| “ | I am the goddess of the Mist. I am responsible for keeping the veil that separates the world of the gods from the world of mortals. My children learn to use the Mist to their advantage, to create illusions or influence the minds of mortals. Other demigods can do this as well. And so must you, Hazel, if you are to help your friends. | ” |
–Hecate | ||
| Titles: | Goddess of Magic and Witchcraft Goddess of Crossroads Goddess of the Mist |
| Gender: | Female |
| Status: | Immortal |
| Species: | Titan |
| Affiliation: | Herself |
| Weapon: | Magic ; Twin Torches |
| Home: | N/A |
| Roman Form: | Trivia |
| Appearance: | Varies |
| Father: | Perses |
| Mother: | Asteria |
| Spouse(s): | None |
| Sibling(s): | None |
| Demigod Children: | Hecate's Cabin |
| Immortal Children: | Circe; Creator of the Empousa (Varies by Myth) |
| Lover(s): | Helios (Father of Circe) |
| Other: |
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HECATE was the goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, moon, ghosts and necromancy. She was the only child of the Titanes Perses and Asteria from whom she received her power over heaven, earth, and sea.
Some of the more famous myths featuring the goddess include:
- Hecate & the Titan War;
- Hecate & the War againts the Giants;
- The Rape of Pershepone;
- Hecate & Hermes;
- Hecate & Hekabe;
- Hecate & Gale
In Greek mythology, Hecate is the personification of Magic, Mystery and Mist. Hecate was born from the love of Perses and Asteria, and was the one of the first Titans. Though she was born a Titan when a war broke out between them and the Gods she switched sides, favouring the Gods. Because of this she was granted immense power from Zeus, Poseidon and Hades and gave her power in all three major realms (sky, sea, and the Underworld).
Hecate is a powerful goddess representing the aspects of the Triple Goddess: goddess of fertility and plenty; goddess of the moon; and goddess of the night and the underworld, which led to her evolving as the patroness of magic and Witchcraft. She mixed fertility with death to be used as earth power. She has been called supreme, both in heaven and hell. It is believed that even Zeus called on her whenever he wished to grant something to someone. Hecate is portrayed as the most powerful - who could give aplenty or destroy totally. She is said to have the power to bestow on or withhold from mortals any gifts she chose. All the secret powers of Nature were at her command. She had control over birth, life, and death. Because of her power in the three areas of nature, heaven and earth she was represented as a triple form.
She is most known as an underworld goddess; the Goddess of the Dark of the Moon, the nights that there is no moon and the world above is as dark as the world below. She was the overseer of the world of the dead. At night she travelled roaming the earth accompanied by her dogs, Hermes, and dead souls. Some say she sent demons from the lower world at night and that she causes nightmares and insanity, and was called "the Nameless One."
Hecate in Greek means 'the desire to understand'. Because of her power Hecate had many worshippers and cults around Ancient Greece and Rome. She had many priests who worshiped in her name, all her followers worshiped at night in light of a new moon and would be gifted in the arts of magic. She nhad cults in many cities; Athens Sikyonia Sphesos and one in Sicily, Italy. Small household shrines were erected to Hekate to ward of the harmful influences of witchcraft and the power of the evil eye. And shrines were also built at crossroads to guide travellers and merchents at night.
In Roman mythology Trivia is the goddess of crossroads, graveyards, and was the goddess of sorcery and witchcraft.
“They turned her into a deceitful weasel (or polecat), making her live in crannies and gave her a grotesque way of mating. She is mounted through the ears and gives birth by bringing forth her young through the throat. Hekate felt sorry for this transformation of her appearance and appointed her a sacred servant of herself.” ~Antoninus Liberalis, Metamorphoses 29
Hecate was looked upon as a goddess of fertility, whose torch was carried over freshly sown fields to symbolize the fertilizing power of moonlight. In women's agricultural mysteries her trinity took form as Kore the green corn, Persephone the ripe ear, and Hecate the harvested corn. She is closely associated as a Goddess of Midwives and pregnant women. Hecate is described by Hellenic as being in the houses of women in childbirth. Since she is a Goddess of the underworld which deals with life and death it little wonder that she was petitioned for help by women having difficulty in child bearing.
