate was Mistress of the night sky. While Persephone was (so to speak) the bright link between the Underworld and Earth, Hecate was the dark link.

Hecate was also known to haunt graveyards as she would lead the souls of the departed across the lake. She also would haunt the scenes of crimes as a goddess of explanation and purification. Hecate is the Dark Mother in both the positive and the negative sense. She can send demons to torment men's dreams, and drive them mad if they are not well integrated enough to cope with her. But to those that dare to welcome her, she brings creative inspiration. To this she is known as Hecate Antea, the sender of nocturnal visions.

She also has a son that many do not know of. He is Museos, the Muse-Man. It is also legend that Hecate is the mother of Marianina, who rose for a time to become goddess of the sea.

The Greeks would use an instrument called "Hecate's Circle" for divination. This was a golden circle with a sapphire hidden inside of it. This represented Hecate's "mysterious moon" which concealed the bright seed of understanding within. Her symbol is the torch, because she holds the light which illuminates the unconscious and reveals its treasures.

The owl was her messenger, the willow was her tree, and she rode a chariot pulled by dragons.

Of all the Greek goddesses, Hecate was the most associated with the triple aspect. She was seen in all three phases of the moon and especially the dark moon. Her powers extend over heaven and the underworld, the earth and the sea. In the realm of nature, she is honored as Selene the moon, in Heaven. She is honored as Artemis the huntress, on Earth and as Hecate the destroyer, in the Underworld. To the Romans, this triple goddess was called Diana Triformis, and was made up of Diana, Persephone and Hecate. To the Greeks, this triple goddess was made up of Persephone, Demeter and Hecate. She is also the goddess of prophecy, charms, vengeance, wisdom, choices and regeneration.

In later times, Hecate took on the form of a pillar called Hecterion. One statue shows her with three heads and six arms, bearing three torches and three sacred emblems: A key, rope, and dagger. With the key to the underworld, Hecate unlocks the secrets of the occult mysteries and knowledge of afterlife. The rope symbolizes the umbilical cord of rebirth and renewal. The dagger or Athame is a symbol of ritual power.

Many are of the understanding that Hecate is purely Greek of origin. This however is not so. For she has been from the begining of time, from all ages. She is known as the goddess of witches and of magic, the dark of the moon, and the depths of the underworld. She walks along the roadways and counsels those at the crossroads. Of all the greek goddesses, Hecate alone could grant or refuse anything asked by mortals. She is the Queen of the Night, and those who seek her protection can move safely in the darkness. Hecate is the voice of wisdom, divination and dreams.

The Triple Goddess
In ancient Indo-European mythologies, various goddesses or demi-goddesses appear as a triad, either as three separate beings who always appear as a group (the Greek Moirae, Charites, Erinnyes and the Norse Norns) or as a single deity who is commonly depicted in three aspects (Greek Hecate). Often it is ambiguous whether a single being or three are represented, as is the case with the Irish Brighid and her two sisters, also called Brighid, or the Morrígan who is known by at least three or four different names. In most ancient descriptions of Triple Goddesses, the separate deities perform different yet related functions, and can appear as any age they desire.

An archetypal Goddess triad is not limited to Indo-European cultures, and can also be found in some mythologies of Africa and Asia. The triadic theme also appears in medieval Christian folk traditions — notably with the three Marys. Some followers of Wicca and New Age religions believe that long before the coming of the patriarchal or monotheistic religions (implying a causal relation between patriarchy and monotheism), the Triple Goddess embodied the threefold aspect of a Great Goddess, sometimes, incorrectly, identified with Gaia, the Earth Mother.

A common Greek triple goddess is the combination of Persephone as the Maiden, pure and a representation of new beginnings; Demeter as the Mother, wellspring of life, giving and compassionate; and Hecate as the Crone, wise, knowing, a culmination of a lifetime of experience. Among Wiccans and Newagers "The Maiden" represents enchantment, inception, expansion, the promise of new beginnings, birth, youth and youthful enthusiasm. The Mother represents ripeness, fertility, sexuality, nurturance, fulfillment, stability, power and life. The Crone represents wisdom, repose, death, and endings.

The New Moon is the white goddess of birth and growth; the Full Moon, the red goddess of love and battle; the Old Moon, the black goddess of death and divination.

Some Wiccans and New Age religions often profess to work with the Goddess in her triple form and sometimes apply the Maiden, Mother and Crone symbolism to goddesses who do not historically fit this pattern. An example of this would be the goddess Hecate, who could be depicted as three maidens when in triplicate, or as an old woman by herself.