She landed from the sky “like a star” into the sea and transformed into an island to finally escape Zeus’ dangerous lovemaking drive. Thankfully, she escaped him by transforming into a quail and flying away into the sky. The absolutely crazy god of thunder chased this single goddess over the city walls in the form of an eagle. The way it goes, this beauty of hers wasn’t enough to keep her safe from Zeus’ abnormal sexual desires. Her name literally means ‘star,’ which could’ve been a reference to her beauty and a story concerning Zeus. Greek mythology often identified this tempered man as the ancestor of the Persians.Īsteria, on the other hand, was a much calmer woman. The former was the Titan of both destruction and peace, which is what you’d totally expect in the goddess of witchcraft’s own father. Hecate was born inside the prestigious halls of the Perses and Asteria, as a second generation Titan goddess. It basically implies someone “who works from a far distance.”įor a dark figure like her, “working from a far distance” sounds like a good title. The name Hecate comes from the Greek word “Hekatos,” which was thought to be a really distant and obscure epithet associated with Apollo, the Greek god of music. As a result, the goddess of magic remained a major deity in regulating evil spirits in the Underworld. Hecate acted as a veil between the world of the mortals and the supernatural. This is also why she was portrayed as Selene, the Greek moon goddess, in ancient vase paintings. Though her influence lessens during the day when Helios shines the brightest, Hecate’s powers amplify during the night. As supreme Titaness of the surreal, Hecate held extreme power over the realms of magic and witchcraft. Given her long list of dark epithets, necromancy is something you would expect the goddess of witchcraft to be proficient in. Spoiler alert: yes, Hecate had the powers to communicate with the dead. Instead, she stands firm on top of the boundaries, refusing to topple over to any side.īut yes, we agree that the writing of the eighth season of “Game of Thrones” was pure evil. This solidifies her position as neutral as she can be both subjectively evil and good. As a result, this hidden side forces us to think based on what brings us the most comfort and mental security.Īs mentioned before, Hecate is also the Greek goddess of crossroads. Though we associate evil with bizarre things such as zombies, vampires, witchcraft, and ghosts in fiction, we rarely look at things from their perspective. This individualistic aspect is frequently portrayed in a neutral figure, and Hecate plays that role here. You could argue forever, but the concept of evil is highly subjective. Is a person butchering a cow to feed his family evil? Is it evil to destroy an anthill so a garden shed can be built on top of it?
It really depends on how you define evil. Is Hecate Evil Or Good?Īh yes, the age-long question of what is evil and what is not. She was significantly respected by the other Greek gods and her followers on the blue planet. However, don’t mistake her association with demons as the definition of pure evil. Hecate held dominion over crossroads, necromancy, ghosts, moonlight, sorcery, and every other subject that you found cool during your 2008 emo phase. She wasn’t just the goddess of dark things. Hecate’s association with surreal concepts such as magic and witchcraft straddles conventional boundaries. In fact, she was one of the only remaining Titans (alongside Helios) that went about their business after the Titanomachy, the war that placed Zeus and his Olympian pantheon at the helm of power.Īs the former Titan gods began to fade away, Hecate’s shadowy personality seeped deeper into the pages of ancient Greek religion.Īnd no, that definitely isn’t an overstatement. Her being a part of the long-extinct pantheon of the Titans didn’t help either. This was primarily because she dabbled within dark corners and lashed out only when it was necessary. This glorious goddess Hecate wasn’t known as much as her colleagues. If you thought goth girls didn’t exist back in the day, think again.