A lover of solitude, Hecate's true nature is very much unknown. She spends a great deal of time in the Underworld, being a close friend of Hades and Persephone especially. She apparently resented not being honored by the demigods since she supported Kronos in the Second Titan War. Since her children have been given their own place at Camp Half-Blood, she has given up her grudge against Olympus, but seems protective and worrisome of her children, many of whom were lost, captured, or embittered by the experience of the second Titanomachy.
Hecate is usually dressed in dark robes, holding twin torches (all the better to see you and burn you with, my dear). She is accompanied by a she-dog and a polecat, which used to be her enemies before she morphed them into animals. In later times, Hecate was pictured as a woman with three heads, or three entirely different forms for morning, noon and night. She is also sometimes described as being dressed in white robes with ornate silver designs, like runes or alchemy symbols. Her dark hair barely comes down to her shoulders. There is a green shimmer that surrounds her like an aura. Her face is like a Greek statue- pale, beautiful, and ageless.
She possesses the standard powers of a goddess.
- Mystiokinesis: As the goddess of magic, Hecate has divine authority and absolute control over magic.
- Necromancy: As the goddess of necromancy, Hecate has divine authority and absolute control over the dead, though not as much as Hades.
- She can call forth endless waves of the dead to fight for her.
- She can destroy Skeleton Warriors.
- She can put the dead to sleep.
- She can silence the dead with a gesture.
- She can physically grab a ghost.
- Mist Control: As the goddess of the Mist, she has divine authority and absolute control over the Mist, and a swirling column of pure white Mist surrounds her when she is present.
- She can create illusions.
- She can create false memories.
- She can make monsters invisible or have them be seen as something else.
- She can hide locations.
- She can summon Mistforms.
- She can disguise people.
- Prophecy: As the goddess of magic, Hecate can see multiple futures that could happen therefore being able to predict prophecies as well.
- In mythology, Zeus, Poseidon and Hades gave her power in all three major realms (sky, sea, and the Underworld).
- The English word "trivia" stems from Hecate's Roman counterpart, Trivia.
- Despite having a Roman form in the mythology, she stated that she was always Hecate. However, this could be because she is not affected by the Greek/Roman split.
- As revealed in The Demigod Diaries, Hecate lost more children in the second Titanomachy than any other Olympian.
- Despite her children in the book series, Hecate was a virgin goddess in most stories, although her children may have been conceived in a unique way, like Athena`s children are.
- Trivia refers to obscure knowledge which Hecate/Trivia presided over.
- Dogs, Polecats and frogs are her sacred animals.
- She is symbolized by twin torches, a key, rope, dagger, and three crossroads.
- Her name means "will" but at the same time, if we consider her name's spelling and pronunciation, it means her that operates from afar, her that removes or drives of, the far reaching one or the far darter.
- According to Roman Mythology, her Roman counterpart, Trivia, used to kidnap young maidens, whom she later changed into Nymphs.
- Hecate appears as a character in William Shakespeare's play Macbeth.
- It was stated in The House of Hades, that Hecate is considered a Titan, thus making her children the only known Demi-Titans.
- She is known to her Empousai as "The Dark Lady".
- In The Son of Magic, Hecate is described with black hair and green eyes, like her son Alabaster Torrington. In The House of Hades, her hair is blond and with black eyes. However, since she is a goddess, Hecate's appearance can change at will.
- This can also support a theory of Hecate being the Triple-Faced Goddess, thus having three separate appearances and personalities.
- Her Egyptian equivalent is Isis.
- Even though she is one of the only 4 Titans who supported the Olympians in the first Titanomachy (Others are Helios,Selene and Rhea),She is treated as a minor Goddess which angers her and is probably the cause she sided with her siblings, the Titans in the second Titanomachy.
