What are the three forms of Hecate?

The three forms or three women that Hecate appears as (not the one woman with three heads on one body) a young maiden (the virign), a crone (the witch), and a mother.

Which Homeric hymn offers an aetiology for the eleusinian mysteries?

According to the Hymn to Demeter, the Mysteries at Eleusis originated in the two-fold story of Demeter’s life—her separation from and reunion with her daughter and her failure to make the queen’s son immortal.

Are Hecate and Persephone the same?

Hecate was the chief goddess presiding over magic and spells. She witnessed the abduction of Demeter’s daughter Persephone to the underworld and, torch in hand, assisted in the search for her.

Who was Hecate’s lover?

Perses had a daughter Hekate . . . she married Aeetes and bore two daughters, Kirke (Circe) and Medea, and a son Aigialeus.”

Who heard Persephone’s scream?

Persephone shouted and called out to Zeus, but he did not hear her for it was by his will that HADES [hay’deez] (PLUTO), his brother and her uncle, carried her off to be his wife and queen of the Underworld. Demeter’s Grief and Anger. Demeter heard her daughter’s screams and frantically rushed in pursuit.

Where did the Greek goddess Hecate come from?

Hecate has been characterized as a pre-Olympian chthonic goddess. She appears in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter and in Hesiod’s Theogony, where she is promoted strongly as a great goddess. The place of origin of her following is uncertain, but it is thought that she had popular followings in Thrace.

Why did Hecate go to the underworld with Demeter?

Hecate reveals the truth to Demeter, and together they go to try and rescue Persephone. It is finally agreed that Persephone shall spend part of the year in the Underworld with Hades and the rest on Earth with Demeter. Hecate henceforth acts as a guide for Persephone on Her journeys between the worlds.

What kind of creatures are sacred to Hecate?

But the creatures of darkness and of the earth are most sacred to Her; ravens, owls, crows, snakes & dragons. The frog, significantly a creature that can cross between two elements, is also sacred to Hecate and the Egyptian goddess Heqit. The yew, cypress, hazel, black poplar and the willow are all sacred to Hecate.

What kind of herbs are associated with Hecate?

Many other herbs and plants were associated with Hecate, including garlic, almonds, lavender, myrrh, mugwort, cardamom, mint, dandelion, hellebore, and lesser celandine. Several poisons and hallucinogens are linked to Hecate, including belladonna, hemlock, mandrake, aconite (Classically known as hecateis), and opium poppy.